Culture of the Peoples of Russia and Surrounding Countries

Natalia is a terrific teacher who has helped me a lot to improve my Russian. I studied Russian many years ago and have used it only passively -- reading and translating, but speaking very little and writing almost not at all. That means that my recollection of grammar and retention of vocabulary leave a lot to be desired. Natalia is very good at figuring out what I am trying to say, even when many of the words I use are wrong! She is patient, but also concentrates very well on steering our discussions in a focused way, so that I do not lose sight of the grammatical point we are working on. It has been very helpful to me to have the discipline of a weekly one-hour class, to force myself to work hard and do the homework.

I have heard many good things about Mikhail Yurievich from my course-mates during my first year at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Viennese University. In the summer semester 2014 I had the opportunity to meet him personally during my exchange at the MSU in the name of Lomonosov in Moscow. For me it was a big surprise, as I did not expect to meet a lecturer in Moscow who has worked earlier in Vienna. Mikhail Yurievich established himself as a literate lecturer, perfectly knowing his subject, possessing modern knowledge and skills in the area of pedagogy, psychology and methods of teaching. He thoroughly approached the choice of the contents of the course, responsibly regarded the choice of tasks set for the students. Lectures were always led in an interactive form. Mikhail Yurievich built connections with the students, taking into consideration their individual and age related qualities. I especially enjoyed that with him we studied not only the literary language but also the speaking language, which is very important in the everyday life in Moscow. Also the discussion topics were very interesting and we had the opportunity to get to know a lot about each other.
The materials used by Mikhail Yurievich were not only interesting and helpful, but also very well developed didactically, due to the fact that he always, for example, tried to put the stress into the spoken word and explain everything in Russian instead of just translating into English.
The atmosphere in the lessons was fantastic, no-one was afraid to speak in Russian, even if they made mistakes. Mikhail Yurievich always found ways to correct mistakes without offending anyone. Studying with Mikhail Yurievich does not only mean language improvement but also a good time pass and a great mood. I definitely recommend lessons with him!!

My name is Maia, I’m Slovenian and I’m a teacher of Russian and Spanish.

After I finished my studies in philology in Slovenia I enrolled in a two-year course (July/August 2007-July 2008) at the Russian language school in Moscow studied with Alexandra as my teacher.

I was taking an advanced-level group class with her, as well as individual classes. Her lessons were always very useful and interesting, and we discussed every possible topic, chatting about current events and reading magazine and newspaper articles. Alexandra always brought with her to class audio and video recordings, so that we could watch a film or cartoon, and then she prepare additional material based on what we had seen.

Alexandra knew how to include every student in the class even considering that some students required additional motivation. We worked hard during our lessons, but the atmosphere in Alexandra’s classes was always relaxed. She assigns a variety of tasks for homework, which I like, because I had come to Moscow to study and her lessons were always a lot of work.

Alexandra is an excellent specialist of the Russian language and she always explained everything very clearly. Her personality is also well-suited to her work, as she is a pleasant, warm, and patient person.

As both a student and a teacher, I would strongly recommend Alexandra as a teacher for any student.