Lecture Subject of language teaching methodology and educational technologies Questions to be discussed

1.3. Etymology of the term “Methods”
The word “method” primarily means way or manner of doing something. It is a word of international currency, borrowed into all European languages thorough the Latin “Methodus” from the Greek “Methodos”.
Today, methodical preparation of teachers of a foreign language is crucial due to the fact that knowledge of the subject, in most cases, may not provide the teacher with complete success in her or his lesson. It can be proven in teaching specific subjects as foreign languages. The knowledge and skills of the teachers do not become property of the students, if he does not own theory of teaching foreign languages.
Methods of foreign language teaching is understood here as a body of scientifically tested theory concerning the teaching of foreign languages in schools and other educational institutions. The English word “method” is likewise used to designate a branch of study. Methods (Методика) as a branch of study is the science of ways or manners (methods) of teaching. Methods of foreign language teaching - is the science of methods teaching foreign languages.
It covers three (sometimes four) main problems:

1. 
   Aims of teaching a foreign language = why to teach a foreign language.
   
2. 
   Content of teaching, i.e. what to teach to attain the aims.
   
3. 
   Methods and techniques of teaching, i.e. how to teach a foreign language to attain the aims in most effective way to meet modern requirements.
   
4. 
   Whom to teach.
   

The English word “method” has, accordingly, two meanings. It expresses (1), as does the corresponding Russian word, a way of doing something, and (2) unlike the Russian word, that branch of knowledge and study which deals with ways of teaching. In the first meaning, besides denoting a more or less complex procedure consisting of a series of interconnected acts, the English word, more often than its Russian counterpart, is employed to designate a single teaching device, or a single form of procedure in teaching. (прием).
In its second meaning, the English word usually specifically qualified, may denote the body (совокупность)of the ways of teaching (1) any subject instruction, (2) foreign language generally, (3) any particular foreign language, or (4) any particular aspect of instruction in a foreign language, such as speech, reading, phonetics, grammar, etc. In pedagogical process the term “methods” (методика) used in three meanings. In its first meaning it means the subject of instruction, for example (Tomorrow we have methods according to the timetable), the second meaning is the sum total of all ways (methodological) of instruction (I like our teacher’s methods), in the third meaning it means the theory of instruction and a special subject.