The 10 Best Schools in Russia 2020. by The Knowledge Review

EDITORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NOTE

RUSSIA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; BOLSTERING ITSELF AS AN EDUCATION HUB

he Russian Federation, or Russia, is home to nearly 150 million citizens and boasts of a literacy rate of nearly 99%. Compared to other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, Russia has one of the smallest class-sizes and shortest instruction-hours per year. General Education System comprises of pre-school education, primary general, basic general, and secondary general education. The Professional education system covers vocational education, non-university level higher education, universitylevel higher education, and postgraduate education including doctoral study programs. In short, the country offers several opportunities for students to study and pursue their interests. This opportunity is not just limited to the citizens but also for international students who look forward to some international exposure. A foreign country usually offers not

just formal education but a chance to learn about a new system, new culture, and broaden the student’s global perspective. As per a report by UNESCO in 2014, Russia was the 6th most-popular destination for international students and it has been rising the charts. Smooth admission process, affordable fee structure as compared to other EU countries and availability of courses in the English language are few factors responsible for the growing popularity. The presence of prestigious institutes such as Lomonosov Moscow State University and SaintPetersburg State University and a low teacherstudent ratio that facilitates better communication and understanding are also contributing factors. The most popular courses are Aviation, Medicine Engineering, Nuclear Physics, and Journalism. The Russian Government also offers scholarships to foreign students based on their academic performance. For meritorious international students, nearly 15,000 scholarships known as 'state-funded spots’ are offered to applicants. In this edition of The Knowledge Review, we bring you “The 10 Best Schools In Russia 2020” that welcome students without worrying about their nationality and strive to educate them and turn them into responsible citizens of the world. On the Cover, we have The German School Moscow, the school of the German Embassy in

Moscow. It is a school characterized by modern, competent, and student-oriented teaching, which meets different learning requirements through targeted external and internal differentiation measures. We also present Britannia School, a school that caters to the children’s interest to encourage them to achieve their goals; Brookes Moscow International School, a school that encourages students to engage in the world and bring meaningful change; International school Alla Prima, which creates favourable conditions that ensure the development of the individual abilities of each student; and MAGIC CASTLE International School, which nurtures children’s innocence, mindfulness and sensitivity while instilling the most important human values and encouraging academic growth and discovery. We would also like to mention the International Preschool of St. Petersburg, English International School, Novaya Gumanitarnaya Shkola, Cambridge International School Skolkovo Campus, and Alexandre Dumas French School in Moscow for the unmatched effort that they put in the education sector. While ﬂipping the pages do take a glance at the articles penned by our in-house writers and fashion education experts. These articles will give an insight into the current trends of the industry. Happy Reading!

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Sneha Sinha

Cover Story

08 German School Moscow Providing an Excellent Level of German Education in Russia

Articles

Online Education

Quality Education

Building Community in an Online Classroom

Teacher-Student Interactions is the Key to Quality

C o n t e n t s

Brookes Moscow International School A Glorified Journey Towards Excellence

Helping Pupils unveil their Potential

Where the Love for Learning is Nurtured

Magic Castle International School & Talent Academy

Britannia School

International School ALLA PRIMA Developing Individuals of Tomorrow

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Cover Story

German School Moscow Providing an Excellent Level of German Education in Russia

ÂŠ Anna Stollenwerk / German School Moscow

here is always something fascinating about historical legacies. To peek behind years and observe all kinds of developments that have progressed till date. To take account of the environment, people, values, challenges, jobs, education of that time, and compare it to the present one. A sort of graph for us humans and the way we have evolved over the course of time. With such a thought, we begin our quest “The 10 Best Schools in Russia 2020” with the German School Moscow, an institute built amidst the reuniﬁcation of Germany as the school of the German Embassy in Moscow. Since the mid1990s, it has been named after the German-Russian physician, humanist and benefactor Friedrich Joseph Haass, the ‘holy doctor of Moscow.’ After the end of the Second World War and with the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union the Federal Republic of Germany (West) and the German Democratic Republic (East) established together with their Embassies in Moscow two German schools as part of the respective embassy.

Up to the reuniﬁcation of Germany, one of them was a small “West

German” school in the city center, with approximately hundred children. The other, a ﬁve times larger, “East German” embassy school, was located on a vast campus in the Southwest of Moscow, right next to the Diplomatic Residential Compound of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The residential complex, called “the German village”, has a capacity for more than 400 families and accommodated not only embassy staff, but also trade envoys, scientists, military specialists as well as teachers and kindergarten nurses from East Germany.

