On March 12, 2025, the final seminar of the international educational project "From Book to Film" took place as part of a collaboration with Professor Jan Borm (Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University, France). In this series of meetings, master's students from Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University and their French counterparts discussed the process of turning literary works into films.

The seminar cycle was organised by the staff of the English and German Philology Department at PNPU, including Viktoriia Kravchenko, Head of the Department, Associate Professor Tetyana Lunyova, and Professor Maryna Zuyenko, who also serves as Director of the Institute of Foreign Languages. Online seminars were also led by Professors Zuyenko and Lunyova, who helped foster the growth of stimulating and informative debates.

Throughout the seminar cycle, students not only deepened their knowledge of English literature and film studies but also gained valuable experience in international academic collaboration. Such initiatives foster critical thinking, broaden cultural perspectives, and enhance intercultural communication skills – essential for future philology professionals.

Our deepest appreciation goes out to Professor Jan Borm and the whole English and German Philology Department for their stimulating and informative sessions, as well as to each and every one of the attendees.

On 28 January, 2025 Prof Ursula Lanvers and Dr Tetyana Lunyova held a British Council Webinar, attended by 260+ participants from all over the world.

In this talk, Professor Lanvers and Dr Lunyova talked about the English Language Teaching Research Award (ELTRA) project supported by the British Council. 

We first discussed the meaning of and approaches to decolonising English language teaching. We gave concrete examples of how to decolonise English teaching with innovative pedagogy and teaching materials. We presented the reception of teachers participating in our intervention, and discussed how the approach may be used by English teachers beyond the Ukrainian context. The event was exceptionally well attended (260+), and discussion was fruitful and lively.

Professor Ursula Lanvers, University of York, UK

On November 4, 2024 four students of the University of Leeds started their online teaching internship in PoltavaScientific Lyceum № 3.This internship is run as one of the international cooperation activities of the Education and Research Institute of Foreign Languages of Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University.

The internship was arranged by the coordinated efforts of:

Dr. Innocent Tasara, Lecturer in Mathematics Education, Catherine Bell, Associate Professor in Teacher Education, and Thomas Guilfoyle, Employability and Placements Officer – on the side of the University of Leeds;

Dr. TetyanaLunyova, Associate Professor of the Department of English and German Philology, Maryna Zuyenko, the Director of the Education and Research Institute of Foreign Languages, Dr. Viktoriia Kravchenko, the Head of the Department of English and German Philology, Dr. IrynaKohut, the Head of the Department of Innovation and International Relations – on the side of Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University;

Nataliia Dymar, Deputy-principal of the Lyceum, teacher-methodologist – on the side of Poltava Scientific Lyceum № 3.

Dr. Tetyana Lunyova offered the students of the University of Leeds pre-placement consultations on October 29and November 01, 2024. In her presentation Dr. Lunyovafocused on the structure of the secondary education in Ukraine, peculiarities of Poltava Scientific Lyceum № 3, and the main approached to teaching English in Ukraine. The students had opportunities to ask questions to explore deeper the points of the presentation as well as to clarify practical aspects of their internship placement.

Photo from https://www.leeds.ac.uk/about/doc/about-history

On 24 September 2024, as part of a long-term collaboration with Professor of the University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France) Jan Borm, a new series of seminars entitled “Patrick Leigh Fermor and British travel literature in the 20th century”was launched.

The development and delivery of the seminars is informed by the methodology of COIL.This series of seminars will be delivered to postgraduate students ofthe University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University.Professor Maryna Zuyenko,Director of the Educational and Research Institute of Foreign Languages ofV.G. Korolenko PNPU and Dr Tetyana Lunyova, Associate Professor of the Department of English and German Philology of Education and Research Institute of Foreign Languagestook part in the development of the seminars. The scope of assignments within the seminars incudes joint presentations by students from two different universities participating in this project.

The seminars will cover a range of topics connected with intertextuality, intermediality, representation of the other, preserving history and keeping memory, as well as European cultures and interculturality. The students will closely study the texts of Patrick Leigh Fermor, Robert Byron, Jonathan Raban, Sara Wheeler, and Bruce Chatwin.

 The seminars are held every Tuesday. As in previous years, students have expressed deep interest in these seminars.

On July 23, 2024, Bridget Ann Brink, the United States Ambassador to Ukraine, visited the Poltava I. P. Kotliarevskyi Regional Library to tour the "Window to America" center. This platform serves as a hub where youth can engage in communication, idea exchange, and skill development. A significant moment of the visit included a meeting with students from Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University, who were thrilled to welcome the distinguished guest to the academic setting in Poltava.

During her visit, Mme. Brink met lecturers of the Education and Scientific Institute of Foreign Languages and students of PNPU to discuss topical issues of academic cooperation of the USA and Ukraine. In particular, Maryna Zuyenko, the director of the ESI of Foreign Languages, an active participant of the programme «Virtual English Language Fellow», together with Iryna Shkola and Nataliia Petrushova, associate professors of English and Germany Philology Department, instructors of Access program for students of non-linguistic majors.

Special attention was focused on PNPU students. Participants of Access Program, Daryna Tarasenko, Anastasiia Fedorenko, and Ivan Bondar, shared their experience of the project and the acquired skills. Philology students, Zarina Kosimova, Oleksii Brydun, Antonina Marinich, Daryna Vovk, Oleksandr Prokhorov, and Anna Vertii, had a unique opportunity to discuss the prospects of learning foreign languages and setting up an international communication hub at V. G. Korolenko PNPU with Ambassador Plenipotentiary. The students stressed the importance of such a hub for effective learning.

Full Professor Maryna Grynova, Rector of Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University, highlighted constant and powerful cooperation between the Poltava Pedagogical University and US Embassy in Ukraine outlining the opportunities provided by this cooperation for improving English language competency of PNPU students.

