The Implementation of the Project "Camp School-Garden" for Indigenous Peoples' Children of the North (Results of Monitoring in 2022)

Galyamov Artur Amirovich Scientific Associate, Ob-Ugric Institute of Applied Research and Development 628001, Russia, Khmao-Yugry avtonomnyi okrug, g. Khanty-Mansiisk, ul. Mira, 14A galyamov-artur@mail.ru Other publications by this author

IntroductionSince 2019, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra has been implementing a pilot project "Camp School-Garden" – a digital educational resource aimed at teaching children from among the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North (KMNS) living in places of traditional nature management using remote technologies based on the inclusion of parents in educational activities.

This project was supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO National Commission in the Russian Federation, letter No. 3009 dated 10.11.2020) ^[22].

This educational program contains four online courses for preschool children who study the material with the participation of parents, and in case of successful completion of the topic, they get access to the next lesson. Thus, thanks to the implementation of this project, it will be possible to combine family and traditional forms of education with the preservation of the usual way of life for children and their parents, and at the same time will contribute to the acquisition of skills necessary for schoolchildren in primary grades ^[9].

The first camp-garden school for preschoolers appeared in September 2020 in the village of Tugiyany, Beloyarsk district ("Yuri Vella Camp-garden School") ^[10]. In the Surgut district, in October 2020, the "Vont school" (Forest School) began its work on the basis of the Russian secondary school ^[9], and then there was a camp-garden school in the ancestral land of Khanty Klim Kanterov – "A Children's fairy Tale" ^[8], and a camp-garden school in Kayukovo yurts – "Ai pupeli" on the basis of the kindergarten "Bear" (Ugut village) ^[4]. At the moment, there are six camp schools in Yugra, in which 30 children from three to seven years old study remotely ^[5].

The purpose of this work is to identify the level of conditions for the development of a new form of preschool education by children from among the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North living in remote territories who are unable to attend a preschool educational institution using remote information and educational technologies based on the inclusion of parents in educational activities. Preliminary monitoring results should contribute to identifying the needs for the implementation of the pilot project "Camp School-garden", as well as its further expansion and development within the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra.

The subject of the study is the problem of actualization of new forms of preschool education in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Yugra, associated with the use of remote information and educational technologies.

The theoretical and methodological basis of the research was the works of Russian teachers and sociologists devoted to the problems of ethno-cultural education ^{[1, 2, 3, 6, 14, 17]}. The main problem of ethno-cultural education is "the problem of overcoming the alienation of a person from the cultural and historical heritage of his ethnic group" ^{[1, p. 106]}. Thus, some researchers define the current state of ethnic identity of children from among the indigenous small–numbered peoples of the North as "unstable" and "contradictory": on the one hand, there is a positive trend of sustained interest in their native ethno-cultural environment, on the other - the opposite trend of devaluation of native fishing activities, and the native language itself actually ceases to be used in everyday life. life ^{[3, p. 45]}. The latter fact is confirmed by modern works devoted to the functioning of native languages among the indigenous peoples of the North of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug of Yugra ^{[7, 16]}.

Thus, along with other channels of intergenerational "transmission of ethno-cultural information", an ethno-cultural school should become one of the main means in the process of "restoring the ethnic culture of the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North" ^{[3, p. 46]}. The implementation of the project "Camp School-garden" can, in turn, contribute to the mitigation of the revealed discrepancy between the forms of basic education and the peculiarities of life associated with traditional environmental management in remote areas through the systematic introduction of new information and educational technologies.

Issues related to the regional problems of ethnocultural education, namely, the study of the state of the native language and subjects of ethnocultural content in educational institutions of the Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra, identifying the needs of parents of schoolchildren from among the indigenous peoples of the North in ethnocultural subjects, the introduction of digital educational resources in the educational process are reflected in the works of S. H. Khaknazarov ^{[18, 19, 20, 21]}, V. A. Rudakova ^{[11, 12, 13]}, N. V. Tkachuk ^[15], etc. Ethnocultural education, according to S. H. Khaknazarov, should be considered as "a purposeful pedagogical process of introducing students to ethnic culture at the stages of preschool, general, additional and vocational education based on interaction with the family, cultural institutions and the media" ^{[18, p. 114]}. According to ethnosociological studies, the Ugra education system is built taking into account the specifics of the region, takes into account the ethnocultural traditions of the indigenous peoples of the North, and the schools themselves are responsible for the program content of subjects with an ethnocultural orientation (teaching the languages of the Khanty, Mansi and Nenets, literatures of the peoples of the North, regional history and geography) ^{[15, p. 51]}.

