The daily regimen of snapping fingers and forced repetition in a foreign tongue is probably not new for students who have taken an introductory secondary language course at Dartmouth.
But for a small group of educators visiting from the Republic of Ukraine, the drill blitzkrieg in the "Rassias method" will probably be as unique as the professor they encounter.
Six English methodology and foreign language educators from the Ukraine will be on campus from September 24-27 studying English as part of the United States Information Agency's International Visitor Program.
The Rassias Foundation, headed by French and Italian Professor John Rassias, is hosting the program.
"They are coming to see what we do and how we teach foreign languages on the Dartmouth campus," Rassias said.
The Foundation hopes to give the Ukrainians skills they could use in their own classrooms, Rassias said. He said the encounter will also help open doors to relations with other international educators.
Rassias said although his foundation did not actively seek to host the Ukrainian visitors, the "USIA asked for our assistance with this project."
The participants will spend three days with Rassias, learning the intricacies of the English language in an intensive workshop.
In addition to the workshop, the group "will also visit master and undergraduate courses and speak to professors and students," Rassias said.
"They will have the chance to see our programs in action ... from methodology and curriculum development to methods of evaluation and the organization of the college's language departments," said Rassias in a news release.
Rassias, famous for his quirky antics and classroom hijinks, hassometimes been known to begin his classes by pouring water over his head and standing on furniture.
He said his secret is to always "stay young at heart."
Rassias said one of his main goals in the classroom is to make "the student feel comfortable and natural with the language in a short period of time."
"This is accomplished through a specific series of teaching procedures and dramatic techniques which seek to eliminate inhibitions and create an atmosphere of free expression from the very first day of class," Rassias said in the release.
The Rassias Foundation, founded in 1985, has hosted several English-as-a-second-language programs, which has included teaching New York policemen street Spanish and business executives Japanese.