Maryna Grynova warmly thanked the US Embassy in Ukraine represented by Bridget A. Brink, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, for fruitful academic and scientific cooperation, help to the Ukrainian students through various educational programs and grants. She awarded Ambassador Plenipotentiary with Badge of Honor «For Personal Contribution to the Development of University» – an award created specifically on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of PNPU – thus acknowledging strong cultural ties between the USA and Ukraine.

The meeting was held in a friendly and constructive atmosphere, where all those present were able to ask questions to the guest of honor and gain valuable experience in intercultural communication.

Such a visit emphasizes the importance of cultural exchange and educational cooperation between the United States and Ukraine, and is a manifestation of the American government's continued support for the development of educational opportunities for Ukrainian youth. We wish the students of PNPU inspiration in learning foreign languages!

On 20 May 2024, Dr Michelle Hunter delivered a guest lecture “How does it feel to learn through English: a German perspective” for students of the Educational and Research Institute of Foreign Languages of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University. Dr Hunter has an extensive experience in teaching English to students at German and UK universities. She holds a PhD from the University of York.

In her lecture, Dr Hunter presented the results of her research on the affective component of teaching and learning at a German university when English is used as a medium of instruction. This lecture enabled the students of the Educational and Research Institute of Foreign Languages to receive up-to-date research-based information that will contribute to their successful professional development as teachers of English.

Dr Hunter was invited to deliver the lecture by Dr Tetyana Lunyova, Associate Professor of the Department of English and German Philology at the Institute of Foreign Languages. The lecture was organised by the Head of the Department of English and German Philology, Dr Viktoria Kravchenko, Associate Professor of the Department of English and German Philology Dr Mykhailo Rakhno and Senior Lecturer of the Department of English and German Philology Halyna Sosoy with the support of the Director of the Educational and Research Institute of Foreign Languages, Professor Maryna Zuyenko.

The Director of the Educational and Research Institute of Foreign Languages, Professor Maryna Zuyenko, and Associate Professor of the Department of English and German Philology of the ERI of Foreign Languages Dr Tetyana Lunyova are part of an international team of researchers led by Dr Ursula Lanvers, Associate Professor at the University of York, who have got the British Council English Language Teaching Research Awards (ELTRA) grant.

The research project is titled “Decolonising teaching of English in Ukrainian secondary schools: understanding teachers’ perceptions of English and promoting teacher professional development and wellbeing”. It aims at exploring the potential of developing pedagogical skills and professional wellbeing of female English language teachers in Ukraine via raising their awareness of the decolonised conceptualisation of English and decolonised pedagogy.

The project will start in July 2024. Organisational support for the project from Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University is provided by Dr Iryna Kohut, Head of the Department of Innovation and International Relations.

Photo credit: University of York. URL: https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2024/community/responsible-investment/

On 28 November 2023, the Head of the Department of Romanic and Germanic Philology Dr Bogdan Storokha and Associate Professor of the Department of English and German Philology Dr Tetyana Lunyova conducted a seminar on Intellectual Nomadism within the international educational project “Travel literature and health tourism”. The project is being developed by the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France) and the Faculty of Philology and Journalism of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University. The students of both universities took part in the seminar, as well as Professor of the University of Versailles-Saint-Canton-en-Yvelines and Honorary Professor of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University Jan Borm and the Head of the Department of English and German Philology, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor Maryna Zuyenko. Professor Borm emphasised the importance of discussing the representation of the phenomenon of intellectual nomadism in literature.

The Head of the Department of Romanic and Germanic Philology Dr Bogdan Storokha offered a detailed analysis of the writings by W.G. Sebald. In particular, Dr Storokha focused on philosophical and intertextual dimensions of the writer’s texts.

Associate Professor of the Department of English and German Philology Dr Tetyana Lunyova discussed “Songlines” by Bruce Chatwin. The lector analysed structural, narrative, thematic, and stylistic features of the text. Dr Lunyova also provided students with ample opportunities to take part in analysis of the selected fragments from the “Songlines”.

On 21 November 2023, students of the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France) and Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University presented the results of their work on the Anglophone travel books at the seminar within the course “Travel literature and health tourism”. The list of the books for the study was compiled by Professor of the University of Versailles-Saint-Canton-en-Yvelines Jan Borm. Having selected the book from the list, the students worked on its close reading and content and stylistic analysis.

The students made the following presentations:

Anton Hmyria (PNPU) and Yannick Petton (UVSQ) “Titmarsh, M. A. (Thackeray, William Makepeace) Notes of a Journey from Cornhill to Grand Cairo (1844, chapter on Lisbon)”;

Arina Bykova and Yulia Yaremenko (both PNPU) “Philip Thicknesse A Year’s Journey through France and Part of Spain (1777)”;

Olexandra Poshyvailo and Daryna Vovk (both PNPU) “Henry Fielding Journal of a voyage to Lisbon (1755)”;

Karina Bilan and Vladyslav Hannushchenko (both PNPU) “James Henry Bennett Winter and Spring on the Shores of the Mediterranean (1870)”

Jade Croiser Debergue (UVSQ) “Bruce Chatwin In Patagonia”.

The seminar was a wonderful opportunity for the students to develop their presentation skills and intercultural communication skills using English as a means of communication.

The seminar was delivered by Professor Jan Borm, Professor of the University of Versailles-Saint-Canton-en-Yvelines and Honorary Professor of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University and Dr Tetyana Lunyova, Associate Professor of Department of English and German Philology.

The Head of the Department of English and German Philology, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor Maryna Zuyenko provided the students of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University with the guidance and support in their preparation of the presentations.

