Foreign Language Pedagogy Podcast

Сегодня у нас в гостях Екатерина Бурвикова, старший преподаватель Нью-Гемпширского университета, специалист по преподаванию русского языка как иностранного как в языковой среде, так и вне языковой среды. В 2023 году Екатерина получила престижную награду от Американского совета преподавателей русского языка и литературы (АСПРЯЛ) как лучший преподаватель университета. Сегодня мы поговорим о том, как преподаватель может реагировать на запросы студентов, о создании контентных курсов, отвечающих духу времени и интересам студентов, но большую часть сегодняшнего выпуска мы посвятим обсуждению примеров эффективного взаимодействия университета, студентов иностранного языка с местным и глобальным сообществом. Мы обсудили множество вопросов: Как найти русскоговорящих собеседников для наших студентов? Что такое обучение через служение или помощь обществу? Что наши студенты могут дать взамен местному сообществу за его помощь с языком?  Podcast host Izolda (Iza) Savenkova (University of Maryland) Podcast is created by Evgeny Dengub (University of Southern California) for www.TeachRussian.org

Гостьей этого выпуска стала Мария Хотимская, старший преподаватель факультета глобальных языков Массачусетского Технологического Института. Также, Маша - соавтор замечательного проекта Телемосты. Наш сегодняшний с Машей разговор является продолжением важного и очень актуального на данный момент обсуждения в нашей области. Мы поговорили о реакции студентов на войну в Украине, изменениях в наших учебных планах и материалах, которые были сделаны весной и этим летом и тех изменениях, которые предстоит сделать перед началом осеннего семестра. Маша поделилась практическими идеями, советами и информацией о различных ресурсах для работы со студентами разных уровней в рамках курсов по русскому языку, а также курсов по литературе и культуре. Кроме того, мы поговорили о том, как максимально эффективным образом выстроить первое занятие для новичков.  Maria Khotimsky is Senior Lecturer in Russian at Global Languages section at MIT. Her research areas include  literary translation and translingualism, as well as content-based and project-based language instruction, with a focus on  Russian for STEM curriculum. She is also a co-author, with Marina Alexandrova and Irina Kogel, of Telemosty, a website for supporting conversation exchange.  Today's conversation with Masha continues an important and very relevant discussion in our field. We talked about the reaction of students to the war in Ukraine, the changes in our curricula and materials that were made in the spring and summer, and the changes that we might need to make before the beginning of the fall semester. Masha shared practical ideas, tips, and information about various resources for working with students of different levels in Russian language courses, literature, and culture. In addition, we talked about how to build the first lesson for beginners in the most effective way.

The war in Ukraine changed everything and certainly impacted the teaching of the Russian language. I decided to meet with colleagues and discuss the difficulties they faced in the spring semester and changes we can make before the beginning of the fall semester. How to discuss Russia's actions with our students? How can we keep motivating students? How to support them and ourselves emotionally? And what can we change in our teaching materials? We discussed this and many other things with Irina Kogel. Irina Kogel is a lecturer in Russian Studies at Davidson College. A heritage speaker of Russian from Belarus, she is interested in heritage speaker motivation, as well as the use of technology in language acquisition. She started the @RogueSEELANGS Facebook group, a forum which offers space for K-16 scholars and educators in Slavic Studies and related fields to share resources and news about the war in Ukraine. She is also an author of the project Russian Voices, a series of interviews, which seek to give students a more diverse perspective of Russian speakers. It can be accessed at russian-voices.org.

В новом выпуске нашего подкаста мы обсудили систему ТРКИ (Тест по русскому как иностранному) и последние изменения в этой системе со специалистами в области разработки и проведения тестов по русскому как иностранному из Центра языкового тестирования СПбГУ. Надежда Дубинина и Ирина Ильичёва поделились своим опытом проведения тестирования в разных странах и рассказали об уникальности русских тестов по сравнению с зарубежными аналогами. Этот выпуск будет вам  полезен, даже если ваши студенты не собираются сдавать ТРКИ. Наши гости:  Дубинина Надежда Александровна - сотрудник Центра языкового тестирования СПбГУ, член государственной комиссии по тестированию, разработчик материалов ТРКИ и системы тестирования по РКИ для детей.Ильичёва Ирина Юрьевна - специалист-тестор Центра языкового тестирования СПбГУ, разработчик материалов ТРКИ и системы тестирования по РКИ для детей Podcast host Izolda (Iza) Savenkova is a Visiting Assistant Scholar at Dickinson College, PA. Podcast is created by Evgeny Dengub for www.TeachRussian.org