After years of highly politicized school ceremonies, communist youth organizations, and a rather authoritarian pedagogic philosophy, the former East German students had to get accustomed to the approach of new West German teachers, fostering skills like selfdetermination, democratic participation, critical analysis and open debates on eye level. In November 2019 former headmasters, teachers and © Archive of German School Moscow students reported about these fascinating With the German uniﬁcation, the transition times during a “30 years GDR ceased to exist and so did the Wall Fall” alumni weekend, which East German embassy alongside its included several workshops, panel y school. Consequently, discussions, sightseeing tours as multiple organizational, well as a “Fall of the Wall Party”. pedagogical, and ﬁnancial questions arose – and were solved by merging the two schools. Not an easy task, though. Two separate faculties had to be formed into a single working team and the West German curricula and graduation ‘Deutsche Abiturprüfung’ had to be implemented by the new © Anna Ovanesova / German School Moscow German School Moscow within a few months.

Today, an original piece of Berlin Wall stands at the entrance of the school, reminding us of those historical events 30 years ago. Within this legacy, over the years, visiting alumni testify the pedagogical and infrastructural changes.

and financial management of its The main language embassy school to a non-profit throughout all organisation, the German School departments is German and Kindergarten Association and its age adequate Moscow, whilst providing the legal mastery is the main framework for its operation. prerequisite for admission. Hence it is no surprise that many children with a Russian background enter the © Sabine Erlhage / German School Moscow kindergarten at a very young age and stay in the school up to the Still today, the school comprises a high school leaving diploma, the rather unique set-up with a general entry credentials for kindergarten, an elementary school © Anna Ovanesova / German School Moscow German Universities. Many of with an attached day care center, them actively contribute to the and a secondary school with a large school’s musical or sportive youth club. The diverse school Since 2017 Stephan Fittkau, a activities for more 15 years. community strives to provide a safe long-serving German and welcoming place for individual expat in Russia, serves as learning and development of the chairman of the children of German Embassy board and contributes employees and international the necessary level of companies, as well as entrepreneurs leadership, stability and and small business owners of control during German, Russian, or other origins. challenging times. The The German embassy school’s vast daily operations of all and green territory falls under the pedagogic and Vienna convention for diplomatic processes are overseen relations of 1961 and so does the © Evgenij Kondakov / German School Moscow by the headmaster adjacent residential complex. This Uwe Beck (OStD) proximity and safety make it while all non-pedagogic possible that even first graders can A Robust Management support departments are go to school on their own, a rare headed by Markus Mayer privilege in many German cities and In 1961 the West German Embassy (MBA) in his function as not surely not to be expected in handed over the daily operational managing director. Europe’s largest metropolis.

management of a team of 55 teachers from Germany, the number one priority of Mr. Beck is the annual recruitment of qualiﬁed and motivated replacements of departing teachers. The combination of excellent working conditions, an exciting metropolis and attractive conditions result in a low turnover. German School Moscow has repeatedly won numerous awards for its excellence and it enjoys a great reputation within the international network of German embassies and schools abroad. © Anna Stollenwerk / German School Moscow

Both Mr. Beck and Mr. Mayer started in summer 2015. Due to a combination of lower economic growth numbers, a wide range of economic sanctions, and a ruble devaluation, the total number of students and kindergarten children had dropped from 600 to an alltime low of 470. Five years later the numbers have recovered to a total of over 535. It was the combined efforts of the school’s board, the pedagocical staff and the operational management team, which resulted in signiﬁcant progress over the past ﬁve years.

background and make the school less dependent on the shrinking numbers of the German expatriates in Moscow. © Sabine Erlhage / German School MoscowⅠ

Priorities in the pedagogical area In the pedagogical area early childhood language acquisition was actively fostered in the kindergarten by increasing the number of educators to 30, resulting in 4,5 children per educator. Furthermore individual tutoring programs and team teaching was implemented in the elementary school. Both initiatives facilitate the smooth integration of the rising numbers of children with Russian language

In the secondary school the focus was placed on internal differentiation and individualized support in key subjects as German, English and Mathematics, as well as quality management and digitalization. Besides the daily

Modernization of infrastructure In order to further modernize the school, a state-of-the-art natural science cluster, a brand new school cafeteria and kitchen were built

during the summer holidays 2017 and 2018. Furthermore between 2017 and 2019 a formerly unused “technical basement” was transformed into more than 2.000 square meters of multifunctional space underneath the school and kindergarten buildings. By doing so an entire ﬂoor was added, providing space for a youth club, band rehearsal room, multifunctional workshops and playrooms as well as storage and social space.

