On-campus initiatives and Russian proficiency

[Conny Opitz]

Hi Elizabeth,

In our department, we run three types of extra-curricular, on-campus
activities which all aim at supporting the development of students' language
proficiency in Russian and Polish.

First, we have a peer-learning programme which matches second-year
undergraduate students with our *ab-initio* first-year students from the
same cohort to form small study groups of 3-4 people for the purpose of
self-directed language study. The groups meet once a week; the agenda is set
entirely by the first-year students but the implementation is facilitated by
the second-year "tutors" who draw on their experience of studying the same
course the previous year. Tutors are trained to support active learning in
groups; apart from language practice and troubleshooting, tutors can also
help with broader questions concerning the course overall, the year abroad
etc.

The tutors are volunteers (we used to pay them but the money kept not
getting collected once the second years realised the benefit to their own
learning) and get a CV-boosting certificate at the end of the year. They
liaise with a peer-learning coordinator (me) who is based in the department
and is involved in teaching the first-year students. Funds are needed for
the coordinator - in our case, the typical time spend runs to 130 hours per
academic year for the basic implementation (200+ hours when we first started
up in 2000). Funds are also needed for various social activities - a welcome
bash where tutors and tutees meet, an award ceremony for the tutors, maybe a
Christmas do.

Second and third, and less heavy on the funds are our departmental pub
nights and their "juvenile incarnation", the so-called Russian and Polish
"teas", which allow students (and staff) to hone or keep up their spoken
language skills.

The pub nights take place every other week during teaching term and are
mostly availed of by our advanced students from the day and evening
programmes, particularly those who have been abroad and feel that they're
getting "rusty". Native and near-native speakers of Polish and Russian, both
from within the department and friends from outside, increasingly join these
gatherings making them both more enjoyable and beneficial in terms of
language practice. There are no cost implications - everybody buys their own
drinks - though if funds were available one could perhaps sponsor the first
and last pub night of the year, or have themed nights, or pub quizzes or ...

The "tea parties" are our newest "invention" and form a bridge between peer
learning and the pub nights. Given that beginners tend not to attend the pub
nights because they feel a bit daunted, we now offer a "risk-free"
alternative where the first years meet with a native speaker (a student from
fourth year) once or twice a month for an hour during teaching hours. They
simply get together in a seating area in college, we provide a kettle, the
students take turns to bring tea bags and biscuits, so again there are no
real cost implications unless one felt the "tea hostess" should be
financially rewarded for her time (and we do throw in the odd box/kilogramme
of конфеты :)).

Although we've only been able to do a limited amount of research on the
benefits of peer learning, I am confident stating that all of these
activities are very worthwhile, inexpensive and good value for money. We
have seen students grow in confidence, leading for example to an earlier
immersion stint in summer programmes in Russia (after first year now, as
opposed to second year); we have had improvements in the grade
average/drop-out rates on "difficult" courses, and generally the initiatives
seem to contribute to an overall sense of well-being and belonging. I'll
happily tell you more about these programmes and send you some references in
relation to peer learning if you are interested.

Kind regards,
Conny Opitz


2009/12/9 Elizabeth Skomp <elizabethskomp at hotmail.com>

> Dear SEELANGers,
>
>
>
> I’d be grateful for any information you could share about
> successful on-campus initiatives that you have developed (or in which you
> have
> participated) that are oriented toward increasing students’ Russian
> language
> proficiency and cost under $10,000 a year.   The development office at our
> institution has
> asked us to devise a list of possibilities for a donor who wishes to make a
> recurring gift to our Russian program. (Study abroad and internships belong
> to a
> different part of the proposal, hence the limitation of my request to
> on-campus
> programs).
>
>
>
> If you would be willing to share your experiences, please
> e-mail me *off-list* at eskomp at sewanee.edu.
>
>
>
> Many thanks in advance,
>
> Elizabeth Skomp
>
>
>
> --
>
> Elizabeth Skomp, Ph.D.
>
> Assistant Professor of Russian
>
> Sewanee: The University of the South
>
> 735 University
>  Avenue
>
> Sewanee,
>  TN 37383
>
>
>
> Phone: 931.598.1254
> E-mail: eskomp at sewanee.edu
>
>
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-- 
Conny Opitz
Russian and Slavonic Studies
Trinity College Dublin
Dublin 2
Ireland

Email: opitzc at tcd.ie
Tel: +353-1-8961108/8500906

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