On 6-17 November 2023 Anna Bugg, the student of the University of Leeds had her online teaching internship which was arranged within the agreement between the School of Education, the University of Leeds and the Department of English and German Philology, Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University. The internship was arranged by on the side of the University of Leeds by Lecturer in Education Dr Lucy Taylor and on the side of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University by the Associate Professor of the Department of English and German Philology Dr Tetyana Lunyova, the Head of the Department of English and German Philology Professor Maryna Zuyenko, and the Head of the Department of Innovation and International Relations Dr Iryna Kohut.

Dr Tetyana Lunyova provided a pre-placement consultation for the student. Dr Lunyova characterised the system of secondary education in Ukraine, elucidated the role of English in Ukraine, outlined current approaches to teaching English as a foreign language in Ukraine, and described the peculiarities of Poltava Scientific Lyceum No3, which was the internship placement site.

The internship also included the roundtable discussion “National identity and globilisation”, held on 7 November 2023, during which the students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University engaged in the discussion with Anna Bugg.

The deputy-principal of Poltava Scientific Lyceum No3 teacher-methodologist Olesya Vovchenko coordinated the internship in the Lyceum. In her feedback Olesya Vovchenko highlighted the following: “Scientific Lyceum No 3 of Poltava City Council has been an internship placement site for students of the University of Leeds since 2019. This year, the student Anna Bugg worked with the students of Year 10 (Forms 10-A and 10-K) and Year 11 (Form 11-A). During the internship, English teachers L. Kordyuk, M. Zuyenko, S. Hryn and O. Odom demonstrated various forms of work, methods and techniques to the student, showed her the possibilities of using various mobile applications (Quizlet, Mentimeter, Kahoot, Padlet, LearningApps, etc.), as well as elements of the CLIL methodology. The teachers provided the student with advice and tips on preparing and conducting lessons, and helped her to successfully complete her internship. It is worth noting that communication with native speakers is extremely important for students learning a foreign language. After all, English is a must-have today: it opens the door to careers, travel, meeting people and different cultures, to the whole world of music, cinema, and educational opportunities. Lyceum students and their teachers used this opportunity to the fullest! We express sincere thanks to Dr T. Lunova for her assistance in organising the internship.”

Anna Bugg provided the following feedback after the internship: “I am writing to share my experience and thoughts with you about the placement I completed at your Lyceum, with your students in their English lessons. Firstly, I would like to thank you for this opportunity I had, I found it to be an exciting and interesting experience. It allowed me to observe how teaching takes place in your classrooms but also interact with the teachers and students who were very friendly and welcoming. This made it less daunting for me, sharing presentations with students and getting the opportunity to ask and answer questions with them. As the days went on, I felt my confidence grow more and gained vital experience of what teaching is like. I found the lessons to have a good variation in learning styles. With some tasks involving interacting with students, for example, me sharing a presentation on plants and animals in the UK and then students sharing their presentations to me. I also got involved in completing quizzes online, such as Kahoot. I found this a fun way to consolidate information learned and create some healthy competition with the students. Overall, I found it a very enjoyable experience and would be hopeful to experience something like this again!”

The Department of English and German Philology expresses deep gratitude to Dr Martyn Lamb and Dr Lucy Taylor, School of Education, University of Leeds for their strong support of the teaching internship project and hopes that the cooperation will continue.

On 14 November 2023, students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism majoring in English made presentations during Seminar 7 within the series of seminars “Travel literature and health tourism” which is being developed through cooperation between University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France) and Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University. The seminar was conducted by Professor Jan Borm, Professor of the University of Versailles-Saint-Canton-en-Yvelines and Honorary Professor of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University and Dr Tetyana Lunyova, Associate Professor of Department of English and German Philology.

The student of the group GP-28 Zarina Kosimova prepared her presentation in cooperation with the student of the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Baptiste Lacroix. Together they provided analysis of “Travels through France and Italy” by Tobias Smollett.

The student of the group GP-27 Elmira Babaieva described characteristic features of “Letters and Observations: Written in a Short Tour through France and Italy” by William Beckford.

The students of the group GP-27 Olha Kurilova and Sofiia Petrusevich revealed peculiarities of “Sentimental Journey” by Laurence Sterne.

In their preparation of the presentations, the students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism received help and support from the Head of the Department of English and German Philology, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor Maryna Zuyenko.

On 7 November 2023, Dr Tetyana Lunyova delivered a seminar “Eternal Greece. Lord Byron and those travelling in his footsteps: Robert Byron and Patrick Leigh Fermor” for the students from Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France) and Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University who are doing the course “Travel literature and health tourism” which is being developed by Professor Jan Borm (Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines) and the lecturers of the Department of English and German Philology and the Department Romance and Germanic Philology of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism. The Head of the Department of English and German Philology Professor Maryna Zuyenko coordinated the work of the students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University during the seminar.

During the interactive seminar Dr Lunyova draw the students’ attention on the representation of Greece in “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage” and “Don Juan” by Lord Byron, “The Station” by Robert Byron and “Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese” and “Roumeli: Travels in Northern Greece” by Patrick Leigh Fermor. The lecturer helped the students to trace the thematic affinity of the works selected for analysis and to identify the style peculiarities of the authors. The students were provided with the opportunity to bring their own experience to the interpretation of the texts.

On 7 November 2023, the University of Leeds student Anna Bugg and the students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University participated in the roundtable discussion “National identity and globilisation”. The discussion continued successful cooperation of the Department of English and German Philology with the School of Education of the University of Leeds which is coordinated by the Associate professor of the Department of English and German Philology Dr Tetyana Lunyova with the support provided by the Head of the Department of Innovation and International Relations Dr Iryna Kohut.

The roundtable was organised and managed by the Head of the Department of English and German Philology Professor Maryna Zuyenko. The students taking part in the discussion were greeted by the Dean of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism Dr Oksana Kyrylchyuk. Associate professors of the Department of English and German Philology Dr Iryna Tyminska and Dr Victoriya Kravchenko also took part in the event.

