AGAINST INTERFERENCE: THE “TEACHING TO THINK” STRATEGY

Mohinur Anvarjon qizi Ernazarova

Authors

Mohinur Anvarjon qizi Ernazarova Lecturer, Department of World Languages Kokand University

Keywords:

interference, English language teaching, teaching to think, psycholinguistics, strategy, language acquisition.

Abstract

This article addresses the problem of interference in teaching English to Uzbek-speaking learners and explores effective strategies for overcoming it. Traditionally, students tend to transfer structures from their mother tongue into English, which often leads to calques, grammatical, and syntactic errors. The study focuses on reducing interference through the “teaching to think” strategy. This approach aims to develop English as an independent tool of thought, automatize grammar usage, and foster culturally appropriate communication. Practical recommendations include immersion (using only English in communication), reformulation (teacher providing correct restatements), and “thinking aloud” exercises. As a result, learners gradually adapt to thinking directly in English, which significantly reduces interference errors.

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