Abstract:

Foreign languages have become a necessary component of education, and computer technologies have changed the very process of knowledge acquisition due to distant learning. Practical orientation of professional and non-professional communication causes the necessity of combining two the most important approaches to foreign language teaching: student-centered (distant) and communicative (classroom-based). This can be successfully realized through blended learning, i.e. combination of traditional and distant methods.

The present article deals with changing ratio of distant and traditional components in the course of blended learning, this ratio being dependent on educational aims and tasks. Distant methods may function differently:
- to intensify leaning by on-line access to a great number of information sources (textual, video, audio );
- to facilitate students’ independent studying which covers up to half curriculum time;
- to create a personal learning path;
- to homogenize the students’ foreign language level;
- to stimulate self-education and long-life learning.

Blended leaning is widely and successfully implemented in our university for different purposes. Thus, two years ago the Department of Foreign Languages carried out the experiment of leveling the factual 1st year students’ knowledge of foreign language through their individual e-work so that to facilitate successful mastering the university course. The experiment statistics presented in the article show the considerable lessening of difference in students’ foreign language level after four months.

Other examples of well balanced and productive implementation of blended learning are given and a new multi-functional role of a teacher is described in the article.

Keywords:

Blended learning, traditional methods, distant leaning, self-education.