Abstract:

The peculiarity of a foreign language as a subject lies in the fact that it cannot be taught. The teaching process can be organized by various teaching strategies and language can only be learnt by students through diverse speech activities and their independent work. The article studies the didactic potential of the WebQuest technology and the reasonability of its use in foreign language teaching. This tool facilitates lifelong and autonomous language learning, activates students’ investigation of open-ended questions, and promotes research and decision-making skills. WebQuests provide opportunities for authentic learning experience, develop communication and encourage participation in pair and group work. The authors give examples of tasks to work with WebQuests and show the results of the survey among fifty-three second year students of Institute of Non-Destructive Testing, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University regarding their experience working with WebQuests.

Keywords:

Critical thinking, foreign language teaching, Internet technologies, research activity, WebQuest.