From 23 to 31 August 2025, Associate Professor Oksana Raniuk of the Department of Slavic Philology took part in the Summer School for Teachers of the Polish Language, organised by the Institute for the Development of the Polish Language, held in Warsaw and Gdańsk. The event brought together 29 lecturers and researchers from various countries — including Poland, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, Ireland, France, Germany and the Netherlands — providing a platform for sharing experiences and presenting contemporary methods of teaching Polish in a multicultural environment.
The school’s programme was both intensive and wide-ranging, comprising lectures, practical sessions, training activities and workshops devoted to current issues in language didactics, as well as excursions to renowned Polish museums and the development of individual educational projects.
Expert knowledge and insights were shared by Prof. Przemysław Gębal (Institute for the Development of the Polish Language), Dr Łukasz Kumęga (University of Gdańsk), Dr Anna Rabczuk and Dr Joanna Dobkowska (University of Warsaw), Dr Sławomira Kolsut (Silesian University of Technology), Prof. Adrianna Sęków (University of Szczecin), among others.
A key element of the programme was the preparation and presentation of didactic projects, which allowed participants to combine theoretical knowledge with practical skills and to develop innovative solutions for teaching Polish. Group work encouraged creativity and made it possible to take into account the needs of learners in multilingual and intercultural contexts — an especially important aspect of modern education. Together with KhNU graduates of the Master’s programme “Slavic Languages and Literatures (including Translation), with Polish as the first language” — Olena Udovenko and Maryna Horbach — Oksana Raniuk developed the project “Tożsamość (inni). Polonia okiem młodych pokoleń” and presented the concept of the interactive game “Ścieżki Tożsamości”, enabling students to explore cultural and linguistic identity in an engaging and dynamic way.
The Summer School successfully combined academic training with profound immersion in Poland’s cultural and historical context. Participants visited the Warsaw Uprising Museum, which plays a vital role in shaping Poland’s historical memory; the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk; and the Emigration Museum in Gdynia, which offered a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of education within the Polish diaspora and its importance for preserving national identity. This cultural component enriched the methodological programme, highlighting the inseparable link between language, culture and history.
Participation in the Summer School enabled Associate Professor Oksana Raniuk to: familiarise herself with the latest trends in glottodidactics; expand her professional network with academics and teachers from around the world; develop innovative teaching approaches; integrate a stronger cultural dimension into Polish language instruction.
The knowledge and experience gained will serve as a basis for further improving the educational process and strengthening international cooperation in the field of Polish language studies.
More details are available at: https://ksf.khmnu.edu.ua/oksana-ranyuk-uchasnyczya-litnoyi-shkoly-vchyteliv-polskoyi-movy-u-varshavi-ta-gdansku-polshha/
Oksana Raniuk, Associate Professor, Department of Slavic Philology