Fw: Russian anymore

[Pavel Samsonov]

> ----------
>
> Pavel Samsonov wrote
> > What I do I write a message of 3-4 sentences on a board and get them to
> read
> > it. Then I erase some words and get the students to read the message one
> by
> > one pretending that the words are there, then remove some more words
> until
> > someone actually reads from the clean board. They get ecstatic because
> they
> > realize that in 2-3 minutes they can memorize a text of 15-25 words! And
> > there is a covert competition among the students.
>
> That's a great idea and one I never thought of. I shall use it. I do quite
> a bit of memorising using playing cards. The cards have Russian phrases on
> one side in one colour and English on the other in another colour [for
> easier sorting]. For an introductory game we play it with the Russian up
> and everyone gets to keep the cards that he translates correctly. Then we
> go to having the English up and they have to give the exact Russian phrase
> that is on the other side. Many sets are sentences that I wrote down from
> Russian films so we can have a follow up when they watch the film and see
> how many of them they can catch.
> Daf
> Meirionnydd Languages
> [web page- http://www.meirionnydd.force9.co.uk ]

This sounds like a good idea.

I normally work with adults. They feel very well when the teacher is
innovative and works hard to get the students to
learn better. They always appreciate what you do for them, which is a great
method itself.
Whatever you do is great as long as it works.

I remember a conversation at a college in Minsk where I worked many years
ago. There was a strong push on the part of the administration to use audio
labs. Our rector (president) was meeting teachers of foreign languages to
see if they were ready to use such a lab.

One of us, a very experienced and well-known teacher said: "I can use
anything if it works. If I use only a board and a piece of chalk and it
works - this is excellent. I can as well come into the classroom, jump up on
the table and dance - if it works for my students, I can do that too. It may
work for some teachers and students. If a lab works - this is fine too."

Methodology of a second language teaching is an area most vulnerable to
fashion. Teaching methods are adopted with wild enthusiasm and then just as
often replaced  with very different methods, adopted with as much enthusiasm
as their predecessors.

The best thing, however is to develop your own methodology.
With compliments,

Pavel (Paul) Samsonov
EDAD, College of Education,
Texas A&M University
tel. (409) 862-7771 (lab)
      (409) 862-9152 (home)
fax (409) 862-4347
e-mail p0s5658 at acs.tamu.edu

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