Prominent figures of the Alash party, such as A. Bokeikhanov, A. Baitursynov, M. Dulatov, M. Tynyshbayev, M. Shokai, Kh. Dosmukhamedov, Zh. Aimauytov, M. Zhumabayev, and M. Auezov, served the interests of the people.
We consider it necessary to accept the following conclusion made by M. Zhumabayev as an indisputable and constant principle of teaching today's young generation in Kazakh schools, "In the Kazakh language, one can clearly see the boundless red Kazakh steppe, a sedate, not hasty character of the people, the nomadic way of life, the history that is sometimes quiet as a windless night, and sometimes fast and robust as a whirlwind. The Kazakh steppe is wide. The language is also rich. As of today, among the Turkic languages, there is no richer, deeper and more expressive language than Kazakh." The essence of this conclusion is that the national language is an essential attribute of national specificity. If so, then there is a good reason to believe that schools with the Kazakh language of instruction are the future of the Kazakh nation.
The scientific basis of M. Zhumabayev's works written in the 1920’s is still relevant for today's Kazakh schools. Considering upbringing and education as one process, in the work titled "Ways of Child Upbringing" (from infancy to maturity), he attaches great importance to educating children on the basis of national values, he believes that it is necessary to form and develop perfect, human value-based qualities, nurture humane values. At the same time he noted that the upbringing of the child depends not only on schools and public institutions, he clearly indicated the special role of the family. M. Zhumabayev believed that the quality of environment in which the child lives is of utmost importance. Therefore, it is necessary to create conditions for the formation of discipline and manners, as well as other qualities required for future life of the child. Parents should not pronounce illiterate words in front of their children, they should instill and develop love for the beautiful. In order to teach the child to be persistent and disciplined, well-prepared for future difficulties, it is useful to accustom the child to perform certain pre-planned actions on the daily basis. The author considered that the child's readiness for the right, healthy way of life contributes to the successful development of the child's mental ability. He makes the following valuable conclusion: instilling diligence, developing child's thinking and ethical-aesthetic perception leads to success in learning. This pedagogical opinion expressed by M. Zhumabayev can serve as a scientific basis for today's national schools in Independent Kazakhstan. The evidence of M. Zhumabayev's commitment to the establishment of Kazakh schools is his work entitled "Textbook and Our School". The future of the people and the country depends on its schools, concludes M. Zhumabayev. He believes that the foundation of the school should be laid in harmony with the Kazakh psychology. Pedagogical principles proposed by M. Zhumabayev for creating a project for future Kazakh schools:
- the only language of instruction in Kazakh schools is Kazakh;
- while teaching the learners the comprehensive foundations of knowledge, latest scientific and technical achievements, the teacher needs to think about how to use the Kazakh language, the problems of national traditions-based education without leaving them for later.
He classified the tasks of these school principles arising in relation to the educational process at different times of historical events.
- definition of primary school tasks;
- definition of the task of educational work in relation to disciplines;
- to reveal the tasks of the native language and its out-of-school use in a four-year elementary school;
- to differentiate effective ways and methods used by teachers.
The above-named figures of the Kazakh intelligentsia actively worked to contribute to the preservation of the national spirit of their country. The main and uniting feature of all these personalities is their struggle for justice, commitment to this struggle regardless of the circumstances. It is known that the system of education at the end of the nineteenth century was not similar to what we can imagine now: (1) primary school (in Arabic); 2) a parish school (in Russian); 3) additional gymnasium; 4) Russian-Kazakh mixed school; 5) aul schools for mastering the basics of literacy. The system of "Kazakh" schools of the XIX century is based on Russian schools.
A great role in the life of the Kazakh society was played by M. Dulatov. Thanks to his works awakening the intellectual consciousness of the people, M. Dulatov made his invaluable contribution to folk pedagogy. He clearly marked the place of knowledge and education in the life of the people with his works and articles published under the heading "Oyan Kazakh" ("Wake up, the Kazakh!"). He and A. Baitursynov were the publishers of the newspaper "Kazakh". M. Dulatov, as well as Zh. Aimautov, was a psychologist and a researcher-methodologist whose main concern was understanding the soul of a child. "How to teach a child to make him / her think, understand the content and feel it? How to teach to think coherently over what has been read, to accustom oneself to remember the content of what has been read?" M. Dulatov's thoughts about teaching and learning, about different types of ways and methods are still relevant. M. Dulatov urged people to gather to fight for their future, because we had been under the yoke for so long and lost so much. He wrote a petition to the State Duma on behalf of the Kazakh people, demanded freedom and the opportunity to become a sovereign state. As a result of such movements in 1917 the party "Alash" was created. In Orenburg the first congress "On the Establishment of the Kazakh Political Party Alash" was convened, its program was published in the newspaper “Kazakh”.
