TEACHING CHILDREN OF MIGRANTS IN RUSSIAN SCHOOLS: PROBLEMS AND THE WAYS TO SOLVE THEM

The relevance of the proposed topic is based on the increase in migration activities, including educational migration. Migration flows have both quantitative and qualitative characteristics; there is an increase in family migration which requires employment of adults and teaching of their children in various educational institutions. Taking into account a complex demographic situation which affects the number of potential entrants, international educational migration can be regarded as an intellectual potential of the host country. The initial instruction of migrant children for continuing their education in Russia within the school-university scheme is especially significant. The purpose of the present research is to identify the problems that arise in the education of migrant children. The novelty of the research lies in studying the problems of language, social and cultural adaptation of school and university students in a new cultural environment. A survey of school teachers in Yekaterinburg was conducted to bring out the problems of teaching migrant children; its results were statistically processed. The survey allowed identifying the most significant problems: insufficient knowledge of the Russian language and national Russian traditions which lead to psychological and behavioral problems. The results of the research confirm the long-term observations of teachers; they help to determine the degree of their own readiness to work in polyethnic schools and find some ways of supporting both teachers and migrant children. We have formulated some conclusions concerning insufficiently developed methodology of teaching migrant children and worked out some recommendations both for children and their parents aimed at successful adaptation in new surroundings. The conclusion is made that teachers should be specially trained for working with migrant children. The research stresses the need for interdisciplinary, first of all, humanitarian approach to the problem under study.