The students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism majoring in English prepared informative reports for the roundtable discussion. The students of the academic group Fd-17 focused on different aspects of national identity: Albina Blyznyuk and Anastasiya Serga devoted their presentation to Kyiv, Ihor Klets and Mariya Syrota spoke about Ukraine, Darya Dovgan and Anna Vertiy presented about Poltava, Polina Krasnorutska and Mariya Dmytrenko presented highlights about Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University. The students of the academic group Fd-27 Sofiya Petrusevych and Kseniya Koshman examined the issue of the environmental consequences of war. Master’s student Vlad Hannushchenko discussed the methods of teaching English in secondary educational establishments.

The round table discussion helped students to develop their communication skills and improve the ability to constructively interact in the intercultural context.

On 17 October, 2023 the students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University attended the lecture delivered by Professor Daniel Chartier, the Full Professor of the Université du Québec à Montréal, and director of the International Laboratory for Research on Images of the North, Winter and the Arctic. The lecture was delivered in English via zoom. Professor Chartier was invited as a guest speaker at the course “Travel literature and health tourism” by Professor Jan Borm, Full Professor of the University of Versailles-Saint-Canton-en-Yvelines and Honorary Professor of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University. The course “Travel literature and health tourism” is being developed and delivered as a collaborative project by lecturers from the University of Versailles-Saint-Canton-en-Yvelines and the Department of English and German Philology and the Department Romance and Germanic Philology of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University.

Professor Daniel Chartier is a recognised expert in the field of the literatures of the North, he has authored a number of influential works. Professor Chartier entitled his lecture “Literature and Decolonial Perspectives in the Arctic: Inuit and First Nations Point of View as Reversal of the Imagined North”.

Professor Chartier’s lecture enabled the students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism to significantly expand their professional outlook.

On October 16, 2023 at the Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University seminars resumed on English-language academic writing with Professor of Georgetown University Gregory Raver-Lampman, who has been working since November 2020 at the Department of English and German Philology with the support of the US Embassy in Ukraine. American teacher, writer and journalist Gregory Raver-Lampman, under the program "English Language Fellow" will conduct online classes in English-language academic writing for two groups of full-time and part-time students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism.

 The first lesson with Gregory was attended by the university administration and teachers of the Department of English and German Philology.

Oksana Kyrylchuk, Dean of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism, thanked Gregory for his work, emphasizing the significant role of foreign languages in the modern world. Iryna Kohut, Head of the Department of Innovation and International Relations, emphasized the importance of cooperation with the American professor, since the study of English-language academic writing widely opens the door for the participation of faculty students in exchange programs with foreign universities.

Head of the Department of English and German Philology Maryna Zuenko stressed that cooperation with Gregory gives significant results and contributes to the improvement of speech skills of philology students. The Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism, Iryna Tyminska, congratulated Gregory on the beginning of the training sessions at the faculty and thanked him for his close cooperation. Associate Professor of the Department of English and German Philology Valentyna Voskoboinyk wished students success and productive work during the course of English-language academic writing, emphasizing the importance of writing skills for intercultural communication.

The first lesson with Gregory Raver-Lampman began with an acquaintance with Ukrainian students. The teacher presented a work plan for the semester and decided on some organizational points regarding work during the semester.

Then he talked about the features of English-language academic writing and the structure of the essay, showing students with the help of the game the importance of correct essay construction.

The American professor presented his own essay writing program, with which students will work during the course mastering. Together with students, he tried to write a short essay using his author's curriculum. The lesson with the American teacher was interesting in a lively productive atmosphere. At the end of the class, students received homework.

Upon completion of the course in English-language academic writing in December, students will receive certificates from the US Embassy.

Under the supervision of Gregory Raver-Lampman, an online English speaking club for the 1st year students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism will also continue to operate. Coordination of the project, including on the university platform Moodle, is carried out by associate professors of the Department of English and German Philology Mykhailo Rakhno, Valentyna Voskoboinyk.

The development of international cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine directly contributes to the rector of the University Maryna Grynova. The university administration, the administration of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism makes possible the successful implementation of the US State Department program "(English Language Fellow Program"

The administration, teachers of the Department of English and German Philology, students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism of the Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University are sincerely grateful to the assistant to the attache for culture of the US Embassy in Ukraine Lilia Shylo and the director of programs for teaching English in the USA in Ukraine Jen McArthur for the successful coordination of the project.

On 26 September 2023 a new series of seminars “Travel literature and health tourism” was launched for the master students of the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France) and Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University. This series has been developed as a result of the fruitful cooperation between the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and the Department of English and German Philology and the Department Romance and Germanic Philology of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism, which has been successfully carried out since 2022.

The first seminar of this new series was held in a mixed format using Zoom. The seminar was opened by Professor Jan Borm, Professor of the University of Versailles-Saint-Canton-en-Yvelines and Honorary Professor of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University.

The participants of the seminar were greeted by the Dean of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism Associate Professor Oksana Kyrylchuk, the Head of the Department of English and German Philology Associate Professor Maryna Zuyenko, the Head of the Department of Innovation and International Relations Associate Professor Iryna Kohut and the Head of the Department of Romance and Germanic Philology Associate Professor Bogdan Storokha. All the speakers highlighted the achievements of the cooperation with the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and stressed the importance of the further development of the joint educational projects.

The seminars will be delivered by Professor Jan Borm, Doctor of Science Maryna Zuyenko, Dr Tetyana Lunyova (Associate Professor of the Department of English and German Philology, PNPU) and Dr Bogdan Storokha. The seminars will take place every Tuesday during the autumn term of 2023-2024.

