Privet (It means hello in Russian) everyone and welcome to my blog! My name is Elena Kuznetcova, and I am so excited to be part of this course learning about social media in education and other aspects we discuss in our Zoom meetings.
To start with, you need to know that I have been working with children for almost ten years, with seven years of experience in teaching. I began as a Mandarin and English teacher at a school in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and later taught Russian to toddlers and preschoolers in San Francisco, California. Throughout my career, I have integrated Second Language Acquisition Theories with early childhood development principles to create more effective learning experiences.
Over time, I have noticed that the traditional teacher-centered approach is no longer as effective as it once was, at least compared to 20–40 years ago. While teachers remain crucial as role models and guides to this wonderful world, our role has evolved in the educational scene. Today, educators must focus on equipping students with the skills to access and process information independently rather than relying solely on repetitive drills. Thus, student-centered course design opens many new opportunities aligned with the students` needs.
I earned my degree from The Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, where I spent two years studying language teaching methodologies. Many of my professors strictly followed state curricula, believing that all languages could be taught using the same methods. This perspective troubled me because even a basic comparison of the languages I teach English, Russian, and Mandarin, reveals significant differences that require tailored strategies. For example, teaching English vocabulary differs from teaching Chinese, particularly due to Mandarin’s tonal complexity and symbols.
Most of my older, Soviet-born professors resisted incorporating digital tools and were even skeptical when we introduced apps designed to help students improve pronunciation or check slang meaning in the classroom. In contrast, younger professors, many of whom graduated within the last decade, embraced discussions on innovative teaching methods and welcomed modern technology.
It seems like one of the biggest challenges in Russian education today is the generational divide among teachers. Educators born after 1990 are eager to explore new technologies and integrate them into their lessons, designing activities based on current trends and real-world applications. Meanwhile, many older teachers in positions of power continue to rely on textbooks published 30 years ago, resisting change despite the growing need for modernized instruction.
As I develop this blog, I plan to focus on the role of technology in language education, an area that aligns closely with current educational trends and my professional interests. Here, you will find ideas on language teaching and learning, bilingual education, and the integration of modern tools such as social media (blogging, vlogging, and journaling), gamification, and virtual reality. Over the next 12 weeks, I will explore the contrast between traditional teacher-centered instruction and student-centered, project-based learning in language education, among other relevant topics.
Stay tuned for insights, and reflections on the evolving landscape of language teaching and class discussions! If you have any ideas or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me here or via email at elenakuznetcova@uvic.ca.
References
Stanford Teaching Commons. (n.d.). Teacher-centered vs. student-centered course design. Stanford University. https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/teaching-guides/foundations-course-design/theory-practice/teacher-centered-vs-student-centeredTeaching Commons
VanPatten, B., & Williams, J. (2015). Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://library.brawnblog.com/Theories_in_SLA-VanPatten-2015.pdfTeaching Commons+10SCIRP+10ResearchGate+
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