Higher Geographic Education In Pedagogical Universities Of The Volga Ural Region

Abstract

The relevance of the study is due to the fact that since the beginning of the 20 ^th century, schools and pedagogical educational institutions have paid attention to natural science teaching methods. The study was carried out in pedagogical universities of the Volga-Ural region – in Kazan, Perm, and Sverdlovsk. The article discusses scientific and pedagogical activities of V.A. Kondakov (1886–1959), one of the founders of higher geographical education in pedagogical educational institutions of the Volga-Ural region, the corresponding member of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences, the professor, the teacher of physical geography and methods of teaching-natural sciences, geography and regional studies. The purpose of the article is to study scientific and pedagogical activities of V.A. Kondakov. The main research methods are analysis and generalization of scientific and educational works on the methods of teaching geography. The materials are scientific-pedagogical and educational-methodical works by Kondakov on natural sciences, geography and teaching methods, archival materials. In 1905–1911, Kondakov studied at the Faculty of Natural Mathematics of the University of Kazan. This article reveals stages of Kondakov’s scientific and pedagogical activities. Kondakov had extensive experience in scientific and pedagogical work; the focus of his attention was improvement of quality of training geography teachers, organizing and conducting pedagogical internship, and strengthening ties with teachers in urban and rural schools. His works are of great scientific and practical importance for teachers, graduate students and students of pedagogical universities and teachers of geography.

Keywords: Local historygeography teaching methodKazan University

Introduction

Since the beginning of the 21st century, in Russia there has been a decrease in the number of pedagogical universities due to their integration into other universities. Problems of development of higher geographical education in pedagogical universities are relevant, since higher education pedagogical geographical education has been transformed. On May 16, 1934, the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks on geography teaching in primary and secondary schools was published; it was of great importance for the development of geographical education. The relevance of the study is due to the problems of development of higher geographical education in pedagogical universities. The article aims to study scientific and pedagogical activities of Professor Kondakov who worked in pedagogical universities of the Volga-Ural region. Pedagogical universities of the Volga-Ural region paid attention to the problems of development of secondary and higher geographical education and improved teaching methods of geographical disciplines and regional studies. In the early 1930s, in the pedagogical universities of Perm, Sverdlovsk, Ufa, and Kazan, natural, natural-geographical and geographical faculties were created, and the departments of geography, classrooms of teaching methods of geography and local history were restored. In 1949, at the Faculty of Geography of Kazan State Pedagogical Institute, the Department of the Geography Teaching Methodology and the School of Local Geography were opened. They were headed by Professor V.A. Kondakov ( Burlyand & Zaslonovsky, 1970);

Problem Statement

The research problem is scientific and pedagogical activities of Professor Kondakov.

Research Questions

The subject of the article is scientific and pedagogical works on natural sciences, geography and the teaching methodology by Kondakov.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the article is to study scientific and pedagogical activities of Professor Kondakov who developed higher pedagogical geographical education in universities of the Volga-Ural region in Perm, Sverdlovsk, Ufa, Kazan in the first half of the twentieth century.

Research Methods

The research method is analysis and synthesis of scientific and educational works on geographical education, the methodology of teaching geography and regional studies in schools and pedagogical institutes. Sources are scientific and pedagogical and teaching materials on natural sciences, geography and the methodology of their teaching, archival materials, etc.

Findings

In the years 1905 – 1911, Kondakov studied at the Faculty of Natural Mathematics of Kazan University. According to Kondakov, scientists and teachers of the university allowed him to gain deep theoretical natural-historical, geographical knowledge and research experience ( as cited in Altbach & Knight, 2007). He writes that he studied geobotany, methods of natural sciences, geography and cartography. Theoretical knowledge in these disciplines was strengthened by practical exercises. He was engaged in research work under the guidance of experienced teachers, and his research results were published in journals ( Gaysin & Gaysin, 2016). Theoretical knowledge and practical skills improved in his subsequent pedagogical activities.

