The Role and Value of Technology in Teaching Colloquialisms

1. The Role and Value of Technology in Teaching Colloquialisms This speech/presentation is authorized by the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center and the Department of Defense. Contents of this presentation are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, Department of the Army, or the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center. Elena Sedova-Hotaling Associate Professor Defense language Institute

2. Disclosure: This presentation is a further development of two previous presentations by Sedova-Hotaling, Elena & Soboleva, Valentina: “Russkij “Tusovochnyj”: To Teach or Not to Teach?” (Mid-Atlantic Conference, NY - March 2008) and “Barbarization of the Russian Language: Trends and Issues” (AATSEEL Conference, SF - December 2008).

3. Today’s Learners – Net Generation The students vote for having choice in how, what, and when to learn. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o

4. Main characteristics of the “Google Generation” • Confident and achieving • Independent but team-oriented • Technologically savvy • Prefer individualized learning (Reese,S. 2010)

5. Existing System of Education • “One-size-fits-all” (DanTapscott, 1998) • Heavy reliance on the blackboard • Teacher-centered education • “Once generation fully takes over educators’ workplace will never be the same” (John Hollon, 2008)

6. Existing System of Education: to Maintain or Change? Arguments against changes • Technologies minimize the teacher’s role • Diminish face-to-face interaction • Traditional mentoring brings better results

7. Existing System of Education: to Maintain or Change? (cont.) Arguments for changes • Digital generation expects new approaches to learning and teaching • Interactive technologies and multimedia are routine to the Digital generation • Technologies provide resource-based learning • Keep students on task

8. DTRA Students’ Opinion on the New Learning Channels Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TKMQMD7 Findings: reasonable combination of traditional methods with advanced technology

9. DTRA Students’ Opinion on the New Learning Channels (cont.)

10. Advantages of Interactive Technologies for Language Learning • Powerful tool for communication beyond the classroom environment • Immediate access to authentic materials • Flexibility in adding and updating authentic materials • Possibility to integrate context-, content- and resource-based learning • Motivational factor of technology

11. Advantages of Interactive Technologies for Language Learning (cont.) • Allow student to choose his/her own learning strategy and pace • Important value - independent but collaborative work • Create student-centric, cross-cultural learning environment

12. New Trends in the Russian Language • Paradigm shift in teaching style & learning channels coincides with changes in the Russian lexicon caused by collapse of the totalitarian system & rapid transition to free economy • Liberalization process caused massive deviation from the normative language • Current Russian is a FL for its native speakers

13. New Trends in the Russian Language(Examples) • Over flooding of mass media and modern literature with colloqualisms, criminal jargon & youth slang Оттяг/оттянуться - rest Тусовка/тусовщик/тусоваться - socializing, Прикол/прикалываться – joke,fun лох - a fool

14. New Trends in the Russian Language (cont.) • A dynamic influx of colloquialisms is caused by a new perception of the norm itself. • Mass media language bends for sub-standard and non-standard.

15. New Trends in the Russian Language (Examples) • Excessive borrowing of Americanisms • Youth slang created from English words with Russian affixation янговый (молодой) - young; френдовый (принадлежащий другу) friend’s; прайсовый (денежный) – having money; хитовый (популярный) – top popular

16. New Trends in the Russian Language (cont.) • The colloquial non-codified language has become a serious rival of the standard language • Lexical changes are far-reaching and fundamental.

17. Controversial Public Reaction to Language Changes PROS: CONS: Accept the changes as natural processes “Intrusion of foreign words makes Russian attuned to the contemporary reality” (V. Kostomarov) Use of borrowings and non-normative lexicon is degradation of the Russian language Concerns about the permeation of criminal jargon in mass media "A lack of regard for the Russian language is becoming a norm in life.“ Provost of MGU (2009)

18. Sub-Standard Russian: To Teach or Not to Teach?The Author’s Position • The scope and magnitude of linguistic changes are so evidential that they cannot be ignored or discredited • Lack of familiarization with slang limits RL learners from better understanding of native speakers • Modern interactive technologies can bridge the gap & aid our learners • This type of vocabulary should be taught

19. About the Bloghttp://phraseology.elenahotaling.com • Conceptual example of new approaches to teaching • Blog embeds audio, video and textual authentic materials • Colloquialisms are selected from mass media and literature • “Conversion” from personal use to non-traditional educational practice • This concept may compliment the curriculum

20. Conclusion • Conceptual example of new approaches to teaching • Special value of the interactive technologies – enhancement of socio-cultural awareness • social media can bridge the gap between the growing disconnect between today’s education system and modern means of communication and learning.

21. Interactive Approach to Learning Colloquialisms

22. Questions? http://phraseology.elenahotaling.com/2010/11/14/video-task-schoolwork

23. Reference materials: • Reese, S. (August, 2010) The Language Educator. “Teaching Languages to the Millennial Generation” • Spodark, E. (August, 2010). The Language Educator. “Structuring a Language Course to Respond to Millennial Generation Workplace Characteristics” • Tapscott, D. (1998). “Growing up digital”. In The Rise of the Net Generation. New York: McGraw-Hill

24. Reference materials (cont.) • Hollon, J. (August, 2008). In Spodark. The Language Educator. “Structuring a Language Course to Respond to Millennial Generation Workplace Characteristics” • Wesch, M. Downloaded from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o. Sept, 2010 • Ryazanova-Clarke, L. & Wade, T. The Russian Language Today. Routledge,1999

25. Reference materials (cont.) • Костомаров, В.Г. (1999). Языковой вкус эпохи. Из наблюдений над речевой практикой масс-медиа.СПб: Златоуст. • Sadovnichy, V. “Их нужно заразить правильным отношением к учёбе и труду”, Аргументы и Факты, 17 марта, 2009. • Шкапенко Т., Хюбнер Ф. Русский «тусовочный» как иностранный. Янтарный Сказ, 2005

26. Reference materials (cont.) • Басинский Павел. “Вам русским языком говорят”. Российская газета # 4446. On-line. • 22 aвгустa, 2007 • Букина Е. В. “Молодёжный сленг в современной культуре”. http://archvuz.ru/magazine/Numbers/2004_07 • Васильева Юлия. «Чисто по-нашему». Русское Интернет Телевидение. On-line. 2008

27. Reference materials (cont.) • Chokhonelidze, N. (2007). Экспансия разговорности в сферах средств массовой информации. http://www.surbor.ru/select.php?idf=12115on 06 June 2007 • Неизвестный Эрнст. Знамя № 90: 2 // Шкапенко Т. и др. 2005 • Робски О. “Casual”, Рассказы. 175, 261, "Издательство АСТ", 2007