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NATE PROJECTS

NATE Town Hall Meetings

Description

The changes that the world is undergoing in 2020 have brought not only challenges but also opportunities for the ELT community in Russia and globally. Here at NATE we feel that the remote work, travel restrictions and cancellations of onsite events must not stand in the way of professional discussions and meaningful exchanges to advance the causes of our Association. 
To that end, in April 2020 we launched our NATE Town Hall meetings,  monthly professional online gatherings, that are intended to bring our community of members together and develop  effective solutions to the most pressing issues that Russian ELT professionals are facing these days. 

Each Town Hall meeting consists of three parts:

• expert discussion on a professional topic of the day;
• idea exchanges in groups;
• updates on NATE internal issues and events.

The meetings take place on a Sunday from 10:00 to 11:30, Moscow time, via a Zoom conference link, and are for registered NATE members only. External experts can be invited to take part in the discussion by invitation.

If you have a topic to suggest for future Town Hall meetings, or would like to contribute to expert discussion, contact Lilia Bondareva, the project coordinator, at  liliabondareva@gmai.com

Implemented

2020 up to present

Participants

NATE members

Recordings of Previous Town Hall Meetings

    THM # 1
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    Town Hall Meeting # 1
    April, 12 2020

    YOUNG LEARNERS

    Speakers:
    Yekaterina Mashurova (Smolensk)
    Anastasia Khodakova & Olga Maximova (Tula)
    Yelena Nadtocheva (Yekaterinburg)
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    THM # 2

BVI: Sing and Learn English

Description

The Sing and Learn English project, supported by the English Language Office, started as a series of English lessons for adult blind and visually impaired learners conducted by professors and student volunteers of the Kursk State University. The goal of the project was to develop and implement special teaching techniques based solely on listening and speaking. Gradually, while we were gaining expertise, project expanded and we focused on various areas including specific teaching aids development and a wider target audience. Sing and Learn English is truly international because it is being realized by enthusiastic Russian and American educators seeking better opportunities for blind and visually impaired people.

Implemented

2016 up to present

Participants

Kursk, Moscow, Alliance (Ohio), Seattle (Washington).

Project Highlights

  • KSU Foreign Languages Dept. and KurELTA are implementing inclusive education in higher education. In the 2019-2020 academic year, two totally blind participants of the project attend English language classes together with group 31bn (third-year students learning English as the second foreign language). As a result of the work, we have made a series of video lessons demonstrating the possibilities of adapting traditional ELT techniques to blind students. In late February 2020, Viktoria Klimentyeva delivered a paper "Communicative approach in the implementation of inclusive English language teaching to blind and visually impaired students" at the XIII International Scientific and Practical Conference of Young Scientists and Students "Meeting of Generations... February readings". In late March 2020, Viktoria Klimentyeva, Dmitry Klimentyev, Irina Amelchenkova and Andrey Amelchenkov are participating as guest speakers in a specialized ESP workshop in Saransk.
  • In October 2019, the KSU Foreign Languages Dept. started a cooperation project with Kursk Comprehensive School#57 aimed at teaching English to visually impaired students. Viktoria Klimentyeva and Marina Pordbeeva (student of group 51ba) conduct ESP optional classes (1 class per week). Marina Pordbeeva is also working on her thesis related to teaching English in an inclusive environment. In December 2019 we helped 12 children of 4"d" class to take part in the "Letter to Father Frost" contest. The children wrote letters in English and became winners.
  • As part of cooperation between KSU and secondary schools of Kursk, students of group 31ba (supervised by Dmitry Klimentyev) take part in a creative project aimed at the development of teaching aids for BVI learners of English.
  • We are creating and testing the teaching materials (including the recording of audio activities) for BVI students based on Thomas Mayne Reed 's "The Quadroon". These materials are used for home reading classes in group 31bn, where two blind students are taught in an inclusive format.
  • In April 2019, Viktoria Klimentyeva, Dmitry Klimentyev, Irina Amelchenkova and Andrey Amelchenkov took part in the NATE Jubilee Conference (ITMO University, Saint Petersburg) with the presentation “English Language audio course for BVI learners: teaching approaches and practical results”.
  • In April 2019, Viktoria Klimentyeva, Dmitry Klimentyev, Irina Amelchenkova and Andrey Amelchenkov took part in the 5th International Scientific and Practical Conference "Inclusive Foreign Language Education Today: Problems and Solutions," (Moscow City Pedagogical University) with the paper "Experience of teaching English language to blind and visually impaired students".
  • Viktoria Klimentyeva, Dmitry Klimentyev, Irina Amelchenkova and Andrey Amelchenkov participated in Scott Kupferman’s inclusive education seminar held by the Regional English Language Office (Moscow, September 26-28, 2019).
  • A recording studio has been equipped to facilitate the process of making audio learning materials for BVI students.