At the beginning of June, the results of the implementation of the Virtual English Language Educator program for 2022-2023 were discussed at the Department of English and German Philology of Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University. This program was implemented by the Department of English and German Philology (the coordinator – Doctor of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor Maryna Zuyenko) together with the Regional English Language Office, US Embassy.

As part of the program implementation during the 2022-2023 academic year, each semester Professor of Georgetown University Gregory Raver-Lampman, English Language Fellow Program Specialist, taught "Fundamentals of English Academic Writing" for 2 groups of students from the foreign devision of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism; totally, 4 groups of students of Bachelor's and Master's programs had an opportunity to attend classes with the American professor. During  classes with Gregory, students were introduced to his author's essay writing program, which they worked with throughout the course, and developed English academic writing skills.

Gregory Raver-Lampman also conducted weekly online meetings of the Conversational English club for first-year students, where students could improve their English speaking skills.

In addition to it, Gregory Raver-Lampman organized official and working meetings with the university administration and teachers of the Department of English and German Philology, where innovative methods of teaching English and the use of information technologies in English-language teaching were discussed.

 Besides, Gregory Raver-Lampman moderated an important meeting with representatives of the US State Department network "Academic opportunities for Ukrainians in the USA" to inform teachers of the Department of English and German Philology, students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism, teachers and students of high schools of Poltava and Poltava region about the opportunities of taking Preparatory, Bachelor's and Master's programs in higher educational institutions of the USA.

It is worth noting that the students highly appreciated classes with a native speaker, because each class was conducted at a high methodological level using presentations, practical exercises, group discussions, work in minigroups, which contributed to their effective mastering of lexical and grammatical structures, developing their writing and speaking skills and increasing their English language competence.

Colleagues of the English and German Philology Department of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism express the gratitude for the constant support to Lottie Baker, Regional English Language Officer at U.S. Embassy Kyiv and Lilia Shylo, Cultural Affairs Assistant of the Embassy of the United States in Ukraine.

On 28 March 2023 Associate Professor of the Department of English and German Philology of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism Dr Tetyana Lunyova conducted a seminar on Serhii Parajanov’s film “Shadows of forgotten ancestors” based on the eponymous book by Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky. It was the fourth seminar within the educational project devoted to the book-to-screen adaptations, which is being developed in collaboration by Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France) and Departments of English and German Philology and Romance and Germanic Philology of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University.

Dr Tetyana Lunyova offered the students a wide variety of interactive tasks and engaged them in the discussions. The seminar was focused on the peculiarities of the plot, characters, motives, symbols and stylistics of the film. Besides, the due attention was paid to the comparison of Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky’s book and Serhii Parajanov’s film.

Professor Jan Borm, Full Professor of Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and Honorary Professor of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University, took an active part in the discussions during the seminar.

On 14 March 2023 the Head of the Department of English and German Philology (PNPU) Doctor Maryna Zuyenko and Associate Professor of the Department of English and German Philology (PNPU) Doctor Tetyana Lunyova conducted a seminar on the British film “A Matter of Life and Death” (1946) for the students of the Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France) and Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University as a part of the collaboration educational project devoted to the book-to-screen adaptations.

The seminar focused on the historical, literary and mythological references and links that provide the context for the film interpretation. It also enabled students to develop their skills of stylistic analysis of English metaphysical poetry and narrative analysis of the stories in films.

The seminar was conducted in English. It offered the students an ample opportunity for active participation and interaction.

Implementation of the agreement on educational and scientific interaction in the second semester of 2022-2023. Gregory Raver-Lampman, a scholarship holder of the US State Department (English Language Fellow Program), a well-known American writer, linguist-practitioner, conducts online sessions on academic writing for students of the first (bachelor's) and second (master's) level of higher education of the Philology and Journalism Department (majors 035 Philology and 014 Secondary education). Classes began on March 1, 2023, when students got acquainted with the author's methodology for writing essays presented by the lecturer and discussed the specifics of academic writing.

The teacher also expressed his sincere admiration for the Ukrainian students, who in a very difficult time continue to persistently master the subtleties of academic writing and develop oral and written language skills (English).

We also note that during the semester, Gregory Raver-Lampman will lead the work of the online English club, which will be joined by first-year students to improve their free pronunciation skills in English.

Colleagues of the English and German Philology Department of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism express their sincere gratitude to the Director of Programs on Teaching English of the US Embassy in Ukraine Lottie Baker, Assistant Attaché for Culture of the US Embassy in Ukraine Lilia Shilo, Gregory Raver-Lampman for fruitful cooperation!

On 25 November, 2022 Vicky Papageorgiou, Adjunct Lecturer at Aegean College (Athens) and EFL tutor at the British Council (Athens) delivered a lecture to the students studying English as their major at the Faculty of Philology and Journalism of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University.

Vicky Papageorgiou devoted her lecture entitled “Learning and Teaching English Across Cultures: constantly reimagining education in the 21st century” to the challenges that teachers of English have to face in the modern world.

The Head of the Department of English and German Philology Dr Maryna Zuyenko greeted the lecturer and highlighted the importance of the guest lectures for the professional development of students studying English. She particularly thanked the lecturer for her support during the hard war times. Dr Maryna Zuyenko also stressed that the Department of English and German Philology has been working on expanding its international contacts and is very honoured to welcome the colleague from Greece for the first time.

The Head of the Department of Innovation and International Relations Dr Iryna V. Kohut also warmly welcomed the guest speaker and outlined the importance of the guest lectures that demonstrate the solidarity of the European educators with their Ukrainian colleagues in building a common democratic educational space.

The lecture was absorbing and dynamic. Vicky Papageorgiou raised a range of crucial questions that the teachers of English have to be aware of and make their own choices to solve. In particular, the lecturer discussed the importance teaching critical thinking, cooperation skills, the skills of making the informed decisions, applying creative approaches, feeling and demonstrating empathy while teaching English.

