Multi-Culturaltraining Of Future Preschool Teachers (Case- Study: Kazan Federal University)

Abstract

The topicality of the problem under study is conditioned by the fact that the multi-culturaltraining of future preschool teachers is an important stage in laying the foundations of cross-cultural communication, tolerance, professionally significant cross-cultural competence, and respect for ethnic minorities. In this regard, the article is aimed at developing the multi-culturaltraining of future preschool teachers. The article reveals the importance of the multi-culturaltraining of future preschool teachers through the prism of university education. Multi-culturaltraining is an integral part of modern life. As a result, with the help of the pedagogical technology of multi-culturaltraining of future preschool teachers, a positive perception of the environment is formed. Accordingly, critical thinking develops, which plays an important role in the formation of the student as an independently developing preschool teacher. The work on the development of cross-cultural competencies contributes to the development of alternative thinking in society as opposed to conventional judgments. With such work, the student's civil position is consolidated, the need to learn foreign languages is formed, the foundations of a "new" teacher are laid, considering the needs of the society. As a result of experimental research, the levels of development of cross-cultural competencies of future preschool teachers are given. The materials of the article can be useful for preschool educational organizations staff, children psychologists, teachers of preschool pedagogics and psychology, as well as for a wide range of readers.

Keywords: Future preschool teachersmulti-cultural trainingprofessional competenceshigher professional educationethno-culturetolerant personality

Introduction

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced its global development of the concept of promoting the values and ideals of a culture of peace in the society, promoting cross-cultural communication, building tolerance among young people, and international cooperation (Valeeva, Kalimullin, 2016).

And this is not accidental, because a worthy and successful development of the state depends on the next generation. The International Education Commission, and the United Nations pursue a similar goal. The documents they provide refer to global strategies in education, science, research, that it is necessary to learn how to transform the existing relationships, strengthen them, and learn how to establish new ones (Zakirova & Purik, 2016).

Higher education is a powerful tool for creating a supportive democratic society and a humane environment, an obvious way out of the crisis of inter-ethnic conflicts, and a means of establishing contacts with representatives of various ethnic groups and cultures (Koletvinova, 2016). Pedagogics of the multi-cultural training of future preschool teachers in the university should become the paramount condition for democratization of the process of education and training.

The success of the future preschool teacher is based on the ability to form a culture of peace largely depending on the level of his cross-cultural and professional competence. At the same time, the level of cross-cultural competence and the process of its development are related to the personal characteristics of the society (Zakirova & Kamalova, 2016).

Problem Statement

Multi-cultural training of future preschool teachers predetermines values ​​in training and education, raising the best features of a person on the pedestal for them to be sought after. The individual differences and unique identities of national and ethnic minorities need to be supported. Multiculturalism enters a multi-cultural space with different variations and perspectives for the development of future teachers of children, organizing an integral national concept and practice of the upbringing and education of the student and youth (Gabdulchakov et al., 2015).

The pedagogical policy of the university in the conditions of ethno-cultural diversity is to contribute to the training of future preschool teachers to the reality existing outside the university (Sabirova et al., 2016). Such a policy will contribute not only to multi-cultural training, but will also carry out an intermediary mission between representatives of various ethnic groups. The state can help in the development of national identity, however, instilling respect for all the cultures or, on the contrary, to encourage nationalism and xenophobia falls within the walls of the university, which then ‘transfer’ knowledge to the children's environment through the training of pre-school teachers (Bashinova, & Garifullina, 2017).

The cross-cultural activity of the educator in preschool educational institutions is to give the pupils and their parents a strong belief in strengthening the integral and cultural diversity of the society. This idea seems quite relevant in the multinational Russian Federation. As economic and political integration is under way, a great importance is placed on the preservation of national identity in the training of future teachers of preschool education. The globalization of the XXI century has aggravated the problem of achieving a balance between national cultural and educational traditions, and university multi-cultural education.

Under these conditions of the modern world, the multi-culturaltraining of future preschool teachers is to provide for ethnocultural diversity and become a means of developing ethnic minorities, the incorporation of their values into the national practice of the university and thereby solving the pressing problems of pedagogics and university policy. Democratization of multi-culturaltraining cannot be observed without considering the ethnic diversity (Garifullina, & Bashinova, 2017).

Research Questions

In the course of our research conducted with our students we aimed to focus on the following objectives:

  • to assess students’ level of understanding of the universality and national and cultural peculiarities of the linguistic picture of the world;

  • to assess students’ communication skills and the ability to use them when solving problems related to cross-cultural communication;

  • to assess the ability of students to consciously apply the knowledge gained in a multi-ethnic educational environment;

  • to assess the ability of students to interpret the features of communicative behavior of representatives of different ethnic groups on the basis of cross-cultural studies;

  • to study the state of problems of cross-cultural communication and provide an assessment of the state of knowledge and skills in this field;

  • to use theoretical and empirical knowledge in the field of cross-cultural communication for the development and application of original ideas in project activities.

