Learn by Teaching

The question of what qualifications a teacher should have is not an idle question. I previously wrote about our teachers and people with different backgrounds who also teach Russian as a foreign language. There are both professors and people who know language more or less. How do I feel about that?

Let’s begin with a story that took place 100 years ago in Hungary. A young girl who was a graduate chemist couldn’t find a job. Quote:

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Soroka. Russian language for children

Learning the Rules by Derivation

I frequently give my students the opportunity to derive rules by themselves. I write about it in the Teacher’s Book, as well. Why am I doing it? How does it help us in studying Russian as a foreign language in the Soroka course? Let’s figure it out.

First, I would like for you to look in the Teacher’s Book and see what I am talking about.

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Soroka. Russian language for children

Introducing Language to Speech

In my teaching career, there were situations when students knew grammar well and did grammar exercises correctly, but still ignored all learned grammar rules in their speech. And it didn’t matter what language they had been learning – Russian or English. Teachers often encounter this problem, so let’s figure out what we can do to cope with it.
I suggest taking three steps.

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Soroka. Russian language for children

Cartoons

I’m often asked which cartoon I can recommend to kids that learn Russian.

The answer is: The one that corresponds to their language level. It means that if your students follow the curriculum of the Soroka course, which is for beginners, then the cartoon should be of the same level. That way, it will make sense!

To give you a better understanding of why level-matching is important, I suggest that you conduct an experiment.

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Soroka. Russian language for children

Mistakes are Growth Points

All students make mistakes in class — take it easy, this is part of life.

When there are no mistakes, it means that the student knows everything and no longer needs a teacher.

Personally, I love when my students make the mistakes. I listen to them carefully and analyze them. We need mistakes. Mistakes help us understand where to go next. We see what material has been well-learned and what material still needs to be worked on.

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Soroka. Russian language for children

Grandmothers Can Get Involved

A modern grandmother is not a little old lady in a headscarf. A modern grandmother seeks recipes on the Internet, watches films on YouTube, drives a personal car to do the shopping, and sends messages to her grandsons while dying her hair at a hairdressers’ or getting a pedicure. A 21st-century grandmother can also wear a headscarf, anytime she wants — as a turban on her head, for instance.

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Soroka. Russian language for children