The distance format in education has recently caused lively debate among teachers and ordinary citizens. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were many complaints about it, and the very mention of it turned into a public irritant. However, according to experts, online classes have still become an integral part of the teaching process, and in some situations, such as when teaching children of compatriots abroad, distance learning is simply irreplaceable.
Against the background of the geopolitical crisis of 2022-2023, the problem of obtaining an education for Russian-speaking children who, for various reasons, live outside the borders of Russia has sharply worsened. Latvia has already begun to completely translate education in the republic into the Latvian language, and the Estonian authorities have planned similar measures. Russians found themelves under an almost complete ban in Ukraine. In Finland, educational institutions with in-depth study of the Russian language have become objects of bullying. The situation is also questionable on this matter in neighboring Kazakhstan.
Need to learn
At the same time, the very need to educate children abroad in Russian has not gone away. After unfriendly countries physically pushed Russian-language education out of their territory, the need arose to promote alternative formats. Experts see the use of digital technologies as the optimal way out of this situation. However, this process has its own nuances, without which the effectiveness of the teaching process may drop sharply.
The online format began to spread on the Russian educational market back in the 2000s. Following individual programs, what experts call entire ecosystems have emerged – full-fledged schools with state accreditation, official certificates and classes. Among the oldest general education online portals is Internet Lesson, founded in 2009. Today it has several dozen well-known competitors at the federal level. Some of them, judging by the information on their official websites, are already actively learning to work with foreign students. For example, the website of the BIT online school states that children from 36 countries study there.
Studying at leading private, distance learning institutions is not too cheap. The cost of a month of full-time classes fluctuates around 20-25 thousand rubles. At the same time, judging by the comments of parents, additional costs often arise as training progresses.
And in general, reviews of domestic private Internet training are contradictory. Most ratings on popular review platforms are either five or one stars. The highest scores are given by those who praise distance learning institutions for flexible schedules, the opportunity to study in comfortable conditions and the absence of the need to waste time on various social events. According to those dissatisfied, there is no adequate feedback in online schools, teachers are not responsible for specific classes, there is no individual approach to children, and they are forced to search for a significant part of the material on their own on the Internet. As a result, in the same educational institutions, some happily report about successfully passing the Unified State examinations, while others dissatisfiedly return to offline education.
Epidemic and geopolitics
Until a certain point, remote control was a purely private issue. Parents tried this format, and if it didn’t suit them in some way, they simply abandoned it. Both Russians and compatriots living abroad in most cases had alternatives in real life.
The first blow to free choice in this area was the COVID-19 pandemic. Regular schools had to urgently master the distance learning format, and the state began to bring network platforms specializing in organizing certifications into the educational process. According to the results of opinion polls, approximately half of the parents were dissatisfied with this activity.
Not having time to recover from the pandemic shock, domestic education was faced with a new challenge – the elimination of Russian-language education in unfriendly countries. The creation of a system for remote knowledge acquisition has become a strategically significant element of Russian “soft power”. It has become dangerous to leave it to private owners.
“At the forefront” was the online school organized back in 2018 at St. Petersburg State University. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, this year it received the right to issue state certificates. It received about 300 applications from 44 countries.
“About Russia Gazette” correspondent contacted the university to find out how online acclimatization of students was going, but university representatives, unfortunately, did not find time to talk.
Perhaps the only chance
In any case, the government already has a backlog of support for online education of children of compatriots. Following St. Petersburg, the authorities of the Pskov region also thought about creating a similar training center. The whole question is whether the state will be able to overcome the “childhood diseases” of distance learning that emerged during the pandemic in private educational institutions.
– We understand that the online format will not be able to fully reproduce all the capabilities of full-time education. But if there are no other options, in particular, if the child lives abroad with his family, studying via the Internet may be the only chance to receive an education in Russian. In such circumstances, there is no longer any choice, ” said Konstantin Derevyanko, member of the Russian Presidential Council and head of the Gramota.ru portal, in a conversation with a “About Russia Gazette” correspondent .
According to him, it is important to understand that in this case, it is also necessary to look for ways to immerse children in a language environment – through holiday camps, summer schools, clubs. This is necessary to consolidate knowledge and apply them to both the Russian language and the general education program as a whole.
– Children need practical training. We must also remember that studying at school is not only the acquisition of knowledge, but also the process of socialization of the child. Online will remain with us forever, so we need to look for the most effective forms of working remotely. In the near future, Russian language distance learning services will be introduced on the Gramota.ru portal. The program is designed both for children living abroad and for migrant families who come to Russia, the expert said.
In his opinion, the most effective will be those distance programs that include elements of face-to-face classes. We need to strive to ensure that online is organically woven into the overall preparation process.
Don’t be afraid of distance learning
Fears associated with the introduction of distance learning are exaggerated, and the state will succeed, believes the head of the department of political analysis and socio-psychological processes of the Plekhanov Russian Economic University, Doctor of Political Sciences Andrey Koshkin .
– Now there is a certain “fear” about the remote format, associated with the negative experience gained during the pandemic. But this is under no circumstances acceptable. The first pancake, as you know, is always lumpy (Russian proverb). Online is our future, and we cannot hide from it,” the expert said.
He believes that the main problems of distance learning are motivation and lack of concentration among students. But you can successfully fight them if you have the desire.
– When a person sits not in a classroom, but at home in front of a computer, he often has a desire to relax and go, for example, to the kitchen to put on the kettle. It’s just that some teachers of the old school recite the material in an even voice for 45 minutes or an hour and a half. This doesn’t work online!
It has been verified that the concentration of the audience via the Internet is enough for a maximum of 20 minutes, then you need to move on to the interactive – questions, tasks, tell a joke, in the end. Again, you need to correctly explain to students why they need this at all. Hiding your head in the sand is unacceptable.
Digital technologies create unique opportunities in the field of education; they remove boundaries. At one time in Europe, factories were broken by those who did not want to keep up with the times. And who was right in the end?
I’m sure the first scare will pass soon. And working with the children of our compatriots will be the first big step towards new educational technologies,” Koshkin concluded.
In any case, today’s distance education in Russian is turning into another, very powerful tool for counteracting the “cancel culture” that dominates the modern world. A tool for broadcasting Russian culture, language, science. And a replacement for it has not yet been invented.
Svyatoslav Knyazev