The lecture was followed by a constructive and fascinating discussion. The participants of the event enjoyed an opportunity to use English as a means of communication about various cultures across different cultures.

The lecture was arranged and moderated by Dr Tetyana Lunyova.

On 23 November 2022, Professor Jan Borm, the Full Professor in British Literature and Vice-President in International Relations of the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France) and the Honorary Professor of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University delivered his third lecture in the cycle of lectures for the students studying English at the Faculty of Philology and Journalism of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University. The lecture was also attended by the students studying British literature at the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.

The lecture was devoted to the works of the great British travel writer Patrick Leigh Fermor. Prof. Borm provided the detailed account of Patrick Leigh Fermor’s development as a writer, offered the meticulous outline of the social and cultural contexts of the writer’s work, and revealed the stylistic peculiarities of his books.

Besides, Prof. Borm shared his findings from his new article on Patrick Leigh Fermor’s writings. Thus, the students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism got a great chance to further their professional training by learning about the research into the writing of one of the great masters of travel writing.

The lecture was moderated by Dr Tetyana Lunyova, an Associate Professor at the Department of English and German Philology 

On 8 November 2022, the student at the University of Leeds (the UK) Fengrui Ci made a presentation of his research to the students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism who pursue the degree in teaching English. This event was arranged and conducted within the long-term cooperation between School of Education, University of Leeds and Department of English and German Philology, Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University. The event was aimed at boosting PNPU students’ motivation to do the research.

Fengrui Ci based his talk on his publications about Task Based Learning (TBL) and entitled his presentation “A case study of the application of TBL in English teaching in Chinese secondary schools”.

 Fengrui Ci described the stages of his research, presented the research findings and discussed them. Besides, he shared his ideas about the relevance of the research for the students aspiring to become English teachers.

Fengrui Ci included interaction activities into his presentation.

After Fengrui Ci’s presentation the listeners had an opportunity to join the discussion. They put several questions which focused on the peculiarities of the TBL as well as characteristics of a good teacher.

The event was arranged and moderated by Dr Tetyana Lunyova

On 3 November 2022 Dr Ursula Lanvers, Programme Leader and Associate Professor at the University of York, delivered a lecture to the master students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism pursuing the programme “Secondary education (Language and literature (English))”. The opportunity to join the lecture was provided for the bachelor students as well.

The lecture was arranged by the Department of English and German philology that prioritises integration into European educational space.

The Head of the Department of English and German Philology Dr Maryna Zuyenko started the lecture with expressing gratitude to Dr Ursula Lanvers and briefly characterising the Department’s activities.

In her lecture, Dr Ursula Lanvers focused on the range of questions connected with learning English and other languages in the globalised world. In particular, Dr Lanvers explained the essence of the three main models for conceptualising the role of English in the modern world and presented her own multidimensional classification of the rationales for learning foreign languages.

Dr Lanvers invited the audience to discuss to several questions which resulted in the group discussion.

The lecture was moderated by Dr Tetyana Lunyova who is currently pursuing her professional development at the University of York and is closely cooperating with Dr Ursula Lanvers.

On November 3, 2022, an official online meeting was held with representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and the administration and teachers of Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University.

For three years the students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism of the University have an opportunity to improve their English-language competence under the program of studying English language "World is your class". This program includes online classes in English academic writing and meetings of the English speaking Club with an American professor Gregory Raver-Lampman under the program "English language specialist, scholarship program of the U.S. Department of State". About 200 students of Philology and Journalism Department received certificates from the U.S. Department of State.

The official meeting was attended by Rector of the University Maryna Grynova, Head of Innovation and International Relations Department Iryna Kohut, Dean of Philology and Journalism Oksana Kyrylchuk, Head of the Chair of English and German Philology Maryna Zuienko, high-ranking guests – Regional English Language Officer at U.S. Embassy Kyiv Lottie Baker, Cultural Affairs Assistant Lilia Shylo, and Associate Professors of English and German Philology: Valentyna Voskoboinyk, Victoria Kravchenko, Mykhailo Rakhno, Ruslana Shramko.

 The meeting was opened by the Rector of Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University Maryna Grynova, who thanked the representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine for support of the program of studying English at the university, stressed the importance of such program for improvement of English competence of students and for establishment of intercultural and multi-linguistic dialog in educational activity, expressed hope for further cooperation.

Iryna Kohut, Head of Innovation and International Relations Department, stressed the unique opportunity given to students of the PNPU to communicate with the native speaker of English – Professor Gregory-Raver Lampman and to improve their skills of academic writing.

Oksana Kyrylchuk, Dean of the Department of Philology and Journalism, noted that such cooperation is important in establishing international contacts, which includes not only overcoming the language barrier, but also forming readiness for international dialog, understanding of cultural self-awareness, mastering the new conceptual picture of the world.

Marina Zuienko, Head of the Department of English and German Philology, also noted that due to regular classes with Gregory Raver-Lampman, students can significantly improve their skills of English communication and academic writing, and receive fundamental training for participation in international grant programs, scientific subjects, conferences, and teachers of the department have the opportunity to study modern methods of online training.

Valentyna Voskoboinyk, Associate Professor of the Department of English and German Philology, added that there are is much positive feedback from students about the lessons with American linguist, teacher and teacher Gregory Raver-Lampman. Especially valuable are the lessons in academic writing, where students have the opportunity to learn the principles of essay writing.

Lottie Baker, Regional English Language Officer at U.S. Embassy Kyiv, expressed her support to the students and the public at such a difficult time for the country, stressing that it is very important that even in such difficult conditions students continue to study, find different opportunities to attend additional online classes with Gregory Raver-Lampman. Lottie Baker announced new grant programs of the Department of Press, Education and Culture of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine for higher education institutions of Ukraine.