У нас гостях Ольга Поли-Плотникова, преподаватель иностранных языков и русского языка как иностранного. Ольга преподает в Высшей школе экономики, является автором и создателем проекта RKI. today, соавтором учебного комплекса “Русский язык сегодня” и учебника по РКИ “Привет, Россия”.  Мы обсудили сложности написания учебников для начинающих, роль лексических минимумов и программ в разработке учебных материалов, и постарались найти ответы на вопросы: можно ли написать идеальный учебник? что делает учебник привлекательным для разных групп студентов? Кто герои современных учебников и чему они учат наших студентов? Podcast host Izolda (Iza) Savenkova is a Visiting Assistant Scholar at Dickinson College, PA. Podcast is created by Evgeny Dengub for www.TeachRussian.org

У нас в гостях Виктория Максимова, практикующий преподаватель русского языка как иностранного, один из экспертов по сторителлингу в обучении русскому языку; создатель веб ресурса “Сторителлинг в РКИ: эффективно и нескучно!” и группы на Фейсбуке "TPRS Storytelling / CI Teaching Russian". Мы поэтапно обсудили урок по методу сторителлинга, поговорили о  приёмах ввода новых слов и грамматики. Мы постарались разрушить миф о том, что сторителлинг неэффективен в группе со взрослыми студентами, и предложили очень много полезных советов преподавателям, желающим внедрить техники сторителлинга в свои языковые курсы. Podcast host Izolda (Iza) Savenkova is a Visiting Assistant Scholar at Dickinson College, PA. Podcast is created by Evgeny Dengub for www.TeachRussian.org

Our guest is Lauren Nelson, a Russian language K-12 teacher Pritzker College Prep who has shared her experience and insights into how school students and teachers cope with online teaching. We also discussed the issues of student engagement, usage of authentic materials, and social networks for interacting with high school students. We talked about ways to communicate with parents and guardians of students, and view student expectations from the perspective of a high school teacher. Podcast host Izolda (Iza) Savenkova is a Visiting Assistant Scholar at Dickinson College, PA. Podcast is created by Evgeny Dengub for www.TeachRussian.org

У нас в гостях Лариса Юрьевна Грушевская, преподаватель русского языка как иностранного с многолетним опытом работы как в российских университетах и языковых центрах, так и зарубежных, автор популярной во всем мире серии пособий по грамматике “A living Russian Grammar”.  Мы поговорили о том, как работать с грамматическим материалом так, чтобы у студентов не было желания бросить язык. Также мы обсудили основные трудности, которые возникают у студентов при изучении русской грамматики, предложив рекомендации начинающим преподавателям. Podcast host Izolda (Iza) Savenkova is a Visiting Assistant Scholar at Dickinson College, PA. Podcast is created by Evgeny Dengub for www.TeachRussian.org

У нас в гостях Ксения Кологриева, преподаватель русского языка как иностранного, основатель и директор языковой школы Cloudberry с отдельным подразделением для обучения детей-билингвов. Мы обсудили основные тренды и тенденции на рынке частных образовательных услуг, и изменения, вызванные пандемией. Поговорили о том, как внезапный переход в онлайн стал причиной сильно возросшей конкуренции, и о том, как преподаватели иностранных языков могут выживать в новых условиях. Кроме того, вы услышите, как выстроить обучение детей-билингвов максимально эффективным образом, как подготовить ребенка к онлайн-занятиям, и о том, каким будет следующее поколение детей с унаследованным русским. Podcast host Izolda (Iza) Savenkova is a Visiting Assistant Scholar at Dickinson College, PA. Podcast is created by Evgeny Dengub for www.TeachRussian.org

У нас в гостях Лариса Ивановна Москвитина, преподаватель русского языка с многолетним опытом работы в университетах России и за рубежом, в том числе в США; автор популярной серии учебных пособий “В мире новостей”. Мы поговорили о том, когда и как можно начинать обсуждать новости и знакомить наших студентов с публицистическим стилем; как выстроить урок максимально эффективным образом, чтобы уберечь студентов от языковых и речевых неудач; как обсуждать табуированные и сложные темы из наших новостей. Podcast host Izolda (Iza) Savenkova is a Visiting Assistant Scholar at Dickinson College, PA. Podcast is created by Evgeny Dengub for www.TeachRussian.org