And most importantly, after successful course completion, graduates enjoy Deutsche © Anna Ovanesova / German School Moscow International Abitur Prüfung (DIAP), an internationally accepted A Comprehensive and renowned school leaving Curriculum qualification (certificate). They get opportunities to study in Germany, Based on the curriculum of Europe or many other countries, the Federal state of including Russia. Thuringia, the dual© Anna Stollenwerk / German School Moscow track German School Moscow with 12 to 22 German School Sankt Petersburg children per class, offers three distinct levels of graduations: Under the leadership of the board’s chairman Mr. Stephan Fittkau and • Gymnasial-Reife: The thanks to a team of highly possibility to move from dedicated embassy, consulate and the elementary school into legal specialists, the School secondary modern school Associations General Assembly or high school after year 4 changed its statutes in December • Mittlerer Schulabschluss: © Sabine Erlhage / German School Moscow 2019 to enable the integration of The intermediate school the German School and leaving certificate (O Kindergarten in Sankt Petersburg grade) upon completion of “Hurry, to do good” into one Board for Russia, as a year 10 second, independent department. • Deutsches Internationales Through the above curriculum, The school of the German Abitur: High school graduation German School Moscow plays a Consulate-General in Sankt upon completion of year 12 vital role in the intellectual life Petersburg was founded in 2009 of the German-speaking from scratch and is another community as well as in other Additionally, it offers multiple example for Russian-German ventures in German-Russian programs such as after-school cooperation. The branch currently culture. The school community workshops as well as sports has a total of 100 students and 40 takes pride in keeping alive the competitions and charity and children and offers the legacy of its namesake cultural activities, providing an “Gemischtsprachige International “Dr. Friedrich Joseph Haass” via appropriate environment according Baccalaureate” (GIB) as highest numerous charity projects and to its slogan to be “more than just a degree. events. school”.

Catherine the great, the famous tsarina of German origin, the joint ﬁght against Napoleon, the second world war or the German division, during the cold war, the history of Russia and Germany is closely related.

Born 240 years ago in Münstereifel, Germany, Haass dedicated his life to humanize Russia’s penal system and spent all his funds to run a hospital for homeless people. Twenty thousand people attended his funeral. During the past few years the street and a bus stop at the school have been renamed after the “Holy Doctor” and the Catholic Church has launched a beatification process. A vast amount of money is always donated to a good cause. One can really feel, that generations of students, teachers and parents live up to Dr. Haass slogan: “Hurry, to do good”. The school’s board also cares for students at a financial disadvantage, for example with: • Lower fees, due to generous personal and financial support of the German schools abroad by the German government as well as a lease free property

One of school’s landmark projects is called “Memory, Commemoration and Reconciliation” and is centered around the battle of Rshew, with more than 1 million dead and wounded on the Soviet and the German side. It brings students from Russia, Germany and the German school together. In 2016 the project even received international attention when the Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose daughters are alumni of the German School Moscow, paid a visit to the students.

• Substantial reduction for families with several children • Individual solutions for families facing temporary ﬁnancial challenges.

Social Skills Recognizing student’s development towards social and responsible © Maya Stephany-Daguzé / German School Moscow action as a central task, the school instills Intercultural Competence responsibilities and abilities to resolve conﬂicts between students. German School Moscow is aware of A specialty of the school is the being a guest in Russia and availability of two social workers and understands that the shared history a third social worker as youth club of the two countries is always a manager. They provide essential subject of study at the school. Be it

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support for pupils and teachers. Furthermore, welcoming of and fare-well to nearly 70 students each year is part of the annual school routine, as the embassy and expatriate parents change periodically. A very distinctive ‘welcoming and farewell’ ethos guarantees quick absorption, helped by the three social workers and engaged parents. The culture of reverence and consideration for others, and for the services at the school, shows profound regard for children and students in general, not just on an academic level.

More than Just a School As result of theinterwoven history of both countries, a © Sabine Erlhage / German School Moscow German school in Russia will Democratic values and always be more than “just a participation school”. Instead, it is a closely related community In fact, the German pedagogical and a cultural center for method, from kindergarten to students, teachers, ﬁnal examinations and graduate employees, as well as education, focuses strongly on parents with German, self-reliance, community effort, and democratic participation. Russian and other backgrounds. To ﬁnd the In German schools the relationship © Maya Stephany-Daguzé / German School Moscow unique combination between teachers and students or kindergarten nurses and children is of excellent education and rather dominated by mutual respect It is a privilege for us, at The intimacy within a metropolis and a partnership on eye-level. Knowledge Review, to bring forth a like Moscow comes as a Students, parents and teachers are historical legacy that is steadily n unexpected surprise to many organized in representation bodies sailing towards its vision of providing parents and teachers from and elections and debates are vital an excellent level of German Germany and from other part of the annual life. Education in Moscow. T R international locations.

