On August 22-26 2016, the Russian Center at the Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar" will host the 8th International School under the title Contemporary Educational Technologies Used in Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language (RAF), arranged by the Varna Free University with support of the Russkiy Mir Foundation.
The university has celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. We dedicated one of our most successful projects implemented by the university and the Russkiy Mir Foundation to the jubilee.
The project was launched in 2009, the year the Russian Center at the university was established. The school already has 8 publications and is one of the most famous European methodic schools for young teachers. Since 2009, it has occupied a place of honor in the Bulgarian scientific calendar and since 2011 it has become one of the most popular European forums arranged for young specialists in Russian philology.
The international school at the VFU was announced the project of the year at the Assembly of the Russkiy Mir Foundation in 2015. The fact that the project is supported by the International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature (MAPRYAL) proves useful.
The three recent publications of the School are part of the MAPRYAL activity. The Forum is held under support of the Mayor’s office of Varna, the General Consulate of the RF I Varna, the Russian Cultural and Information Center in Sofia, and non-profit partnership named Bulgarian National Network of Teachers of the Russian Language and Culture (BNNTRLC). It should be underlined that the project is also supported by the national publishing house named AzBuki at the Ministry of Education and Science of Bulgaria that has been a mass-media partner of the International School in Varna for many years now. The participants of the school get to know about the activity of the AzBuki publishing house and a leading Bulgarian scientific journal dealing with their profession activity named Teaching Foreign Languages.
Over 400 specialists in the Russian language have improved their professional skills over 8 years the school exists. The leading European universities send their students to take part in the forum. The VFU has hosted participants from such countries as Belarus, Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, Kazakhstan, Kirgizia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Czechia, and Estonia.
The school traditionally joins theory and practice arranging both lectures given by leading specialists in the teaching of the Russian as a foreign language and seminars and wmaster-classes given by experienced teachers and scientists.
The scientific program meets the requirements of a new educational paradigm that focuses on the developmental, culture-congruent and personal-oriented teaching. It contributes to the development of new educational technologies and their implementation in the process of teaching Russian as a foreign language.
The key subject of the school is the use of innovations for teaching Russian as a foreign language which are used during the classes the school students attend.
The School’s competitive advantages that provide it with stable academic standing contribute to the interest to its activity among specialists in the Russian language and the participation of Bulgarian and foreign students at it. These advantages go as following:
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- It is the only school in Europe for young teachers dealing with teaching methods of the RAF.
- It works according to an urgent scientific program focused on the use of contemporary educational technologies in teaching of the Russian language.
- It engages leading Russian specialists whose textbooks are used by all specialists dealing with Russian all over the world into its activity.
- It provides its students with certificates that allow them to teach the Russian language at schools and universities in their countries and 400 of them, including 215 international students who work as Russian language teachers and lectures now, have already received the certificates.
- The course in the teaching methods is recognized by European university and students receive credit points for it.
- It is the only project implemented by a number of Russian Centers. We promote our experience among over 100 Russian Centers established in the world.
- The school was announced the project of the year of the Russkiy Mir Foundation in 2015.
The School lets young teachers exchange their experience, ideas and discoveries. It helps them find answers to difficult questions. It encourages them to present their interests and take part in scientific discussions. The School students discuss serious and urgent issues dealing not only with teaching Russian as a foreign language but also with linguistics, culturology and other cross-disciplinary problems, which contributes to their development as specialists and encourage them to apply creative methods of teaching in their activity.
