Khaladzhan Nikolai Nikolaevich (1931-2004): academician, doctor of pedagogical sciences, candidate of philosophical sciences, author of the theory of fundamental authorized education. Scientific direction — philosophy and methodology of knowledge.
Also: founder and first president of the Moscow External University for the Humanities (MEGU); President of the International Academy of Authorized Education (IAAO); Chairman of the editorial board of the scientific and theoretical journal Vestnik MEGU; Chief editor of the newspaper «Intelligent»; Honorary Doctor of Science from the International University The International University Vienna, Austria).
Membership in trade unions:
- New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS)
- American Association of University Leaders (AAUA)
- American Association for Advances in Science (AAAS)
- International Center for Friendship and Culture «Horizon» (Germany)
- US National Library of Congress
Awards:
- Moscow Mayor’s Office for contribution to the development of the Russian capital
- Diploma and medal of VDNKh of the USSR for success in the national economy — development of innovative programs for vocational education
- Patronic Order of the Silver Cross and Crescent (MAAO)
- Medal of the Russian Academy of Arts
- The Eileen Tosney Award (USA) for Excellence in the Practice of Higher Education
The biographical data of Nikolai Nikolaevich Khaladzhan were included in the British international list «Person of the Year» (IBC, Cambridge 1999-2000), in the Russian edition of «The Golden Book of Russia — the Business Elite of the 300th Century» and in the American encyclopedia «Who’s Who in the World». Nikolay Nikolaevich Khaladzhan is the author of more than XNUMX scientific and methodical works.
How did I know Nikolai Nikolaevich Khaladzhan? With what human qualities was he so generously endowed by nature?
First of all, I want to name a pronounced communicative competence, an individual style of pedagogical communication, the ability to manage oneself, to freely interact in the process of solving pedagogical problems. He, like no one else, knew how to control any situation. I can safely say that the practical actions of Nikolai Nikolayevich, as a scientist, teacher, leader, have always been purposeful, thought out in detail, and productive. No one knew how to use in practice, in the process of communication, the principles of theatrical action, its laws, like Nikolai Nikolayevich. Nature has generously rewarded him with personal charm, extraordinary contagiousness, excellent diction, plasticity, and beauty of gesture. This is how I remember Nikolai Nikolayevich Khaladzhan.
And how superbly he mastered the word, speech, culture of speech, oratory. While I actively communicated with this talented, wonderful person, it always seemed to me that the words Philosopher-Democrat, who considered the mastery of three gifts to be the main thing in a person’s life: to speak well, to think well, to do well, can be attributed to Nikolai Nikolayevich. Nikolai Nikolayevich could speak meaningfully and beautifully, thought well, superbly led the life of the University. Nikolai Nikolayevich highly valued the ability to speak, the culture of speech, oratory among his colleagues. I want to emphasize once again that I have always been fascinated by Nikolai Nikolayevich’s brilliant mastery of acting skills: contagiousness, plasticity, beauty of gesture. And he was absolutely right when he called the artistic profession (among others) culturally defining.
Nikolai Nikolaevich constantly attracted to himself by the power of the charm of the personality, which his friends and colleagues experienced on themselves. Gifted with the ability to feel deeply and strongly, to think fundamentally and in an original way, he always aroused admiration and recognition among those around him.
Nikolai Nikolayevich never tried to be better than he really was. To be, not to seem — this is his life credo. Therefore, always and everywhere he was treated with great respect, which is very typical for Nikolai Nikolayevich, this is a completely healthy critical attitude towards oneself, the ability to accept oneself as a person that can (and should) be improved by oneself. His words have always been a sign that something needs to be rethought, maybe changed, shaped differently, etc.
Nikolai Nikolaevich was emotional by nature, but he always tried to restrain himself, change the tone of communication, translate the dialogue into calm, friendly notes. And what is especially characteristic, he did it chastely pure and unfeignedly simple. It is his ability to control himself in difficult situations that has always surprised and delighted me. He knew how to listen and be tolerant of the ideas and shortcomings of a partner.
Being a great and deep scientist, Nikolai Nikolayevich perfectly understood that for the education system in the new social situation, a transition from a unified unified education to a variable, personal, individual one is necessary. He created a science-based standard of such a system — the system of authorized education, and carefully tested it on the ten-year experience of MEGU.
It is interesting that the birth of the authorized school of N.N. Khaladzhan many years ago was predicted by the great Russian writer L.N. Tolstoy — Here is what he wrote in the famous article “Education and upbringing”: maybe, it’s unclear, awkward, unconvincingly expressed, it will become a common property, hardly in a hundred years all ready-made institutions will become obsolete … and freely established institutions will grow up, having as their basis the freedom of the student generation … «. N.N.Khaladzhan created such an educational institution even earlier than “in 100 years”.
More about students: they need «only manuals and libraries, not lectures that they could listen to, but conversations with leaders.» It is precisely such «allowances», under the leadership of Nikolai Nikolaevich, and directly by himself, that were created in the plural at MEGU. And one more thing, “… A school will not, perhaps, be a school as we understand it, with boards, benches, chairs, teachers’ or professors’, it may be everywhere … … … completely different!» the leadership of Nikolai Nikolaevich.
