THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ISSUES ON COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The paper deals with the diachronic aspects of communicative competence development and theoretical issues influencing on the most important methods of teaching foreign languages. Foreign language learning and teaching have undergone a significant paradigm shift as a result of the research and experiences which have expended the theoretical fundamental knowledge about the practical ways of teaching students a foreign language. The sociocultural theory is regarded as a key one in the intercultural competence development. Foreign language acquisition has been revealed to be a complex, multidimensional process influenced by both learners and environment variables, so significantly new teacher’s responsibilities have been focused on and the emphasis has been put on the learner-centered teaching methods as the most effective to motivate learners to develop their communicative abilities. In such learning environment the teacher’s role is changed from an authority figure to a facilitator. Special attention has been paid to the modern computer technologies of teaching a foreign language. The use of social media such as FB, Twitter and so on, incorporated in classroom problem-solving tasks introduces a new dimension to the teaching and learning process. Methodologically classroom-oriented research has been considered to improve teaching practices leading to greater language proficiency and success among foreign language learners.