Do you teach Russian as a foreign, second, or heritage language? Does your work include teaching and practicing Russian pronunciation?

We are looking for classroom-based case studies that highlight innovative and effective ways of teaching Russian phonetics and phonology. Submissions may include brief reports on successful teaching techniques or activities, as well as more detailed case studies supported by theoretical reflection or empirical research. We welcome contributions from instructors working in diverse instructional contexts, including Russian as a second/additional or heritage language, in tertiary education settings, immersion programs, and study abroad environments.
Each chapter will describe a specific activity, lesson, or unit focused on the teaching of Russian phonetics and/or phonology. The case studies should be reflective and practical, aimed at fellow instructors who may want to adapt the ideas for their own classrooms.

Topics may include (but are not limited to):

Pronunciation-focused games and communicative activities
Teaching rhythm, stress, and intonation
Teaching individual sounds and sound contrasts
Using gestures or visuals to support pronunciation
Adapting Russian phonetics instruction to L1-related learner difficulties
Phonetics in the heritage classroom
Assessment of pronunciation
Pronunciation and listening comprehension
Grapheme-phoneme correspondence, the acquisition of Cyrillic script
Music for teaching phonetics
Engaging the senses and emotions in pronunciation teaching
Computer-assisted (including AI) phonetic instruction

Proposal Guidelines:

300–500 words
Include your name, affiliation, and the context in which you teach (e.g., learner profile, type of educational institution and settings)
Please indicate if your case study has been classroom-tested
Language: English

Timeline:

Expression of Interest / Proposal Due: September 15, 2025
Notification of Acceptance: October 15, 2025
First Draft Due: January 15, 2026

Please submit your proposal here https://forms.gle/pqvRcdNkqXXgtEGL8

For any questions, please contact:

Vita Kogan (University College London, Institute of Education) [email protected]
Maria Bondarenko (University of Heidelberg, Institute of Slavic Studies) [email protected]

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
Language Acquisition
Phonetics
Phonology
Psycholinguistics

Subject Language(s): Russian (rus)

Language Family(ies): East Slavic