Mice in the cookie jar

[Neil Bermel]

Brian Lehmann raised some difficult issues.  I've had what are called
"heritage speakers" (quasi-native speakers or non-literate native
speakers) in various sorts of university foreign language classes
(Russian and Czech), and it's true that some of them can cause
problems.  On the other hand, I've had some pretty good experiences
with them as as well.

In beginners' classes, one thing that seemed to work well was to make
the heritage speaker a sort of roving pronunciation consultant during
pair work, since they usually have a better ear for the sounds of the
language.  I have also used the more capable native speakers to
model constructions or intonation during whole-class exercises, and
have given native speakers slightly different tasks in pair and group
work (asking a particularly poor speller to write down what other
students are saying, for instance).  It's not as ideal as having a
separate curriculum, but even these small adjustments can make the
class time more productive for them, and seem to be appreciated.

I know some heritage speakers do take Russian in the hope of an
easy A, but non-native speakers are guilty of this as well (i.e. signing
up for courses they've basically done before), and I do believe (in
some instances mistakenly) that the desire for a good grade is
accompanied by a genuine interest, deep down.  In some cases it's
hard to reconcile this with their behavior, but I suspect Russian plays a
greater emotional role in their lives than it does for the non-native
students, and thus things having to do with Russian can provoke a
disproportionate reaction from them.  We can't know offhand, for
instance, if in criticizing them we're echoing things their parents say, or
whether they find the material in the textbooks irrelevant or contrary
to what they know of Russia.  Such things are probably beyond the
teacher's control.  I'd be interested to hear what others think.

Neil


Date sent:              Sun, 5 Dec 1999 22:12:38 EST
Send reply to:          "SEELangs: Slavic & E. European Languages & literatures list"
            <SEELANGS at CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
From:                   Brian Lehmann <Uchityel at aol.com>
Subject:                Re: Mice in the cookie jar
To:                     SEELANGS at CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU

> Dear colleague,
>
> If you are a teacher of Russian in the public schools and have had
> half baked native speakers (of both Russian and Ukrainian descent)
> thrown into your classes, then you know what I am struggling with and
> I would appreciate any advice you might have.
>
> In my Russian I class (mostly freshmen), I have 22 students, two of
> which are from Russian speaking families.  They are not fluent nor
> very literate, but have a considerable knowledge of the language.
>
> In my Russian II class (mostly sophmores), I have 27 students, two of
> which are from Russian families and 2 from Ukrainian.  They are fairly
> fluent and can read newspaper level texts, but have trouble writing
> correctly.
>
> Many of these students are put off by the elementary nature of the
> work that we do in class.  When I ask them to do group work with other
> students, they often withdraw, preferring to study by themselves.
> Some of them can't be bothered with learning the grammar of their
> language and are overconfident and smug about their abilities.  Some
> seem interested mostly in an easy grade, which is not always happening
> because of non-participation, excessive abscences, and non-completion
> of homework assignments.
>
> Regular students sometimes feel inferior/intimidated because of the
> superiour knowledge of the "natives" and are reluctant to participate.
>  I do not have the time and energy to create a separate program for
> these kids. Maybe there is something out there written for them???
>
> Does this sound familiar to anyone??
>
> Brian Lehmann
> uchityel at aol.com


*******************************************
Neil Bermel
Sheffield University
Department of Russian and Slavonic Studies
Arts Tower, Western Bank
Sheffield S10 2TN United Kingdom
telephone (+44) (0)114 222 7405
fax (+44) (0)114 222 7416
n.bermel at sheffield.ac.uk