 Cultural Affairs Assistant of the Embassy of the United States in Ukraine Lilia Shylo spoke more about the grant programs offered by the Department of Press, Education and Culture of the Embassy of the United States, namely: Exchange program for students’ leaders in the USA, exchange programs for scientists and teachers and many other programs for Ukrainian students and educators, which can be found on the website of the US Embassy in Ukraine.

The meeting took place in a productive working atmosphere. Further directions of cooperation between the Department of Press, Education and Culture of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University were outlined.

Keeping international cooperation as one of its top priorities, the Department of English and German Philology of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University works hard on inviting leading European lecturers to contribute to the educational process conducted at the Faculty of Philology and Journalism. During the academic year of 2022-2023, the Department of English and German Philology continues its fruitful cooperation with Professor Jan Borm, the Professor of the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France).

 In November-December 2022, Prof. Borm will deliver a new series of 6 lectures to the students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism. The lectures will cover the topics of the peculiarities of British contemporary travel writing and the in-depth analysis of the writings of several of eminent contemporary British travel writers. A special lecture will be devoted to the famous French cultural anthropologist, geographer, traveller, and author Jean Malaurie, who will be celebrating his 100th birthday in December 2022.

In May 2022, one more semester of cooperation between the teachers of the Department of English and German Philology and the American Professor Gregory Raver-Lampman who has been conducting weekly online classes in English academic writing for two groups and the conversational  English club for one group of students of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University supported by the US Embassy in Ukraine since November 2020. To sum up the results of this cooperation, Gregory Raver-Lampman met with the teachers of the Department of English and German Philology.

The meeting was opened by Iryna Kohut, Head of the Department of Innovation and International Relations. She thanked the American Professor Gregory Raver-Lampman for the productive cooperation. As a result, of it the university students have a great opportunity to improve their English language skills. She expressed the hope for further cooperation with the American Professor.

The dean of the Department of Philology and Journalism Oksana Kyrylchuk also expressed her gratitude to Gregory Raver-Lampman for interesting and informative classes for students.

Maryna Zuenko, Head of the Department of English and German Philology, emphasized the positive results of these classes not only for the university students and teachers, but for the local community as well. Students and teachers of Poltava secondary schools also had classes with the American professor Gregory Raver-Lampman and are grateful for his valuable advice on writing an essay.

Gregory Raver-Lampman marked the best students of his classes and raised the problems he faced: in the second semester due to the war in Ukraine not all students could attend classes regularly, the Internet connection was sometimes poor, air raid sirens used to sound during classes. But despite these circumstances, the students worked hard and as a result of their work they will receive Сertificates from the US Department of State under the English Language Programs "The World is Your Classroom".

The main aspects of cooperation between Gregory Raver-Lampman and Associate Professor of the Department of English and German Philology Tetiana Luniova related to the content and structure of the discipline "Fundamentals of English Essay Writing" were outlined. Tetiana Luniova has developed and is implementing this course in the educational process of the university.

The teaching staff of the Department of English and German Philology thanked Gregory Raver-Lampman for gaining the valuable experience in teaching academic writing and expressed their hopes for continuing cooperation  next year.

The administration of Poltava V.G.  Korolenko National Pedagogical University is deeply grateful to Lottie Baker, Regional English Language Officer at U.S. Embassy Kyiv and Lilia Shilo, Cultural Affairs for their successful coordination of the project.

On May 18, 2022, Professor Jan Borm, the Vice-President in International Relations from the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France) delivered his second lecture to the students who pursue the programme “Philology. (Germanic Languages and Literature (translation included), the first foreign language – English)”.

 In his lecture, Professor Borm discussed the peculiarities of the development of British literature in historical, social, and cultural contexts. The scholar focused on the literature of the 20th – the beginning of the 21st centuries and revealed the complexity of aesthetic processes that underlie the text produced during this period.

 The lecture was attended by the graduate students of the Faculty of Philology and Journalism pursuing the programme “Philology. (Germanic Languages and Literature (translation included), the first foreign language – English)”, lecturers of the Department of English and German Philology, students and lecturers of the universities taking part in the Erasmus+ KA2 Project UTTERLY, and teachers of English of Scientific Lyceum No 3 of Poltava City Council.

Professor Borm’s talk was followed by the Questions-and-Answers session. The participants were eager to discuss the texts that are at the core of their research interests.

Summarising the discussion, the Head of the Department of English and German Philology Dr. Maryna Zuyenko outlined the possible thematic areas for the next series of Professor Borm’s lectures.

The lecture was moderated by the Associate Professor of the Department of English and German Philology Dr. Tetyana Lunyova.

Four students from the University of Leeds (the UK) ‒ Hannah Thurston, Wanqi Li, Zimiao Wang and Victoria Kachaeva ‒ participated in the teaching practice programme “Teaching English as a foreign language” from May 9 to May 13, 2022. The practice was arranged and coordinated by the Department of English and German Philology, the Faculty of Philology and Journalism, Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University.

This teaching practice programme has been developed as an implementation of the agreement for collaboration between Department of English and German Philology and the School of Education, the University of Leeds, on the one hand and the agreement for collaboration between Department of English and German Philology and Scientific Lyceum No 3 of Poltava City Council, on the other hand.

The practice was arranged and coordinated by Dr. Tetyana Lunyova, Associate Professor of the Department of English and German Philology with the support the Head of the Department of English and German Philology Dr. Maryna Zuyenko and the Head of the Department of Innovation and International Relations Dr. Iryna Kohut.

