Session 11, Room B, Presentation 11 2022 FL OER Conference

Telebridges: A New OER for Facilitating Russian Language Exchange
Maria Khotimsky, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Marina Alexandrova, University of Texas at Austin
www.telemosty.org
Telebridges is designed to support language exchange between students in English-speaking and Russian-speaking countries. Named after a series of televised conversations between people in the U.S. and in the Soviet Union during the Perestroika era, Telebridges offers a variety of module-based topics and conversation tasks to supplement regularly offered college-level Russian as a Second Language courses.
Our team has created a set of conversation topics aligned with common Russian language curricula in the U.S. Conversation topics are grouped by levels defined by ACTFL Proficiency Standards (Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced), and utilize some approaches used in Oral Proficiency Interview practices. Each level includes 12 different modules, with topics like “Family,” “Travel,” “Education,” “Traditions,” “Technology,” “Social Issues,” and others. In addition to conversation questions, the modules offer a variety of exercises, ranging from vocabulary practice and games to roleplays and debate prompts based on authentic materials and media resources. This OER has been piloted in select Russian as a Second Language courses at MIT, UT Austin, and other institutions. While the project was originally developed for use in conjunction with college-level Russian language courses, it can also be used independently by language learners and educators around the world.
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