What are the positive lessons we learned as a result of teaching online during the pandemic? How can teachers benefit from the current situation and be better prepared for the fall semester? Our experts share their views on the present and future of teaching languages.  We interviewed three experts in online and hybrid language teaching: Shannon Spasova (Michigan State University),Liudmila Klimanova (the University of Arizona), andOlga KIimova (University of Pittsburgh) Podcast host Izolda (Iza) Savenkova is a Visiting Assistant Scholar at Dickinson College, PA. Podcast is created by Evgeny Dengub for www.TeachRussian.org

У нас в гостях Лёша Разин, преподаватель русского и эстонского языков, специалист по игровым методикам, автор книги “Играем все” и онлайн-проекта RuswithFun. Мы поговорили о том, чем отличается геймифицированный урок от обычных уроков с игровыми вставками, о конкретных формах работы, упражнениях, которые можно использовать при вводе нового материала и его отработке в игровой форме. Мы также обсудили роль учителя в современном образовательном процессе и почему преподавателю не нужно бояться быть смешным и участвовать в игре вместе со студентами. 

This is the second part of the conversation with Professors Dubinina and Kisselev, authors of the textbook for Russian heritage speakers "Родная речь".  Podcast host Izolda (Iza) Savenkova is a Visiting Assistant Scholar at Dickinson College, PA. Podcast is created by Evgeny Dengub for www.TeachRussian.org

This is the first part of the conversation with Professors Dubinina and Kisselev, authors of the textbook for Russian heritage speakers "Родная речь".  Podcast host Izolda (Iza) Savenkova is a Visiting Assistant Scholar at Dickinson College, PA. Podcast is created by Evgeny Dengub for www.TeachRussian.org

We interview our guest Karen Evans-Romaine, professor of Russian at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and director of the UW-Madison Russian Flagship Program. Podcast host Dr. Natalie McCauley and her guest discuss ways to promote students’ autonomy, how technology changed over the years and what it means for language teaching, how Karen uses songs in her classroom, and many other practical aspects of language teaching. They also talk about how our field has changed over the years, and the importance of mentorship, and faculty support.  Podcast host: Dr. Natalie (Natasha) McCauley is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian Studies at the University of Richmond and the current director of the UR Summer Study Abroad Program in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Since she began teaching Russian in 2012, Natasha has taught at the University of Pittsburgh, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, and the University of Michigan, where she finished her PhD in 2018. What Natasha enjoys most about teaching Russian studies, whether language, literature and film, is the experience to help students not only learn about a different region and culture of the world, but also learn to think critically about the ways societies are structured, including how this is reflected within languages. Her research interests include gender and sexuality, contemporary television and media, and affect theory.  Podcast is created by Evgeny Dengub for TeachRussian.org

This is second par of the conversation with William Comer which is focused on learning and teaching grammar.  Doctor William Comer is Professor of Russian and Director of the Russian Flagship Program at Portland State University. Dr. Comer has published numerous articles in national journals including the Slavic and East European Journal, Russian Language Journal and Foreign Language Annals. His pedagogical edition of Viktoria Tokareva’s short story A Day without Lying (Slavica, 2008) was awarded the prize for Best Book in Language Pedagogy by American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages in 2010. In August 2009 he won the University of Kansas W.T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence. He is co-author of Mezhdu nami (=Between you and me), an online, open-access textbook for elementary Russian. At Portland State he teaches courses in Russian language, literature and culture, and directs the Russian Language Flagship Program. Podcast host Izolda (Iza) Savenkova is a Visiting Assistant Scholar at Dickinson College, PA. She has been teaching Russian for 7 years after graduation from Lomonosov State University with a Master's degree in Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language. The main sphere of her academic interests is Russian for Specific Purposes. She is currently completing her PhD in Teaching Russian as a Second Language at Lomonosov Moscow State University. Before coming to Dickinson College in 2018, she taught courses in Russian language, literature, and culture and assisted a Dickinson-in-Moscow program at Russian State University for the Humanities. During the summers of 2018 and 2019 she taught at Middlebury College Cathryn Davis School of Russian.   

