The role of the tutor in the choice of pedagogical management tools for autonomous work in foreign languages

The contemporary epoch has witnessed noticeable qualitative and quantitative changes in the traditional system of teaching foreign languages. There is a general tendency for the number of hours for classroom work to decrease at the same time as the number of hours allocated to autonomous work increases. As the result of the implementation of smart technologies, new forms and approaches to teaching foreign languages are increasingly used alongside exponential shifts in educational content. There are also significant changes taking place in terms of teacher-student interaction. Electronic technologies provide advantageous opportunities for creating a personal learning environment, sup- porting effective individual approaches. In connection with ongoing reforms in the system of higher education, distance learning becomes ever more popular since providing students with good opportunities to combine employment and study.

Nowadays, language training can be regarded as changing due to the intensive use of modern technologies in autonomous study. Electronic learning or e-learning includes e-learning resources, electronic library systems, e-credit books and educational platforms for learning foreign languages with individual educational routes (IER).

There is no doubt that implementation of modern technologies has changed and continues to change the system of education. Computer technologies provide new ways to deliver curricula, new forms of interaction and better opportunities for feedback [1]. According to researchers, E-learning is based on smart devices and intelligent technologies [2–4]. New information and communication technology (ICT) -based technologies, including online courses, educational platforms and social networks, are already widely used in language teaching to help learners to study more effectively. In addition to providing language learners with better opportunities for communication, these technologies support access to information resources as well as improving students’ digital skills. However, the rapid development of ICT tools and digital resources presents not only opportunities but also challenges. In order to maximise the potential of ICT tools in language teaching, it is important to use them in a way that corresponds to the individual needs of learners. It is also important that the use of ICT be supported in such a way that it contributes to the formation of life skills and promotes lifelong learning. The application of modern technologies in the educational process is known as technology-enhanced learning (TEL). There is an opinion that TEL provides flexibility in language learning, since students have access to educational language resources in any place and at any time [5]. At any rate, there is no doubt that modern technologies can be used in TEL as media or tools for accessing learning content [6; 7]. Within TEL, mobile learning is becoming increasingly popular due to the convenient opportunities it provides for using educational e-learning platforms in language learning.

The integration of individual educational routes in the process of teaching and learning a foreign language is an effective way to develop learners’ professional competence because it gives students freedom to choose language content based on their own professional interests and individual level of foreign language proficiency. IER can be used in autonomous learning to make it more exciting and efficient. Electronic educational platforms such as Rosetta Stone Advantage (RSA) are very useful for autonomous work. RSA was implemented for autonomous work in foreign languages at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation several years ago. Students can choose individual educational routes based on everyday English, professional English or combine both. This platform provides them with the opportunity to choose specific areas of interest. First, language learners must take an evaluation test to determine their level of English and decide what level to choose for further autonomous study. There are several levels students can choose from: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1. The resources provided on the RSA platform include tasks in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Modern technologies expand opportunities for teaching a foreign language and developing skills in all types of speech activity, both in the classroom and in autonomous study. Students can learn vocabulary and revise grammar, improve their pronunciation, listen to dialogues and participate in them. They can answer questions using speech etiquette phrases and do various exercises. They can choose and memorise basic structures and words essential for proper language usage. All the answers are automatically checked and corrected. Students focusing on Business English can choose the following topics from professional life: having a job interview, presenting one’s educational and professional background,

communicating by telephone, participating in a meeting and many others. The main task of the teacher/tutor is to help students in the selection of content for autonomous study, to integrate IER in individual personal environment, to monitor the process of technology-enhanced learning and to control its results. The use of individual educational routes contributes not only to the formation of students’ communicative skills, but also to the development of their life skills, their initiative and time management. One of the main arguments in favour of electronic educational platforms is that the interaction between teachers and students is transformed as traditional roles change. Teachers become tutors and facilitators, who are able to collaborate with their students outside the classroom using ICT tools. The implementation of individual educational routes meets modern requirements of professional orientation and continuous training or lifelong learning. Tutors can choose and use various ICT tools for pedagogical management of individual work in order to make it more effective.

The purpose of the present study was to clarify the role of the tutor in the management of students’ individual activity in electronic educational environment and to determine the tutor’s role in the choice of ICT pedagogical management tools in order to increase the effectiveness of individual language learning. The study pursued the following tasks:

– finding out whether students need their tutor’s help to integrate individual language routes;

– determining if students need motivation for this type of activity;

– finding out what ICT pedagogical management tools may be useful for monitoring this process;

– finding out students’ opinions as to whether they can control the results of their individual performance without their tutor’s help.

The study hypotheses were as follows: – students’ autonomous work can be monitored with the help of ICT pedagogical management tools;

– tutors play a significant role in the choice of pedagogical management tools and their use.

It is assumed that second-year students do not need their tutor’s help for integration of individual educational language routes because they already have some experience in this kind of activity. These students are able to manage their time and regularly study on electronic platforms in developing various life skills.