Svetlana Muhejeva
Rīga Stradiņš University
Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) offers intensive beginner courses of the Russian language to international students both as a general language course and a course with elements of medical language. These are optional courses, and students choose to study them willingly. When asked about what motivates their choice, students speak about the Russian language as "something different" from what they already know. They want to broaden their horizons and take the Russian language back home as a "souvenir". However, it is a souvenir to be earned through hard work. The courses are short (32-36 contact hours), and from the very beginning students are immersed in struggles with the Cyrillic ABC. Moreover, they have to adjust their apparatus of articulation to new combinations of sounds, to memorize new vocabulary and to deal with unfamiliar grammar structures. In order to stop them from being discouraged by the difficulties and support them in their endeavour, some motivating elements should be introduced in the course. In this respect, what could be better than the enigmatic Russian culture.
Within the courses, Russian culture elements are intertwined with the language skill development. Tongue twisters and songs are used to polish pronunciation of Russian utterances. Cartoons offer a fun way to work with Russian grammar and give students a better understanding of grammar structures. Poetry provides excellent opportunities to experiment with the language which is essential at the beginner level for learners' sense of achievement. Proverbs introduce cultural values and convey ideas about what to expect when communicating with Russians.
The aim of the present workshop is to share the experiences of designing and implementing an intensive beginner course of the Russian language and how some culture elements can be exploited to enrich it. The participants will discuss issues related to course development and try out some elements of the Russian culture in order to see how they can be productively used in a language course.
Целью данного выступления является обобщение опыта разработки и осуществления интенсивного курса русского языка как иностранного для начинающих. Курс преподаётся студентам-иностранцам в Рижском университете имени Страдыня.
С одной стороны, студенты, которые выбирают данный курс, мотивированы изучать его, так как их привлекает новизна языка и аутентичность языковой среды. С другой стороны, начиная изучение русского языка, студенты испытывают значительные трудности как с артикуляцией непривычных звуков, так и с изучением нового для них алфавита. Они должны воспринимать и запоминать новую лексику, а малопонятные грамматические структуры русского языка только усложняют ситуацию.
Задача разработчика курса в этой ситуации-- не потерять интерес студентов, поддерживать их мотивацию и обогащать содержание курса такими элементами, которые позволят провести студентов через все трудности с наилучшим результатом. И здесь на помощь приходит богатство русской культуры. В ходе презентации будет показано, как интеграция элементов русской культуры в процесс обучения мотивирует студентов принимать активное участие в этом процессе и достигать поставленных целей.
My name is Svetlana Muhejeva. I work as a lecturer at the Language Centre of the Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU), Latvia. I teach ESP courses to students studying medically related programmes, such as medicine, physiotherapy, dietetcs, etc. I also teach Russian courses both to Latvian and international students. I regularly participate with oral presentations in RSU scientific conferences (2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2019). My experiences in participating in international conferences include Brno (2015, poster presentation), Tirgu Muresh (2015, oral presentation), Tampere (2017, workshop), and Tampere (2020, practical conference, 8 hours teaching).