Speaking club to learn Russian

Liden & Denz has just set up a new class, and it’s for free for students: the speaking club! As I monitored the speaking club for Russian students in German back in the times when I was still in St. Petersburg, let me give you an insight of what this hour consists of and how it can help you improve your language skills. 

• Introduction to the concept of the Speaking Club

As you certainly understood it from the name, the Speaking Club is there to let you speak. Liden & Denz chose to create two different groups of level, A1+A2, as well as B1+B2. The teacher chooses a topic and prepares questions according to the level of the group. These questions, similar to debate-questions, have the propose of awakening your critical spirit and therefore make you want to speak in Russian with as much flow as possible. As we are using video-conference for all our activities in the school, the Speaking Club enables you to be in contact with students sitting all around the world. 

• I already take regular Russian classes – is it really worth going the extra mile?

I have been taking daily Russian classes for three months now, and participating in the Speaking Club is still very helpful for multiple reasons. First of all, it is very likely you will have a teacher who is different from your usual one. This will let you get a new perspective on the language, as you will be confronted with new expressions, vocabulary and intonations. The more you can diversify your interlocutors, the better you will be able to communicate with a wide range of people. Also, it will let you live experience as close as it can be to living in Russia: you will need to use your knowledge in the widest definition, meaning no-one will talk about grammar rules. You will simply need to use the instruments you have to contribute to the conversation. Finally, you will be able to get to know students from all around the world, as well as learn from them. 

• Some extra tips 

As mentioned before, you will have a new teacher and new colleagues. The level you were attributed to by your regular teacher might therefore not be exactly the same as your new teacher sees it, or completely different from your students, especially in transition levels as A2+ for instance. In this case, don’t hesitate to try both groups to see where you fit in best to maximise your learning experience. After you registered on our website, you will become an email informing you on the topic that will be discussed, as well as the questions that will be on the time table. Reading through your vocab again can be somehow useful to get the most out of the hour. And my final tip is nothing but simple and plain: try it out, you can only win from it!