Project Timeline & Results

Weekly special needs extra English language classes and edutainment events for a group of twelve visually impaired 4th grade students, Kursk school #57
2019 - up to present
Experimental inclusive education English language university classes in which two totally blind graduates of our courses study English together with 3-year students (learning English as a second foreign language) of Foreign Languages Department, Kursk State University
2019 - up to present
Involving more volunteer students to design didactic materials for blind and visually impaired learners (based on abridged books such as A Scandal in Bohemia by Arthur Conan Doyle and The Quadroon by Thomas Mayne Reid)
2018 - up to present
Cooperation with Moscow City University in designing video lectures and lessons for special needs teachers of English (available here)
2018 - up to present
Meetings with USA students and teachers
2017 - up to present
Dissemination of project results at a number of all-Russian and international conferences (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Reno (Nevada, USA))
2017 - up to present
Regional Teacher Conference on English Language Teaching in Kursk
October 2018
Teachers and two best students participated in the International Conference of BVI Education and Rehabilitation Association in Reno (Nevada, USA)
July 2018
Development of the Sing and Learn English audio beginner course which consists of 40 lessons (each lasting 45-60 minutes) including songs, games, quizzes, and freely available at this link
2016-2018
English language classes for a group of five blind and visually impaired adult musicians
2016-2019

Project Gallery

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Vocal Dance Flash Mob on International Translator's Day

Aim

to create a festive mood on the eve of International translator's day

Objectives

to draw the city's attention to the graduating Chair of Foreign Languages of the Faculty of Humanities at the Novosibirsk Technical University; to develop the creative skills of language students

Description

Students linguists of all the years participate in the performance of dance and song in a foreign language. The song must contain the word translator

Results

The performance was in focus of Novosibirsk TV channels

Implemented

2018
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Annual International Scientific-Practical Conference for Young Scholars in Foreign Languages

Objective

to promote research in linguistics, modern education and social problems; to develop skills of presentation of scientific research in written and oral form in a foreign language in accordance with international standards; to develop foreign-language communication competence of students; to develop international cooperation in the field of humanities and increase the publication activity of young scholars

Description

form of participation by full-time and part-time students

Partners

Institute of Russian Language of Xi'an University of Foreign Languages; Department of Foreign Languages of Chinese Political and Legal University; Department of German Philology of the Faculty of Foreign Philology of Mirzo Ulugbek National University of Uzbekistan

Participants

High school, undergraduate and graduate students; post-graduate students and young scientists without academic degree

Conference Directions

Language in the context of dialogue of cultures; Europe - Russia - Asia: problems of inter-regional dialogue; Social problems of modernity; Problems of modern education

Results

The conference became widely known both in Novosibirsk and in the region. The collection of scientific works with materials of conference is issued annually

Prospects

to expand the circle of international partners, to involve world-known scholars as speakers
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Speech Contest in English for 1st and 2nd Year Students

Objective

development of speech activity of students of the 1st-2nd years of language and non-linguistic specialties, and, as a result, the ability to speak to the audience; to increase students' motivation to learn English; to develop the ability to think creatively and find non-standard solutions.

Description

The contest is held in two rounds: qualifying (local) and final.
The winners of the qualifying round (I and II places) represent their higher education institution in the city round. Two stages of the regional competition. Speech with a pre-prepared three-minute speech on the declared topic; writing within an hour without using dictionaries and manuals of the text of speech on the topic close to the theme of the first oral report and its oral presentation. Mandatory condition ─ knowledgeable in English as a jury. The students who took first, second and third places are awarded valuable prizes and certificates

Introduced in:

2003

Results

Speech Contest is the only public speaking competition in Novosibirsk, which has no analogues in the region. The participants are students of all Novosibirsk and regional hire educational establishments

Prospects

to bring the competition to the international level
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