V. A. Sukhomlinsky’s pedagogical heritage: innovation and foresight

Introduction. Modern education does not always meet the challenges associated with the rapid changes brought by the new millennium. The spiritual and moral crisis is becoming more and more pronounced. Relying only on “rationality” and practical expediency leads to human degradation and civilizational crisis. This underlies the unprecedented value of pedagogical systems containing certain constructive solutions to the identified problem put forward by practice. According to the general opinion of the world pedagogical community, among such systems is one created by the outstanding humanist V.A. Sukhomlinsky (1918 – 1970). Purpose: To identify and reveal the essence of the ideas and provisions of the Pavlysh innovator that have already played an invaluable role in the enrichment of the national education and will be the driving force of its development in the third millennium. Materials and Methods. The basis of the study is V.A. Sukhomlinsky’s works and the products of his rich educational practice, as well as materials from those who studied the innovator’s creative heritage. The research methodology was based on the conceptual provisions of humanistic pedagogy. The specific methodological tools included the principles of integrity and consistency, objectivity, universal connection of phenomena, combination of retrospective and prospective development, along with sociocultural and system-functional principles. In addition to general scientific methods, such as system-structural analysis and synthesis, the research process also involved formal logical research methods. Results. The study expands and concretizes the existing knowledge about the development of pedagogical theory and school practice in the second half of the 20th century. Identified and characterized are the key ideas and scientific positions of V.A. Sukhomlinsky, the prominent representative of the studied period. They were the foundation of his pedagogical system and played an important role in enriching the theoretical and methodological foundations of pedagogy, the content and support (methodological and technological) of modern educational practice and will certainly become the driving force of its development in the medium and long term. Even though V.A. Sukhomlinsky lived and worked in an ideologized epoch, difficult for creative work, he managed to develop his own pedagogical system, in which the poetic and popular idea merged with its scientific foundations. V.A. Sukhomlinsky’s pedagogy is in many respects the pedagogy of the present and the future. It is entirely aimed at the realization of the humanistic ideal. The concepts of goodness and humanity, preached by the educator, nowadays win more and more supporters. As many other provisions of the innovator concerning the construction of the educational process, they can undoubtedly become one of the cornerstones of developing the educational practice in the third millennium. Conclusion. V.A. Sukhomlinsky’s multifaceted activity not only enriched pedagogical science with new ideas and provisions, but also can rightfully be regarded as an important stage in its development. Nowadays, when the world has entered the third millennium and the pedagogical community solves the problems associated with the renewal of the content essence of all parts of education, we believe that the ideas and practical experience of the outstanding teacher will play a productive role in this process. Keywords: upbringing of a comprehensively developed personality, humanization of the pedagogical process, regental function of upbringing, system-forming factor of upbringing, unity of teaching and upbringing