In 1911, the first period of Kondakov’s scientific and pedagogical works began. After graduating from the university, Kondakov worked as a teacher of geography and science at a female gymnasium in Ufa, where he got acquainted with teachers and students and the educational work of the gymnasium. He used various forms and methods of teaching geography and natural science and paid great attention to nature excursions and laboratory and practical classes. He always sought to equip classes with teaching and visual aids and local history materials. In 1912, Bulletin of Orenburg School District published his article “On the issue of developing interest and initiative in students”, where he emphasized the need to develop students' initiative ( Bacca et al., 2014).

On behalf of the Ufa provincial authorities, in 1916, Kondakov organized the first Russian Tatar-Bashkir mixed seminary and taught classes in natural sciences and geography. He published methodical articles in newspapers and journals on the problems of teaching natural sciences, geography and extracurricular activities on local history in gymnasiums. In 1916, Kondakov was elected a full member of the Ural Society of Natural History for his research work on physical and geographical features of the Ural region and published articles on local history and regional geography. In 1917, he became a teacher of natural sciences and geography of Ufa Teachers' Institute where he worked until 1919 ( Gaysin & Gaysin, 2016).

From 1919 to 1922, Kondakov worked as a teacher of natural sciences and geography at Yekaterinburg Teachers 'Institute, the Tatar Teachers' Seminary and Siberian Higher Women's Courses. During these years, Kondakov continued to deal with problems of teaching physical geography, methods of teaching natural sciences, geography, biology, and research work in secondary schools, gymnasiums, and teacher training seminaries and institutes. V.A. Kondakov regularly spoke at meetings of pedagogical councils in teacher’s institutes and seminaries, methodological seminars for teachers of natural geography, scientific and methodological conferences. During these years, Kondakov published articles in journals on the problems of organizing research work.

In 1923, the second stage of scientific and pedagogical activities of Kondakova began. In 1923, he became a teacher of Perm State University. He taught physical and economic geography, methods of teaching geography at the socio-economic department of the pedagogical faculty, and in 1929 he was elected an assistant professor of physical geography. Kondakov took an active part in local history of Prikamye. During his work, he was a member of the local lore society – the Circle for the Study of the Northern Territory at Perm State University. In 1925, he became a member of the board of Perm Society of Local Lore, headed the school-local history section. In 1926, he was elected a corresponding member of the Central Bureau of Local History; he was a member of the Ural Regional Bureau of Local History. V.A. Kondakov published the following works: “Economic geography in schools and technical schools”; “Areas of the Ural region. Geographical Description of the Districts and Areas of the Ural Region”; “Geographical Zones and Landscapes of the Urals”, etc. In 1930–1932, Kondakov worked as a scientific secretary of the editorial office, an editor of several sections (physical geography, botany, zoology and geology), and a consultant on cartographic and illustrative work in the editorial office of the Ural Soviet Encyclopedia. He created local history circles in urban and rural schools ( Khasanov & Sabirzyanov, 2006).

In 1930, Kondakov became an acting professor, a head of the department of geography at Sverdlovsk State Pedagogical Institute, a professor at the Ural Institute of Steel and the Ural Institute of Chemical Technology, where he taught economic geography.

From 1932 to 1947, Kondakov worked as a professor and a dean of the first Ural geographical faculty of Perm State Pedagogical Institute. In 1934, a new department of physical and economic geography was founded. Kondakov became a head of the department. He opened specialized, well-equipped classrooms for physical geography, cartography, meteorology, biogeography, etc. V.A. Kondakov conducted research on physical geography and methods of teaching geography and regional studies. He published articles for students of pedagogical universities: “Ural: physical-geographical essays. Lectures"," On geography lessons" and methodological recommendations on the methodology of teaching geography and regional studies. From 1933 to 1937, Kondakov was training graduate students in physical geography. In 1941, in Perm, he organized the first Ural interuniversity scientific-practical conference on the problems of geography and geographical education.

Under the guidance of Kondakov, a lot of work was done to compile thematic and integrated geographical maps of the nature and economy of the Urals, Perm Region and Bashkiria. Under his leadership, scientific expeditions of teachers and students of Perm Pedagogical Institute were regularly conducted, many scientific reports and speeches were made at various scientific and practical conferences and seminars. In 1941, Kondakov became a professor of the department of physical geography.

