Pedagogical Ideas of V. Sukhomlynsky in the Context of Place-Based Education

The pedagogical concept of the outstanding Ukrainian theoretician and school education practice of V. Sukhomlynskyi does not lose its relevance over the years; on the contrary, the innovative ideas of the director of a small rural school acquire new interpretations in the context of reforming the Ukrainian educational sector based on the implementation of advanced foreign experience. The purpose of the article is to compare the pedagogical ideas of V. Sukhomlynskyi, in particular, the importance of nature and socially useful work for the benefit of the community, with the pedagogical approach of Place-based Education, which arose in the United States at the turn of the millennium. The essence of this pedagogical approach overlaps in many ways with the ideas of V. Sukhomlynskyi. The founders of the direction of Place-based Education also propose to transfer learning outside the classrooms, that is, to conduct lessons in nature, and to involve schoolchildren in working on projects relevant to the local community. The purpose of the article determined the choice of a methodological complex – in addition to general theoretical methods, the method of comparative analysis was used to compare the main provisions of V. Sukhomlynskyi's teaching and Place-based Education. The article suggests that the reasons for the overlap between the two pedagogical concepts lie in the fact that both V. Sukhomlynskyi and the founders of Place-based Education (D. Grunewald, G. Smith, D. Sobel and others) were aware of the need for fundamental changes in the content and forms of school education against the background of such challenges as globalization, which erases national specificity, and environmental and spiritual crises caused by the advance of the consumer society. The article states that the Ukrainian scientist was almost half a century ahead of foreign researchers by proposing a well-founded and harmonious system of education and upbringing, which contributes to the formation of a conscious citizen.