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Britannia

School

Where the Love for Learning is Nurtured

f we ask you to recite the mathema cal table of two, you’d be able to do it with ease right? And that is so because it has been ins lled in us at an early age, and through its repe ve use, we are and will be able to use it throughout our lives. The said example is a rather basic one but presents itself as a piece of clear evidence that our early days of learning, set up the founda on for future years. Proper educa on in early childhood days assists the brain to grow and discover things in the best way possible. Couple all of this with the appropriate school, curriculum, and students’ relevant interests, and you will get yourself a lifelong learner. Britannia School recognizes this development and oﬀers quality educa on through a child centred approach, recent and relevant, and personalized learning. Nestled in the

green North-Western District of Moscow, the school is a tradi onal Bri sh Nursery and Primary school for children aged one to seven. One par cular trait to note about Britannia is that it is the only standalone Bri sh-owned and managed educa onal establishment in Moscow. Hence, it teaches with the oﬃcial Bri sh Early Years Founda on Stage (EYFS) and the English Na onal curriculum. These are the same curricula, which are prac sed for all Nursery and Primary schools in the UK. Britannia School is a fully licensed educa onal establishment and is in full compliance with all regulatory requirements. The school campus is located in a purpose built facility with its own expansive gated green outside space. The school is easily accessible by private or public transporta on.

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All Britannia School teachers and teaching assistants have teachers’ degrees from leading universi es. Hence, students at Britannia learn under competent, experienced, and all na vespeaking Bri sh teachers. Addi onally, a bilingual teaching assistant supports each class teacher. Britannia School also enjoys a diverse interna onal student body with students from Algeria, UK, Greece, Denmark, India, Serbia, Turkey, USA, South Korea, and Japan, amongst others. An Adept Principal An experienced Bri sh early years educator and psychologist, Mrs. Holly Roberts (MBPsS) founded the school in the year 2016. Prior to Britannia, Mrs. Roberts successfully launched early years departments for two large interna onal educa onal establishments in Moscow. She perceived that it was me to build her own Nursery and Primary School and provide quality Bri sh educa on to a broader community. And at present, Mrs. Roberts leads the school as Headteacher on the path of academic excellence. Alongside being the Principal, Mrs. Roberts is also the Founder and Owner of the school. This is another dis nct trait that sets Britannia apart from other schools. Hence, she gets to decide on every decision regarding the school. As such, the Principal hand-picks all the teaching staﬀ at the school. Being a lifelong educator, Mrs. Roberts personally checks lesson plans and caters to the overall quality of the educa onal services at Britannia School. The Headteacher also allocates me from her busy schedule to teach lessons at every year group to monitor each student’s progress. A Curriculum for Dis nc on As men oned previously, Britannia School implements a high-quality Bri sh Early Years

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curriculum. Consequently, the school prides itself on the quality of its academics. This setup is directly responsible for Britannia students who are able to excel and demonstrate superior results in standard UK tests. Out of the school’s doors, Britannia School graduates con nue their educa on at the leading interna onal and Russian schools in Moscow and overseas. The word of mouth and feedback reveals that the Britannia School graduates are, on average, a year ahead of their peers in academic achievements and behaviourally. Furthermore, Mrs. Roberts has introduced role-play elements in the Britannia School’s Primary curriculum to smoothen the

students’ transi on from the Early Years into Primary. Talking about the curriculum and performance metrics, she asserts, “Every student’s academic progress over his/her me at Britannia School is being tracked and documented in such student’s Profile. As a ma er of policy, we furnish students’ profiles to the parents of the Britannia School graduates upon their comple on of studies at our school.” Where Students Play and Learn By implemen ng the Bri sh Curriculum, and coupling it with role-play, the school engages li le students naturally. The con nuous provisioning concept has been extended to the outdoor space. Each classroom features a role play area that changes every week to reflect the topics being covered. It is equipped with the pavilions that are

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used by the students for role play. One day a pavilion may serve as a café; the next day, it is a supermarket or an auto repair shop. Britannia School’s outer side features a storytelling area, the Math area, and toy cars and helicopters. On top of that, each classroom features independent learning areas that address learning covered in the Early Years Founda on Stage curriculum. Furthermore, all classrooms are equipped with mini-sand boxes, mini-water trays, Math and arts, and cra s facili es, small world areas, and mini-libraries. The school has an extensive campus library of the English language books for children aged 1.5 to 7 years of age, where the books are carefully selected and match all topics covered in our fullme program and a er school clubs. The books displayed in the minilibraries are updated weekly to support the topic that is being taught in a par cular week.

