Pixel International Conferences

The Online, Distance, Remote, Virtual or Blended Learning is a constant and activly discussed topic of the pedagogical discourse in recent years. However, in spring 2020, most European teachers and students faced necessity of using new technologies for learning, as well as for language learning. They had to shift to the online and distance methods almost overnight. Abrupt and rapid changes in the teaching-learning routine together with everyday routine did not leave much time to process the needs of both students and faculty, yet they revealed existing inconsistences, problems and hinted in the direction of the further necessary transformations – at times opposite to what was discussed and believed before the pandemics. The paper is a practice-based self-study aiming at outlining the contentious issues in the implementation of the online learning. While we focus on the Russian Language classes, we contextualize our own teaching experience during the COVID-19 quarantine with the already emerging broader scholarly discussion on the learning-teaching experiences during the pandemic in forms of testimonies, webinars, online discussions and social media support and resource groups. We also contrast our experience with the institutional recommendations and instructions regarding the remote and online teaching.

Keywords: Teacher’s Self-Reflection, Distance Learning, Blended Learning, Russian Language Learning and Teaching, ICT in Language Learning, COVID-19