Neurodidactics in foreign language teaching: new approaches and effectiveness

Background. Modern pedagogy is facing the challenges of modern times related to the conditions of information overload of students, which determines the need to find new teaching methods and explain the effectiveness of existing ones. The methods of brain research developed in recent decades make it possible to apply neuroscience data in pedagogy today, explaining the principles of functioning of different parts of the brain and higher mental functions of a person in their relationship with the learning process. The authors prove that the use of neurodidactic techniques in teaching, and in particular teaching foreign languages, increases the effectiveness of teaching and contributes to the long‑term results. Purpose — analysis of the expediency and effectiveness of the use of neurodidactic techniques in teaching foreign languages. Materials and methods. To solve the tasks set in the work, various methods of analysis were used: observation, description and the comparative method. The article is based on the analysis of exercises based on the principles of neurodidactics and used in German language classes in the first and second year groups of Volgograd State University (pedagogical education with two training profiles (English and German). Results. Emerging at the intersection of neuroscience, such as neuroscience, neurophysiology, neuropsychology and pedagogy, neurodidactics allows for a fresh look at the pedagogical experience available to teachers today and explains its achievements and failures. The information accumulated over several decades about the principles of functioning of different parts of the brain and higher mental functions of humans is now supported by modern methods of brain research that allow us to observe the learning process directly during their visualization. The principles of neurodidactics based on the data obtained determine the application of neurodidactic teaching methods, in particular in foreign language classes. The most effective and convenient to use were such neurodidactic techniques as alternation, interval repetition and extraction practice, which were already in the arsenal of reform educators before the advent of neuroscience data, but were explained and carefully developed only within the framework of neurodidactics.