Teaching with Different Orthographies
Teachers of languages with orthographies different from English, such as Russian, Japanese, or Hebrew, face unique challenges. Should they postpone writing instruction until students have some mastery of the spoken language? Do they teach the symbols gradually or all at once?
Watch the following video clips with Professor Thomas Garza (Russian) and Professor Esther Raizen (Hebrew) and take note of the way they teach writing. Note how Dr. Garza divides up the Russian alphabet and how much time he takes to teach it in the classroom. Note the time frame in which Dr. Raizen teaches the Hebrew alphabet. Consider what points from Dr. Garza's and Dr. Raizen's approaches you can adapt for your own teaching of languages with different orthographies.
Professor Thomas Garza on teaching the Russian alphabet.
Duration: 02:25
Professor Esther Raizen on teaching the Hebrew alphabet.
Duration: 00:54