The use of distance learning platforms in ESL instruction

Mastering speaking skills online can be a challenging task due to technical problems, unreliable internet connection, silent students in videoconference unwilling to speak etc. While working synchronously, these problems can be solved by engaging learners in creative tasks, involving them in polls, making then react to questions in the chat box, organizing pair work or splitting students into groups. Using breakout rooms gives students time and possibility to discuss new topics, debate, prepare for a presentation, negotiate a question or roleplay a situation.

Another important language aspect which should be trained for better understanding of the dialogue and monologue speech is listening. To organize activities aimed at improving listening skills various online tools can be used. To prepare learners for listening activities a teacher pre-teaches new vocabulary, sets the scene, gives the context, introduces new characters. After students are prepared for the task, a teacher can playback the recording once or several times depending on the level of the group. After the activity students can be organized into groups in breakout rooms or discuss key points of the recording together.

Nowadays teachers have access to a big variety of free authentic materials to develop students' listening skills. One of the sources providing online lectures for specific disciplines, interviews with native speakers, educational etc. videos is YouTube. These materials can be supplemented with preand post-listening activities tailored to students' needs. The usage of online tools helps teachers to adapt to learners' interests and needs, find resources and create tasks, activities and projects.

The recourses reviewed in the article supplement each other, and their combination is effective. But in order to achieve the goal and make the lesson effective a teacher has to combine multiple resources on various platforms, use different websites or applications which can be inconvenient and time consuming. Hence, creating a service which would be able to provide the opportunities for combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning would be groundbreaking for further development and enhancing of the potential of teaching English online.

Conclusions

In response to sudden changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic universities had to adapt quickly its technological and administrative systems for implementing online learning to provide free access to distance learning courses, create resources for asynchronous work and shift to inline instruction. While ensuring reliable connectivity is still a significant issue for many, it is worth mentioning that huge amount of resources aimed to facilitate interaction between, educators and students have ebbn developed and advanced, huge amount of activities and materials supplementing course materials was created by teachers during the quarantine restrictions.

The pandemic demonstrated that distance learning process is likely to have a lasting effect on lesson design. Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute have taken advantage of online education opportunities as it gave the stimulus to create effective distance learning environment “Sikorsky” Distance Learning Platform which provides students with free access to Moodle and Google Workspace distance learning courses that prove synchronous and asynchronous learning can go hand by hand.

Despite the difficulties the educators faced during the quarantine due to unplanned and rapid move to online work, many people believe that distance learning is prone to sustained growth which will lead to a new hybrid model of education.

Paths for great opportunities which online education gives have been built and it gives a clear route for future adopters of distance learning.

Bibliography

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2. Kolisnyk, M., Kornytska, Y., Ogurtsova, O., & Sokyrska, O. (2022). SUa^rative as a Formative Assessment Tool in English for Specific Purposes Course Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) 2^lu Special Issue on Covid 19 Challenges (2) 377-392. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/covid2.25

3. Melnychenko, A., & Zheliaskova, T. (2021). Transformation of educational process in COVID-19 pandemic: a case of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. Advanced Education. 8(18), 4-10. https://doi.org/10.20535/2410-8286.237575

4. Lockee, B. B. Online education in the post-COVID era. Nat Electron 4, 5-6 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928020-00534-0

5. Sokyrska, O. (2017). Modern trends in English language teaching. Іншомовна підготовка працівників правоохоронних органів та фахівців з права. Київ. 82-83.

6. Sokyrska, O. (2020). The importance of combination of online learning with work in the classroom. II Annual Conference on Current Foreign Languages Teaching Issues in Higher Education: Conference Proceedings of the International Scientific and Practical Conference. Kyiv, 56-58.

7. Sokyrska O., Buha S. (2021). The Peculiarities of Distance Language Education: Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation an ESL Teaching. ІІІ Annual Conference on Current Foreign Languages Teaching Issues in Higher Education. Kyiv, 114-116.

References

1. Goudeau, S., Sanrey, C., Stanczak, A. et al. (2021). Why lockdown and distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to increase the social class achievement gap. Nat Hum Behav. 5, 1273-1281. https://doi.org/10.1038/ s41562-021-01212-7

2. Kolisnyk, M., Kornytska, Y., Ogurtsova, O., & Sokyrska, O. (2022). Scpative as a Formative Assessment Tool in English for Specific Purposes Course Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) 2^lu Special Issue on Covid 19 Challenges (2) 377-392. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/covid2.25

3. Melnychenko, A., & Zheliaskova, T. (2021). Transformation of educational process in COVID-19 pandemic: a case of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. Advanced Education. 8(18), 4-10. https://doi.org/10.20535/2410-8286.237575

4. Lockee, B. B. Online education in the post-COVID era. Nat Electron 4, 5-6 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928020-00534-0

5. Sokyrska, O. (2017). Modern trends in English language teaching. Inshomovna pihotovka pratsivnyki pravoohoronnyh orhaniv ta fahivtsiv z prava. Kyiv, 82-83.

6. Sokyrska, O. (2020). The importance of combination of online learning with work in the classroom. II Annual Conference on Current Foreign Languages Teaching Issues in Higher Education: Conference Proceedings of the International Scientific and Practical Conference. Kyiv, 56-58.

7. Sokyrska O., Buha S. (2021). The Peculiarities of Distance Language Education: Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation an ESL Teaching. ІІІ Annual Conference on Current Foreign Languages Teaching Issues in Higher Education. Kyiv, 114-116.

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