Typology of foreign language lessons

The high-quality uniqueness of the lessons is determined by their goals and content, the methodology, and the characteristics of the school, teacher, and students. In order to identify common aspects in a huge variety of lessons, their classification is objectively necessary. The problem of typology of lessons, their systematization is rather complicated. In didactics, there are various approaches to classifying lessons. Depending on what features were taken as the basis, one or another version of the typology of lessons was proposed. One of the classifications of the lessons was based on the methods of their conduct, i.e., teaching methods, in connection with which lecture lessons, film lessons, conversation lessons, and practical lessons were distinguished. There were attempts to classify the lessons, for example, by the nature of the cognitive activity of students (lessons of the primary perception of facts, lessons of the formation of concepts, etc.), by the degree of independence of students' work (lessons of independent work of schoolchildren, lessons of the teacher working with the class), etc.

In accordance with this classification, the following types of lessons are distinguished: lessons for students to master new knowledge, which are used to accumulate factual material, observe, study processes and phenomena, understand them and form concepts; lessons in the formation and assimilation of skills; lessons of generalization and systematization of knowledge; lessons of repetition, consolidation, or, in another wording, the integrated application of knowledge, skills; control and verification lessons (with verbal and written verification of knowledge, skills); combined lessons in which several didactic problems are simultaneously solved. Unfortunately, this classification cannot be recognized as universal, since it is almost far from always possible to observe in pure form any of the given types of lessons, except for the combined one. In addition, the above classification reflects only educational goals, does not take into account the implementation of educational tasks in the lesson and the nature of the educational and cognitive activities of students in the lessons. Therefore, the typology of lessons continues to be one of the urgent problems of didactics.

The structure of the lesson depends on the goals set, the content of the material being studied, the teaching methods and techniques used in the lesson, the level of preparation and development of students, the place of the lesson in the educational process. The lessons have the most diverse structure, they cannot be planned and carried out in a standardized manner, according to a single, once and for all established scheme. In addition to the above factors, the creative nature of the teacher’s work and the specific working conditions in this class also greatly influence the structure of the lesson. Each lesson differs from other lessons in its features, even if they are taught in the same subject in parallel classes. In the lesson you can always see the specific «pedagogical handwriting” of the teacher. However, due to the fact that various classification methods established a limited number of types of lesson, there was a steady tendency to assign to each of these types a certain, rather rigid structure. For example, a combined lesson was built according to the following scheme: the organizational moment, checking students' homework, interviewing students on the material passed, the teacher presenting new material, consolidating the material studied, and homework. The stereotyped nature of such a structure aroused fair criticism of didacts and advanced teachers. The structure of the lesson should not only reflect the external manifestations of the organization of the joint activity of the teacher and students in the lesson, but also express mainly the essence of the internal processes that are associated with the active cognitive activity of students.

The structure may change depending on the content of the educational material, conditions, preparedness of students, etc. The lesson of mastering new knowledge consists, for example, of such elements that are common for lessons of this type: perception and awareness of educational material, understanding of connections and relationships in it, generalization and systematization of knowledge. But in the structure of individual lessons in the assimilation of new knowledge, there may be no reproduction of supporting knowledge at all, for example, when studying material completely unfamiliar to students.

In addition to the indicated main stages, each type of lesson also has an internal structure — a methodology for solving individual didactic problems at each stage of the lesson. This technique is the most mobile part of each lesson, since the methods, techniques and teaching tools used in the lesson are used in various combinations, sequences and relationships. For example, at the stage of perception and awareness of new educational material, a teacher can use an explanation, problematic presentation, heuristic conversation, various types of students' independent work, and teaching aids. In another approach to the definition of the concept of “lesson structure” in the context of developing education, it is proposed to consider the structure of the lesson at three levels: didactic, logical-psychological and methodological. The main one is the didactic structure, which consists of constant components: updating the previous knowledge and methods of action of students, the formation of new concepts and methods of action and application — the formation of skills.

M. I. Makhmutov classifies the following types of lessons:

1. Lesson learning new material. This includes introductory and introductory parts, observations and collection of materials — as methodological options for lessons: lesson — lecture; lesson — conversation; lesson using instructional movie; lesson of theoretical or practical independent work (research type); mixed lesson (a combination of different types of lesson in one lesson).
2. Lessons to improve knowledge, skills. This includes lessons in the formation of skills, targeted use of the acquired, and others: lesson on independent work; lesson — laboratory work; lesson in practical work; lesson — tour; workshop.
3. Lesson of generalization and systematization — includes the main types of all five types of lessons.
4. Control lessons accounting and assessment of knowledge, skills: oral form of verification (frontal, individual and group survey); written verification; offset; credit practical and laboratory work; control (independent) work; mixed lesson (combination of the first three types);
5. Combined lessons — several didactic problems are solved on them. As the main components of the lesson, G. D. Kirillova recommends considering didactic tools to achieve the goal of the lesson: the content of the educational material, methods for its study and organization methods. These components exist and are implemented in close unity, defining the substantive, methodological and organizational aspects of the interconnected activity of the teacher and students. The modern lesson is characterized by the interconnection of such elements as assimilation, synthesis, repetition and consolidation, control of the previously studied in connection with the mastery of new educational material and its practical application. The independent work of students is organized not only at the stage of repetition and consolidation, but already when studying new material, there is a close relationship between teaching and learning, between the collective work of the class and the individual work of students. In the lesson, the role of students' independent activity and the application of acquired knowledge and skills increases. Elements of students ’search activity are used not only in problem-based lessons, but also at individual stages of all types of lessons (combined control, etc.) Depending on the course of solving the set didactic tasks, individual stages of building a lesson may expand or decrease, and the place and functions of various methods may change and learning techniques. The structure of the modern lesson is therefore very diverse, reflecting the specifics of the organization of cognitive activity of students and the leadership role of teachers. One of the tasks of didactics is the further development of the theory of the structure of the modern lesson.

References:

1. Makhmutov M. I. Modern lesson: Questions of theory. M.: Pedagogy, 1981. — 192 p.
2. Onishchuk V. A. Lesson in a modern school. A manual for teachers. —M.: Education, 1981. — 191 p.