International Conference NATE Umbrella “RETHINKING ELT IN RUSSIA: THEORY AND PRACTICE”
On October 29-31 the annual international Umbrella conference “Rethinking ELT in Russia: Theory and Practice” took place hosted by national association of teachers of English.
The national association is an information partner of SMARTI. It contributes to project dissemination by providing the consortium with platforms for project results presentations on both levels: national and international.
Umbrella conference comprises a world-union of specialist in teaching English as a foreign language. Its purpose is to enhance professional skills, to establish a connection between various stakeholders, to represent interests of Russian teachers abroad etc.
This year the event took place online in Kolomna. 150 members from 18 cities (Moscow, Kolomna, Tallinn, Ufa, Ulianovsk, Chelyabinsk, Gubkin, Saint-Petersburg, Samara, Saransk, Ioshkar-Ola, Saratov, Novosibirsk, Ivanovo, Cherepovets, Nizhniy Novgorod, Kursk) participated into the conference.
The SMARTI project was represented by assistant professor of English philology department (Ogarev MSU) Olga Safonkina. She made a presentation titled “English as a medium of instruction (EMI): results and conclusions of field study in Russia” which comprised the results of the research undertaken within WP1.
The results of the complex survey within the field study showed level of EMI incorporation into Russian HE curricula, presence and demand for various educational technologies and methods of teaching within EMI.
“First of all, I would like to thank all the Russian partners for their contributions. Special thanks to Petrozavodsk state university for having the data collected and analyzed. The opportunity to introduce the results let me make a great outreach towards both: general audience and a crucial target group — specialists in teaching English as a foreign language. The cooperation with the association is a unique chance for our voices to be heard and listened to throughout the vast territory of Russia”.
