Sections

The paper presents the book “Island of Utopia: pedagogical and social engineering of postwar school” (M. Mayofis, P. Safronova, & I. Kukulina (Eds.) (2014) Moscow, Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie) which is currently in press. This collective monograph is the result of a research project relevant School of Humanitarian Studies of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.

The work is devoted to a particular period of history of education (1940s-1980s), but in scope, it inevitably goes beyond the period mentioned, forcing to think about what was happening in the Soviet education before this period after, i.e. in the post-Soviet education.

The author defines the genre of the book mentioned, as non-fiction pedagogy literature. Previously non-fiction pieces had no analogues among the historical and pedagogical works.

On the one hand, the genre of non-fiction involves precision, rejection of many myths rooted in human consciousness. On the other hand, it allows multiple interpretations. Therefore, the author notes that the text of the paper cannot be regarded as a professional review with a brief overview of the diverse collective heads of academic monographs. This is a reflection on the book that offers readers the opportunity to join a meaningful conversation, complete the piece with their own stories that clarify and specify the message of the book, and sometimes even disagree with the authors of the book.

The book is written by serious Russian and foreign authors. It enables a sober assessment of the Russian education system with all its ups and downs. The book convinces the reader that despite education being a sphere of activity is very dependent on the state of politics and ideology, it allows a certain breakthrough which results in emerging relatively autonomous pedagogical utopias.

A great number of pages devoted to the reform of education outside Russia show that the only correct solution accepted by absolutely all the players on the field of education (the state and the teachers, parents and their children) is found nowhere in the world.

The subject and tasks of sport psychology as an integrated practical area of psychological science are outlined. Features of specialists' training in this field at the St.Petersburg State University are shown.

The author provides an overview of the training process in economic psychology at St. Petersburg State University, revealing the history of development, current tasks and objectives of this branch of psychological science, outlining its further prospects and its place and role in national science and education. The questions raised include the effectiveness of training psychologists in this domain.

Supported by the results of empirical research on connection between intellectual-personal potential of students and their creativity in the process of innovative learning, held in the Lomonosov Moscow state University, aims and objectives of innovative teaching in higher education are discussed.

The author, President of the R. Wallenberg Institute of Special Pedagogy and Psychology (St. Petersburg) writes about the history and present days of this private educational institute in which training of handicapped children specialists is combined with scientific and practical research in the domain.

The author, Head of Lomonosov Moscow State University's Department of Psychology's Social Psychology Chair, speaks about training and scientific work at the Chair. The features of the curriculum are discussed. Information on the publications of staff is provided.

The author analyzes modern system of training of practical psychologists in Russia, and training system of psychology students at universities, its strengths and weaknesses. Considerable attention is paid to training of school psychologists.

The article compares the systems of training and assessment of psychologists in the U.S. and in Russia, and presents with the results of joint comparative study of practices of US-Canadian and Russian psychologists by the following criteria: role, responsibilities, subject areas, specialized knowledge.

This article discusses one of the most important issues in the psychological component of additional professional education of civil servants – consideration of students’ individual educational needs in the light of extreme heterogeneity of the study groups by gender, age, education and general professional experience. The results of the research conducted by the author on the material of one of the largest contingents of civil servants, employees of tax authorities, are discussed.

Of the many challenges of practical psychologists training the author singled out two and described them in his article. He reveals the importance of methodology in work of psychologists of all domains and specializations, and analyzes the system of preparing psychologists for training work. The author marks out weak practical training of psychologists in Russian colleges and universities and provides with recommendations on organization of psychologists-trainers postgraduate education.

The article presents the text of a lecture presented by the author to psychology students on the theme "Volition" in the course "General Psychology". Author examines the history of the problem and its current state.

This article presents the reasons for the development of the Europena psychological certificate EuroPsy, its history and content. Possibilities for the introduction of Europsy in Russia are discussed.

A project depicting objective criteria for comparative assessment of Russian universities that prepare psychologists is presented.

Interview with Yury P. Zinchenko, Doctor of psychological sciences, Corresponding Member of Russian Academy of Education, Dean of Faculty of Psychology of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Chair of Psychology Council of Russian Educational and Methodical Association for Traditional University Education in Russian Federation, president of Russian Psychological Society.

Report is devoted to the Open competition for the best scientific work of students in the natural, technical and humanitarian sciences in universities of Russia. The organization and features of the competition are described. The competitive works are described and the results are analyzed.

The socio-psychological maturity and self-determination of individual and group subjects is investigated. Subjectness both of the group and its participants is developed in social enriched sphere.

One of the pressing problems of practical psychology at the present stage of development of education is to find ways to justify an individual approach to every child in the context of realization of resource of creativity in the educational institutions of various types and levels.

The role of education as a social institution in society is shown. The tasks of national education system at the present stage of rapid change in social consciousness are analyzed. The ways of modernization of national education with the aim of turning it into a resource to reduce social risks and social conflicts motivated by xenophobia, migrant-phobia, social aggression and intolerance are discussed. The necessity of introducing a system of education programs to ensure the development of tolerance, religious tolerance, civic patriotism and social identity among younger generation is shown.

The article analyzes the attitude of parents of preschool children to the primary school education. Special attention is paid to a choice of the optimal age for children to enter school. Furthermore criteria on which parents rely in choosing a school for their children are also reviewed as well as the views of parents on the basic functions of school and their requirements for professional and personal qualities of a school teacher. The article continues a series of works on the sociology of preschool children, conducted by researchers of the Institute for Sociology of Education RAE and is based on the materials of a sociological poll of parents whose children attend Moscow kindergartens.

The article discusses the theoretical and methodological framework of the Program development of educational actions as a universal educational psychological and educational component of the project of the federal state standard of general education for senior level - the doctrine of psychological age (Vygotsky, El'konin) and the concept of developmental education, created in the frame of activity approach (Leontiev, Galperin, El'konin, Davydov). The basic types of universal educational action are determined, their characteristics and criteria of formation for older adolescents are presented.