Purpose of the Study

To achieve the best results on the implementation of multi-cultural training for future educators to work in preschool educational institutions, we divided it into the following stages:

  • adaptation and diagnostics – informing future teachers about the essence, structure, and nature of multi-cultural training and diagnosing their individual psychological and national-regional characteristics, manifested in communicative interaction

  • motivation – developing the interest in multi-cultural training, the activation of knowledge about the professionally significant integrative qualities of a multi-cultural personality, the actualization of the axiological component of cross-cultural interaction;

  • contents – implementation of the technology of multi-cultural training on the basis of the following principles: the communicative orientation and activity of future teachers to work in preschool multi-cultural environment for communication, relevance of the subject-matter of communication, the representation of subjective positions of interlocutors in the internal psychological and outer-speech plan;

  • execution – the implementation of knowledge and skills by future teachers in professional activities acquired within the framework of multi-cultural training.

  • Creativity – independent creative use of cross-cultural competences in their own educational activity.

Such a phased approach has a beneficial effect on building the general understanding and knowledge of students; creative processes are activated, new skills and techniques are acquired to contribute to the development of a competent, multifaceted personality.

Research Methods

In the course of our research various tests, methods and techniques were used, such as systematic analysis of research literature, analysis of basic curricula of the professional disciplines block; methods of pedagogical sociology (questioning, interviewing, peer review); methods of mathematical statistics, and later, techniques that have made it possible to approach cross-cultural training at the university ( Green Map, Saw, Aquarium, etc.)

In Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, at the Institute of Psychology and Education, a research was carried out on the author's program Theory and Practice of University Multi-cultural Training of Future Preschool Teachers .

Findings

The structure and content of the multi-cultural training of future preschool teachers.

The aim of our study was to improve the multi-cultural training of future preschool teachers.

From the diagram below, it can be concluded that a systematic sequential algorithm for the ‘inclusion’ of various technologies and techniques does not only foster the formation of certain professionally important competences, but also demonstrates high results among future educators for the multi-cultural preschool environment.

Figure 1: Figure 01. Research Results.
Figure 01. Research Results.
See Full Size >
Table 1 -
See Full Size >

Conclusion

The cross-cultural educational space unites all subjects of the educational process in practice to the organization of children: educational staff (administration, educators, psychologists, medical staff) and children of different ethnic groups, such as migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons, and the indigenous population. This supposes positive interaction of subjects of various cultural identities based on acceptance and respectful attitude to national and individual cultures.

This space is a social and educational environment that reflects certain indicators of cultural diversity, which forms the process of the natural socio-cultural interaction of its participants. The environment is aimed at meeting the needs of future educators with the support of cultural and ethnic groups, and individuals that contribute to the establishment of cross-cultural dialogue. Moreover, there is a mapping in the need for assistance to those who are disadvantaged in terms of educational accessibility and information availability, while helping to adapt in a cross-cultural environment.

Multi-cultural education is able to develop respect and dignity among pre-schoolers, equipping them with the necessary knowledge and harmonizing cross-ethnic relations in today's multi-cultural world. However, there is a limitation of this stage, which consists in the fact that it does not make a deep insight into the economic, political and social structures, which in turn can generate class, ethnic and gender discrimination.

The multi-cultural training of future preschool teachers is designed to correct dominant national ideals, values, national stereotypes and prejudices, and to equalize them by erecting a vast array of ethnic training and educational systems and meeting the cultural needs of national minorities (Banks, 2004).

Many aspects of the multi-cultural training of future preschool teachers remain uncharted: the specification of educational results, considering the national and regional conditions of various regions of the Russian Federation, the methodological tools for diagnosing educational results, and the correlation of labour functions, actions and competencies. This will constitute the prospect of our further research.

Acknowledgments

The work is performed according to the Russian Government Program of Competitive Growth of Kazan Federal University.

References

  1. Banks, J.A. (2004). Cross-cultural Education: Historical Development, Dimension, and Practice. Handbook of Research on Cross-cultural Education. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
  2. Gabdulchakov, V. F. (2015). The technology of activation of theoretical and creative thinking of bilingual students. Review of European Studies, 7(5), 72-78.
  3. Sabirova, E. G., Zakirova, V. G., & Masalimova, A. R. (2016). Development of Junior Pupils Research Skills in Interrelation with Universal Learning Activities. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 11(4), 505-514.
  4. Valeeva, R. A., & Kalimullin, A. M. (2016). Effects of Parent-Child Relationship on the Primary School Children's Non-Violence Position Formation. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 11(13), 6178-6184.
  5. Zakirova, V. G., & Purik, E. E. (2016). Creative Environment Formation in Design Professional Training. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 11(9), 2323-2332.
  6. Zakirova, V. G., & Kamalova, L. A. (2016). Methods of Work with Pupils-Immigrants at Russian Language Lessons in Primary School. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 11(14), 6357-6372.

Copyright information

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

About this article

Publication Date

31 August 2017

eBook ISBN

978-1-80296-028-0

Publisher

Future Academy

Volume

29

Print ISBN (optional)

-

Edition Number

1st Edition

Pages

1-960

Subjects

Teacher, teacher training, teaching skills, teaching techniques

Cite this article as:

Maratovna, G. A., & Nicolaevna, B. S. (2017). Multi-Culturaltraining Of Future Preschool Teachers (Case- Study: Kazan Federal University). In R. Valeeva (Ed.), Teacher Education - IFTE 2017, vol 29. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences (pp. 224-231). Future Academy. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2017.08.02.27