Teachers from across the country share their expectations for the Geography Teachers Forum at the National Centre RUSSIA
Teachers from a wide range of regions are arriving at the National Centre RUSSIA for the Forum of Geography Teachers and Students of Specialised Universities. For some, it is an opportunity to meet old friends and colleagues; for others, it is their first major professional forum. They are all united by the desire to discuss geography as a science that helps people better understand their country and those who live in it. The Forum is organised by the National Centre RUSSIA with the support of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Russian Geographical Society, the V. S. Lednev Institute for the Content and Methods of Education, and HSE University.
Yelena Bardysheva, a geography teacher from Tsivilsk in the Chuvash Republic, admits that the decision to travel to Moscow was an obvious one for her. She has been involved in projects run by the National Centre RUSSIA for several years and believes that such meetings create an atmosphere of trust and cooperation between regions.
"This is a forum that brings everyone together. In my view, geography is the most important science. We need to tell one another what is happening in different regions and share our achievements rather than focusing solely on problems," Yelena Bardysheva said.
According to her, trips, travel and face-to-face meetings help people see how much is positive and interesting in the country, and this is exactly what she wants to pass on to her pupils.
Тatyana Yankina, a geography teacher with 40 years of experience, travelled to the forum from the Astrakhan Region. Despite school examinations and graduation ceremonies, she immediately decided that she had to be in Moscow. For her, the forum is first and foremost a meeting of the professional community.
"As soon as I learnt that the forum would be held, my first thought was: I am going. It is an opportunity to meet colleagues not only from one region but from across Russia. I am very interested in learning about methods and techniques that can later be used in lessons," Tatyana Yankina said.
She emphasises that no technology can replace direct contact with a class: "The most important thing in a lesson is not the methods or techniques, but the children’s eyes, the pupils’ eyes. That comes first, at least in my view."
The younger generation of teachers also shared its perspective on the forum. Viktoria Yefanova, a third-year student and geography teacher at Lyceum No. 3 in Astrakhan, sees participation in the forum as an opportunity to join the professional community as an equal and learn about new teaching methods.
"I came to the forum to speak with colleagues, discover new ways of working with children and see how lessons are structured in other regions. Such meetings help us better understand the realities of schools across the country, establish communication between teachers and develop shared goals," Viktoria Yefanova shared.
The Forum of Geography Teachers and Students of Specialised Universities will be held at the National Centre RUSSIA on 25 June. The event is dedicated to the "Geography Lessons" exposition, which runs until 9 July. The forum will bring together more than 800 participants from all of the country’s federal districts, including schoolteachers, university lecturers, students, teaching methodology specialists, school heads and representatives of education authorities. It will serve as a platform for building a professional community in which experienced teachers and future specialists can communicate as equals. Generations will meet, new ideas and joint projects will emerge, and professional connections uniting geographical education across Russia will be formed.
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