Teaching English in Ukraine 1

Teaching English in Ukraine

Shaina Gormley

ESL 408: Critical Aspects of Teaching ESL

May 6, 2019

Robin Rhodes-Crowell

Teaching English in Ukraine 2

Abstract

This study addresses important background information, cultural considerations, teaching obstacles, and teaching opportunities when considering teaching English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). An ESOL teacher should consider the language and education policies already in place in Ukraine, as well as previous methods to teaching a foreign language. This study also addresses the challenges an ESOL teacher may face in the classroom and how to approach difficulties Ukrainian and Russian speaker from Ukraine may face. An ESOL teacher interested in teaching in Europe might consider Ukraine with its many opportunities for foreign

ESOL teachers.

Teaching English in Ukraine 3

Introduction and Background

Ukraine, a country rich in history, is located in Eastern Europe. This post-Soviet country, was invaded by Nazi forces in World War II and later became part of the Soviet Union after

Soviet invasion (“Soviet Ukraine in the Postwar Period”, 2019). Its history has been defined by its location and proximity to other countries and governing bodies, and its language policies reflect this position. Ukraine is ranked 43 in the global English Proficiency Index, with stronger

English skills than China and Japan, and weaker skills than South Africa and Norway (“English

Proficiency Index”, 2019).

In 1989, Ukraine passed a law to limit the amount of Russian spoken in an effort to make

Ukrainian the official language (Polese, 2010, p. 47). In addition, schools that had used Russian were required to create curriculum in Ukrainian within one year (Polese, 2010, p. 48). After

Ukraine officially declared its independence in 1991, the Ukrainian constitution in 1996 mandated that Ukrainian was the official language and Russian must be slowly removed from

Ukrainian society (Polese, 2010, p. 47). In a country with a significant Russian minority and almost 30% of the country Russian speaking, this language policy made a significant claim on national identity in post-Soviet Ukraine (“People and Society: Ukraine,” 2001). The newly independent Ukrainian society took a clear stance on language in Ukraine, with a new national identity closely tied to the Ukrainian language.

Ukraine is a country with language learners eager to learn English. A foreign language is required for 5-7 years in secondary schools and two years in higher education. Ukrainian students often choose English as a foreign language because of the country’s interest in joining Teaching English in Ukraine 4 the European Union in the future (Tarnopolsky, 1996, p. 616-617). At the start of independence,

Ukrainian students often lacked motivation to learn English. However, as the country’s economic situation has improved, students have become interested in Ukraine’s increasing presence in the international community and the potential to study, travel, and work abroad (Smotrova, 2009, p.

729). The language policies of Ukraine, created due to its history, define how foreign language can be taught in the country, including English. While there are several things one should consider before teaching English in Ukraine, the country does offer an excellent opportunity for

Americans to teach English in Europe.

Cultural Considerations

As mentioned, language is a political subject in Ukraine. Foreign ESOL teachers often choose to learn Russian while living in Ukraine, rather than Ukrainian because Russian is more widely spoken in the world. Whatever language choice an ESOL teacher makes, she should consider the language politics of the country when communicating. As one teacher experienced, a simple lesson mentioning Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, has the potential to become a heated political discussion. For example, Kiev is often written in English as “Kiev,” which is the translation most directly from Russian. However, the Ukrainian translation of the city’s name is written “Kyiv” (Butler, 2018). This seemingly simple classroom moment has the potential to alienate Ukrainian-speaking students and favor Russian speakers. In addition, it may spark debate on the use of language in the classroom which may not be appropriate depending on the context. Teaching English in Ukraine 5

A potential teacher should also consider cultural considerations that may not be visible, but nevertheless affect the classroom environment. For example, the Hofstede model for comparing cultural insights ranks Ukraine with a low score of 25 in individualism. In comparison, the U.S. scores a 91 in individualism, with similarly high scores in other western

Anglophone countries (“Country Comparison,” 2019). This means that Ukraine is a more collectivist society than in the U.S. As a result, Ukrainians are more likely to consider themselves in groups, with strong loyalties, rather than individual identities or performing as an individual. This aspect of Ukrainian society has the potential to influence classroom culture and the interaction between students and teachers. In addition, Ukrainian culture tends to value preparedness, details, and clear guidelines. In comparison, the U.S. culture invites ambiguous situations and does not value rules or highly structured assignments (“Country Comparison,

2019). An American ESOL teacher in Ukraine may be more familiar with open-ended assignments, however, these classroom expectations may be unfamiliar and seen as a lack of preparedness of teachers by Ukrainian students. The Ukrainian classroom may respond better to structured assignments, with clear expectations and consequences.

