The Author’s School of the Ukrainian Academician Oleksandr Zakharenko

Abstract

The article is devoted to a well-known in Ukraine and neighbouring countries The School on the Ros River and to its  founder Oleksandr Zakharenko with his unique system of education. Zakharenko is characterized not only as an outstanding educationalist, but also as a sincere and modest person.

The history of foundation and development of the Zakharenko’s School has been given, and the role of the Author’s personal traits in this process has been explained.

His pedagogical system, based on the triangle parents – a child – a teacher, has been described and the importance of each of its elements has been justified.

The author shows the structure of the School and gives a description for each of five main educational centres: the Centre for Junior School, the Centre of Health, the Centre of Labour, the Centre of Culture and Education, and the Centre for Senior Students.

The place of labour in the student’s personality formation has also been described. The importance of the collective body has been mentioned as a means for solving the problem of a young person’s socialization, and as a way to establish responsibility and skills of self-organization. It has been stressed, that even the best collectivism cannot substitute an individual work with a child. The Individual approach based on assisting the child’s work has been characterized.

The author draws attention to the system of assessment and encouragement. The latter is connected with providing successful students with grants, prizes and diplomas. The special place has been given to the system of moral incentives, consisting in telling the student’s story on TV or in the newspaper.

It has been marked that the idea of creativity necessary during the learning occurs was the most important in O. Zakharenko’s education system.

The author emphasizes and justifies that Zacharchenko’s school meets all main demands of “school for self-realization” paradigm.