Distinguishing qualities of his research and educational activities are the high theoretical level and the broad scientific horizon, versatility of information. He made a great contribution to the development of geography and higher geographical education in Perm and Sverdlovsk regions of the Volga-Ural region. Kondakov did a great job to improve quality of training of geography teachers and provide scientific and methodological assistance to secondary school teachers. In 1945, at the general meeting of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences, Kondakov was elected a corresponding member. Kondakov worked as an assistant professor, a professor, a head of the department and a dean of the geographical faculty of Perm State Pedagogical Institute and other universities of the Urals, made a great contribution to the development of higher geographical education.

The third stage of scientific and pedagogical activities of Kondakov includes the period of his work in Kazan State Pedagogical Institute (KSPI). In 1947, Kondakov began geography and regional studies at the Department of Geography of the Faculty of Geography of the Pedagogical Institute. He paid attention to the methodology of teaching geography and strengthened the educational and material base of the department. In 1949, Kondakov founded the Department “Methods of Geography and School of Local Lore”. By the order of the Main Directorate of Universities of the Ministry of Education of the RSFSR of March 29, 1949 No. 188, Kondakov was appointed a head of the department of geography and history of the KSPI. He received many congratulations from colleagues and scientists from different regions of the country. The President of the Geographical Society of the USSR, Academician Berg writes: “...at Kazan Pedagogical Institute, the department of geography teaching methods was founded. I congratulate you and Kazan Pedagogical Institute with this happy event” ( as cited in Gafarov, 2006, p. 112). The full member of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the RSFSR, professor of Moscow State University, doctor of geographical sciences Barkov et al. ( 2020) write:

... the foundation of the department of geography teaching methodology was good news for me, new evidence of the Government’s concern. One more new member, one more new team is added to the number of existing and working departments of the methodology. The new department is designed to develop and implement important tasks, each department is a scientific team dealing with teaching methods based on the data of pedagogical science, psychology and school experience. (p. 3008)

Gurevich et al. ( 2016) considered the department a great event. Kazan Pedagogical Institute became one of the Russian pedagogical institutes, played a crucial role in training qualified geography teachers.

Kondakov had extensive experience in scientific and pedagogical work. The department of the methodology of geography and local history tried to improve quality of training of geography teachers, organize internship of students and strengthen the relations of the department with geography teachers of urban and rural schools of the republic. Kondakov strengthened creative relations with scientists and teachers of the geographical faculty of Kazan State University and the Tatar Institute for Advanced Teachers, city and district departments of education and secondary schools. He tried to establish the interaction between schools, pedagogical colleges and universities and unite the pedagogical community of the republic ( Baran, 2014). In 1947, he wrote an appeal to the Minister of Education of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic on the need to create a scientific and pedagogical society in Kazan to promote pedagogical knowledge among school teachers and university professors, students and the population. Kondakov improved the methods of school regional studies. He always paid attention to excursions with schoolchildren and students.

Conclusion

The period of scientific and pedagogical activities of Professor Kondakov was divided into three stages: 1911–1923 – a teacher of natural sciences and geography in gymnasiums, seminaries and institutes in Yekaterinburg, Tomsk and Ufa; 1923–1946 – an assistant professor, a professor, a head of the department of geography and a dean of the geographical faculty of PSPI and other universities of Perm, Sverdlovsk; 1947–1959 – a professor and a head of the department of geography teaching methods at KSPI. Many of his scientific works were devoted to natural sciences, physical and economic geography, and the problems of improving the methods of teaching geography and local history in schools and pedagogical colleges and universities ( Cherkasov & Smigel, 2016). He conducted scientific research on “The principle of local history in the teaching of geography” and the results of these studies were published in various journals. Professor Kondakov was a learned teacher and an excellent craftsman, a graphic artist, an inventor of educational visual aids in geography. In 1945, he was elected a corresponding member of the APN of the RSFSR. In 1953, Kondakov was awarded the "Order of Lenin", the sign "Excellence in Public Education." Thus, Kondakov made a great contribution to the development of geography teaching methods used in secondary schools, colleges and universities.

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