Highly qualified teachers of Lyceum No 3 Svitlana Gryn, Anna Koniahina, Lilia Kordiuk, Alla Kyrychok, Liudmyla Kyrychok, Oksana Moshenets, Olena Odom and Yana Shpak helped the students from the University of Leeds to make efficient preparations for classroom teaching and to successfully conduct the lessons.

All the lessons conducted by the students from the University of Leeds included various forms of activities thus enabling the pupils of Scientific Lyceum No 3 not only to develop their English speaking skills but also to reveal their creative potential.

The practice provided the students from the University of Leeds with an opportunity to gain the valuable experience of teaching English as a foreign language.

On May 12, 2022, a seminar of professor Hans-Werner Huneke, the rector of Heidelberg University of Education (Pädagogische Hochschule Heidelberg), took place at Zoom platform for the students of Philology and Journalism Department of Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University and pupils of Scientific Lyceum №3 of Poltava.

The lesson was organized by the head of English and German Philology Chair Maryna Zuienko with the support of Associate Professor Iryna Kohut, the head of Innovation and International Co-operation Department. This meeting was made possible by the participation of V. G. Korolenko PNPU in Erasmus + KA2 international project «Foreign Language Teacher Training Capacity Development as a Way to Ukraine's Multilingual Education and European Integration» (610427-EE-2019-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP).

Professor Hans-Werner Huneke gave a seminar “Heidelberg und Leute” in German. Lyceum pupils took an active participation in the seminar under the guidance by the vice-director in educational activities of Scientific Lyceum № 3 of Poltava, teacher of German, methodologist Olesia Vovchenko. The graduates of Poltava schools getting accustomed to foreign language environment at Philology and Journalism Department were involved in this event.

In her greeting speech, Oksana Kyrylchuk, the dean of Philology and Journalism Department, highlighted the fruitful cooperation between the partner universities in the overhaul of educational programs according to Erasmus+ European project requirements.

Students of the first (bachelor’s) and second (master’s) levels of Philology and Journalism department who study disciplines «Introduction to CLIL methodology» and «CLIL methodology in the context of educational technologies» within the framework of the international project implementation were able to access the lesson and analyze its structure in relation to the usage of elements of CLIL methodology (content and language integrated learning) on practice.  

Starting from 2021, within the framework of the Erasmus+KA2 international project, the discipline «CLIL methodology in the context of humanities» is taught to PhD students by Doctor in Philology, Full Professor Olha Nikolenko, to Master’s degree students – by Doctor of Philology, Associate Professor Maryna Zuienko, for Bachelor'’ students – by PhD in Philology, Associate Professor Iryna Tyminska.  

We are deeply grateful to the Erasmus+ National Office in Ukraine, in particular, to the project coordinator Svitlana Shytikova and MultiEd project manager Oleksandra Holovko for the access to exciting projects and the exchange with our foreign colleagues for the sake of improvement of philology education in Ukraine.   

On April 4, 2022, Professor Gregory Raver-Lampman (the USA) and Associate Professor Tetyana Lunyova (English and German Philology Chair) delivered a lecture on essay writing for the students of the Philology and Journalism Department of Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University via the method of team teaching.

The sophomores pursuing their bachelor degrees in English Teaching (Speciality 014.021) and in Interpreting and Translating (Speciality 035.041) obtained a unique opportunity to benefit from comparing two approaches to working on an essay offered by two different teachers from two different cultures.

Professor Gregory Raver-Lampman, a well-known American writer and experienced teacher demonstrated to the students the importance of developing a clear structure of an essay. The essayist and well-qualified teacher Tetyana Lunyova draw the students’ attention to the discipline in writing as an essential prerequisite of writing essays well. The students were engaged in doing several activities to get empowered with deeper understanding of the material delivered.

 The English and German Philology Chair expresses the deep gratitude to the US Embassy in Ukraine for making the cooperation with Prof. Gregory Raver-Lampman possible.

Specific attention during the discussion was given to teaching students how to write an essay which is a compulsory part of the application process to Master’s programs of the EU and US universities. The chair’s lecturers  shed light on the differences in the Western type essay layout compared with a belles-lettres essay. Tetiana Luniova, Associate Professor of the English and German Philolgy chair, has developed a course Basics of English Essay Writing: Academic and Belles-Lettres intended to be introduced in 2021-2022. Gregory Raver-Lampman, being a professional in English academic writing, has kindly agreed to share his experience in teaching this course and to provide his vision of some specific aspects. 

Lecturers and students of the Philology and Journalism department are deeply grateful to professor Gregory Raver-Lampman for fruitful and succesful cooperation and are looking forward to the continuation of the seminars for students in the second semester and training sessions for secondary school teachers and pupils from January 10, 2022.

The administration of Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University wants to express their sincere gratitude to Liliia Shylo, aide of the US Embassy in Ukraine cultural attaché, and Lottie Baker, the director the US English Teaching Programme in Ukraine. 

The discussion proved to be a unique communicative space where students from two different non-English cultures could master their English skills. The students of both universities expressed their deep satisfaction with the experience and the desire to have more cross-cultural discussions.

The Chair of English and German Philology is honoured to continue the fruitful cooperation with Dr. Kirsten Dyck and thus make it possible to provide the students of Philology and Journalism Department with the vital opportunity of real communication in English.

Students are delighted to participate in the speaking club. Volodymyr Kotsiuba, a first year student of FD-18 group, says that he immensely liked to prove the correctness of his decisions using argumentative English phrases. He is gladly studying English idioms considering their utmost importance for natural communication in English. “English speaking club is a brilliant and indispensable opportunity to polish your communicative skills”, – says Volodymyr. 

Kravchenko Viktoriia (FD-18) adds: “First of all, participating in Gregory Raver-Lampman’s club and interacting with a native speaker increases my English competence level. Secondly, we discuss interesting topics with other academic groups, our interaction goes beyond just our group which is a useful practical experience ”