IITU Experts Developed a Workshop on the Methodology of Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language for Schools in the Republic of Kazakhstan

In June 2022 as part of a joint project with Akelius and UNICEF to implement a course to improve the literacy of children who do not speak Russian, IITU language and methodological experts, developed a workshop on the methodology of teaching Russian as a foreign language using the Akelius platform.

The workshop was developed by Candidates of Pedagogical Sciences - Associate Professor Dinara Aliyeva and Assistant Professor Oksana Bublikova. It contains a brief description of the main theoretical issues of RFL, examples of the development of lessons in the blended learning format for a group of different ages, as well as the descriptors for assessing the achievements of the learners.

The workshop was based on observations of the educational process and conversations with teachers from the pilot schools of the project. When creating the manual, the authors set the following tasks: to give teachers a basic understanding of the theory of teaching Russian as a foreign language; to propose the development of classes that take into account extralinguistic factors - learning conditions, different level and age of children studying in the same class, the possibility of blended learning.

“Theoretical material occupies a small amount of the manual, since teachers are already familiar with the basics of language teaching methods, and only some adjustments in teaching Russian as a foreign language are required. The main and most important part is the methodological development and planning of the lessons that will allow teachers to take methodological decisions in each specific case (stage of study, contingent and age of the learners); choose the necessary methodological tools, plan classes, creatively transforming the learning environment, ” Dinara Asylkhanovna said.

Since the concept of Akelius is a free trajectory of the lesson, the authors of the workshop propose to avoid a strict sequence of lesson stages and encourage teachers to play, improvise, and creatively use the opportunities of tablet devices.

“In our workshop, each lesson has the following sections: “Tips for teachers”, “Work on Akelius platform”, “Optional assignments for learners”. In each lesson, we give a set of multiple tasks that will serve as a base for the teacher on how to design and deliver the lessons in the classroom, as well as maintain the unity of the topic and the connection between the exercises. As a rule, task options are designed for children of different levels of language proficiency who are in the same classroom, ” Oksana Vasilyevna explained.

The authors hope that the workshop will increase the level of teaching Russian as a foreign language and will allow new citizens to successfully master the language.

“We wish good luck, new discoveries to the teachers who perform difficult but noble work - helping children in difficult life situations,” the authors of the workshop said.