In this webinar, Kimberly (Kira) DiMattia will present nine keys to facilitating the acquisition of speech that sounds authentically Russian.  Topics will include:

1. Resetting the default mouth position (the key to everything!)
2. Cultivating a playful mindset
3. Guiding students through developmental phases of target-like pronunciation
4. Engaging students in productive and reflective activities
5. Assessments and goal-setting
6. Tips and tricks for individual phonemes and overall flow
7. Fostering enthusiasm and a willingness to take risks
8. Making the most of being a native or a non-native speaker
   
9. Creating a hybrid or blended course with Unlocking Russian Pronunciation, A Supplementary Multimedia Mini-Course in Phonetics Based on Famous Russian Songs

About the presenter:
Kimberly DiMattia received a B.A. in Russian Language and Area Studies from Oberlin College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Russian and Second Language Acquisition from Bryn Mawr College. Her dissertation, New Russian Frontiers: An Empirical Investigation of Russian Interlanguage at the Superior Level, explored the nature of superior-level non-native Russian speech produced by US citizens who had learned Russian as a second language.  She taught Russian for several years at Oberlin College during Winter Term, at Bryn Mawr College as a graduate student instructor, and at Swarthmore College as a lecturer. She currently teaches gifted enrichment classes at the high school level, directs an Eastern European vocal ensemble, and gives workshops on Russian folk songs and pronunciation at the Summer Russian Language Institute at Bryn Mawr College.