Classroom Support
We are passionate about your students’ success. We seek to actively support it by connecting language and cultural learning to real world applications.
SRAS Family of Sites
The SRAS Family of Sites is a collection of student-driven information resources that cover everything from international relations to pop culture and from language to cultural preservation.
We invite students to not only use these as study and research resources, but also to contribute to them via our Vestnik student academic journal or our Online Research Internships. In either case, students will receive free editing and mentoring services and, for those that complete the related programs, published material to add to their resumes.
Peer Tutoring and Workshops
Regular practice speaking with native Russian speakers is a great way for students learning Russian to overcome language barriers, accelerate learning, and develop more natural speech skills. The more voices a student can hear, the better – whether in or out of the classroom. SRAS can provide this with peer tutors or structured workshops.
These experiences can also jump start students’ potential future programs abroad, preparing them for life on the ground and giving them greater focus in making the transition abroad.
As an instructor of any higher education or high school class, you may request one complimentary workshop session per semester per class in exchange for allowing us the opportunity to share with your students a bit of information about our study abroad options.
More information about tutoring and workshops can be found below:
SRAS tutors and hosts are native Russian speakers. Peer tutors are university students or are working professionals just starting their careers. Our workshop leaders range from youth to experienced teachers of culture and language. Many live in St. Petersburg or Moscow, but some are from other Russian-speaking regions across Eurasia. All are experienced and/or have been coached in working with US students, including navigating important cultural differences and building students’ confidence. They have been trained on how to effectively correct mistakes and focus on fluency while engaging in realistic, meaningful conversation.
Most speak some English, but will know that their task is to keep students speaking and hearing Russian to the greatest extent possible. For sessions with beginner students or those focused on culture, the core interaction may be in English, but with language learning moments integrated.
As with everything SRAS does, it’s flexible. We can supply pre-made models or gladly discuss custom arrangements if you have a specific idea in mind. As students and peers are in different time zones, scheduling needs to be flexible on both sides. We recommend that you make this program a required part of your class and make it clear that the student is responsible for making and keeping session appointments. Students will join an SRAS-created WhatsApp group to connect with hosts and set appointments. For individual meetings, nearly any platform can be used – including WhatsApp, Skype, FaceTime, Zoom or other audio/video tools that both agree on. We try to not to over-structure the arrangements so as to keep it organic and interesting for all involved.
Documentation happens on both sides in a simple google doc. Students will track with whom they spoke, when, for how long, and about what. Peer tutors do the same – tracking the student, university, date, duration, topic, and general notes about the session.
For maximum effectiveness, we suggest that a group and their assigned peer tutors do a moderated group introductory meeting. SRAS will arrange this to ensure everyone gets off to a great start.
Mini Session: Basic Speaking Assignments
Students complete simple speaking tasks on specific topics. For instance, students might introduce themselves, discuss their hobbies, ask for information from their tutor, etc. These well-defined, simple sessions last about 15-20 minutes each.
Full Session: Extended Speaking Assignments
Students with growing abilities will complete more challenging, flexible speaking tasks. Students might focus on vocabulary building on a specific topic. News articles could be discussed. Collaborative videos might be produced. Or maybe a long and stimulating conversation will be had. These interactions will be about 30-50 minutes each.
Asynchronous Online Discussion
Students can participate in an online discussion board with peer tutors to practice their writing skills and learn interesting cultural information at the same time. Peer tutors and students answer a question on a given topic and engage in asynchronous discussion threads. It’s motivating to practice writing when engaging in “conversation” with a peer. Tutors’ posts also model writing for students. Another approach is to engage in email exchanges on a given topic if the task at hand is to practice writing specific kinds of letters such as requests, complaints or recommendations – it’s one thing to write a letter and turn it in for homework, quite another to send it to someone, get a real response and have to send a follow-up reply! For more speaking and listening practice, audio or video asynchronous discussion boards are a possibility, as well.
Tutoring Session
Peers and tutors will agree in advance on a specific language aspect to cover. This might be challenging grammar or pronunciation issue or developing listening or even reading practice. Peers will be chosen specifically for topic and student level. They will prepare focused lessons in advance. These can be perfect for students who have missed a class session to make up the work effectively and with guidance. For consistency, repeat tutoring sessions should be held with the same peer paired with the student. A single interaction is about 30 – 50 min.
To ensure your students are prepared and comfortable for their live workshop with Russian speakers, we will provide the following preparatory materials:
- A video introduction of himself/herself
- A list of helpful vocabulary and phrases related to the topic
- A list of questions the students should be prepared to answer/discuss
Discussions will typically take on the following format:
- 5 min: introduction to topic
- 15 min: discussion, students answer and ask questions
- 5 min: wrap-up
Topics might include:
- Introductions (Beginner)
- All about me (Beginner)
- My family and Pets (Beginner)
- My city – your city – Moscow (Beginner)
- About my job and future career (Intermediate)
- Describing my friends (Intermediate)
- Travel and vacations (Intermediate)
- Stereotypes (Intermediate)
- Movies (Advanced)
- Russian Slang or Idioms (Advanced)
- Social Issues (Advanced)
- Environment (Advanced)
Your workshop with Russian speakers can also take the form of a more informal chat or even short tour. Pricing and format may differ somewhat with these.