On July 31st, the first ever event of the unusual educational online project “Distant Russian in Africa” was closed. In it more than one hundred students and 14 Russian language teachers from Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, Zambia, Uganda, Madagascar and Mauritius participated. The co-organizers of the intensive online- course for those wishing to learn Russian in East Africa, were the Institute of Russian Language and Culture (IRL&C) - represented by the vice-rector of M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, the vice-president of the International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature - Tatyana Kortava and the Russian Centre for Science and Culture (RCSC) in Dar es Salaam, ensured the participation, in the project, of African youths and our compatriots who are living here. At the initiative of the Representative of Rossotrudnichestvo in Tanzania Maria Pateeva, a special seminar for teachers was also included in the project.
For various reasons, not all students who had registered and started training on July 20th reached the finish line of the 12-day online marathon, but in spite of this, according to the participants, the project was a success. The concluding chord was the online concert "The Youth are singing The Song of Friendship", which had been jointly prepared and presented by the teacher – trainees and students (see videos). Many words of gratitude were expressed to the teachers who were conducting the project - Svetlana Yurmanova, Liya Kolobaeva, Valery Chastnykh, Anastasia Lositskaya, Natalia Ivanova, Vera Deshitskaya.
And here are opinions of the teacher-trainees:
“Many thanks to everyone who participated in organizing the courses. This was a unique opportunity provided by the RCSC in Tanzania and teachers of the IRL&C of the Moscow State University. Not everyone is lucky enough to get unique knowledge from such teachers and to improve one’s qualifications in the field of “Russian as a Foreign Language” (RFL). Two weeks of intensive work flew by in an instant but left behind very positive impressions. The charge of energy that we received in the virtual classroom will ease the work of teachers in the field for a long time to come”.
Inna Kraptsova, Tanzania
“Many thanks for the organization of the courses, for the invaluable experience we got in the learning process and for the wonderful friendly atmosphere”.
Lilia Ievleva, Uganda.
“Many thanks to the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Tanzania under the leadership of Maria Vladimirovna Pateeva and to the IRL&C of Moscow State University, for organizing advanced training courses for teachers and an intensive course for students. It was a very exciting, informative, interesting and useful course for gaining new knowledge and sharing experience. "
Natalia Karamagi, Tanzania
“Thank you so much for organizing the courses, for the invaluable experience that we gained in the learning process.”
Kaunda Benjamin, Zambia
"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Tanzania, for the excellent opportunity to acquire the skills and abilities that are so necessary for the development of the Russian language and culture in the region."
Zarina Ilyasheva, Zambia
“Thank you very much for organizing the advanced training program for teachers of RFL in the East African region. Thank you for this unique experience. This allowed us to discover a new world and meet interesting people. I am sending you this video to share those memorable moments”(see video)
Andrianantenaina Tuluzanahari, Madagascar
“These were, perhaps, the most interesting, emotional, inspiring weeks of my last year’s stay in East Africa. Thanks to modern communication opportunities, the creative initiative of the leaders and organizers of this project, for we had a direct connection with the Moscow State University. The teachers, during the first week of the internship, presented new trends in teaching Russian as a foreign language, as clearly and extensively as possible. Electronic educational sources, an introduction to intercultural communication, practical examples of lessons and the procedure for introducing grammatical structures have all become especially relevant and valuable to me.
I will remember the second week of the internship for a long time. At one of the open lessons with a group of curious, exemplary students from Rwanda and Uganda, I made my debut in teaching RFL (I explained to these students the form of the future tense in Russian). Preparation of lessons and learning songs took place under the keen guidance of a teacher at Moscow State University - Liya Kolobaeva. All this experience, good mood and enthusiastic classes became possible, thanks to such wonderful professionals as Maria Vladimirovna Pateeva, Chastnykh Valery Vladimirovich and Elena Anatolyevna Simonova. We thank you wholeheartedly and we hope to continue participating in these projects. "
Bairma Kihoro, Tanzania
“Thank you so much for this wonderful experience. We have learned a lot, we had wonderful acquaintances. "
Niri Tsinzu Andriambuluntsua, Madagascar
“I would like to express my gratitude to the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Tanzania, under the leadership of Maria Vladimirovna Pateeva and the IRL&C of the Moscow State University, for organizing advanced training courses for Russian language teachers and an intensive RFL course for African students. It is an excellent initiative in the framework of humanitarian cooperation between Russia and Africa,that will contribute to the promotion of the Russian language and culture. Thanks to all organizers, teachers and students for the wonderful atmosphere and experience. "
Olga Bogacheva, Mauritius
“Dear Maria Vladimirovna, Elena and all staff of the RCSC! Let me express my sincere gratitude to you for organizing refresher courses for teachers of RFL and teaching Kenyan students, to whom you have provided a unique opportunity to study Russian under the guidance of the best specialists from the country's leading university. We wish you success in your work and look forward to continued cooperation. "
Alina Rinkanya, Kenya
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