My name is Natalya and I am a native speaker of Russian. However, I left my home country, Russia, in 2009. Since then, I have been living in Germany and the United States. Currently, I reside in Germany. I am excited to see you as my students. I am sure our work together will be very productive.

Education:

2015 - present

M.A of Arts in Applied Linguistics

University of Massachusetts, Boston - Boston

Foreign language pedagogy

2004—2009

B.A and M.A of Arts in Teaching Foreign Languages (German and English)

Shuya State Pedagogical University, Russia - Shuya

Certifications:

TOEFL (2014)

MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY:

 The nature of teaching

Teaching is to develop students’ sophisticated views of the world and to provide a problem-solving learning environment. Teaching is to frequently access whether students’ and teacher’s goals are achieved and to adjust classroom dynamics accordingly. Teaching is to enhance students’ opportunities to independently explore the world. Teaching is to accept students’ sovereign position as L2 learners and in no way to subordinate them to monolingual native speakers.

 The nature of learning

Besides transmitting linguistic knowledge, language learning is to flourish open-mindedness, respect, creativity, and tolerance of groups with diverse cultural behaviours and various appearances. Learning is to promote students’ self-confidence, critical thinking, establishment of their particular roles in a society, and encouragement of the development of positive relationships. Learning is to promote changing roles of negotiator, stimulator, and initiator between the teacher and her students.

 The roles of a teacher

The teacher’s goal is to clearly express her own goals and also recognize unique goals of her students. The role of the teacher is to establish an environment full of potential meaning that promotes students becoming independent and curious learners. The teacher is to seek constant professional development through diverse sources: students, their parents, local community, colleagues, familiarization with the latest research in the related areas of science, etc. The teacher’s role is to highly value students’ emotional state and make efforts to promote a positive climate in the classroom.

 The roles of a learner

Learners’ role is to be active participants in the educational process in accordance with the stage of their language acquisition – students’ engagement is one of the essential components of their success. The learners’ goals are to grow towards active citizenship and develop a dynamic mind that enables them to analyze, interpret, and reflect without criticism and judgement. The role of the learners is to constantly gain new knowledge and experiences and, if needed, reevaluate their values, beliefs, and behaviours.

 The social significance of language education

Learning languages enhances critical thinking, positively influences learners’ attitudes, and changes the perception of self. A multicompetent person is able to successfully communicate in diverse multilingual and multicultural environments. When considering the gathering momentum of globalization and extended opening of boundaries, such a skill has a tremendous influence on the successful building of social relations.