STUDENTS’ COLLABORATION IN DIGITAL EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AS MEANS OF IMPROVING COMMUNICATIVE SKILLS

In recent years due to digitalization, forms of autonomous study in the process of learning a foreign language have changed. In order to make educational process more effective and motivate students for collaboration, students can be encouraged to use online forums. The aim of the research is to make sure, if it is useful to use a forum as a tool for collaboration and motivation of language learners and if it can be used for achieving better results in autonomous study. It presents certain interest to determine if it is necessary to use new digital tools of monitoring students’ autonomous work carried out in the process of teaching a foreign language. According to the results of the study, participation in forums is useful for students. The author comes to the conclusion that forums can be used for students’ collaboration, for formation of communicative competence and improving their skills in writing and communication. Moreover, forums can promote critical thinking, language learning autonomy, develop communicative competence and enhance the quality of learning. In recent year due to the pandemic Coronavirus, forms of autonomous study are changing. In order to make autonomous work more creative and efficient, it is useful to implement new teaching methods and various forms of autonomous work. Using forums helps teachers and language learners to get in touch out of classroom situations, no matter where they are and what time it is. Language learners can work in collaboration, they can discuss various topics, therefore they can improve their communicative competence. As a result of this work, students have language learning autonomy, their motivation to study foreign languages increases, the quality of learning becomes much better. Nowadays there are many new forms and approaches in implementation of electronic tools for autonomous studies. The forms of teacher-students interaction have greatly changed due to students’ isolation because of coronavirus. Teachers are available for students not only at the lessons but also after the lessons. It is obvious that teachers of foreign languages have to face new challenges and find solutions in response to unexpected changes of their teaching plans. The pandemic has changed many aspects of teaching, learning and students’ autonomous work.

Keywords: online forums, distance learning, foreign languages