In the 2020/2021 academic year, on the basis of the Department of Romance and Germanic Philology and the Information and Educational Center of English Language and Culture, online classes of 4th year students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages with a teacher from the USA Lauren Anderson are regularly held. Lauren is an experienced teacher trainer. She was supposed to come to the university to work on the English Fellow academic exchange program. However, due to the epidemiological situation, it was decided to conduct classes remotely.
In classes led by Lauren, students not only communicate in a foreign language, but also simultaneously learn various teaching methods, which are directly related to their future profession. Young people have the opportunity to express themselves and use all their knowledge when communicating with a native speaker, which is a valuable practice on the path of their professional development.
“I was very excited,” says Lauren, “because you never know for sure how students will perceive you, whether they will be interested. As it turned out, the students were eager to learn and participate in the discussion. I was impressed by their English speaking skills. We devoted introductory lessons to acquaintance. I enjoyed hearing the students’ opinions on their future careers as teachers.”
According to the interlocutor, it is always difficult to conduct classes on the Internet. “I am grateful for this opportunity, as I can continue teaching not only in my country, but throughout the world,” says Lauren. On November 16, she will come up with a report on the teaching of languages in higher educational institutions of the United States. Also within the framework of International Education Week, Lauren Anderson will present a report on the life of international students on the American campus.
“I hope the students find it useful. Together with the teacher Diana Smolyak, we are working on organizing an online debate so that my students from America could communicate with students from Mogilev. Hopefully this will be a great practice for using the language when communicating with native speakers. In addition, students will have the opportunity to conduct a demonstration lesson,” the teacher concluded.