Additional cultural considerations must be made when teaching English because of its nature as an international language. As studied in Kramsch 1993, the English classroom must create a “sphere of interculturality” where the language learner is able to reflect on her own culture and experiences while also learning the cultural aspects of English and Anglophone countries (“Culture in Teaching English as an International Language,” p.83-84). In addition,

Kramsch emphasizes the importance of avoiding the common view of cultures as monolithic. A teacher must consider the variety of identities within the national identity of a learner in order to best serve the class (“Culture in Teaching English as an International Language,” p.84). In Teaching English in Ukraine 6

Ukraine, these theories are especially important because the connection between language and national identity is a defining factor of Ukrainian society. For example, an ESOL teacher in

Ukraine should take care to understand the dynamic in the classroom created by Ukrainian, and

Russian and minority students commonly found in Ukraine. Like any society, Ukraine is not solely made up ethnic Ukrainians. In fact, the assumption that all students are Ukrainian or perhaps speak Ukrainian and not Russian, disregards a long history of conflict in the country and the significance of language and ethnicity in the country. Therefore, it is important that ESOL teachers develop a classroom culture that allows students to express ideas about their identity and culture, while also taking into consideration the significance of these topics to Ukrainian students. These cultural considerations and many others are something that any teacher should be familiar with before creating a classroom culture while teaching abroad.

Obstacles to Teaching in Ukraine

The greatest obstacle an ESOL teacher may face in Ukraine is a lack of funding and resources. The country has made significant improvements in its economy since the fall of the

Soviet Union, but its financial state is still in recovery. Ukraine spends about 5% of its GDP on education in a year (“People and Society: Ukraine”, 2018). Although there is a movement to increase English proficiency, teachers often lack the training or funding to produce proficient students. Even with trained teachers, the lack of investment in education means that ESOL teachers do not know the areas in which Ukrainian students tend to struggle with language learning because of a lack of research. However, Ukrainian ESOL teachers may not be as familiar with the communicative approach to teaching a foreign language (Tarnopolsky, 2000, p. Teaching English in Ukraine 7

211-212). The communicative language approach emphasizes the importance of the ability to communicate in the foreign language. Students taught this approach when learning English would likely complete many activities that involve speaking about oneself and expressing thoughts and ideas (Duff, 2014, p. 15). Since English is an international language, the communicative approach is effective in producing English speakers who are able to use the language in a way that makes sense to the context. For example, Ukrainian students do not need to learn about Anglophone culture when learning English. Instead, they might learn how to talk about their own culture and experiences, as well as how to use English while traveling or attending a university abroad (McKay, 2002, p. 12). The communicative approach is effective in teaching an international language because it allows students to learn a language in order to communicate with others who are speaking English, likely as a lingua franca.

Ukrainian ESOL teachers have often faced difficulty with securing English curriculum due to funding and a lack of available curriculum. Although there is a significant amount of

English curriculum developed by American and British companies, these courses often are not relevant to Ukrainian students. Since Ukrainian students seek to express themselves and conduct business in English, not become familiar with an Anglophone culture, this curriculum is often irrelevant to the needs of the students. In addition, the foreign curriculum is often expensive and difficult to acquire annually with limited funding (Tarnopolsky, 2000, p. 212). However, since there is a lack of funding in the Ukrainian government for education, there are few options concerning English curriculum.

Teaching English in Ukraine 8

Common Learner Mistakes

Ukrainian students are likely to struggle with writing and speaking activities. In the past,

Ukrainian ESOL teachers have often been trained in the grammar-translation approach and have likely not traveled extensively in Anglophone countries (Smotrova, 2009, p. 729). Although there has been an increase in the desire to travel outside of Ukraine and an improvement in education training, the education system still faces difficulties because of the past methods. The grammar-translation approach to teaching a language utilizes grammatical correction and identification, with little use of the target language in communication or creatively. Students taught with the grammar-translation approach often rewrite sentences and correct grammatical errors. The grammar-translation approach produces language learners who are often strong in reading and writing, but unable to use language organically in speaking This approach is not often used in the classroom today and is considered helpful only in combination with other methods like the communicative approach (Celce-Murcia, 2014, p. 4-5). In addition, Ukrainian students may be weak in writing ability, as it is the least taught ESOL skill in Ukraine

(Tarnopolsky, 2000, p. 210). While Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, it was considered suspicious to write in a foreign language and send English documents across the border. Since

Ukrainians did not want to arouse suspicion during the USSR’s reign, writing in a foreign language was not emphasized in classes (Tarnopolsky, 2000, p. 210). Although these attitudes and methods have changed, they are trends in the Ukrainian ESOL classroom that a teacher may face and should be aware of.

