Engaging and Equipping the Learner: Innovating Tools and Methods for Learning and Exploring Ukrainian

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Brief Description

The round table provides a platform for scholars to discuss innovative tools and methods for learning Ukrainian and exploring the language and its culture. Presenters, while formulating a vision for an innovative and timely curriculum, address a variety of aspects of how to engage today’s learners equipping them with the necessary tools for success. These include i) recently developed methods to assist learners in the acquisition of a broader and more sophisticated vocabulary through etymology and word-building activities; ii) exciting experiential and community-based projects to engage students in real-life tasks; iii) language exchanges between students, particularly in light of the Russian-full scale war against Ukraine, including their benefits and challenges; iv) the choice, suitability, translation and adaptation of authentic video-resources in a heritage learners classroom; and v) an innovative language and culture learning App that promotes learning and exploration in a motivating and gamified way, serving also as tool for differentiated instruction.

Participants will lead us to discover and address the many new facets of the curricula, helping to bring the study of the Ukrainian language and culture on par with other world languages. The proposed methods, tools and approaches thereby contribute to liberating the Ukrainian language curriculum from traditionalism that kept the teaching and learning of Ukrainian marginalized and outdated.

*A roundtable format is suitable due to the session's focus on sharing ideas, discussing successes and challenges and working together on some important takeaways applicable to teaching and learning that will most likely derive from this joint discussion.

Sub Unit

• Linguistics/Language Pedagogy/Translation

Chair

• Roman Ivashkiv, U of Alabama

Roundtable Members

• Sofiya Asher, Indiana U Bloomington

• Roman Ivashkiv, U of Alabama

• Alla Nedashkivska, U of Alberta (Canada)

• Oleksandra Wallo, U of Kansas

Session Manager

• Tetiana Shyshkina, Justus Liebig U Giessen (Germany)