We interview our guest, Cindy Martin, an Associate Professor of Russian at the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Martin is an active ACTFL OPI certified Tester and Trainer She is the author of numerous publications, including an Intermediate-level Russian textbook Welcome Back!. Podcast host Dr. Natalie McCauley and her guest discuss a number of topics related to language teaching, specifically: - How student body changed in the past 20 years and what teachers can do to cater to a more diverse audience. - How Dr. Martin helps her students embrace discomfort and how she shows them that Russian Language is not hard (it just takes longer to acquire it for English speakers). - How current grading is punitive in nature and ways to design grading system that encourages students’ growth in the language. - What activities work best for classroom space and which ones are best for homework. - How to use pre-speaking activities to help students talk non-stop for the duration of the entire class - How Cindy uses technology to improve students’ speaking skills. We hope you will enjoy this interview with Professor Cynthia Martin! Podcast host: Dr. Natalie (Natasha) McCauley is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian Studies at the University of Richmond and the current director of the UR Summer Study Abroad Program in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Since she began teaching Russian in 2012, Natasha has taught at the University of Pittsburgh, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, and the University of Michigan, where she finished her PhD in 2018. What Natasha enjoys most about teaching Russian studies, whether language, literature and film, is the experience to help students not only learn about a different region and culture of the world, but also learn to think critically about the ways societies are structured, including how this is reflected within languages. Her research interests include gender and sexuality, contemporary television and media, and affect theory.  

We interview Yulia Amlinskaya, director of the online schools Language Life and Russificate, the host of the online community for Russian language teachers on Facebook. We are discussing topics related to teaching online, such as how to set up an online school, how to find students, and the needs of contemporary students who choose to learn Russian online. The interview is in Russian. 

We interview Doctor William Comer, Professor of Russian and Director of the Russian Flagship Program at Portland State University. Dr. Comer has published numerous articles in national journals including the Slavic and East European Journal, Russian Language Journal and Foreign Language Annals. His pedagogical edition of Viktoria Tokareva’s short story A Day without Lying (Slavica, 2008) was awarded the prize for Best Book in Language Pedagogy by American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages in 2010. In August 2009 he won the University of Kansas W.T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence. He is co-author of Mezhdu nami (=Between you and me), an online, open-access textbook for elementary Russian. At Portland State he teaches courses in Russian language, literature and culture, and directs the Russian Language Flagship Program. The conversation comes in two parts. In this part of the conversation podcast host Izolda Savenkova and her guest are discussing approaches to teaching reading. In the second part they focus on learning and teaching grammar as well as Doctor Comer’s views on our field in general.

We interview our guest, Benjamin Rifkin, Dean and professor of Rusia at Hofstra University and the author of several textbooks, including most recent Panorama (co-authored with E. Dengub and S.Nazarova).  Tune in as the podcast host Dr. Natalie McCauley and her guest discuss a number of topics related to language teaching and assessment, such as: - how oral prociency workshop changed Dr. Rifkin's teaching; - why it is important to study abroad and why just “being there is not enough"; - how teachers could reducee their presence in the classroom so that students get more time to use the language; - why successful language classroom is a ‘noisy’ classroom; - the concept of "intensity of engegement' and an alternative approach to lesson planning; - how Dr. Rifkin assigns and structures students' presentations;  - ways to sustain students’ motivation as they continue their study of Russian,  and many others. We hope you will enjoy this interview with Professor Benjamin Rifkin! Leave your comment in the section below!

  We interview our guest, Richard Robin, professor of Russian at George Washington university and the author of the famous textbook Golosa. Tune in as the podcast host Dr. Natalie McCauley and her guest discuss a number of topics related to language teaching and testing, such as: strategies to cultivate learner autonomy, when plagiarism and cheating can be good for language learning, five-minute declension quizzes and the reasons Professor Robin believes in learner-centered homework, not learner- centered classroom; using ACTFL guidelines and OPIs for teaching and testing; effective test-taking strategies and what one needs to do to achieve Superior or Distinguished level of proficiency, and many others. We hope you will enjoy this interview with Professor Richard Robin!

We interview our first guest, Betty Lou Leaver (PhD, Pushkin Institute), former Provost of the Defense Language Institute who is now working as the Executive editor of MSI Press and as an international educational consultant. Tune in as the podcast host Dr. Natalie McCauley and her guest discuss the evolution of foreign language education, task-based and content-based instruction, teaching "the whole class" and making sure that students of all personality types and learning styles feel comfortable and get the most of their classroom experience. Betty Lou also shares with our listeners her very special 20-minute introduction into Russian alphabet.