The urban environment of Saint Petersburg as a didactic resource in foreign language teacher education

Abstract

This article examines the potential of the Saint Petersburg urban environment as a unique didactic resource. It provides theoretical substantiation and offers practical methods for using this resource in teacher education in general, and foreign language teacher education in particular. The article aims to identify and describe, through practical examples, the main areas and forms of utilizing the Saint Petersburg urban environment in the professional training of foreign language teachers to enhance their personal development and methodological expertise. It is assumed that the targeted use of urban space elements enhances students’ communicative and sociocultural competence in a foreign language, increases motivation and the authenticity of the educational process, and fosters methodological flexibility, creativity, and skills in designing educational activities. Furthermore, it develops digital literacy and the ability to work with modern technologies, while facilitating the teacher transition from a mere knowledge transmitter to organizer of educational activities. Modern digital perception allows the city to be viewed as a hypertext, where every element (buildings, streets, memorial plaques) contains references to historical periods, cultural phenomena, and texts — all of which provide invaluable material for linguistic and cultural analysis. Herzen University has accumulated extensive experience of using the urban environment to train future foreign language teachers. For instance, the Department of Northern European Languages is implementing an interdisciplinary project titled ‘The Saint Petersburg code: cultural and educational decoding of urban space’. Drawing on Herzen University’s practical experience, the article highlights key areas of work: the creation of authentic teaching materials based on urban objects, project-based activities, quests, and virtual tours.