Participating as a Juror in the V International "Best Russian School Abroad" Contest
On December 4, 2025, Evgenia Andreevna Smolovskaya, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Russian as a Foreign Language, took part in the jury of the 5th International Contest "The Best Russian School Abroad" (organized by the Center for International Cooperation of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation). In 2025, applicants from 36 countries submitted their entries. For the first time, the final was held in an in-person format, with participants including teachers and school teams from Abkhazia, Vietnam, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Ecuador.
Evgenia Andreevna Smolovskaya
Senior Lecturer at the Department of Russian as a Foreign Language
A showcase of achievements by teaching teams from Russian schools around the world took place at a school in Moscow. The event brought together participants from Ecuador, Turkey, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, who presented their developments in the field of teaching Russian. The contest was held in three categories: "International Teacher" (4 individual subcategories), "Best Teaching Team of a Russian School," and "The Victory Banner in the Teacher's Hands" (dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory in the Great Patriotic War).
The first stage involved open lessons or presentations of methodological achievements. In the "Victory Banner" category, most participants (representatives from Ecuador, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan) focused on their experience in conducting thematic lessons for Victory Day. A team from Thailand presented an interactive textbook on Russian as a Foreign Language, based on a comparative analysis of the cultural traditions of Russia and Thailand. Through simple game-based tasks, children compare two countries — from flags and holidays to cuisine and wildlife. Despite its modest size, the book fills an important gap in educational literature and has already received warm feedback from young readers.
In the "Best Teaching Team of a Russian School" category, a project from Kyrgyzstan received special attention. The teachers successfully implemented an interdisciplinary approach, integrating historical themes not only into the humanities but also into the science curriculum. In particular, they presented a well-developed biology lesson plan focused on military field medicine, sanitation, and the operation of hospitals during the Great Patriotic War.
The second stage of the professional review took the form of individual problem-solving sessions on pedagogical cases. Participants analyzed various situations related to student psychology and academic performance (e.g., overcoming stage fright or a sharp drop in grades). They were given two minutes to prepare their responses. The evaluation was conducted by a panel of six experts according to pre-established, detailed criteria.
This contest was not just a competition but a confirmation that, anywhere in the world, a Russian school remains a place of strength, where professionalism and creativity help overcome any linguistic and cultural barriers.