Homeschooling Russian

[John Langran]

I an amazed to see such advice being given. Learners of all ages need 
references to rely on, so that they can prepare work, look things up, 
practise and learn, between visits from their teacher. The "Berlitz method" 
as I understand it is intended for intensive tuition for blocks of time up 
to 5 or more hours per day, usually for adult business people, and quite 
impractical for a 9 year old who has a full programme of other school work, 
as I presume to be the case here. Unless I am wrong and this boy does have 
large amounts of time for studying Russian, then he needs a course book that 
he likes and which will stimulate his imagination, with workbooks for extra 
exercises, computer support and audio / dvd support if possible, and a 
sympathetic tutor who knows how to use such materials effectively to give 
lessons perhaps on a weekly basis to review work that has been done 
independently, practice new material, and set new work to be done for the 
next lesson.

One reason that teachers sometimes advocate "methods" such as the "Berlitz 
method" is that with these "methods" the student needs a lot more teacher 
hours than if he has a programme with properly structured supporting course 
materials.

John Langran
www.ruslan.co.uk



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rozov, Mr. Aleksander" <ar14433n at PACE.EDU>
To: <SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu>
Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2009 4:07 PM
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Homeschooling Russian


> Hello,
> I don't think the books you mentioned will be of great help developing 
> your child's conversational skills. As Language Instrctor, I have tried to 
> use those books with my students and ended up throwing them away. I 
> strongly suggest that you utilize the "Berlitz method" which emphasizes 
> conversation over grammar. From my teaching experience, I have developed 
> my own curriculum, which encompasses Berlitz method, along with grammar 
> and other elements essential for language acquisition. In short, I 
> wouldn't use the traditional tools of language acquisition, as they proven 
> to be ineffective, but rather hire the Russian tutor. If I can be of 
> further assistance, please contact me off list at gerlend2007 at gmail.com
> ________________________________________
> From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list 
> [SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu] On Behalf Of Kerry Millan 
> [kerrymillan at EMBARQMAIL.COM]
> Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2009 10:49 AM
> To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
> Subject: [SEELANGS] Homeschooling Russian
>
> Hello!  I am a homeschooling mother with a question about Russian language
> curriculi.  My 9-year-old son has an amazing facility with languages and 
> has
> recently decided that he would like to begin studying Russian, in addition
> to the other languages he is learning (he is currently taking third year
> high school Spanish and second year high school Mandarin Chinese).  I am
> having some difficulty in finding an appropriate curriculum for him.  I 
> want
> something that will prepare him for taking Russian at a University in the
> future, so things like "Rosetta Stone" are not what I am looking for. 
> Also,
> despite his young age, he tends to move quickly through a language, so a
> "child's curriculum" is also not appropriate.  I have seen a few options
> online, such as "Face to Face", "Golosa" and "Nachalo", but I do not feel
> qualified to choose amongst them (or find something else altogether
> different).  He will likely begin at home on his own, and after he 
> completes
> the basics (Cyrillic alphabet, basic words and structure), I will likely
> find him a native-speaking Russian tutor.
>
> Can anyone please give me advice or suggest a good curriculum for this 
> setting?
>
> Incidentally, we adopted both my son and daughter as infants from Russia, 
> so
> his wanting to learn Russian is very close to his heart, and ours as well.
>
> Thank you very much for your time and expertise!!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Kerry Millan :)
>
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