Integrating precedent in foreign language teaching and teacher training

Abstract

One of the challenges for foreign language education is achieving communication-oriented teaching. The article addresses this challenge by proposing that precedent — reconceptualised as a linguistic and methodological concept — be integrated into educational content as one of the components. As a holistic construct, precedent can align both foreign language teaching and teacher training with the research-based requirements of educational standards while reflecting the nature of real-world communication. Tracing the evolution of “precedent” across law, economics, and linguistics, the article identifies its core features. Moving beyond its traditional role as an object of linguistic analysis, precedent is redefined here as a linguistic and methodological concept: a deliberately selected or designed component of educational content in both foreign language teaching and teacher training. The author identifies three key functions of using precedents in educational settings — they may serve to inform or be analysed as the objects of study, to be applied in new contexts, or to stimulate creative solutions. A flexible algorithm for working with precedents is proposed, applicable across diverse contexts — from learners solving communicative and content-based communicative tasks to pre-service teachers addressing professional and professional communication tasks. These theoretical claims are illustrated by examples of precedents used in practice. The value of integrating precedents into teaching, this article has shown, lies in its potential to facilitate a shift from discrete skill development towards a more holistic approach to both foreign language learning and teacher professional training.

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