Introduction

That the advent of new technologies has permeated and reshaped almost every walk of life does not lend itself to criticism. It also seems apparent that the modern education system is undergoing extensive transformation in which the role of the student, as well as that of the educator are being redefined. Needless to day, providing new communication channels, Information Age tools afford new modes of student-teacher dialogue. Thus, classroom interaction reaches beyond bricks-and-mortar reality and ventures into the virtual world, which, understandably, can also be observed in foreign language (FL) learning. Not surprisingly, learners – empowered by supportive and responsive teachers – cease to be passive recipients of knowledge and, consequently, take on more active roles initiating interaction with their instructors. The article addresses the issue of constructive two-way communication that lies at the heart of modern FL instruction. The author examines the nature of student-teacher interaction in the Web-enhanced writing classroom and explores ways in which the writing instructor may stimulate students’ cognitive activity and encourage them to contribute to a fruitful exchange of ideas. She provides examples of effective writing tasks promoting students’ autonomy and reflection, and stimulating successful cooperation with the instructor.

Role of dialogue in adult learning

It was already in ancient Greece that the role of dialogos – a basic form of communication involving a conversation of at least two people – was given due prominence by the then progressive educators.