On November 13, during the third day of Russian Language Week in Slovakia, an exciting event took place at the bilingual gymnasium named after Ivan Horvat. Tatiana Stadler, a Russian language teacher from the Vienna University of Economics and Business and author of several Russian language textbooks, organized a quest for gymnasium students. The quest was developed using innovative teaching methods.
Students registered for the tasks using a QR code, selected one of the suggested emojis, and created a nickname. After choosing an answer (one of four options), they submitted it via their mobile phones. Gradually, the game captivated the entire class. Each series of questions challenged the students' creativity, required comparative analysis, and partially tested their intuition.
Who is Nesmeyana? What does "на днях" ("the other day"), "смотреть в оба" ("keep both eyes open"), and "пойти на поправку" ("to recover") mean? And what do Russians usually say at the end of a phone call?
In just one hour, the quest unveiled an entire layer of Russian conversational speech rarely studied in high school and typically acquired only through live communication with native speakers. The winners of the quest will receive prizes during the closing ceremony of Russian Language Week.
The Ivan Horvat Gymnasium is a reliable partner of the European Foundation for Slavic Literature and Culture. The teachers thoroughly prepared for the event, selected the best students, and provided all the necessary technical tools for the quest. The Foundation’s leadership decided to thank Maria Škornová, the head of the Russian language section, and present memorable gifts to the gymnasium.
Photos:
Maria Škornová, head of the Russian language section, and Natalia Yadryshnikova
Gymnasium students during the quest
Tatiana Stadler (Vienna), Russian language teacher