Methodological conditions of teaching Russian as a foreign language and their implementation at Kazan Innovation University named after V.G. Timiryasov

Abstract

The article analyzes the implementation by teachers of Kazan Innovative University named after V.G. Timiryasov of methodological conditions for teaching foreign students Russian as a foreign language, evaluates the effectiveness of the implementation of these conditions in terms of students achieving different levels of proficiency in the Russian language. The methodological recommendations of leading experts in the field of RCT on the maximum allowable number of students in a group of 8 people are substantiated. The requirement is being considered that classes in a group should be conducted by two teachers at the same time (in the weekly schedule, both teachers work in a 50%/50% ratio. This helps to overcome the effect of «getting used» to the timbre of a foreign student’s voice, the pace of speech and the phonetic features of a native Russian speaker. Each teacher activates all types of speech activity in each lesson: speaking, writing, listening, reading and learning vocabulary and grammar. The use of various non-academic forms of improving language skills in teaching foreign students allows students to actively train speaking and listening skills, expand their horizons by getting acquainted with the surrounding foreign cultural reality outside the framework of academic classes. A fundamentally important methodological point is the «re-equipment» of study groups after foreign students have passed the test for a certain level of Russian language acquisition, depending on the results demonstrated by the students. An important condition for ensuring the effectiveness of RCT training is interaction with the parents of students. Kazan Innovative University named after V.G. Timiryasov, when organizing the teaching of Russian as a foreign language to foreign citizens in a remote format, focuses in this process on ensuring «live» communication with the teacher.