In 1921-1926, he worked in the educational institution called the Orenburg Institute for Education of the Kazakh people. Later in 1926-1928, A. Baitursynov lectured at the Tashkent Kazakh Pedagogical Institute where he taught the Kazakh language and literature.
Among the works by Shakarim Kudaiberdiuly, epic works prevail. Many of them are devoted to the topical problems of folk pedagogy concerning education, the thinking abilities of the child. They can be found in the following works: "Talap Pen Akyl" (Aspiration and Mind), "Adam Nemene?" (What Is a Person?), "Zholsyz Zhaza, Yaki Kez Bolghan Kaza" (Unjustified Accusation, or Accidental Death).
Philosophical essence of the poem "Talap Pen Akyl" (Aspiration and Mind):
Don't rely only on aspiration,
Your clear mind is the only foundation
That can tell you what's right and what's wrong.
It will guide you to your destination.
In order to achieve something, it is not enough just to want it. There should be a clear vision, a plan of how to make it real. The author clearly gives priority to cognition and focuses on thoughts rather than feelings.
With his works, the poet shows people the way to kindness, humanity and pride. There are many axiological judgements.
Aspiration results in intention,
The first step on the way to creation.
But am I going to do right or wrong?
It takes mind to solve this equation.
Here we once again see that aspiration without the guiding role of the mind leads nowhere. The author shows that aspiration can not exist independently:
Bright thoughts are the content of mind,
Generated by brain, where they are refined.
To make aspirations more purposeful,
There are six tools left for mankind.
In folk pedagogy, special emphasis is given to ontology, personal qualities of man, and the main task is seen as the achievement of perfection. Therefore, the six tools mentioned above are the values that lead a person down the path to perfection.
Conscience, shame, honor, mercy, patience, circumspection are those six tools. According to the author conscience plays the leading role. He insists that just knowing these tools is not enough – they are the code people should stick to and live by. That is the main idea and the main value of this work.
Each of these virtues is described brilliantly by the poet. For example, speaking of patience, he says:
Patience means persistence in all of your deeds,
This is the trait that everyone needs.
Having described all of the great virtues, Shakarim comes to the concept of faith. He concludes by saying that faith can be a powerful weapon and that if you are not armed with faith, there is no other weapon that can save you.
As long as faith is forgotten,
People will never stop fighting.
As long as we are so rotten.
No one will notice the right thing.
The worst thing in that madness
Is although we may say the right things
We still try to wash away badness with badness,
Not noticing the darkness it brings.
Fighting is not right and it never has been.
You cannot bring justice with violence.
The most terrible monsters we've ever seen
Have all come from our own environments.
Shakarim Kudaiberdiyev had never been afraid of telling the harsh true. There is a folk saying, “A friend is the one who chooses to say the bitter true when an enemy would deceive you”. However, having said that, it is also important to note that no matter how cold the world around us is, we still need to cultivate kindness and positive attitude to life in the young generation.
Books by Zhusipbek Aimauytov "Psychology", "The World of the Soul and the Choice of Art" were published in Tashkent in 1926. In the preface of this book the writer, a prominent scholar, expressed the following opinion: "In life of a human being, there can be no useless knowledge. Whatever the knowledge, it must bring some benefit in everyday life. Psychology is the knowledge of deep thought. Those are not just superficial words ... What is useful for a common man to know? - such questions do not always receive proper answers. Some problems require deep analysis. Thinking superficially, we will never find solutions as we won't be able to rise above those problems." Actions such as learning and reading are subject to human consciousness. Knowledge is necceassry for people to interact with each other, especially at the initial stage of human life. Because a person is not immediately born intelligent. At this moment, it is necessary that the child's family exert positive influence. In order to educate an intelligent society with what people doest the child need to communicate? To what society do young men and girls join? The essence of the problem is here. The answer to this is obtained in Zhusipbek Aimauytov's Psychology. In this book, the person's feelings are divided into two: 1) blind feelings, 2) conscious feelings. The author indicates their distinctions as follows: blind feelings are given us from birth, conscious feelings are developed in the course of our lives. If blind feelings exceed conscious feelings, then the human qualities of the person will decline to the level of an animal.
According to Zh. Aymauytov, the signs of a blind feeling are the following: dabbing at somebody with one's finger, pinching, spitting, hissing, shouting, etc.; a feeling of fear that has taken hold of a person as a result of his upbringing in childhood by fright; curiosity; imitating other people and their actions thus killing the true "inner self" of the person; competition; envy; jealousy; pessimism; blind faith; quarrel – the transition from envy to shamelessness; naughtiness; selfishness; pride; a sense of individualism.
