Embassy of the United States

Novosibirsk Teachers’ Association(NovELTA) Hosts ‘Authenticity’ Winter Institute
January 29-30, 2009.  The Novosibirsk English Language Teachers’ Association hosted a two-day Winter Methodology School entitled “A Season for Authentic Learning’ with Senior English Language Fellows Todd Vidamour, Allyson Kellum, and English Language Officer David Fay. Over 150 English language instructors and representatives from local universities attended

Approaches to Cross-Cultural Understanding at American Corner in Novosibirsk
January 28, 2009.  English Language Officer David Fay conducted a workshop on 'Approaches to Cross-Cultural Understanding' at the Novosibirsk American Corner. Approximately 30 participants explored key elements to better understanding other nations and ethnic groups, with an emphasis on small 'c' culture.

Multicultural New Year Celebration in Ufa
January 27, 2009. The English Access Microscholarship Program in Ufa celebrated a multicultural Christmas and New Year. The day-long program included multicultural New Year show, a visit to a museum, lunch at McDonalds, and a tea party on the Access school premises. Most teachers are alumni of American exchange programs.

Tomsk Teachers’ Association Hosts ‘Authenticity’ Winter Institute
January 26-27, 2009.  Tomsk English Language Teachers’ Association (TELTA) hosted a two-day winter institute focusing on ‘Authenticity in the Language Classroom’ with Senior English Language Fellow Todd Vidamour and English Language Officer David Fay. Over 250 English language instructors attended the event, with TELTA adding 42 new members.

English Teachers Explore Sequential Art for Use in Classroom
On Wednesday, January 21, the English Language Office launched a new year of training activities with the year’s first workshop in the 'Teacher 2 Teacher' series.  Organized by the Moscow English Language Teachers' Association in collaboration with the Embassy's English Language Office, the workshop explored the use of sequential art, drama, and video clips in the English language classroom. English Language Officer David Fay conducted the workshop with a crowd of over 60 participants.

Training Program in Moscow Hits Mid-Life
December 29, 2008. English Language Officer David Fay conducted the fourth in a series of eight workshops from the Shaping the Way We Teach English teacher training program for Moscow teachers. These workshops have been receiving positive feedback from participants and school administrations since their inception in spring 2007.

Teacher Training in Sverdlovsk Oblast
December 12-16, 2008. Senior English Language Fellow Vino Reardon conducted training workshops for over 50 teachers in Sverdlovsk oblast. The workshops focusing on assessments and methodology emphasized cooperative learning techniques which would make learning and teaching more effective. The teachers also watched and discussed several segments in Shaping the Way Teach English DVD series.

Students Obamaphoric about Elections
November 25, 2008. A group of 30 students in their 2nd, 4th and 5th year of study in Russian New University’s English Language program explored the application of the literal meanings of electoral terminology to figurative uses. more...

English Teachers Explore Cross-Cultural Issues
On Tuesday, November 20, English Language Officer David Fay gave a presentation on how to incorporate cross-cultural studies in the English language classroom using the Office's new DVD-based 'American Potpourri'.  The approximately 40 participants, from area high schools, explored and applied such terms as 'cultural relativism' and 'syncretism' and learned how to adapt Voice of America Special English materials to the classroom. The event was organized by school 1302, that serves as a training hub for foreign language teachers three times a year.

Prestigious Moscow University Holds Conference on English Language Teaching
November 19-21, 2008. Approximately 250 English language teaching professionals from universities across Russia attended Moscow State University’s “Teacher, Student, Textbook” Conference. The event took a detailed look at key issues in the restructuring of methods and materials in the Russian educational system. more...

American Studies Series in Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk
November 12-15, 2008. Senior English Language Fellow Vino Reardon and ELO David Fay made a series of presentations in Yekaterinburg at several venues, including the annual “Book Fest” and the well-established Urals State Pedagogical University, after which they traveled to Chelyabinsk more...

“Hocus Pocus” in Novosibirsk
October 25th, 2008. Senior English Language Fellow Todd Vidamour held a Halloween information and film day at the American Corner in Novosibirsk. The afternoon opened with a brief presentation by Mr. Vidamour regarding the history and traditions surrounding Halloween in the United States.

A glimpse of American Culture through ‘electionspeak’
October 17, 2008.  The “Chads, Soccer Moms and Swing States: A glimpse of American Culture through ‘electionspeak’” was presented to 75 teachers, university students and English language enthusiasts at the Chekhov Cultural Center’s English Language Evening.

Teaching American Culture through the Elections Vocabulary
October 15, 2008.  English Language Officer David Fay gave a presentation entitled, “Chads, Soccer Moms and Swing States: A Glimpse of US Culture through 'electionspeak'” at the American Center in Moscow. The focus of the presentation was on teaching American culture through the special vocabulary developed for or used during election seasons.

Moscow Teachers of English Learn to Tackle Testing and Assessment Issues
October 6, 2008. More than 180 English Language instructors came to the Moscow Institute of Open Education to participate in a 2-hour lecture by Dr. Patricia Dunkel, an English Language Specialist in Testing and Assessment, on October 6th.

U.S. Embassy Moscow Supports Prestigious Conference at Moscow State University
October 3, 2008. On October 3rd, the English Language Office of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow supported the 9th International LATEUM (Linguistic Association of Teachers of English at the University of Moscow) Conference, “Language Speech Communication Culture.”

American Specialist Works with Russian Experts on National Exam
October 3, 2008. English Language Specialist Patricia Dunkel had an intense day-long in-service course with the Russian team of item writers for the Unified National Exam (EGE) at Lomonosov Moscow State University.

''Teachers 2 Teacher'' Workshop Series Kicks off at Moscow American Center
October 2, 2008. The English Language Office of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow kicked off its bimonthly English language teacher training event at the Moscow American Center.

English Language Specialist Focuses on National Exam in St. Petersburg
September 27-28, 2008. English Language Specialist Patricia Dunkel, Senior English Language Fellow John Scafidi and English Language Officer David Fay gave a series of plenaries and workshops for the St. Petersburg English Language Teachers’ Association’s fall professional development conference.

Assessment Conference in Samara Attracts Experts from all Corners of Russia
September 29-October 1, 2008. The English Language Office of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, together with the Samara area Teacher’s Association and the Samara Aerospace State University, organized a 3-day training event for over 120 English language instructors from 24 different cities in Russia.

English language teachers treated to Debate
September 17-19, 2008. English Access Microscholarship coordinators, English Language Fellows, Fellow counterparts, and teacher association presidents participated in a three-day teacher training event.