A System of Effective and Innovative Strategies for Learning and Teaching Foreign Languages

A system of effective and innovative strategies for learning and teaching foreign languages is outlined. Outlining such a system presupposes the use of both theoretical methods of analyzing a number of strategies for learning and teaching foreign languages, and the concept of functional asymmetry of the human brain hemispheres, which allows distributing the corresponding strategies in the content of a certain system.

The article analyzes such tools (hypotheses, strategies, methods) of learning and teaching foreign languages (based on foreign scientific sources): as the hypotheses of "acquisition-learning hypothesis", "natural order hypothesis", "monitor hypothesis", "input hypothesis", "affective filter", "free voluntary reading", "spaced repetition", as the methods – the Callan method, Dr. Pimsler's method, Raymond Murphy's method, Benny Lewis Method, the method based of the cognitive academic language learning approach, the method of mindfulness, as well as innovative methodological aspects of learning/teaching foreign languages – the task-based learning, the method of presentation-practice-production, the method based on lexical approach, functional approach, communicative approach, the methods of total physical response, guided discovery, content-based learning, content and language integrated learning.

The system of effective and innovative strategies for learning and teaching foreign languages is based on both the concept of functional asymmetry of the cerebral hemispheres and on R. Oxford’s "Strategy inventory for language learning", within which the strategies are classified into six categories (memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, affective, and social) that form direct (memory, cognitive, compensation) and indirect (metacognitive, affective, social) strategies. These strategies cover such methodological areas/tools as immersion in the process of language communication, consistent practice (lifelong learning), setting realistic goals (goal setting), using a variety of resources, spaced repetition, retrieval practice, collaboration, etc.