Since many Ukrainian students may be less familiar with conversation-based classes, it may be helpful to teach with an emphasis on fluency, rather than accuracy. Teaching speaking is Teaching English in Ukraine 9 challenging for most teachers because a useful speaking activity requires a combination of many tasks and consideration of strengths and weaknesses of the students (Folse, 2006, p. 29). The term fluency, refers to the amount of language used in a task and conversation. Whereas accuracy refers to the extent to which the language produced is correct (Folse, 2006, p. 30).

Ukrainian students may benefit from an emphasis on fluency if they are unpracticed in speaking activities because this approach allows a student to speak without fear of correction. This approach may encourage students to speak in class and become comfortable with the communicative approach to teaching ESOL.

Ukrainian students may also face several difficulties in learning English. For example,

Ukrainian and Russian do not use articles like “a/an” and “the” in English. This means, that students may find it difficult to differentiate between which article is correct and when to use articles. In addition, students may often speak without using articles and need to be corrected often (“EFL Difficulties”, 2013). Beginner ESOL students may also have difficulty with the

Latin alphabet and phonetic spelling used in English. Ukrainian and Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet with 33 letters, rather than the 26 letter Latin alphabet used in English. Especially in the early stages of English learning, students may have difficulty switching between the two alphabets and phonetic structure (“EFL Difficulties”, 2013). Foreign ESOL teachers can benefit from learning about the structure of their students’ languages in order to better understand the typical mistakes made by a speaker of that language and address these mistakes early.

Teaching English in Ukraine 10

Teaching Opportunities

Since Ukrainians are interested in learning English, there are many options for someone who is interested in teaching in this country. Those interested in teaching English in Ukraine are likely to work in Kyiv, Odessa, or another large city, as there are few opportunities to work in rural areas. It is recommended that an ESOL teacher has a bachelor’s degree, however, only a

TEFL certification is required depending on the placement. In addition, teachers can expect to teach in international and private schools, as there is a high demand for ESOL teachers in these types of schools (“Teaching English in Ukraine,” 2019). An ESOL teacher in Ukraine can expect a comfortable income due to the low cost of living in Ukraine. However, it is likely the teacher will “break even” rather than establish savings due to the low nature of their salary. In addition, many Ukrainian schools will help foreign ESOL teachers find a housing or provide housing, however, it is not common for an employer to provide the plane ticket to or from Ukraine.

American teachers may also find Ukraine a desirable ESOL position because Ukraine is not in the European Union, so it does not have the same strict visa processes for employment in Europe like many EU countries (“Teaching English in Ukraine,” 2019). These conditions make teaching

ESOL in Ukraine a great fit for a teacher who may have some savings and ability to fund transportation costs, as well as a non-EU citizen who is interested in working in a country with a strong desire to learn to communicate in English.

American citizens also have the opportunity to teach ESOL in the Peace Corps in

Ukraine. The Peace Corps works on projects in local communities to bring training and opportunities to the people served in the community. In Ukraine, Peace Corps volunteers work primarily in teaching ESOL. Volunteers have been in Ukraine since 1992, with 3,336 volunteers Teaching English in Ukraine 11 to date. In addition, there are currently 350 Peace Corps volunteers in Ukraine (“Peace Corps in

Ukraine,” 2019). The main goals of the ESOL Peace Corps volunteers is to improve the students’

English to allow for ease of communication, especially in talking about themselves, their interests, and their culture (“PC Ukraine Report,” 2010). In addition, Peace Corps volunteers serve in the villages and rural areas, where native English speakers are rarely found. Working as a Peace Corps volunteer is a two-year commitment and allows teachers the opportunity to teach

ESOL in areas of Ukraine that could benefit most from native English speakers. In addition, this teaching opportunity may be more desirable for teachers with less experience and savings because the Peace Corps provides training and housing and stipends. ESOL teachers also are required to learn Ukrainian and Russian while serving in the Peace Corps (“Peace Corps in

Ukraine,” 2019). This teaching opportunity allows for a full immersion into the Ukrainian culture and perhaps a better opportunity to become familiar with the cultural considerations in the Ukrainian classroom.

Conclusion

Ukraine offers an excellent opportunity for ESOL teachers to teach in Europe. This country is eager for foreign English teachers and the opportunity to learn English with a communicative approach. The recent shift in curriculum and foreign language education means that the education system is ready for foreign ESOL teachers to teach communicative English along with Ukrainian teachers. As with any abroad experience, cultural considerations are crucial to consider before It is important that the teacher is aware of the significance of language in

Ukraine and approaches the subject thoughtfully both inside of the classroom and outside, when Teaching English in Ukraine 12 choosing to learn Ukrainian, Russian, or both languages for daily use. Whether through a private school in a city or Peace Corps in a rural area, teaching ESOL in Ukraine has something to offer for any teacher interested in teaching in Europe.

Teaching English in Ukraine 13

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