On December 8, 2024, for the first time in the history of non/fiction, the Day of the Educator was announced and successfully held as a sign of great respect for teachers and recognition of the special importance of preschool education. The initiator of this idea - the International Pedagogical Academy of Preschool Education (IPAPE) and the organizing committee of the exhibition tried to make the festive event for teachers unforgettable, significant and very eventful.
It is a rare case that at 11 a.m., when the fair opened, the seminar hall for the round table was not just full, but literally overflowing. Despite the fact that, according to the survey, all the preschool education specialists who responded to the invitation visited this book festival for the first time, none of them were disappointed: according to the "preschoolers'" own assessments, they received the most vivid positive impressions and a lot of creative ideas. No one held back their delight at the meetings with writers, and with leading experts in the field of preschool education, and with the organizers of the beloved All-Russian forum "Oriyentiry Detstva". Pleasant surprises included books autographed by the authors, participation in a no-lose lottery at the stand of the publishing house "Mosaika-kids", live communication with colleagues and acquaintance with the huge colorful world of the best books of the best publishing houses of our country.
The emotions most dear to the organizers were expressed by the words of the participants: "Thank you very much for this holiday!", "You fulfilled my dream!", "I would never have gone on my own because I thought that there were only scientific books here", "Now I will never miss this event!", "You have opened a new one for us peace!", "A real New Year's surprise!".
The most important point of the program for educators was the round table "Children's book as a source of ideas for an educational event", where publishers, children's writers and experts in the field of preschool education spoke. The conversation lasted for an hour about the special role of preschool education, about the mission of a preschool teacher, about proper and good books, and about the importance of educating children to love reading.
The participants shared their concern about the growing popularity of gadgets and video games and the loss of the importance of the printed book for the younger generation. The teachers-practitioners spoke about their successful experience in solving educational tasks with the help of a book; how to instill in children a love of reading and make the book the center of a significant educational event. Of course, we touched upon the important topic of involving the family in the culture of home reading. The principles of forming a library in a kindergarten and resources for replenishing the group's library collections were discussed. The educators got acquainted with the results of relevant scientific research with interest, which will help them in the future to successfully solve the set pedagogical task with the help of the book.
The moderator of the round table, Elfiya Dorofeeva, Director of Innovations at the International Pedagogical Academy of Preschool Education (IPAPE), General Director of the publishing house "MOZAIKA-SINTEZ", warmly thanked those present for their participation and interest in the topic of the event, paid attention to the key meanings of educational work with preschool children, noted the role of books in the formation of a child's personality based on traditional Russian values; spoke about the impact of books on the development of emotional intelligence in young children.
Alexander Veraksa, academician of the Russian Academy of Education, Head of the Department of Psychology of Education and Pedagogy of the Faculty of Psychology of Moscow State University, Head of the Laboratory of Psychology of Childhood and Digital Socialization of the Federal Scientific Center for Psychological and Interdisciplinary Research, Doctor of Psychological Sciences, provided objective data obtained during the study of the effects of gadgets on the brain and, consequently, on the intellectual and cognitive abilities of the child, explained the degree of He also warned about the irreversible consequences of the uncontrolled process of the child's involvement in virtual reality.
Irina Komarova, PhD in History, Vice-Rector of IPAPE, Academician of the Russian Municipal Academy, supported Alexander Veraksa's speech with a remark about the need to delicately and carefully include informatization in the preschool environment. In her commentary on the main topic of the event, she raised the issue of the need to use the great potential of the collaboration of a kindergarten with a city/district library, citing inspiring examples of such cooperation in the paradigm of the famous statement by S.Ya. Marshak, who considered the main task of adults to be to discover the "talent of a reader" in a child.
Yulia Brykova, an author of children's books and a member of the Union of Children's and Youthful Writers and the Russian Book Union, devoted her speech to the importance of introducing preschoolers to contemporary works and their authors; she called on teachers to boldly use the opportunity to invite writers to meet with their students and receive methodological support in matters of the most effective use of the educational content of the book.
Anastasia Shlemko, the absolute winner of the Educator of the Year of Russia 2018 competition, chairman of the All-Russian Educator of the Year Club "Constellation", senior educator of MBOU "Thirty-first School" fr om Khimki near Moscow, emphasized the importance of the role of a teacher in the formation of children's reading literacy, love of books, the ability to understand and appreciate the artistic word from an early age.
Tamara Kryukova, a member of the Union of Writers of Russia, author of books for children and teenagers, winner of international and all-Russian festivals and literary competitions, addressed teachers and parents with a request to read good books to children; gave advice on how to tell little ones about the world around them, current events and human relationships, discussing what they have read; drew attention to the fact that it is imperative to explain to a child what is incomprehensible; answered the question of whether books should be divided by their functional role: reading as entertainment, reading as knowledge, reading as education. The author is convinced that every children's book should combine all these meanings and that for small children it is necessary to write simply and clearly, tell fascinating stories with humor and at the same time, without edifying, lay down deep meanings with pedagogical content.
Svetlana Tulaikina, senior methodologist at school No. 236, winner of the Educator of the Year of Russia 2020 competition, author of the professional community "Educators to Help", shared her experience in implementing her own successful projects for children from 3 years old to develop reading literacy, foster love and respect for books, implemented in her preschool organization and widely replicated in other kindergartens: These are thematic exhibitions, the "Read, Dream and Drink Cocoa" campaign, and others.; She spoke about the valuable experience of including parents, grandparents in the reading marathon and the great emotional effect of small reading clubs with the participation of family members of her students.
Tatiana Zhukova, Chairman of the Association of School Librarians, spoke about the great potential of her All–Russian projects "Reading Mom – Reading Child - Reading Country", "Reading Mom Club", the importance of family and kindergarten interaction, and open methodological resources to support parents and teachers as the main participants in the educational process and guides children into the magical world of books.
In her closing speech, Elfiya Dorofeeva discussed the need to create a unified resource and expert center for preschool children's literature and systematically conduct meaningful educational and training events, develop reading clubs and other forms of work with teachers and parents, and support and replicate pedagogical initiatives.
At the end of the event, the teachers were in no hurry to leave: everyone was very interested in information about wh ere to learn about new books, get advice, get ideas for book projects, and even invite a real writer to kindergarten to meet with his young readers.
The round table marked the start of a new direction of activity for the pedagogical community united by the IPAPE projects - literary, and Educator's Day has now become a new wonderful tradition of non/fiction.
We are sure that with this approach and with such teachers, a book will once again become the best gift, and reading is a natural need for our children; wonderful book stories will enrich and fill with new meanings, interests and emotions the inner world of every child, teach the right truths, make life better and more interesting.
Text: Anna Yelanskaya
Photo: Irina Ropot