school’s offering of the most compe ve tui on fee levels among all Bri sh and American educa onal establishments in Moscow. The tui on fees for the fullme Britannia School’s students is payable in five instalments, unlike other schools where the tui on is paid in terms or prepaid at the start of the academic year. Also, Britannia School is discussing financing op ons for the students through a collabora on with one of the largest Russian banks. The Road Ahead At present, Britannia School has established formal links with secondary and high schools where the graduates can con nue their educa on. For forthcoming years, Britannia School will be establishing rela onships with other schools interna onally. Visit britanniaschool.net to know more. T R

Educa on for All As a third dis nct trait, comes the

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eacher, Educator; the title itself conveys how big of a responsibility they hold towards children. From kindergarten to college, teachers are always striving to ensure that every student grows to be the best version of themselves. After years and years of classifying and changing the textbooks and the tests, we can conclude that teachers are the

Brookes Moscow International School A GloriďŹ ed Journey Towards Excellence

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most active ingredients in improving the knowledge and skills of any student. But how do teachers ensure that all the students are active participants in the lessons and also of their surroundings? Here comes the need for a positive teacher-student relation. A strong relationship is central to any learning process. To understand it better, let us dwell on the science of learning and development. When children experience closeness and consistency, the body releases Oxytocin and this hormone has many positive effects on the development of the brain. Thus, when a teacher thinks of building a relationship with a child, or is being nice to them, the child has an experience of attunement and trust and hence, ensuring responsiveness to learning from the child. Such teachers comprehend the need of being authentic and seek to understand their students. They make relationships, wherein students are free to learn, irrespective of how many times they

have failed. They shape an environment that fosters risk-taking and exploration that drives learning and thus children are educated to take risks when necessary and lead change. Understanding the same, the teachers at Brookes Moscow International School (BMIS) have cultivated a learning environment of excellence through a strong teacher-student relationship where the students’ development is anchored on the core pillars of compassion, humanity, superiority, and brilliance. Rethinking Education The belief, ‘today's learners are tomorrow's movers and shakers’ has been central to the philosophy of Brookes Moscow International School since its inception in 2018. Sought to provide world-leading education, BMIS is an emerging next-generation IB international school. Here, students are fostered to be self-conﬁdent and lifelong learners. A member of Brookes Education Group (BEG), a global family of IB schools with seven campuses around the world, values innovation and welcomes students into its interconnected educational network with faculties who bring learning to life and challenge students to unlock and discover their innate potential. Why Choose BMIS? This premier education provider has reﬁned every level of the IB curriculum, instilling in its students with curiosity and dedication needed to make sense of a complex world. BMIS helps students discover

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way any student builds selfconﬁdence, leadership skills, responsibility towards the community and become lifelong learners. What Enables BMIS’s Excellence? The reason why BMIS achieves its prime goal of the holistic development of students is because of its student-centric approach. As mentioned above, students here are at the centre of the learning process, and focusing on the belowmentioned values helps it offer premium quality education.

their passion, character, and understand their connection to others and society. The school also adopts and promotes creativity, and builds character to develop connections by delivering exceptional educational learning experiences. An Interactive Learning Space We have laid out BMIS’ goal and its purpose however, there lingers a question on how does the school achieve the aforesaid? The school achieves this by adhering to its mission statement; striving to use the environment as a tool and a canvas for learning and action. Hence, rather than structuring classrooms in a traditional lecture, question and answer format, the school uses innovative educational techniques and state-of-the-art facilities and creates an environment that fosters creativity, inquiry, critical thinking, leadership, and problem-solving skills. At BMIS, students are at the centre of a learning process and thus the faculties here support inquiry-

based learning. It is the only International Educational establishments in Moscow & Saint Petersburg offering the full IB Programme (PYP, MYP, DP). The faculties here understand that children learn better when engaged and are having fun. Thus, students are encouraged to take control of their own learning. The school’s focus on students taking control of their own education includes taking risks that encourage experiments, hypothesizing and analysing their ﬁndings, growing from failures, and learning again. This way they realize that they are on the curve of continuous growth and hence, there is always scope to learn more. This

• Valuing children and respecting their individuality • Appreciating and recognizing the uniqueness • Catering to every child's need • Encouraging and embracing

diversity • Providing a safe and growthcentric environment • Familiarizing students that learning is a lifelong process Amenities for All and One