Prof. MEGU E.A. Levin once correctly told me about N.N.Khaladzhan: “…It was the Head…”. And that’s right — it was the Bright Head. Let’s return to the pedagogical formula of MEGU — a teaching method that turns a student into the author of his textbook, learning according to this method creates in individual work on a specially prepared book, where the training course is presented only half, and only in its investigative meanings. And the second half, the causal part of the course, the student must find and form himself. Reading significant volumes of sources, he critically masters their scientific and applied culture. In this kind of methodology, all the basic principles of the original productive pedagogical process, productive acquisition of knowledge and active interest in them are achieved. Let us recall K. Wenzel and his project “House of the Free Child” — “…Let the children create their own textbook … and make up such a book that would contain the knowledge they have acquired in this or that area …”. N.N.Khaladzhan successfully implemented this idea, concretizing it in the “formula” of MEGU.
Nikolai Nikolaevich is the author of many teaching aids — books on philosophy, logic, psychology, pedagogy, pedagogical skills. He is the author of such vivid and informative books as “The Book of a Young Man”, “Declaration of an Authorized School”, and many innovative scientific works that have enriched the ideological and theoretical basis of the entire concept of authorized education. More than 1500 different titles of textbooks, programs, methodological materials — all this wealth was created under the leadership of Nikolai Nikolayevich — this huge organizational talent, in some 4-4,5 years. In his scientific works, Nikolai Nikolayevich clearly showed that in an authorized pedagogical process, program knowledge, as such, first of all encourages one to “test oneself”, to desire (need) and the ability to express different hypotheses, one’s own versions, to analyze. The main thing, according to the scientist, is the creation of such conditions in the educational process that allow students to acquire personal meaning in their own education.
Nikolai Nikolaevich, as a teacher and scientist, enjoyed well-deserved prestige, both in Russia and abroad. During the Euro-American Educational Forums (Lugano, Switzerland, Mexico City, Mexico) Nikolai Nikolayevich’s scientific activity was highly appreciated by such well-known scientists as Dr. Eric Nielsen — Switzerland, Dr. Jerry W. Young and Dr. Glenn A. Gorke — USA … and many others. During the report of Nikolai Nikolayevich at the forum in Mexico City (November 12-17, 1995), the first secretary of the Russian Embassy in Mexico, A.K. exactly what is needed». Such was the impression of a person who first heard about the system of authorized education. “What you need” is said very accurately! I well remember the statement of one of the participants of the Forum, a teacher from Canada, — she spoke about the great interest in the content of Nikolai Nikolayevich’s speech.
Another example, Doctor of Pedagogy and retired US Army General Donald L. Scott, spoke very highly of the innovative technologies of MEGU and the role of Nikolai Nikolayevich in the development of authorized education, we heard the same assessment from the rector of the Mexican Technological University. Nikolai Nikolayevich’s scientific work was highly appreciated in the speech of the international coordinator of the Euro-American Educational Forum, Dr. Virginio L. Puci. And there are many such testimonies…
I have already said that Nikolai Nikolaevich was a talented organizer. He established the International Academy of Authorized Education. Its central office was located in the United States. Nikolai Nikolayevich defined one of the most important missions of the Academy as follows — to be the center of integration of scientific research of all departments of the University. Nikolai Nikolaevich created the scientific and methodological journal Vestnik MEGU. The editor of the journal was Professor AI Golota. Nikolai Nikolayevich acted as the chief organizer and editor of a special magazine about MEGU and its teacher «Who is Who». To brightly encourage the successful scientific and educational activities of innovative teachers, Nikolai Nikolayevich established the University Patron Order and Medal and the Academic Star of the World. And many many others! And all this is Academician Nikolai Nikolaevich Khaladzhan. He was always surrounded and supported by colleagues and friends. Among them were quite a few well-known scientists: A. I. Golota, E. A. Levin, V. K. Abramov and many others. Nikolai Nikolaevich was a sympathetic person. He treated people with respect and love. He always came to the rescue in difficult times. Doing it tactfully, imperceptibly.
Let us return to the question of Nikolai Nikolayevich’s contribution to pedagogical science and practice. I want to once again, with all certainty, emphasize that the author of the method of authorized education, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, Academician N.N.Khaladzhan, collected, carefully systematized and comprehensively developed the ideas and practical experience of many generations of scientists, writers, innovative teachers, philosophers, psychologists, and authorized pedagogy sparkled with all its facets, received recognition from many Russian educators and world pedagogical education. This is his great merit!
Once Professor A.I. Golota said in a conversation with me: … Nikolai Nikolayevich — a scientist, teacher, leader from God … — I completely agree with him!
I will forever keep the memory of this extraordinary and wonderful person!
Yu. Yu. Ivanov
EX Rector of the Academy of Pedagogy MEGU
Academician, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor,
Laureate of the Prize. K.D.Ushinsky
Excellence in Education of the USSR
Honored School Teacher of Russia.