Incorporation of peer instruction for language learning in a digital format / Використання взаємонавчання для вивчення мови у цифровому форматі

The article is devoted to an analysis of the possibilities for implementing the peer instruction method in the process of teaching Ukrainian as a foreign language in higher education, with a particular focus on the use of digital formats for out-of-class learning. Drawing on the experience of teaching the language component of a Ukrainian language course at the University of Cambridge, the author examines peer instruction as an effective tool for addressing two key challenges in language education: the limited number of contact hours and the significant heterogeneity of students’ linguistic backgrounds. The article systematises the main approaches to defining the concept of peer instruction in pedagogical literature, particularly in the works of E. Mazur and his followers, and clearly distinguishes between peer instruction and peer teaching. The theoretical framework of the analysis is grounded in L. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, especially the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development, which allows peer instruction to be interpreted as a form of cooperative cognition that facilitates deeper acquisition of linguistic material through student–student interaction. Special attention is given to the possibilities of adapting peer instruction to digital environments, including the use of videoconferencing, collaborative text work, audio projects, and other online tools. The author argues for the need to expand the traditional understanding of peer instruction, which is typically confined to in-class activities involving voting or response systems, and proposes treating digital, out-of-class forms of student collaboration as a fully-fledged variant of peer instruction. The article also analyses potential didactic and ethical challenges associated with digital peer instruction, including the risk of incorrect acquisition of grammatical concepts in the absence of direct instructor supervision, as well as issues related to language choice during student interaction. A range of practical solutions is proposed to mitigate these risks, including clearly structured tasks, the integration of peer instruction with a just-in-time teaching approach, and the differentiation of learning activities based on students’ prior linguistic experience.