Spiritual (Including Folklore) Culture As a Tool for Teaching the Russian Language in a Multicultural Environment: Practical Experience

Abstract

The article discusses the issues of improving the methodology of teaching the Russian language and the effectiveness of teaching the Russian language in a multicultural environment with the inclusion of elements of spiritual culture (including folklore) in educational institutions (humanitarian gymnasiums, high schools and institutions of higher education) of the Republic of Mari El. The authors demonstrate differences in the use of folklore in the main (class, out-of-class and out-of-school) activities of the experimental network institutions (Federal Institute for the Development of Education, Moscow) and the training workshop (‘Prosveshchenie’ Publishing House). It is concluded that projects aimed at socio-cultural adaptation, successful socialization and enculturation of Russian youth are of great importance from different angles, including the issue of harmonizing interpersonal and intercultural relations in modern Russian society. The authors’ experience (E. A. Plotnikova, M. N. Pirogova) in introducing certain units of Russian traditional culture into the study of the Russian language by foreign students also had certain positive reviews. It is obvious that at the initial stage of training, students should receive a certain linguistic minimum, including knowledge of the country’s culture, traditions, features of verbal and non-verbal communication, etc. Application of innovative educational technologies, including quests and competitions, gives good results in this case. Keywords: multicultural environment, spiritual culture, folklore culture, teaching the Russian language