Russian handwriting in US classrooms in the computer age
Stephanie Briggs
sdsures at GMAIL.COM
Thu Sep 9 19:21:25 UTC 2010
Dr Denner,
If you don't teach them cursive in the first place, how can students be
expected to recognize it when they see it?
Stephanie
*****************************
~Stephanie D. (Sures) Briggs
http://sdsures.blogspot.com/
Come have a look at my handmade knitted afghans and scarves!
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On 9 September 2010 19:46, Michael Denner <mdenner at stetson.edu> wrote:
> I waste zero time teaching cursive--they need to learn to recognize Russian
> handwriting (I write on the board) but I think teaching пропись is a waste
> of valuable resources.
>
> Some students WANT to learn it, and I help them out. But for all written
> work I accept printed (печатные буквы) Russian. I send 4-6 students a year
> to Russia and I've never heard a complaint.
>
> One of my first assignments is for them to download an ASDF keyboard (like
> Russian for Gringos) or use translit.ru and type me a message. We do a lot
> of free-writing and I require all of it to be sent by email to me for
> correction.
>
> Finally, I'm slowly moving away even from worrying about typing skills and
> encouraging students to record dialogues, essays, even their homework
> assignments. It's something new for me this year, aided in part by the great
> site vocaroo.com, which allows students to make quick recordings online
> and post them easily. I'm requiring them to submit the audio files through
> our class blog (bearinahat.blogspot.com) so they don't fill my inbox. (You
> can see a few early submissions there already--mostly recordings of poetry.)
>
> This move to recordings is a response to changes in the ways that students
> communicate: I asked my students recently about their email habits. To a
> one, they said "The only time I use email is to communicate with my
> professors." Gosh, I'm so old I remember email being new.
>
> Times they are a'changin...
>
> Oh, and, if you DO still teach handwriting, I cannot recommend highly
> enough the very cool Primo and Tempo fonts here:
> http://nekin.narod.ru/e25.htm
>
> They're true handwriting fonts, and use a complex macro to connect letters
> using a variety of liaisons. You'll need to download the documents and
> fonts, read the instructions carefully. But the results are really
> impressive--perfect Russian handwriting. I've posted a couple examples here:
> http://tinyurl.com/33gpr22
>
> ~mad
>
> ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
> Dr. Michael A. Denner
> Associate Professor of Russian Studies
> Editor, Tolstoy Studies Journal
> Director, Russian Studies Program
> Director, University Honors Program
>
>
> Contact Information:
> Russian Studies Program
> Stetson University
> Campus Box 8361
> DeLand, FL 32720-3756
> 386.822.7381 (department)
> 386.822.7265 (direct line)
> 386.822.7380 (fax)
>
> google talk michaeladenner
> www.stetson.edu/~mdenner
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
> [mailto:SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu] On Behalf Of Melissa Smith
> Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2010 3:37 PM
> To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
> Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Russian handwriting in US classrooms in the
> computer age
>
> Since Youngstown State has a one-year foreign language requirement and
> the bulk of our students stop their study at this level, I only require
> that they be able to READ cursive, and include sections on tests that
> include reading passages in cursive. I subsequently include writing
> assignments like greeting cards for different holidays, and give them
> models written for Russian children. I required that they send me a
> card for March 8th, International Women's Day, which falls about spring
> break, and gave them stamped envelopes and blank cards that they were
> supposed to mail me.
>
> This is not an ideal solution, but I try to compensate by getting them
> accustomed to using internet sources. I once had a student who had
> emigrated to the US at age 13 and wanted to return to study in a
> Russian University. Although she had gone to school and learned cursive
> as a child, she had taken to printing in both languages here. I had to
> convince her that she would be expected to write by hand were she to
> return to study in Moscow, and therefore had to retrain her!
>
> Melissa Smith
>
>
> On 9/8/10 2:26 PM, Beyer, Tom wrote:
> > At Middlebury student learn cursive in first year, much like I learned
> the
> > Palmer method in first grade. They begin using lined paper- two lines
> at
> > first, writing in pen (meaning they have to practice several times
> before
> > the final version). After they have learned the alphabet I give them
> two
> > books used by Russian first graders to practice penmanship.
> > But computers for text input also come into play almost immediately. A
> first
> > night assignment is to print out a page from rambler.ru, just so they
> know
> > their computers have Cyrillic. I also point to input methods, speak of
> > finding and using online dictionaries, how to type in Cyrillic using
> either
> > the Russian or some YAWERTY keyboard or online keyboards. Since some
> have
> > Iphones, Ipads, Itouches, and who knows what else before long, etc I
> simply
> > point them to google and say figure out how to type in Russian one way
> or
> > another on whatever device(s) you have. Many do word lists on the
> > computer,and there are some other assignments in first year: type a
> menu,
> > make a business card, etc. But cursive by hand is still for the
> foreseeable
> > future a necessary skill that I feel we should teach.
