Master of pedagogy of Kazakh Abay National
Pedagogical University
K.B. Maldibayev
An overview of the
history of special education
In all time the development of the system of
specialized teaching has always been connected with social-economic conditions
in the country, the regularities of educational system the values of the
society and the policy of the country concerning the disabled children,
development of science and the experience in the world specialized teaching.
Nowadays, when the history
of new Kazakhstan is developing, the necessity of recognizing and realizing the
past history of our country is mentioned in the about the development of
historical mind in the Republic of Kazakhstan”.
The basis of a historical
mind is made up of the histories of sciences. That’s why it demands difficult
but very important requirements from the development of the history of
specialized teaching. With this purpose, we have tried to analyze the
historical moments of the development of specialized teaching from social-cultural
point of view.
The transfer of the system
of specialized teaching from one stage to another and its qualitative formation
and development is seen in its social form.
In the 1970s of 20th
century, according to the comprehension of the values of mankind, equality of
the rights of disabled children in getting education and elimination of keeping
them aloof from others was announced. For the first time in the history there
has been formed a point of view this disabled people have equal rights as well
as others, in spite of their physical disabilities. In those times UNO signed a
declaration about the rights of disabled and mentally retarded people. It was
the beginning of the fifth stage.
These documents point out
the necessity for them to live in a family, get education among normal people, and
improve their physical abilities and word with others. In foreign countries
teaching and bringing up the children with physical disabilities in specialized
boarding schools was strongly criticized and it meant to keep aloof them from
others. Since that time in the countries of North Europe and the USA the
methods of specialized teaching have changed greatly according to the
social-political and economic conditions of the countries, and it was suggested
to teach them in general public schools. The purpose of these changes was to
help those children to live normal life, eliminate the cases that could prevent
them from getting help and adjust the environment to their needs. With teaching
to the disabled children in public schools it was suggested to start to teach
to the children with serious mental deviations.
However, this stage hasn’t
finished yet and these problems are still being discussed in society. Nowadays,
new medical technologies are used in treating them and the achievements in
specialized teaching are directed in helping the people with physical
disabilities to live in society independently from other people. Doctors,
nowadays, suggest the technology of prenatal diagnosis in order to discover the
abnormalities of developing fetus, as well as:
-
New technologies of organ
transplantation;
-
The achievements in making
artificial organs;
-
New technologies of implantation and
prosthesis;
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Using special medicines and vaccines
during pregnancy in order to avoid some illness;
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Diagnosis of abnormalities in early
period and making up special programs for normalizing them.
However, the formation and development of specialized
teaching in our country is not studied from social-cultural point of view. The
system of specialized teaching of Republic of Kazakhstan started to develop in
the period of Soviet Union and after 1990s it developed on its own.
The system of specialized teaching in Kazakhstan has
its own history. Specialized teaching is necessary for being aware of the
difficulties and learning more about special aids. Some historical documents
describe the formation and development of specialized teaching with certain
events.
The development of modern specialized teaching
includes defining the contrasts and tendencies of different periods,
non-traditional help to the children with physical disabilities and conditions
for social upbringing. The development of the theory and practice of
specialized teaching in Kazakhstan started.
The process of historical formation of pedagogical
points of view and judgments about specialized teaching and upbringing of the
disabled children in Kazakhstan is still one of the main problems that should
be investigated thoroughly.
Concerning this problem, the Kazakh national
pedagogical-psychological judgments and studies can be seen in the end of the
19th and in the beginning of the 20th centuries. Those
who really cared for the future of our country, for its independence and
sovereignty and its inward development, and sovereignty and its inward
development, and did their best, even sacrificed their lives, such scientists
and educators as I. Altinsarin, a great poet Abay, Sh. Kudaiberdiyev, A. Baitursynov
and many others contributed a lot to the inward cultural development of the
country. These great people wrote a lot of valuable works in psychology and
pedagogies and enabled the formation of the national term in educational sciences.
One of the main paradigms of
the special pedagogies nowadays is humanization. In 19th century in
his works I. Altynsarin pointed out that pedagogical benevolence, i.e. treating
children kind-heartedly meant solidarity between a teacher and his pupils. He
also highlighted the following requirements for a teacher who always paid
attention to children’s cognitive and inner development in his famous book “Reader”:
in order to be a real teacher he must take into consideration the peculiarities
of his pupils’ abilities and be able to feel children’s sensitive inner world.
These qualities are considered as one
of the main factors in teaching and bringing up the children with physical and
mental disabilities, and taking into consideration each child’s abilities is
known in every defectology.
