SUMMARY
The article studies the specifics of the information and communication technologies in the educational process. The effectiveness of leveraging information and communication technologies in teaching English by means of a pedagogical experiment is substantiated and practically verified. The initial level of students’ humanitarian competency at the ascertaining stage of the pedagogical experiment has been determined. The structural-functional components of humanitarian competency are specified: motivational-self-actualizational, knowledge-content, activity-procedural and reflexive-correctional. The system of diagnostic methods of the studied didactic phenomenon has been developed. The detailed analysis of diagnostic information on the levels of humanitarian competency development and the criteria for the individual strategies effectiveness has been conducted. The authors have determined a number of difficulties such as lack of students’ motivation and skills for independent-cognitive activities. On the basis of analyzing and summarizing the collected diagnostic information the program of the forming stage of the pedagogical experiment supported by information and communication technologies as a means of intensifying students’ independent-cognitive activities has been elaborated. The most well-known computer assisted language learning latforms and programs have been examined. The choice of the "Tell me more" interactive compurer-based program as the didactic mechanism for providing constructive influences is substantiated. The implementation of the program in the educational process with further definition of students’ humanitarian competency levels at the control stage of the pedagogical experiment is described. The results of the experimental and control groups as well as formulated conclusions about the effectiveness of information and communication technologies in teaching English in the context of students’ humanitarian competency development have been researched and compared.