We have already established that BMIS' focus on supporting ambitious, independent, and responsible global citizens is what sets it apart from other IB schools. Supporting the school in achieving the same is also its growth-centric facilities. These facilities include 2 swimming pools, martial arts hall, sports hall with viewing area, ballet studio, JULY | 2020

photography studio, design technology suites, 3 science laboratories, IT suites, libraries, running track, basketball courts, visual arts studios, performance hall, music suites, early years sports hall, kitchens on-site, full catering, parent cafe, lockable lockers, iPads and MacBooks for all pupils, garden area, cookery, and textile rooms. The school also has a canteen that serves food keeping in mind the dietary, allergy, and religious needs and provides Safe and secure school bus service (15+ routes) to meet transportation needs. Making History Despite being a new school, BMIS is a global study hub that acknowledges the relevance of an education that ďŹ&#x201A;exes the needs of this constantly changing world. Thus, its teaching practices will break through traditional techniques and go beyond the classroom walls into the avenue of (student's) physical, intellectual, and social development. T R

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ONLINE CLASSROOM

Building Community in an

Online Education

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e all know how important it is to create a positive community in the classroom. It leads our students to feel confident and comprehensive and teaches them empathy and many other social skills. In a healthy group, students know that failures are truthful and they work hard to learn from each other’s mistakes. We work hard to build a sense of belonging and pride that is generated from our participation in society from this first day of school. But how does that work in online teaching? Let’s find out. All on the same page If it is the first day of an online class, or whether you have switched from an old to an online course, schedule some fun activities to understand one another. This might be as simple as a wide Zoom meeting, or Google Hangout, where everyone takes a minute to introduce themselves. This section is vital for creating a group, ensuring that your students connect, even it is live in a video. Clear Lines of Communication Students must feel confident contacting teachers and know the best way to connecting them. If this is a completely new community of students, teachers can commence from each student by making telephone calls. This could be done briefly and via Google Hangout; the key here is to form a clear communication line which is transparent from both sides. Beyond this initial telephone, they can share a platform for communication; whether it is an e-mail, office times in open-conference video/call, or via a message board. Let the students know how they can contact their teachers and how easily they can expect a response. When these guidelines are defined, teachers must adhere to them. Consistency is the key here in building trust and culture. Two-Way Communication Meaningful learning should not rely on stagnant awareness and the repetition of anticipated answers. Students are eager to be on a research trip, and while the tutor of the student can definitely play a role in enlightening considerations and tools, they will be even more enthusiastic when they create shared information that is richer in complexities. That kind of engagement promotes social and emotional learning and motivation, which is in addition to this kind of engaging and informative learning. Teachers can form their paths and promote risk-taking

and audacity along the way. They can show that they appreciate the fascinating inputs of each participant. Team Building Activities Since these initial experiences don’t stop building your group. Maintain the energy of normal action. Teachers can introduce a ‘Student of the Week’ program in which a different student is exhibited and displayed every week. Teachers can also seek to give students the opportunity to share positive news frequently with the school. Again, teachers must ensure that they promote positive conversation and ask students to reply with polite, all the while encouraging words to each other’s message. Co-operative Learning Activities Even in an online environment, teachers can have their students engage in cooperative learning. It can be convenient for students to ask each other questions or for two students to collaborate on a report. Teachers can also put reading pairs with other readers with similar skills and promote weekly reviews. A somewhat more complicated alternative would be to set up study groups or book clubs that digitally meet to train themselves for analysis or discuss a popular novel. Teachers can ensure that students have the ability to work together and learn from each other while preparing their own lessons. Student-Teacher-Parent Interaction The final step in creating a healthy culture in the classroom is to include students’ families. Make sure that they are up-to-date and know how to get in touch with the educator. Teachers can share this information by emailing it weekly or by maintaining a platform that they update every week. Educators can also find it beneficial to survey the careers, interests, and passions of students via their parents. It is often found that a parent has an interest in a topic and teachers know students are intrigued by it and, as such, may invite parents to share their interests as special guests. Parents may also give a lesson on their professions to elder students or read to a younger child. Teachers must help them to appreciate their skills and to see them as a partner in the learning of their child. It will help create good relationships in the long-term. It is important for remote learning to build a sense of belonging and culture. The key thing is to promote a multi-channel learning environment so that students don’t feel alone and educators get a clear way of teaching. T R - Anmol Preet Singh JULY | 2020

International School ALLA PRIMA Developing Individuals of Tomorrow

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Likewise, we at The Knowledge Review feel much proud to present a school which not only understands but strives to live by the development of individuals. We bring forth International School ALLA PRIMA. Alla Prima commenced its journey on the 5th of July 1994 as one of the first private schools in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. For many who joins it for learning or teaching, it becomes a reliable warm home, where one can enjoy work, rest, holidays, but most importantly - good traditions. The school leads the educational sphere with the mission ‘to create favorable conditions for the development of individual abilities of each student, psychological comfort, and high creative potential for all types of activities.’ And at present, it offers a full range of educational programs from preschool department (for children of four-to-five years old), primary school and secondary education all the way to high school.

an you name one trait that sets you apart from others? We are pretty sure, yes, you can, and that thing alone can deﬁne your identity. However, this individuality doesn’t come to us. Yes, some are born with them but mostly they are nurtured and built within us via individual development. It is instilled in us, in our childhood days, right from the day we enter a school. A space that speaks well-being, success, security, and individual development.