When a learner manifests the inclinations to follow a blind feeling, it is important to determine its features and causes and work on overcoming them. It is necessary for a teacher to take into account the uniqueness of each person and choose the most appropriate approach to each learner based on that. Zh. Aimauytov stressed: "Whatever path we take during teaching, its fruitfulness depends on the innate abilities, resourcefulness of the teacher." He believed that it would be wrong to choose competition as a method of teaching. This idea was expressed 150 years ago by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Competition among learners might lead to some negative outcomes. According to Rousseau, "It is better not to teach anything, than to teach envy and bragging. The only beneficial competition is the competition with oneself. Each learner can keep a record of his or her achievements during the school year and see how much he or she has changed compared to the beginning of the year." This idea is one of the foundations of folk pedagogy.
Zh. Aimauytov also defined conscious feelings that determine human behavior. He stressed: "Behavior means the division of complex functions and finding the most beautiful component, this is what we call a conscious feeling..." He explained the first kinds of conscious feelings as follows. Energy is a trace of the influences exerted on a person. If you play something in your memory, this idea becomes real in your mind. This reproducible energy is called memory. All this is subordinated to the function of the brain. The ability of the brain can vary depending on the person. For some learners, it is best to perceive information visually, for others – audially, or kinestetically, etc.
Zh. Aimauytov revealed the manifestation of such conscious feelings as habits (for habit is the second nature of a man) and associations.
Inclination basically exists in the form of associations. A certain conception generates ideas similar to it. All this creates the peculiarities of the learner's personality manifestation in the form of typical demands, communication styles, reactions to conflicts, yielding or non-submissiveness.
Zh. Aimauytov wrote about two types of memory: unsystematic, that is, discrete memory, and philosophical memory consisting of logical statements. To clarify this distinction, let us cite the author to provide an example: "If one person has both a strong memory and imagination, then one can assume that such a person has a great creating power, and he or she is capable of mastering a lot. To name just a few examples of such persons, Walter Scott, Leibniz, Goethe. To recreate great power, we must have such memory."
Zhusipbek Aimauyitov made useful suggestions regarding the development of:
- one of the productive ways of remembering is the productive system, in other words, collection of information into the system of knowledge;
- placement of the information in the right place within the knowledge system;
- finding the causes;
- knowing to what law of nature these conclusions correspond;
- coming to the conclusion that the knowledge system is the most effective way;
- eliminating all kinds of small thoughts from the system of knowledge, substituting them with the right associations;
- through the knowledge of the law, being able to draw conclusions not drawing upon one's own personal experience.
- all actions are determined by mind;
- being able to show cause-and-effect relations helps memorize new information better;
- insufficient natural abilities in terms of memory can be compensated with the help of philosophical memory;
- more than one type of memorization should be used;
- words are important for the process of thinking, as people get older, they rely less on their visual perception and more on verbal input;
- regulation of unsystematic associations in the brain;
- getting rid of approximate statements, the ability to convey accurate information;
- being able to think abstractly;
- understanding that the analysis of the achievement of the goal is the ability to think; its repetition is the ability to draw conclusions;
- avoid irrelevant, meaningless concepts and words denoting objects that do not occur in life;
- memory must work for our needs and interests;
- consonance of the received knowledge with other concepts and development of memory;
- getting closer to real life;
- identification of the main reason for the impossibility of measuring spiritual abilities and the ability to identify them from a moral position;
- testing learners' memory through observation is more important for the teacher than measurement through practice;
- when observing students' actions, it is important to understand what is useful in them, understand that each student has his or her own unique vision, individual way of thinking, and that there is nothing more valuable than student's intellectual potential;
- there is no reason to be upset if you do not have enough natural abilities or memory;
- having no vision, one can not become an artist; having no memory, one can not become a prominent scientist;
- it is obligatory to achieve one's goals;
- if you want to become rich, concentrate on that goal and you will achieve it; if you want to become a scientist, work hard and you will be a scientist, but do not get distracted by other goals.
Zh. Aimauytov left an invaluable spiritual heritage for national education. Many of his ideas are extremely important in the training of teachers and are aimed at providing individualized education and include:
- technological processes of teaching students take into account their individual characteristics;
- planning the result of training based on the students' latest achievements;
- monitoring of the student's personal growth based on certain achievements;
- choice of teaching methods and indicators;
- the effectiveness of the feedback mechanism and the necessity of taking it into consideration in the process of improving the individualization of learning.
Thus, without any exaggeration, Zh. Aimauytov can be called an outstanding educator and psychologist who made a significant contribution to the development of folk pedagogy. In his works, Zh. Aimauytov gives serious attention to the problems of educating schoolchildren revealing the purpose, tasks, content and means of forming the moral image of children. What is especially important, he reveals the opportunities to achieve this goal both through the learning process (individual lessons, individual subjects) and extra-curricular activities as well as other influences of the pedagogical process.
Questions for students’ knowledge assessment:
Questions for students’ independent work
Literature: