Education in the past and now

Interviewer: Almagul Orynbassarova Interviewee: Valentina Petrovna Fluk

- Could you tell, please, the year when you finished school? - I finished school in 1976. - What can you say about the education in the past, and what has changed since then? - I must say that the educational system has changed drastically nowadays. Time is running rapidly, causing changes. When I studied at school there was a classical soviet model of education. Everyone followed the standards strictly. The standards and subject programs were common for all Republics of the Soviet Union. We learned a lot of theory, most of which never had an application in our lives. For instance, we thoroughly learned subject theory, formulas, etc. Modern education is focused on getting knowledge closer to real life conditions. In other words, the learners are able to put the received knowledge into practice in their lives. At present, learners do not learn the rules by heart as we did in the past and they do not do piles of training exercises to reinforce their literacy. They write essays, creative pieces of writing, provide reasoning and arguments, analyze texts they have studied, share their impressions and knowledge with their classmates. - Could you describe what kind of students were you? - We were motivated learners. We wanted to learn, to be well educated and become interesting and erudite people. Our teachers set an objective to provide us with as much information as possible. Our Geography teacher, for example, encouraged us to know the capitals of every country. We competed with each other in naming the countries and their capitals. The thing is, we never thought why we needed this knowledge. We were told the following: It might be that you will not have a chance to apply it, but it is useful for your intelligence and overall development. It was just a matter of interest and amusement. Many of us never set long-term goals and we never thought what profession to choose and what skills and knowledge that a profession required. When I began to teach, I tried to motivate my first learners. However, some of them were without any interest in education. They were very passive. Nowadays, children are hyperactive. They can always find ways to blow off steam. They do sports, visit recreational centers, have hobby groups, etc. How involved they are, is another issue, but the fact that they can find the opportunity to use their energy in areas apart from education is one of the features of the modern world.

Learners in the past divided into active and passive ones. Active learners received basic knowledge while passive learners were realizing their goals in other applied trades, due to their lack of academic knowledge. They were good plumbers and construction workers. They knew that these professions were well-paid and provided an opportunity to make a living, so they were not attempting to learn academically. Nowadays learners aim is getting a prestigious profession. - What were your teachers like? - In our time there were different teachers. Some of them were real experts in their area and it was very interesting to study in their classes. They had a life-credo which was I must be interesting to everyone around me. Some of them were truly knowledgeable and their knowledge went beyond the subject they taught. They tried to know about all the events that were happening in the world to deliver this information to us. These teachers were the examples we tried to follow. We were pleased and very glad to learn from teachers like them. Some teachers used to deliver their lessons in the form of lectures. They did not manage to make us interested in their subject. We studied their lessons to receive a good mark rather than knowledge. - In the past there was a statement: Teachers know everything which provided them with a high status. At present, this is an out-of-date statement because some children know more than the teacher. Does that cause a status change? - I think that the status is not changed as far as astronauts, scientists and medical doctors because they are educated by a teacher. Nowadays, teachers are still respected but schools have higher expectations of their teacher now. - Has teaching methodology changed? - Of course, it has. Gradually approaches to teaching and methodology have changed. Previously, a teacher explained the topic, questioned the students and assessed their knowledge. The blackboard and a piece of chalk was enough to explain the topic and teach the subject. Now, we have to use different approaches, such as promoting critical thinking in order to form an active, independent student hat is able to think and analyze. The more variety of approaches that are used, the more interested and educated the learner will be. If we do not develop leaners critical thinking skills by providing them with practical tasks, experiments, outdoor educations, conferences, etc., it will be a one-sided education and this kind of education cannot exist in our life any longer.