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A Four-Pillar Robust Management Alla Prima soars with the wings built on the principles of self-management of the collective and one-person management. A four-level system that embraces the Director of the school, Deputy Directors for Educational Work, and methodological associations of teachers and students. The school Principal provides professional guidance and contributes to the school’s success and development in order to guarantee quality education for all students. She aligns the management and organization of the school with staying consistent with its goals and directions of development. Moving forward with the duties, she also provisions to the

school’s relationship with the outside community. Instances of such include other local schools, local departments of education management, higher educational institutions, employers, vocational guidance centers, amongst others. Working alongside the school administration, the Director focuses on

quality education, standards, and equal opportunities for everyone. The Director provides a vision of goals, the direction of development, and management of the school. She is also responsible for disciplining the field of education for the effective management, organization, and administration of the school. Built for Students In the beginning, we stated there is one factor that revolves around the Alla Prima’s center of educational work i.e., child. At Alla Prima, children hone to maximize their capabilities, talents, and abilities. Besides the collaboration with parents, teachers at Alla Prima have only one job; to contribute to every child’s individual development. Everything that Alla Prima does is to preserve individuality in students, help them to become educated, be confident with dignity, and respect the people around them and the world. As such, students experience numerous and diverse forms of academic work, discover their hobbies, have consultations, and sharpen their art at theater and vocal studios. The environment itself forms a comfortable psychological atmosphere. It provides quality education, nutrition, and medical care. Students learn valuable lessons under optimal conditions where they satisfy their ambitions. The school’s atmosphere enables students to witness the adult population treating them with respect. Not to mention, there is no hooliganism, no teenagers smoking and drinking, no school bullying, whatsoever at the school. Children, both younger and older, learn with joy, knowing there is no one to humiliate them. On the contrary, they are supported and helped. All-in-all, a small number of children in the class, a five-day school week, five intermediate vacations during the school year, a variety of extra-curricular forms of communication between children and adults make Alla Prima a right, modern, and exciting school. The Right Curriculum Alla Prima features an expanded curriculum. It goes from primary general education (duration of four years), secondary education (duration of five years), to high school (duration of two years), as well as additional educational programs for adaptation of young children to school life. It develops courses for preschool children and preparation of high school students for unified state exams. Furthermore, Alla Prima implements adapted educational programs for children with disabilities.

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In elementary school, students learn via in-depth aesthetic education where English is taught from the first grade, and they do vocals, draw, and perform on stage. Later, in middle school, the emphasis is shifted on a lot of research, design work. Without extinguishing students’ interests, it keeps their curiosity alive and assists them in choosing their relevant interests in the future. In high school, students onset on their educational route, depending on their desired career choice. As an accredited school, Alla Prima complies with all school standards and breaks only to expand them. Going the Extra Mile With the curriculum mentioned above, students get to spend a full day, complete homework, attend training courses, develop classes in drawing, painting, choreography, music, and sports amongst others. In addition to the basic studies, high school students obtain the opportunity to attend intensive courses in diverse subjects. While selecting, they can focus on the study of several foreign languages (English, French, Spanish), master the Russian language, mathematics, natural and social sciences. On the other hand, in the children’s center, classes take place for children of four-to-six years old, focused on the full development of the child and successful admission to the preparatory class. All the courses at Alla Prima clearly define educational goals that reflect the specifics of each subject. Out the School’s Doors With all the above programs, classes, and features, graduates come out with qualities such as mobility, sociability, and independence amongst others. Hence, they solve problems, make choices and bear the responsibility towards them, and master new knowledge. Graduates receive two certificates; a State and a European certificate on behalf of the quality of education from the International Education Society, London. As a result, graduates get the option of following higher studies not just in Russia but also abroad. Moving ahead, Alla Prima has a proud list of successful

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alumni with exceptional success stories. Many successful businessmen, doctors, teachers, designers, architects, artists, and musicians have graduated from the school. All of them are distinguished by having an open mind, aspiration, creativity, honest attitude towards businesses and people. Often times, graduates come to revisit the school and the teachers to share their experience with students via talks or interviews for the school newspaper. The school is most proud of those graduates who live in Rostov-on-Don and have brought back their children to the school for their studies. This trust reﬂects the quality of the education they have received and how they want it to continue with future generations. A Tailor-Made Future Retaining the said individuality to the core, Alla Prima will keep the school at the achieved level of quality of education. For the forthcoming years, the school plans to further embrace modern advancements in education to continue contributing to society. Alla Prima’s plan here is to educate and prepare young professionals to join the fastchanging world to advance the progress of humanity. Visit https://www.allaprima.ru/ to know more.

