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Anastasia SelivanovaLecturer of Russian |
Education:
M.D., Leningrad State University, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
M.Ed., Cedar Crest College, Allentown, PA
I strongly believe that teaching a diverse group of students is an imperative of the classroom today. Diversity has at least two dimensions worthy of pedagogical attention. One dimension is learning style, and the other is student identity. Sometimes overlapping with learning differences is a variety of self-identifications that can include cultural and personal orientation relevant to academic achievement. The teacher’s role is to mobilize these differences in order to achieve academic objectives. There is no doubt that student interest leads to effective learning. This aspect of engagement requires cultural sensitivity that recognizes and values the range of perspectives that students bring to the course material. To motivate students in my class, I address their interests at different levels through content, process, and product. Diversity requires that I give students a choice of what content to study, connect materials to the students' life and experience beyond the classroom, and give students the opportunity to propose their own alternative. In addition, I implement communicative approach in class. It gives students opportunities to develop their speaking skills and successfully communicate in real life. Communicative approach allows learners activate and use their natural strategies for language acquisition. By the end of the Elementary Russian I course, students are able to comprehend and sustain short conversations with native speakers.
Courses Taught:
- RUS 102-00 - Elementary Russian II
