Russian Language for Education

Teaching in the combined Bachelor's degree combines attendance and distance learning, i.e. learning takes place through educational blocks, consultations and individual preparation of students. Part-time study is supported by a number of study materials in electronic format for independent work of students and distance learning. Through studying for the Bachelor’s degree graduates gain the necessary competences that allow them to critically apply the use of their pedagogical and psychological knowledge in practice as a teaching assistant or other educational worker (e.g. free-time instructor in youth centres or after-school clubs, in various civic associations engaged in pedagogical activities) in an appropriate manner. The studies emphasise the principle of interdisciplinarity (interconnection of some pedagogical and psychological subjects); the principle of sequence and gradation of themes and courses, from the more general to the more specific. The concept is also characterized by the interdependence of theory and practice. An important part of the concept is the reflective teaching practice. The principles of reflection on teaching practice and self-reflection are related both to practice and to other experience-oriented subjects. An important part of the concept is also the promotion of inclusion, which is perceived as a cross-curricular theme (also supported by a separate course).

Upon successful completion of the programme, the graduate is able to:

• master the spoken and written language at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages;
• use basic theoretical knowledge and practical skills in phonetics and phonology, orthography, morphology, lexicology, vocabulary, syntax and stylistics of Russian;
• develop their knowledge of Russian history, culture and Russian culture, to build on its current views and compare them with domestic and world development;
• understand the cultural peculiarities and to accept them in contact with each other;
• insert knowledge of Russian literature in to the general conception of European and world literature;
• use a combination of different methods and forms of teaching, including modern methods and modern information technologies;
• apply basic specifics of working with pupils with special educational needs in Russian language teaching;
• cooperate with various teachers at school and under their leadership to plan, implement and reflect on the sequence of teaching and activities in relation to the appropriate school curriculum;
• describe and analyse an educational situation using special terminology and rules of effective pedagogical communication and to propose a change; use their knowledge and skills in communication with pupils, parents, teachers in the school context;
• use self-reflective skills to reflect on their actions: for example, to better justify and evaluate their arguments, to give voice to their emotions and their connection to some behaviour or to critically review their own attitudes towards education;
• use basic methods and tools of pedagogical diagnostics to support differentiation and individualization, obtaining data for individual pupil support; communicate the results appropriately to pupils, teachers, parents, or other professionals;
• formulate their own concept of education they would like to implement in their future profession, supporting it with arguments from theory and practice;
• explain the basic principles of inclusive and special education; to reflect on their attitude towards diversity and its influence on their own teaching;
• explain the basic concepts of developmental and social psychology and identify possible difficulties in pupils’ social competences or school adaptation, based on knowledge of developmental and socio-psychological aspects of classroom life.

The graduate can work as a teaching assistant, and also may work as a language instructor in free-time centres, summer camps with language teaching, as well as a language animator in kindergartens as a teaching assistant or an employee in after-school clubs and other free-time groups. They can also find work as an instructor in the unspecialized teaching of adults (eg. in company courses).

• Teacher´s assistant

Reflected teaching practice is an obligatory part of the studies for graduation. The system of teaching practice is long term and systematic, aimed towards developing the professional skills of the student and preparing them for the role of assistant teacher.

The teaching practice consists of a coherent system of consecutive subjects, which are taken from the third to the fifth semester of the degree. These are the subjects teaching assistant practice - tutoring 1, teaching assistant practice - tutoring 2, consisting of individual tutoring (60 hours), teaching assistant practice - teaching assistant 1 (60 hours) and teaching assistant practice - teaching assistant 2 (60 hours) and teaching assistant practice – teaching assistant 3. Overall, there 180 hours of teaching practice.

In the third and fourth semesters, the teaching practice is followed by the subjects self-experiential preparation for the profession 1 and self- experiential preparation for the profession 2, in which the students of the teaching assistant practice reflect (24 hours). Their aim is to enable students to have real experience with selected themes (see seminar topics) regarding personal and professional development through experiential learning with an emphasis on reflection; to encourage students to gradually take responsibility for their own learning process (self-directed learning); to enable students to become aware of and, if necessary, to revise their attitudes towards their future profession.

More detailed information and instructions for preparing the bachelor thesis are available at the Department's website: http://katedry.ped.muni.cz/rustina/informace-pro-studenty/pokyny-k-vypracovani-zaverecnych-praci-na-krjal. Students can also choose the subject of a bachelor's thesis at the Department of Education, more detailed information can be found at the Department's website: http://katedry.ped.muni.cz/pedagogika/zaverecne-prace.

Graduates are ready to continue in the follow-up Master's programme or in other degrees in the Russian language and literature.