Individual Consultations

I met Alexandra three years ago. At that time I was a post-graduate student at the Catholic University of Milan and I was conducting research for my doctoral dissertation in Moscow. I approached a Russian language school because I wanted to improve my spoken Russian, and I registered for individual classes with Alexandra. She is an extremely competent teacher – friendly, with an excellent command of her subject. Perhaps most of all I appreciated the fact that she was interested in linguistics, and we could discuss some of the topics that I was examining as part of my research. I still have the book by M. Kronhouse that she gave me!

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!!

I've been taking online lessons from Alexandra for about four years on and off. I am interested in Russian literature and thus have watched video lectures on literature, written summaries of them, and read various literary texts with her. Alexandra is an excellent teacher and a truly intellectual person. She always clarifies my questions, explains to me the differences between similar expressions, and shares with me her accurate and logical interpretations of the videos/texts. This process greatly helps me gain new perspectives on the videos/texts and understand the world of Russian literature more deeply. I would also like to express my gratitude for Yulia, the director of the school, who is prompt, understands my needs very well, and introduced me to the wonderful teacher Alexandra.