COURSES | Metodika-FLT

The Department of Methodology of Foreign Language Teaching provides professional (pedagogical) training for students of the Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology, organizes and supervises postgraduate training of foreign language teachers, accepts doctoral students and supervises their scientific activities. The main activity of the Department is to prepare future foreign language teachers for all levels of the educational system in Bulgaria, as well as for inspectors, experts, heads of methodological associations for foreign language teaching, etc. Initial pedagogical training is carried out within the framework of the bachelor's degree and includes a theoretical course, observation, current pedagogical practice and internship. The professional qualification "teacher" is acquired after successfully passing a state practical-applied exam.

An important characteristic of theoretical courses on foreign language teaching methodology is that, from the very beginning of the introduction of the specialty at Sofia University, the lecturers abandoned the form of monographic readings that was widespread in the Faculty and focused on creating systematic theoretical courses. The main feature of this type of course is that they aim to present the overall problems of a given scientific field and the controversial issues, unlike the monographic course, in which the lecturer examines only some of its specific aspects. This preference for systematic courses is largely motivated by the specificity of the initial pedagogical training of foreign language teachers as a comprehensive and complete course of training. The systematic type of lecture courses presents the basic laws and the conceptual apparatus of those sciences for which foreign language teaching is the subject of research. The basic theoretical positions are clarified from the point of view of both the development of foreign language methodology and through the research prism of sciences close to the methodology, i.e. a tradition is being formed for presenting the linguistic, psychological, psycholinguistic, sociolinguistic, didactic foundations of foreign language teaching. Within the framework of the systematic lecture course, the subject, objectives, methodology for research and description of the process of foreign language teaching, the terminological apparatus, the principles of training, teaching methods and content, teaching and learning of knowledge, the development of skills (and habits), which in modern courses are integrated into communicative competence, are determined. The main educational ideologies, problems and topics are presented, the functions and structure of foreign language teaching are clarified, practical recommendations are formulated in accordance with the theoretical conclusions and the specific goals of the national language policy. The discussion issues are considered through the prism of the various methodological schools and directions in a historical and contemporary perspective. In this way, the practice of the systematic courses on foreign language teaching methodology lays the foundation for the gradual development at Sofia University of a modern methodological theory, which is distinguished by its explanatory and prognostic value.

The rich experience gained over the past seventy years in teaching the methodology of foreign language teaching at the Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology implies continuous development and enrichment of teaching practice. That is why the Department is considering the issue of expanding the modern theoretical training of students. The topic of additional elective seminars is discussed annually, in which, along with the main lecture course, individual aspects of foreign language teaching, modern philology, psycholinguistics, psychology and pedagogy are presented. In this way, students are given the opportunity to get acquainted with the latest research in this field, while at the same time their training is built on a modular principle. This modern innovative organization is a guarantee for the international recognition of the pedagogical qualification obtained at Sofia University.

Note: The text about the courses at the department is based on materials from the following literary sources :

Vesselinov, D. (2011). Chronicle of the Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology 1965-1988. Sofia, St. Kliment Ohridski University Press. ISBN: 978-954-07-3249-7.

Vesselinov, D. (2020). The Methodology of Foreign Language Teaching at Sofia University. Linguodidactic Perspectives. Sofia, St. Kliment Ohridski University Press. pp. 9-47. ISBN: 9782-954-07-4982-2.