Abstract:

Education currently undergoes a radical transformation in view of the rapid pace of digitalization in all spheres of human activity.

It is well-established that digital technologies and resources make the educational process more effective. This study aims to determine how such technologies and resources can be better applied in order to increase students’ engagement and motivation. Specifically, it investigates visual teaching methods and strategies that can be used in foreign language teaching (FLT) at pedagogical university.

To test the hypothesis that visual tools can assist students in mastering foreign language, the authors explore the most popular visual technologies and analyze the results of their implementation in foreign language classroom at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, State University of Humanities and Social Studies.

Students were engaged in diverse activities creating mind maps, digital stories, interactive timelines and infographic presentations with the help of digital technologies and resources. The results showed a considerable impact of visuals on the educational process: students got the ability to visualize and verbalize their ideas, the sense of ownership over their learning thus encouraging learning data retention. Students became active learners rather than passive consumers.

These results suggest that visual technologies and resources facilitate teaching and improve learning. On this basis, visual teaching methods and strategies should be applied in FLT in higher education.

Keywords:

Education, visualization, foreign language teaching, foreign language learning, students' engagement, motivation, digital technologies.