Vasily Porfiryevich Vakhterov (January 13 [25], 1853, Arzamas — April 3, 1924, Moscow) was a Russian educator, scholar, and public education figure, the creator of the concept of "evolutionary pedagogy," and a specialist in elementary school methodology. A native of Arzamas in the Nizhny Novgorod Governorate, he did much to shape the character of the people's school in post-reform Russia and became one of the most influential writers on education at the turn of the 20th century.[1]
Origins and Education
He was born into the family of Porfiry Mikhaylovich Vakhterov (Pestrovsky), who for some time served as a watchman at the Arzamas Spiritual Board — hence the family's surname. The family lived in constant, extreme poverty.[6] Vasily received his primary education at home, then from 1861 to 1866 studied at the Arzamas Spiritual School, where he developed a passion for Russian literature and showed aptitude for arithmetic and Greek.[1] In 1867 he entered the Nizhny Novgorod Theological Seminary, where, under the influence of the works of K. D. Ushinsky, N. I. Pirogov, and N. G. Chernyshevsky, he lost interest in religion and embraced Populist ideas.[1] Without completing the seminary course, in 1871 he passed the examinations for the title of teacher.
Teaching Career
From 1871 to 1874 he worked in elementary schools in the district towns of Nizhny Novgorod Governorate — Vasilsursk and Ardatov; in Ardatov, the first girls' school opened on his initiative.[1] After completing courses at the Moscow Teachers' Institute, he moved into the public education system of Smolensk Governorate (1875–1890): he was a teacher-inspector, chairman of the pedagogical council of a pro-gymnasium, a member of the school board, and from 1881 an inspector of public schools in four districts.[1]
From 1890 to 1896 he was an inspector of public schools in Moscow. He took an active part in the Moscow Literacy Committee, organized schools and extracurricular institutions for workers, and participated in campaigns to aid the starving. Because of his criticism of the curricula of the Ministry of Public Education, he was forced to resign.[1] From 1897 to 1903 he lectured at summer teacher-training courses in various cities of Russia and worked at the school attached to the Morozov textile mill in Tver.[1]
In 1903 he was arrested on suspicion of spreading socialist ideas among workers and exiled to Novgorod Governorate; in 1904 he returned to Moscow, but until 1917 he was not permitted to engage in teaching. During this period he was occupied with organizing teachers' congresses: he was one of the organizers of the All-Russian Teachers' Union (1905–1906) and took part in the work of the All-Russian Congress on Public Education (1913–1914) and the First All-Russian Congress of Russian Language Teachers (1916–1917).[4][1]
After 1917 he taught at Red Army literacy courses, at teacher-training courses, and at the pedagogical faculty of the 2nd Moscow State University.[1]
Scholarly Contribution and Principal Works
Vakhterov developed an independent pedagogical concept — "evolutionary pedagogy" ("new" or "scientific" pedagogy) — based on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and the general pedagogical ideas of K. D. Ushinsky. Its essence lay in treating education as a factor of social progress; the concept is set out in his main theoretical work, "Foundations of the New Pedagogy" (1913).[5] In 1894, in his report "On Universal Education," he argued convincingly that it was financially feasible to introduce universal primary education in Russia for children aged 8 to 11.[5]
Vakhterov's textbooks brought him particular renown. "The Russian Primer" (1898), based on the phonetic analytic-synthetic method, went through 117 editions.[3] The reader "The World in Stories for Children," in four parts (1902), likewise became a widely used teaching aid.[5] His other works include "Out-of-School Education of the People" (1896), "Universal Education" (1897), "Moral Education and the Primary School" (1900), "The Object Method of Teaching" (1911), and "At the First Stage of Education" (1912, co-authored with E. O. Vakhterova).[5]
In 1898, through Vakhterov's efforts, a public library was opened in the selo of Novy Usad in Arzamassky Uyezd.[3]
Legacy
In Arzamas, one of the city's streets is named after Vakhterov. On November 27, 1996, he was posthumously awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of the City of Arzamas.[3] In 2003, a memorial plaque was installed in the city.[4] The Arzamas State Pedagogical Library compiled a bibliographic index dedicated to the educator on the 160th anniversary of his birth (2013).[4] Vakhterov's selected pedagogical writings were published in Moscow in 1987.[6]
Sources
- ru.wikisource.org — Author:Vasily Porfiryevich Vakhterov — Wikisource (archive)
- cbs-kurgan.com — Central Library System of the City of Kurgan (archive)
- spravochnick.ru — Vakhterov Vasily Porfiryevich, Russian educator and scholar
- arzbiblio.ru — 160th Anniversary of the Birth of V. P. Vakhterov (archive)
- museum-arzamas.ru — Vakhterov Vasily Porfiryevich — City of Arzamas
- litres.ru — Books by Vasily Porfiryevich Vakhterov in Order — Download and Read the Author's Books Online on Litres