Job: STARTALK Russian Immersion Camp (Oklahoma City Univ.)

Deadline: October 15, 2021

This is a job announcement for the STARTALK Russian immersion program for summer 2022. Oklahoma City University is hiring Russian language teachers, an art or music teacher, and two camp counselors for its STARTALK Russian immersion program. The program has two parts: a residential three-week portion during July 10-31 at Oklahoma City University campus + a virtual follow-up program on Zoom from August 2022 through May 2023. It is designed to immerse high school students, grades 9-12, with little or no previous knowledge of Russian, into Russian language and culture. The theme of the program is art, “Connecting People and Cultures: Russian Language through the Arts and Digital Media.” The job applications and application form for high school students are below. Please help us spread the word! If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Sabina Amanbayeva off-list at amanbayeva.sabina.gmail.com.

STARTALK Russian immersion program “Connecting People and Cultures: Russian Language through the Arts and Media” is designed for 24 high school students, grades 9-12, who are interested in learning Russian. Previous knowledge of Russian is not required. The program aims to increase student proficiency in Russian from Novice to Intermediate Low, based on the ACTFL proficiency guidelines, by the end of the entire program.

The program has two parts: Part One is a residential three-week program, July 10-31, 2022, that will take place on the campus of Oklahoma City University; Part Two is a follow-up virtual “Russian café,” which are virtual monthly meetings from August 2022 through May 2023, for 4.5 hours per month. The purpose of the Russian café is to maintain and develop student proficiency in Russian after the residential portion of the program.

During the residential portion of the program students will have a chance to be immersed in the Russian language and cultures of Russian-speaking regions. They will have 4 hours of language instruction every weekday + at least 2 hours of cultural activities (music, art, cooking, movie and game nights, etc.) in the target language. On weekends the students will go on field trips to Russian cultural sites in Oklahoma City and Tulsa (Russian café, store, museums with Russian paintings). The theme of the camp is learning Russian language through art, “Connecting People and Cultures: Russian Language through the Arts and Media,” and students interested in art are particularly encouraged to apply. In addition to language classes, students will have one hour of instruction in Russian art (in Russian) every weekday.

The program covers housing, board, and transportation to Oklahoma City (up to $650 for airfare total) for each student. To apply, please fill out this application form by January 15, 2022.

JOB VACANCIES:

  1. Russian Language teacher

Job Description:

The Russian language teachers will teach in the STARTALK immersion Russian language program, which has a residential portion on Oklahoma City University campus, from July 10-31, 2022, and an online virtual portion, the Russian café. During the three-week residential portion, the language teachers will teach 4 hours each weekday, and assist with various instructional activities (field trips, outdoor games) on weekends. At least 90% of instruction should be delivered in the target language. During the online follow-up program, the teachers will meet on Zoom with the same groups of students and work to maintain and develop their students’ linguistic skills. The Russian cafe meets on Zoom from August 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023, and provides 4.5 hours of Russian language instruction, divided among three Russian language teachers (1.5 hour on Zoom per teacher per month). The teachers must participate in pre-program curriculum design meetings and submit a teaching portfolio for review and feedback before the program begins on July 10, 2022.

Qualifications: The teachers must possess a near-native fluency in the Russian language, have a Master’s Degree in Slavic Studies or related field, and have at least 2-year experience teaching Russian language at university or high school level. They must also be familiar with ACTFL proficiency benchmarks, World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages, and STARTALK Principles for Effective Teaching. Familiarity with Russian arts and/or digital media is preferred.

Compensation for teachers: Housing at university apartments, food, and airfare to Oklahoma City (up to $650) will be covered by the grant. The salary is $8,000 total (for residential camp teaching + online follow-up on Zoom). To apply, please fill out this application. by October 15, 2021.

  1. Art/Music Teacher

Job Description:

The art teacher will teach art classes (in Russian) 5 days a week to 24 high school students, divided into two groups of 12. The teacher will provide one hour of instruction to each group: two one-hour workshops per day, 2 hours per day, for 15 workshops total, 30 hours of instruction total. The main goal of the art workshops is to increase student fluency in the Russian language and develop their creativity by exposing them to Russian arts and media and letting them experiment with their own art works, perhaps done in the style of the Russian models or inspired by Russian artists. The art teacher will develop their own curriculum for the program in consultation with the Instructional Lead and the Program Director. At the end of the three-week program, students should have a gallery of their art works and be able to present them in Russian.

Qualifications: The teacher must be a near-native speaker of Russian, with experience teaching Russian art, music, or digital media. A bachelor’s degree in art or related field is preferred. Experience teaching to non-heritage speakers of Russian is required.

Compensation for art teacher: Housing, board, and transportation (up to $650) are covered by the grant. Total salary is $3,300 for the three weeks of camp. The housing is at the university apartments. To apply, please fill out this application form. by October 15, 2021.

  1. Camp Counselor.

Job Description:

The Camp counselors will work during the summer portion of the residential Russian language camp, July 10-31, 2022. They must possess at least Intermediate Mid to Intermediate High level of Russian, based on the ACTFL proficiency scale, and must be able to speak Russian with the program participants at least 90% of the time. Camp Counselors are required to live in the same dorms with the students at Oklahoma City University and provide supervision in the dorms, during students’ sport and game activities, and during evening cultural activities. They are also required to assist during the weekends.

Required qualifications: knowledge of Russian language at least at the Intermediate Mid level, must be a college graduate or currently in college, have previous work experience, preferably as a camp counselor or in a similar role.

Compensation for camp counselors: Housing and board + $350 towards transportation costs are covered by the grant. Camp counselors will be paid $2,500 total for the three weeks of camp. To apply, please fill out this application form. by October 15, 2021.