Abstract:

Electronic learning has penetrated and entrenched in the language teaching and learning process, made it more efficient, successful, and compelling. In the 21st century, it is impossible to imagine the language classes without using ICT, including the various digital devices, internet resources, and interactive electronic exercises. However, the recent lockdown has exposed many problems, and the teachers have had to tackle all the challenges, organise the sustainable educational process in a new format.

The format mentioned above is based on electronic learning. It assumes that all the participants of the process are digital natives, competent in using electronic educational resources, and have all the necessary information communication facilities. The most crucial issue is the lack of the appropriate learning skills among the students, their inability to work independently, follow their teachers’ instructions, and fulfil the tasks attentively. The current situation has revealed it is high time for the school teachers to introduce, train, and promote the relevant techniques which the students can apply while learning online, develop their autonomy and responsibility. The teachers have to analyse in detail, which e-Learning skills their students should acquire for successful studying. Further, they should conduct the classroom research to disclose their students’ “can do” e-competences, their strengths, and drawbacks.

The goal of the present classroom research was to elaborate the e-Learning skills development scheme. The enabling objectives were as follows: to investigate the students’ abilities to do the tasks in the electronic format; explore the students’ attitude to distance learning; observe the students’ e-Learning strategies. To achieve the set goal and enabling objectives, the author of this paper worked out a questionnaire, compiled as a mixture of multiple choice and open questions, on the following stage, compared, analysed, and interpreted the collected data. All the respondents were the vocational secondary school students of the mixed abilities and with the different English proficiency levels. Being the respondents’ teacher, the author observed her students’ cognitive operations, their behaviour, and scrutinised her reflection in teaching.

The survey focused on studying under the specific circumstances since spring 2020 when the students had to obtain a completely new experience to study independently via the digital means of communication, do the self-check exercises in the electronic format. In comparison to the previous period, the students were expected to study autonomously, be responsible for their studying. The analysis of the questionnaire’s results revealed a diversity of the students’ viewpoints that justified the individual approach to the learners. In some cases, the students’ replies contradicted the teacher’s observation and reflection, and the research results exploded the stereotypes that merely confirmed the significance of the problem under discussion. The obtained information analysis highlighted the students’ and their teacher’s strengths and weaknesses, provided a blueprint for the new relevant teaching and studying skills development. The author of the research evolved the special techniques which can promote the learning skills the students need to study and acquire the English language in the frame of e-Learning.

Keywords:

e-learning, learning skills, teaching English, classroom research, lockdown challenge.