Perception of Innovations by Primary Education Teachers: Case Study of Bilingual Classes in Moscow and Moscow Region

Abstract

The article considers the balance of tradition and innovation as forms of cultural dynamics using the example of education. The review of scientific publications published in 2020-2021 has found that the research interest in the topic is characteristic both of Russianand Spanish-speaking authors, which allows us to refer to international experience, mainly Spanish, for comparison. In this research the authors focus on the project of bilingual classes in primary schools in Moscow and Moscow region. The idea of bilingual education is that educational material is presented in two languages, yet the language pairs can vary: official and minority, official and migrant, official and foreign languages. In the context of the case study, teachers of primary education constitute the most promising group due to the structural features of this level. The system in which one teacher is responsible for most of the subjects allows the project to be implemented gradually without involving a large number of pedagogical staff. At the same time, a teacher of a bilingual class has an opportunity to develop an independent teaching strategy, demonstrating a high level of methodological freedom. The survey among the teachers found that while there is a demand for counseling on their part, they are motivated and receptive to innovations.