DEVELOPING COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE AND GENERAL COGNITIVE SKILLS IN YOUNG LEARNERS IN ELT

Abstract

Years of learning any foreign language should result in students– ability to use the respective language in effective communication with others. However, the inadequacy of curricula and students– poor communicative competence made the educational authorities in many European countries devise innovative strategies for foreign language teaching, such as integrating foreign language learning with other school subjects. Such methods have also been introduced in our country, though mainly in the education of middle school and high school students. It is well known that an early start with language learning yields the best results. That is why integrating languages with other school contents from the beginning of formal education can also be expected to lead not only to students– better communicative competence, but also to an improvement in their general cognitive development. A recent survey, based on the national curricula and conducted in several schools in Belgrade, confirmed this assumption.