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

The idea that children are unique and amazing was not so obvious in the 20th century in our country. It took a very long time for the society to recognize their independence and freedom, and there are still big problems with this in many schools around the world, and in Russia, too. Children used to be perceived as unreasonable beings and therefore requiring persistent attention and care from adults.

First Janusz Korczak, and then Shalva Amonashvili, promoted the idea of the uniqueness of the child’s inner world, of caring for him/her. It is not enough to "shove” knowledge into children. They need emotional support and love (by the way, Dima Zitser is going in approximately the same direction today. At each meeting, he says that a child should be treated like a small adult).

Both Korczak and Amonashvili remind us that children have rights. Although they are small and do not know much yet, this does not mean that you may insult, humiliate them, disrespect their interests and needs. You should see personalities in them. Do you remember Makarenko with his school boards, students’ rights, respect between teachers and students? All this is a way to realize this individuality, uniqueness, the child’s right to respect and personal freedoms.

To sum it up: each and every child is unique and must be protected. School must preserve personal freedoms of a child. Instead of fear and violence — a respectful attitude. When there is no fear, there is freedom.

INTERESTING AND FAST LEARNING

Here we come to the idea of putting personal freedoms into practice as one of the main values of the school in the 21st century. But first we need to talk about one more person many people might know — Viktor Shatalov. He lived a very long and interesting life. His first experiments with teaching methods date back to the 1950s.

But in Soviet times, his discoveries were not widely applied, although they were highly effective.

Shatalov had many accomplishments, but I will focus on the best known ones.

Reference signals — visual aids, formulas and notes make learning faster, more engaging and efficient.

A differentiated approach to home assignments (or any assignment, for that matter) — the assignment must match the child’s level. Let’s say, give them a hundred sums to do and praise for any sum done. Again, it is emotions that matter! The child should feel strong, smart and handsome (remember Amonashvili?)

To sum it up: learning doesn't have to be hard. Learning without violence is possible: it is enough to explain correctly, help to remember, make arrangements for joint study and ask kindly. An individual approach is our everything.

HIGHS AND LOWS

Now, let’s move on to the most controversial part. Soviet education. There are lots and lots of opinions about it. Some scold it, some praise it, some want to abandon it completely, and some still teach children using Soviet textbooks. I will express my own opinion. Anyone is free to challenge it.

Pedagogy is not in a thing in itself. Like everything around us, it depends on the inner workings of the society. In Russia, as in Europe and America, its development was determined by two interdependent directions: the arms race and the formation of a consumer society. The world could notice it by the growth of the anti-war movement and in the work of Andy Warhol. In the USSR, this development was marked by the number of trials against black marketeers and the ban of Kino, the music band. The confrontation between the capitalist and socialist worlds largely determined the main developments in education.