Slovene Learning Community and Resources

STORIES – TEACHING SLOVENE AS A SECOND FOREIGN LANGUAGE
INTERVIEW WITH POLONA MAJDIČ

In this article, we share a story from a teacher of Slovene as a second foreign language. Polona Majdič is 24 years old, born in Zagorje ob Savi, now living in Lucija, otherwise a student of Slovene studies at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Ljubljana, where she also works as a teacher at the (national) Centre for Slovene as a second and foreign language. She loves to travel focusing on cultural attractions, and the research thesis.

We asked her a few questions about her work obligations to gain perspective on the specificities of language teaching when it comes to Slovene.

Polona Majdič  traveling in the United States

Do you like teaching Slovene as a second foreign language, and why? What are your experiences in this field?

I came to Slovene as a second and foreign language quite by accident. In the second year of my undergraduate studies, I chose a subject named Slovene as a second and foreign language. I had no expectations of what this course would give me. At that time, the Seminar on Slovene Language, Literature and Culture was looking for students to teach and help at the seminar. I applied with my colleague and got the job. I immediately fell in love with it, because the students were very motivated and grateful, but above all, at the beginning, everything presented a challenge to me, because I did not know exactly how Slovene as a foreign and second language should be taught. I learned quickly, and so far, I haven't had any bad experiences - the students or adults on the courses have always been very nice and positive.

 

Is your work taking place in the classroom or remotely and who are your students? Where do they come from and with what purpose do they start learning Slovene?

I am currently working remotely because many courses have moved online since the time of the coronavirus, and many have been fine with that. The course participants are mostly adults who want to learn the language because of having a Slovene partner or because of work, also because of Slovene roots, or simply because after visiting Slovenia they fell in love with the country and want to return and communicate in Slovene. They come from different countries, we can divide them into "Slavic and non-Slavic" groups, so we could say that people learn Slovene almost from all over the world.

 

How does your classes look like?

I start each lesson with a game, usually a didactic one so that the students wake up in a playful way. Then there are repetition exercises (grammar, vocabulary) from the previous lesson, only then we continue the adoption of new topics that are intertwined with culture and games so that it is not too monotonous, and at the end, there is a homework assignment to repeat and practice the new material.

 

How much time do you need to prepare for class and where do you get ideas for work?

I always like to be ready for work, and the preparation time depends on the topic and ideas. Sometimes I get an idea from a video on YouTube or a song and then adapt it to the lesson, but otherwise, I get most of the ideas while traveling, watching interesting shows, or simply coming up when talking to friends.

 

Which techniques or strategies do you use at work for students to learn effectively and how do you motivate them to be successful at learning?

Most of the time, when learning Slovene as a second and foreign language, the repetition technique is used in various ways, for example by listing, games, various tasks, and working in groups or in pairs. This has been proven to be successful, as the trainees really remember the words and phrases that are useful after. In addition, since I teach remotely, after the lesson I send the students a word document with words and grammar. Usually, everything is also colored for quick memorization. If their task is to write a text, it is very useful for them that I select sentences with mistakes from different texts and then we correct them together. I usually motivate the students with a positive and fun approach to the language. It seems to me that this way they develop a positive attitude towards learning a new language and learn it more easily. Some games for entertainment also help with this.

 

What are the strategies for adapting to the Slovene cultural environment and understanding cultural differences?

When there are cultural differences, we always make a comparison between the course participants with their country and Slovenia. That way we all learn something new together. Otherwise, I include Slovene videos in the lessons, I also say some words that will be heard on the street, play Slovene songs and show pictures of Slovene places that appear in textbooks.

 

How do you measure the learning success of your students?

 I consider my trainees to be successful if they tell me that they have successfully communicated with a Slovene or in Slovenia and, of course, that they successfully pass the exam.

 

Do your students find learning Slovenian difficult? How do you support and motivate those who have problems learning Slovenian? What are the challenges in this regard?

It depends on where the trainees come from. Those whose first language is not Slavic often have problems with pronunciation, especially with duality, which does not exist in other languages. For students coming from Slavic countries, the language is easier, but due to the similarity of the languages, many mistakes occur. It also depends on whether the student has a flair for languages or has some connection - if he has it, he will learn the language faster and easier. I always try to motivate the trainees with repetitions and constant praise. Sometimes I remind them to use the language in real situations, and above all, patience is needed when teaching.

 

Thanks for this conversation and for sharing your experience with us. Finally, I would like to ask you what advice you would give to our students learning Slovene at the EU Academy and their mobility to Slovenia?

I would advise students not to be afraid of learning Slovene, because learning can be fun, and at the same time, the charm lies in the fact that you can, for example, order coffee in a foreign language. In Slovenia, they should try as much local food and drink as possible and visit as many wonderful Slovene places as possible.

 

Have fun and practice Slovene with OLS at EU Academy!

 

Alenka – OLS Community Manager for Slovene

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