Позитивные изменения. Образование. Школа будущего (Тематический выпуск, 2022)/Positive changes. Education. The school of the future (Special issue, 2

Makarenko does not turn a school for homeless children into a prison but makes the school a part of life. And it is very important. Because in the 21st century, the isolation of schools from the real world is one of the biggest problems in education. Makarenko tries to make sure that his students, when leaving school, get to know the world they live in, see its real problems. This approach directly contradicts what will happen to school education afterwards — fences, guards, strict discipline, no step back, or, even worse, no step forward.

Curiously, Makarenko never wrote in his books about how to teach mathematics or literature. His main ideas were how to create an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual understanding.

While Makarenko works with homeless children, his books contain a lot about the fact that upbringing and education are not only the responsibility of the state, but also of parents. Surprisingly, even now, after a hundred years, the discussion persists. Some people argue that the state should be the one to bring up and educate children.

So, to sum it up: the team and the environment affect learning. Democratic governing bodies have a positive effect on educational and upbringing processes. Education should be as close to real life as possible. Upbringing and education are largely the responsibility of parents.

THE INVENTOR

Genrikh Altshuller, the founder of the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TIPS), an important direction in pedagogy, is less known to the public, though he gained popularity as a science fiction writer. He made his first invention when he was in the 10th grade. He served time in labor camps: arrested in 1950, rehabilitated in 1954. After his release from prison, his relations with the Soviet government developed quite tolerably.

Altshuller is among Soviet scientists and teachers known outside Russia. His TIPS helped turn discoveries into regularities instead of treating them as random variables and was popular in the USSR. Even today, the theory has many followers all over the world.

To sum it up: inventing can be creative. Both can be taught, which means that everyone can be made talented and unique.

THE LEGENDARY TEACHER OF OUR TIME

And now let’s talk about probably our most famous teacher, loved by many people in our country, and rightly so. Shalva Amonashvili is the founder of humane pedagogy.

In the 1970s, he was criticized by the official academic community. Vasily Davydov (an author of the Elkonin-Davydov System), helped him a lot then. But here is the main thing: Amonashvili has been able to maintain his humane pedagogy to this day. In fairness, we must say that the only school in Moscow that openly promoted Amonashvili’s ideas closed 10 years ago, and there is no other yet. Amonashvili has many supporters and followers among teachers and parents, he regularly holds seminars, meetings, educational schools, festivals, conferences in Georgia and Russia. His lifework lives and wins.

What is the main message of humane pedagogy? A child is a unique being, he must be nurtured and cherished, protected from evil and led to good. "Parents, you are lucky, you have an angel born, so be proud and take care of him/ her — this is your chance,” humane pedagogy tells us. Before Amonashvili, Janusz Korczak delivered the same message. And many of the recognized teachers said that children should be loved. It sounds corny, but there are nuances.

Already at the turn of the XX and XXI centuries, Amonashvili implements his idea of a "humane school.” First off, this is a school the child is not afraid of going to. Instead of a red pen, the teachers use a blue one, instead of "You may sit down” — "Thank you for the answer, dear Olya.” Lessons are full of emotions: if your answer is poor — "sad,” if good — "happy.” There are no grades in elementary school. Amonashvili’s school is a school of high spirits. Both teachers and students extensively use such words as "good,” "sincere,” "thoughtful,” "happy.” They take pleasure in being here. It is joyful to be here.