C.O.D. ESL PROFESSOR RECEIVES FULBRIGHT AWARD

College of DuPage ESL Professor John Stasinopoulos will spend the spring semester teaching at Irkutsk State Linguistics University in Russia through the Fulbright Scholar Program.

College of DuPage English as a Second Language Professor John Stasinopoulos was recently named a 2009-2010 Fulbright Scholar. He will head to Russia this spring to teach curriculum development, instruction and assessment at Irkutsk State Linguistics University.
 

Stasinopoulos is one of approximately 1,100 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program in 2009-2010. He will teach and lecture in Russia from February to May 2010.
 

Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Named for the late Senator J. William Fulbright, the program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.
 

For Stasinopoulos, the program provides him with an opportunity to observe both cultural and educational differences in the U.S. and Russia. While he regularly teaches students from various ethnic groups at C.O.D., Stasinopoulos said Irkutsk offers a chance to observe a homogenous classroom where a common language is spoken.
 

“In Russia, the instructors can rely on their first language in teaching English, but here it’s not possible,” he said. “My students come from so many different backgrounds and speak so many different languages that it’s a very different approach to teaching.”
 

The experience affords Stasinopoulos not only the chance to observe different teaching techniques, but also to share his own methods with his Russian counterparts. During his semester-long stay, he will instruct prospective English teachers in university methodology courses.
 

“It is exciting because I can teach the students in Russia about how a community college works while observing how their system works,” he said. “It not only will help me with my research, but will perhaps provide new tools to use in my classroom.”
 

Fulbright recipients are selected based on academic and professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.
 

For more information on the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, visit http://fulbright.state.gov.