Keyword: «models of tools combinations»

The educational potential of a foreign language as a subject is reasonably high, which is confirmed by the target tenets of educational standards. Mastering a foreign language is directly related to the formation of both subject and meta-subject (key) competences. It is impossible to achieve integrated foreign language education goals unless teachers apply a balanced variety of relative didactic tools. Nowadays, foreign language teachers have access to an enormous diversity of such tools. School textbooks reflect the authors` approach to the choice and combinations of these instruments. Based on some theoretical methods (analysis of the definition of the term ”didactic tools” and a system approach to their combinations), the authors suggest a few working models of their classroom application. They also rely on the results of questioning school foreign language teachers to explore which tools and their combination models are commonly chosen or not in their practices. The article describes the results of the study which included two stages. At the first stage 182 school teachers of foreign languages were asked to fill in the questionnaire. The questions covered the experience of school teacher of foreign languages concerning the use of teaching and learning tools. The teachers-participants were divided into 2 groups according to their level of involvement in their professional activity and their professional experience. The study has shown that 89% of the school teachers are not satisfied with the teaching and learning tools offered by the coursebooks they use. At the second stage of the study the authors analyzed a coursebook massively used to teach English at schools. The results of the study have revealed that more experienced teachers are much more active in introducing changes to the coursebook they use as the didactic tools offered by the coursebook under review are poor and repetitive. Teachers` awareness of a variety of didactic tools and the ability to apply them properly in the classroom indicate a high level of their professional competency which can guarantee quality outcomes of foreign language education.