A great poet and educator
Abay Kunanbayev (1845-1904) wrote a lot about the organs that influence on the
complete development of a person: “If one does not have an ability to taste,
one can never know what is sweet and tasty in the world.” Abay’s views about
the necessity of the development of senses of perception are also met in the
works of Shakarim, M. Zhumabayev, M. Dulatov, Zh. Aimautov. And physical
deviation of a person, whether it is blindness or inborn disability, makes his
life difficult. This can be seen in Abay’s 7, 19, 23, 34 Words. In his 37th
Words he says: “If I had an authority, I would punish severely the person who
says it is impossible to change a person’s character.” Abay, who was always
against the bourgeois and racial views which asserted that the development of a
good character depended on genetic factors and that only offspring of a
nobleman could be skillful, proved that it always depended on upbringing.
Sultanmakhmut Toraigyrov
(1899-1920) in his works on pedagogies for the first time in the history of
Kazakh pedagogies explained the connection between spirit and body, i.e.
between mind and psychology. In his works S. Toraigyrov, who asserts that a
person develops both mentally and physically in accordance with the
environment, describes the peculiarities and sensitive periods of youth. The
poet says that in his youth a person’s mind and intellect is quick to learn,
eager to find out more about the environment, that’s why it is necessary to
give them an opportunity to study.
Shakarim Kudaiberdiyev
(1858-1931) was one of the great educators who took active part in social,
cultural and literary life of Kazakh people, continued Abay’s national
psychological tradition and left a big literary heritage for his country. In
his works Sh. Kudaiberdiyev suggests that one should try to learn and discover
the mysteries of the nature and to be able to use its resources as the God gave
us mind, intellect and brain for it.
Spandiyar Kobeyev
(1887-1956) continued a great educator I. Altynsarin’s pedagogical activity and
deserved the nation’s authority. In his book “Ways of motivating children to
learn” he writes: “To motivate children to learn is possible through arousing
their interest in studying, labour and explaining the basis of all sciences.”
He also points out the necessity of working with the children with physical and
mental disabilities by saying: “It is an important task to develop the
character of the child with physical disabilities correctly. They are likely to get angry and irritated
quickly. They are not able to understand and get to the point at once, but
it is not correct to blame them for it.”
All these points of view
contributed a lot to the basis of defectology and pedagogical optimism.
Magzhan Zhumabayev
(1893-1938) in his short life wrote his first book “Pedagogies” and helped
teachers with the problems of teaching and upbringing. In the part “Connection
between spiritual and physical abilities” of this book he says: “The main
senses of perception are hearing and seeing, then come olfactory organs.”
Zh. Aimautov (1889-1931)
wrote a lot of works that teach humanity and kindness to youth. When speaking
about the works of Zh. Aimautov, first comes his famous work “Psychology” which
consists of 12 chapters and it played a big role in teaching an upbringing
science. In the part “Some parts of the body and their functions” of his book
he gives detailed information on nervous system of a person, the temperature of
the body, process of inhibition, parts of the brain and their main functions,
olfactory organs, senses of perception (hearing and seeing), senses of taste.
In his book “Reference of pedagogies” Zh. Aimautov studies the problems that
concern psycho-physiology. They include the formation and development of the
mind, the peculiarities of a person’s mind, anatomic and physiological basis of
a person’s psychic, the functions of the brain, psychic processes of the
formation of senses of perception, and physical basis of main processes of
consciousness.
All these scientifically
valuable points of view prove that one of the main objectives of specialized
pedagogy is to make possible to further develop a person and his skills in
spite of his physical and mental disabilities. As an example of this Zh.
Aimautov wrote one of his poems in the form of a mother’s lullaby to her child.
A great writer Sh.
Ualikhanov’s younger brother Makezhan (1844-1923) got education in the special
college for deaf people in St. Petersburg and it can be one of the first
examples of getting education in specialized schools for the children with
physical disabilities. He was admitted to this college at the age of 10 and
worked as a painter at the chancellery in Omsk. His coevals always said that he
had mastered the language of deaf people perfectly.
In conclusion, it can be
said there is no doubt that the works of all these great people contributed a
lot to the historical formation and development of specialized pedagogies and
its theory.
List of literature
1. The Law of Republic of Kazakhstan about providing the children with
physical disabilities with social and medical-pedagogical aid. – Astana, 2002
2. Special pedagogies. Edited by N.M. Nazarova-M-2001
3. Teaching and upbringing the children with physical disabilities in
Kazakhstan. R. K. Lutskina – Alma-Ata-1987
4. History of specialized teaching in Kazakhstan. G.M. Korzhova, A.L.
Baitursinova. Almaty-2003