“A textbook is always just an attachment to a teacher”

Yuri Vyazemsky, Head of the Department of World Literature and Culture at MGIMO, author and host of the program “Clever and Smart”:

– The most important thing is that the content of the textbook clearly reflects the attitude of the current government to various historical events. History is a serious thing, in a sense sacred. Scientists-historians look at it from their bell tower, politicians from theirs, writers even more so. Therefore, I would like the country’s leadership, through its experts, to teach a lesson to the younger generation in the way it sees fit.

But it must be united so that such situations do not occur, which I observed in one of the villages. In it, two schools fought each other: in one they taught that Stalin was a fascist, and in the other, that he was a great man who saved the Motherland from fascism. Supporters of different ideas converged in the middle of the settlement, at first arguing, and then fighting. Right along Saltykov-Shchedrin…

The official state textbook should be official, and everyone should have a common understanding of the interpretation of the most difficult events. If someone wants to study history more closely and form their own opinion, different from the textbook, there are other books for this. Historical writings by such prominent scientists as Solovyov, Klyuchevsky, and others, who, by the way, often had their own views on the same events in history.

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Ilya Demakov, Director of the Gorchakovsky Lyceum of MGIMO, Teacher of the Year of Russia-2017:

– A textbook is always just an attachment to a teacher. During a normal lesson, a general text is not particularly needed, because the content is already in the teacher’s speech. But you need high-quality visual support: verified maps, images, reliable portraits. And, of course, digital tools. For example, the Rosarkhiv has digitized hundreds of thousands of sources, among which there are key documents that are very necessary for a history course. It is more convenient to work with them in electronic form than in printed form. This means that the textbook should have some means of communicating with the digital environment – at least a system of QR codes inside a paragraph. Such tools, by the way, strengthen the credibility of the text.

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Evgeny Kozhokin, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor at MGIMO:

– Intonation of sincerity. It is necessary that schoolchildren do not memorize texts, and the material remains with them for a long time. It is a dizzying task to use modern words and expressions, because the language of the modern student is different from the language of the student of 30 years ago. The language should be modern, but also not disturb the atmosphere of the time of the description.

Psychologists have proven that in order for a child to develop harmoniously, a combination of electronic and paper reading is necessary. The textbook should contain exclusively verified information. It would be good if schoolchildren, after reading something on the Internet, turn to a textbook where everything is written correctly and clearly. Of course, there is no history textbook without ideology. In 1991, we abolished the ideology, but it has not gone away. Therefore, tact and professionalism are needed here.

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Alexander Snegurov, historian, honored teacher of the Russian Federation, professor at Moscow State Pedagogical University:

– Understanding by the authors that this is a history textbook, not politics. There must be different points of view and judgments. History, according to Yuri Trifonov, is a stranded wire, where several processes always go in parallel. And that’s why the prism through which you look at it is important. It is very difficult to look at history without concepts, without radical assessments, hasty markings and efforts to adapt to the current moment. To reach the highest level of objectivity is not given, probably, to anyone. But the desire for this must be present. We need different materials and references, to create a textbook it is better to use historians, and not employees of ministries and departments.

Texts should be focused on a thinking student, skeptical, and written seriously, confidentially, multifaceted, taking into account the needs of the 21st century. Few people read large texts today, hence the brevity, with interesting and curious facts that should catch on. And optimism should be in the textbook – it is impossible for there to be a lot of destructiveness. We need a positive, aimed at creation.

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Alexander Logunov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Honored Professor of the Russian State University for the Humanities:

– There are no eternal history textbooks: they are being rewritten all the time, this is not a multiplication table. Each generation creates its own project of history and history, wanting to answer the question of why we are like this. Whether because we made ourselves so, or our ancestors and society were like that. The answer to this is needed as an orientation project: how and whom should I orient myself to.

The search and selection of priorities is the main historical move for any country. As it was in the USSR, we are special and advanced, the most democratic and politically correct, the most caring about social efficiency. We will create everything cooler than anyone else. But pineapple doesn’t make strawberries.

The most difficult and practically unsolvable task is to identify dominants. For example, what do we want to know about ourselves, what shaped us, what are our priorities. What is more important for us: that we were the first to launch a satellite or that our people wear old things. And here one must be very careful – even nuclear physics does not solve such problems. It is important not to lose the personal beginning behind global problems. The story is very personified, images of the time are needed, so it is very important who to choose as heroes.

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Denis Fomin-Nilov, Head of the Center for the Development of Historical Education and Science GAUGN, Candidate of Historical Sciences:

“Unfortunately, our school history textbooks continue to maintain a chronological approach, when the main thing is lost behind thousands of dates, names and events — the history of the formation of modern Russian statehood through revolutions and evolution, wars, scientific and technological progress and the development of culture. And until now, the emphasis is on the author’s interpretations of historians through the prism of mainly political and military history. However, the story is much more complex and diverse.

A textbook on this subject should not be a warehouse of encyclopedic knowledge, but a navigator and a tool that allows teachers and schoolchildren to consider the most important problems of our time using the example of historical experience.

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Alexander Ojo, History teacher at Moscow School No. 854:

– For a history textbook, its methodological apparatus is very important. It consists of questions and assignments, historical sources. It is important that the tasks were at three levels of cognitive independence of students. These tasks should expand the capabilities of students, their horizons, instill cognitive interest.

In addition, illustrative material is important. Consolidated text is difficult to understand even for an adult. Illustrations allow you to give more information to the guys, especially since they develop thinking.

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Alexander Arkhangelsky, literary critic, TV presenter, writer:

— For me, it is so important to figure out what a history textbook should not be. First, it doesn’t have to be one. Secondly, it should not be a surrogate for ideology. That is, it should not be the textbook that is now presented to the public.

Group “Direct speech”