> >
> > Good luck and best wishes to all who toil in the garden of Basic
> Russian.
> >
> >
> >
> > On 9/8/10 9:45 AM, "Monnier, Nicole M." <MonnierN at MISSOURI.EDU> wrote:
> >
> > > Richard!
> > >
> > > Great question - one I was contemplating posting to the list as
> well. As I
> > > began the semester this year, I was struck by how many students
> don't use
> > > cursive in English and the added difficulties of this fact for the
> teaching
> > > of Russian cursive.
> > >
> > > As to your conditions, our current textbook (Live from Russia) does
> not have
> > > online exercises, so students inevitably have to handwrite their
> textbook
> > > exercises, as well as their exams and quizzes, so learning cursive is
> > > unavoidable at this juncture. I also tell them that they should be
> taking
> > > notes, and all my notes on the board are in cursive; likewise, when
> they
> > > head off to Russia (I always tell them "when," not "if"!), they're
> going to
> > > find themselves in situations where they'll have to read or write
> cursive.
> > >
> > > HOWEVER, I have been seriously contemplating requiring them to learn
> how to
> > > type in Russian, preferably with the Gosstandart layout (again, on
> the same
> > > premise that they find themselves in Russia some day with no option
> of the
> > > QUERTY translit keyboard), if only because it will give them
> incredible
> > > interactive access to real Russian online (Vkontakte, chat, etc.).
> I'm
> > > thinking about doing this in the second semester of first-year (ours
> is a
> > > 15-week course at 6 hours/week).
> > >
> > > I do not curtail students' use of the computer, though few venture
> onto the
> > > keyboard on their own in any event.
> > >
> > > If our university required all students to have laptops of some
> sort, I
> > > would be even more likely to require students to learn to type in
> Russian.
> > >
> > > Other than that, I can only say that I am as curious as you as to
> other
> > > practices in our field.
> > >
> > > Best,
> > >
> > > Nicole
> > >
> > >
> > > ****************************
> > > Dr. Nicole Monnier
> > > Associate Teaching Professor of Russian
> > > Director of Undergraduate Studies (Russian)
> > > German & Russian Studies
> > > 428A Strickland (formerly GCB)
> > > University of Missouri
> > > Columbia, MO 65211
> > >
> > > phone: 573.882.3370
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 9/8/10 7:48 AM, "Richard Robin" <rrobin at GWU.EDU> wrote:
> > >
> > >> Dear SEELANGers,
> > >>
> > >> I¹d like to get some feedback from colleagues on the issue of
> teaching
> > >> Russian script to beginners in an era of computer-delivered
> materials.
> > >>
> > >> Imagine using a textbook under the following conditions:
> > >>
> > >> 1. Every exercise is online but also available in the printed
> version of
> > >> a student workbook (tear out pages, etc.)
> > >> 2. Your students have computers that can type Cyrillic, and
> using either
> > >> the native Gosstandart layout or the phonetic ³student²
> keyboard, they can
> > >> type Russian.
> > >> 3. While all the exercises are on line, some are (a) machine
> gradable
> > >> (simple choose the ending or fill in the blank with an
> unambiguous word or
> > >> phrase, (b) sentence or paragraph length, submittable
> electronically to
> > >> the
> > >> teacher, but not machine gradable.
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> Questions:
> > >>
> > >> 1. Do you teach cursive basically for recognition and embrace
> the use of
> > >> all the online exercises?
> > >> 2. Do you limit the use of the students¹ use of the computer
> until they
> > >> have mastered cursive?
> > >> 3. If you answered yes, to Question 2, what are the limits? How
> long must
> > >> they write things by hand? (It helps if you calculate by
> instructional
> > >> hours, where a typical 4-hour a week semester of 15 weeks comes
> to 60
> > >> hours,
> > >> a year ‹ 120 hours). Do they have to write everything by hand or
> is there
> > >> an
> > >> acceptable mix of handwritten work and computer work?
> > >> 4. Any other opinions you have on the subject.
> > >>
> > >> Either public or private answers are appreciated. This is not a
> formal
> > >> scholarly survey (obviously). I just want to get people to express
> some
> > >> opinions on the matter.
> > >>
> > >> Thanks,
> > >> Richard Robin
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> > >
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>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Melissa T. Smith, Professor
> Department of Foreign Languages and
> Literatures
> Youngstown State University
> Youngstown, OH 44555
> Tel: (330)941-3462
>
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