>> The expression “To look at the others and to show yourself” is very topical/actual today,
especially when we speak about the International cooperation in the education.
 Poltava Korolenko National Pedagogical University and Poltava Institute of Trade and Economy have an 18 year practice of communication with the  foreigh professors and students. 
Today 9 students and 2 professors from the Unites States of America
exchange the experience with  the students nad teachers from Poltava.
Today the topic of our show is the Productive Cooperation in the Field of Education.
Our guests today are Michael Sturgeon, 
the professor from Lee University, and the director of this years program. 
Andy Higginbotham, an instructor from Lee University and has participated in the program for 10 years. 
And Yuliya Oleksandrivna Syrota, 
the chair of the Translation and Foreign Languages department of Poltava Institute of Economy and Trade.
Today we have Danylyuk Lyudmyla Vsevolodivna present here, 
a professor from Poltava Korolenko National Pedagogical University present. 
 And the first question will be addressed to her, 
because she was part of the initiators of the programme 18 years ago. 
How did everything start back then at once after the breakdown of the Soviet Union? 
 -That maybe a lucky chance, a fortune, 
back  in 1992 in the Kiev Linguistic University I met 2 Americans, Cliff Schimmels, and Mary Schimmels, 
who had been teaching almost for one year in the University. 
They asked to show Poltava to them. 
Because they had known Kiev very well by that time and wanted to see new places. 
They were very interesting people. 
He was a writer, and during the 1st year of the Independence of Ukraine, 
he came to Ukraine, to the embassy and showed his desire to teach English to Ukrainians.
Then they came to Poltava in March, then in May 1992. 
They liked it here, and they agreed to start this program. 
And due to the initiative of Cliff Schimmels, Poltava Pedagogical Institute at that time was the first one in Poltava, 
and one of the first ones in Ukraine, to have a programme like that.
Now the programme is extending, the cooperation with Lee univeristy is extending, 4.06 and Poltava Institute of Economy and Trade is in the program too.
Is Poltava and Poltava Univesitites in particular among the favorites?
When Cliff launched the program, 
he wanted to envolve as many universities as possible.
He visited many Pedagogical institutes throughout Ukraine with his students,  
but he chose Pedagogical university in Poltava as a base insititute. 
And we are grateful to Lee university 
for having given the teachers of English a chance to communicate, 
not only to study the language, 
but to understand each other, the cultures better.
Tell us, please, what do you think of Ukrainian students’ knowledge of English?
IT is very good. We are very much impressed. 
Do you think the experiece of students’ exchange programmes to be useful?
Because we have much to learn from you, of course. Do you learn anything from us? 
It is useful for us in many ways. 
his programme helps American students to get to know another culture, to expand their knowledge,  in some degree of the language as well. 
Today you already know that Ukraine is situated in the central Europe, but is not the part of Australia, as Americans used to think, do not you?
Of course! The students know and understand that.
What do you think about Poltava this year? 
You have brought new students this year. 
And there always used to be some differences as for households and everything, 
do you realize now how much civilized we are now?
Yes, we understand you are a civilized country.  
And I would love to say that Poltava (personally from my point of view) is one of the most beautiful cities I have visited in Ukraine,  
and the people are amazing.
Yulia Oleksandrivna, the Insitute of Economy and Trade has been in the programme of exchange for 8 years now. 
Every year the students are different, 
and if to compare the first year they came to Uktraine and to Poltava in particular, 
and today, are there any great differences between then and now? 
Or are there any moments that are still surprising?
Of course I can observe changes, 
and 8 years ago I was a student myself, and when they first came, you know, there was a huge barrier. 
And I think that today we have made much in the extention of the communication. 
At that time not only students, but teachers as well, were sometimes afraid to talk to the native speakers.
Now the situation has changed a lot. 
And the students from Ukraine and American students find common language, common interests, 
and when American students leave, they continue their communication. 
With the help of Internet and via different kinds of technology. And of course that helps them to develop themselves much. 
As for me, 2 years ago, teaching in the insitute already, 
I was hosting an American student myself, 
and I obtained a huge amount of knowledge, 
and improved my language skills. 
From this aspect, the students of the Poltava Universities have profited very much, 
since we train future translators-interpreters and teachres of English,
 
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and this is a great chance to improve the  knowledge, 
and to get to know people from another continent, and then you see that they are the same as we are, with the same problems, joys and sorrows. 
