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The priority directions for the development of modern Russian society are the formation of a digital economy and a digital society. Currently, Russian higher education system is adapting to the challenges of the digital economy and determining the vectors of digital transformation of education. In this regard, the process of teaching Russian to foreign citizens attracts special attention.
How do teachers of Russian as a foreign language at Derzhavin University feel about the introduction of digital pedagogy achievements into the educational process?
The development of digital technologies, the expansion of technical capabilities and means of creating educational content, improving the quality of multimedia and visual clarity, simplifying the ways of presenting, distributing and integrating electronic educational resources into the educational process – all this expands the ideas of Derzhavin University professors about the organization of the modern process of teaching Russian as a foreign language, contributes to the search for new forms of educational interaction and effective advanced linguodidactic tools.
Our professors are actively examining advanced technical achievements in the field of digital pedagogy, noting their qualitatively new possibilities for organizing and presenting educational material in both traditional and distance learning.
They note the great potential of the digital environment in intensifying the process of teaching the Russian language to foreign students. The University professors are actively searching for the most optimal and effective teaching methods, ways of formatting and presenting information and material, and creating a natural learning environment in the context of digitalization of the educational space.
The digital environment, technologies of virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of things, in our opinion, are designed to complement the educational process, make it fun, effective, and of higher quality.
What has already been created by teachers of Russian as a foreign language at Derzhavin University?
To date, a wealth of experience has been accumulated in creating digital educational content and successfully introducing it into the process of teaching Russian to foreign students: the digital educational environment “Russian Language. The Beginning" (http://russian.start.tilda.ws/), online supplement to the printed edition of the textbook "About Russia in Russian" (http://about.russia.in.russian.tilda.ws/), an educational portal for the implementation of extracurricular activities in linguistics and culture “Live and Learn”, a digital linguistic and cultural directory, an interactive digital educational resource “Great Russians” and others.
These educational resources take into account one of the leading didactic principles of our time – the principle of multimodality, which is a way of organizing educational and cognitive activities in which the simultaneous activation of visual, auditory, kinesthetic, discrete channels of information perception occurs through the use of creolized texts, created, among other things, by digital tools.
This approach to learning is explained by technical capabilities of the digital environment, the nature of educational content and the psychological characteristics of modern students who are representatives of the digital generation. They easily navigate the digital environment and do not experience difficulties in mastering new digital linguo-didactic means that are effective and significant in mastering the Russian language.
The ability and skills of students to adequately perceive digital educational content, handle digital educational resources, organize independent work, present the results of creative project activities using digital technologies, and give feedback to the teacher as a whole reflect the portrait of a modern student.
Who uses digital teaching materials on Russian as a foreign language, developed by professors of Derzhavin University?
Digital didactic materials on Russian as a foreign language, developed by professors of Derzhavin University, are used in teaching foreign students in various fields of study. Almost all of them are freely available on the Internet, which ensures the frequency of visiting them by “external visitors”. Thus, the resource “Digital Educational Environment for Learning Russian as a Foreign Language by Arabic-speaking Students” “Russian Language. Beginning””, the development of which was supported by the Russkiy Mir Foundation (Russian World Foubdation), is visited daily by a large number of people from different parts of the world.
Are there plans to develop new digital materials for teaching Russian as a foreign language?
Our plans include further development of the successful project “Digital Educational Environment for Learning Russian as a Foreign Language by Arabic-speaking Students” “Russian Language. Beginning". The follow-up project is called "Russian Language. Communication”. In addition, we are going to develop digital resources for Chinese students.
Zhanna Feiser
PhD in Philology, Associate Professor
Department of Russian as a Foreign Language
Tatiana Diakova
PhD in Pedagogy, Associate Professor
Head of the Russian Language Department
