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To accept these principles is to accept the values that underlie them.
Russianists--linguists and literature and area-study specialists alike--must all
come to accept that language teaching constitutes a significant portion of their
professional responsibility.22
Naturally, all of the ideals expressed in these principles and their
implications are subject to local conditions, real-world constraints. Good
textbooks may or may not be available. Learning may have to take place in
classes with thirty-five students, or with third and fourth year classes meeting
simultaneously (so-called "stacked classes"). The principal or dean may be
supportive, ignorant about, or hostile to Russian.
As programs are developed following the stated principles, it is vital to
assess and compensatecontinuously. This "implementation algorithm" is, in
fact, a planning mechanism. We must, first of all, assess the significance of the
constraints imposed by all of the special local conditions that face any program.
Fro example, stacked classes may be shown to be significantly less effective
learning environments than single-level classes. In this case, the preferred
compensatory response would be for an administrator to divide the section. If
that does not occur, then the teacher and administrator should work to develop
the best possible learning environment and support should be found to
implement these strategies(in this case, perhaps, a Montessori-style approach
might work in the classroom, which, in turn, might require some additional
training for the teacher). Programs should regularly evaluate their performance
both as a program and at the level of day-to-day instruction. Assessment may
or may not lead to ideas for changes that are feasible, but the process must be
an ongoing one.
For this model to be effective, it must be followed by everyone involved in
the process of teaching and learning Russian, from the highest planning levels
of our profession to the daily work of learners. As teachers, administrators and
members of professional organizations, much of the responsibility for making
this possible lies with us.
From principles to stages: Why we need a language learning framework for
Russian
Between the generality of the six principles and the specificity of the local
conditions that were discussed in the preceding sections lies the domain that is
the concern of this document, what we might call the national situation. That is,
there are issues of national need and of language learning careers that extend
far beyond the local level and require that the Russian language teaching
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