Teacher-Student

INTERACTIONS is the

KEYto

QUALITY

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Quality Education

eachers make innumerable real-time choices every day and facilitate dozens of interactions with their students. Although educators throughout the world share this commonality, they often talk in different ways about these decisions and interactions. Teacher-student interaction is the key to building positive classrooms that work, determining what teachers expect from students, and what the students expect from teachers. The interaction between teacher and student is a two-way road with pupils are connected to teachers and teachers to pupils. If a teacher builds on selfesteem and mutual respect in the classroom, the teachers develop positive relationships with students in their classrooms. Class Organization A class outlines ten teaching dimensions related to student performance and social development. Each of the ten dimensions belongs to three broad categories: emotional support, organizing classes, and support in training. The first, emotional support, is intended to assist children to build loving relationships, to appreciate and to encourage them to learn, to feel confident in class and to experience a degree of autonomy or independence. The source of emotional support is: Positive environment; The emotional interaction among teachers and students, alongside the nature of the relationships between the peers. Negative environment; Negativity of students and/or teachers in the classroom, for example, wrath, hostility and aggression; responsiveness to the response of instructors to the students’ academic needs. Sensitivity for instructors; Response to academic and emotional needs of students. Teacher’s perspective of the students; To the degree of emphasis on student’s interests, motivations, and points of view in the teacher interactions with students and in school activities. July | 2020

Classroom organization Classroom organization refers to ways that teachers help children develop their own behavioral skills, learn the most each day, and keep an eye on learning, including: Management of conduct; How well teachers monitor, prevent, and redirect misconduct. Productivity; How well a school works in terms of routines, how well students understand routines and the level of activities and guidelines provided by teachers so that maximum time can be spent in learning. Learning formats; How teachers engage students and facilitate activities to maximize learning opportunities. Training support Training support concerns ways of effectively supporting the cognitive development and linguistic growth of students by teachers, including: Conceptual development; How teachers use educational discussions and activities to promote students’ skills and knowledge as opposed to a focus on rote instruction. Feedback quality; How teachers increase participation and learning through student feedback. Modeling of language; The extent to which teachers promote the use of language by students. Teacher-Student Interactions The interaction between students and teachers can be summed up in: Children interacting individually with teachers: Pupils in the same classroom learn differently and predict just how well they will adapt to the schools in their individual attitudes. The positive feeling towards teachers among young children tends to improve academic and social performance and children are more successful in their classroom tasks and activities. There are many ways through which teachers can unlock and build upon the specific features and behaviors of children in order to promote their success. Content of instructional interactions: Well-organized instructional content can help teachers to interact with their students more efficiently. In contrast to rote learning, teachers can help, for example, to develop child thinking and analytical skills for a problem or project-based

activities. This kind of training can take place in the traditional academic arenas as well as in-direct social, emotional, and self-regulatory skills. Teacher capabilities: Teachers can interact with children with certain personal capabilities. The quality of classroom interactions has been improved by two capabilities. They are the ability of teachers to follow children’s indications and to regulate their own emotions and stress. A better understanding of these skills would help prepare and develop teachers. Leads Path to Quality Measurement The quality of the program is often determined by structural qualities, such as school day length, class size, and qualifications for personnel. For example, research has shown that class sizes above 20 are associated with poorer child outcomes. Sharing equipment from the playground to maintaining hygiene to the interactions between staff, children, and parents also generally measure quality through observation of different aspects. The research-based evidence clearly promotes quality definition in terms of teacher interaction between children’s classrooms instead of combining many types of features. Unique Effects on Learning and Development Different studies examined the various quality indicators, including structural elements, physically-based characteristics and teacher and peer interactions. These studies reiterated the fact that children that interact with teachers gain in a unique and positive manner. According to a study of more than 1,000 children, children whose lessons were more supportive and well managed showed a greater degree of social skills and fewer behavior problems. Another showed that interactions with teachers that foster language and cognition enhance the academic achievement of children. Leaving behind the academic success, knowing your students can improve behavior management in the classroom. Teachers who work with students as a mentor are more likely to develop behavior with social adequacy. If their teachers treat struggling students as bad or unintelligent, they are unlikely to change. However, these students are more than growing when teachers strive to care and help them. - Anmol Preet Singh JULY | 2020

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