The following methods of collecting and processing primary sociological information were used: analysis, comparison and generalization of statistical data, standardized questionnaire survey, methods of computer and statistical processing of sociological information. The toolkit of this study – the questionnaire – contained 24 questions with multiple answers. Respondents had to choose only those that they considered the most acceptable. Statistical processing of primary sociological information was carried out using the "Vortex" program.

Discussion of monitoring results

The survey of respondents in the form of a questionnaire was conducted by employees of the Ob-Ugric Institute of Applied Research and Development during 2022. Respondents from educational institutions of four settlements of Beloyarsk and Surgut districts took part in the monitoring: "City of Childhood" (Lyantor), "Ryabinka Kindergarten" (Russkinskaya village), "Yu. Vella Camp School-garden" (S. P. Polnovat), "Medvezhonok Kindergarten" (S. Ugut). On the basis of these institutions, distance learning takes place for children from among the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North living in the territories of traditional nature management (TTP): Tugiyany village, "Forest school", "Children's fairy tale", Kayukovo yurts, etc.

As part of the monitoring, 21 respondents were interviewed - parents of students, of whom 57% were women. By ethnic composition, the absolute majority of respondents (100%) identified themselves as Khanty.

The survey data clearly showed the relevance of the implementation of the pilot project "Camp school-garden". This is indicated by some positive indicators, where the majority of respondents noted the following:

1. Timely receipt of information about tasks (95.2%).

2. Satisfaction with feedback from administrative staff and teachers of preschool educational institutions (100%).

3. Satisfaction with the information that the child did not pass the task or did not attend the lesson (100%).

4. The absence of problems in the child when performing tasks independently (71.4%).

5. Positive choice of children to continue studying under the project "Camp school-garden" (100%).

6. Satisfaction with the submission of material on the training project "Camp school-garden", implemented in remote conditions (85.7%). The remaining respondents noted partial satisfaction with the services (4.8%).

7. High assessment of the benevolence, politeness and attentiveness of preschool educational institution employees (100%).

8. Satisfaction with the quality of educational services (100%).

9. Respondents agree with the thesis that getting a child preschool education in traditional living conditions will positively affect the preservation of their native language, traditions and customs (95.2%). The project "Camp school-garden" contributes to the preservation of native languages, traditions and customs for children from among the KMNS (85.7%).

10. Respondents agree with the opinion that the project "Camp school-garden" will help children from among the KMNS to adapt to school more easily (90.5%).

11. All survey participants (100%) announced their further participation in the pilot project.

To the important question - "What problems can the project "Camp school-garden" solve for your family" - 90.5% of respondents chose the option "an opportunity for children and parents to be around during preschool age", 61.9% - "get a full preschool education for a child without separation from the family", 52.4% - "will solve the problem with the adaptation of the child at school" (each respondent could give several answers). These figures are consistent with the objectives set by the project of combining family and traditional forms of education with the preservation of a habitual way of life for children and parents from among the CMNS ^[9]. This is evidenced by the results of another questionnaire question "What can preschool education for your child under the project "Camp school-garden"?": 90.5% of respondents chose the option "acquires the skills necessary for schoolchildren in primary school", 57.1% - "get equal preschool education, as in a regular preschool institution", 42.9% - "it is easier to adapt to new conditions" (each respondent could give several answers).

Also, the majority of respondents (90.5%) noted the sufficiency of a four-hour daily online communication with a preschool teacher.It is necessary to mention other, less positive and also negative indicators that should be taken into account for the further implementation of the project.

1. Respondents' opinions on the level of organization of distance learning under the "Camp School-garden" project vary greatly: the majority of respondents noted it as "high" (57,1%), 19% - " average", 9.5% - very high, while "low" and "very low" levels were noted by 9.5% and 4.8%, respectively (Table 1). In our opinion, a more detailed development of tools is needed to clarify the causes of this phenomenon, which would include additional and clarifying questions.

  Table 1

What is your opinion about the level of organization of distance learning under the project "Camp school-garden"?Educational institution (or "Camp school-garden")