DOMESTIC PRECONDITIONS of PHILOSOPHY of VIRTUAL EDUCATION in
RUSSIA
Andrey Khutorskoy, Ph. D., Moscow, Russia
The search of philosophical bases of virtual type education,
which is widening today due to rapid technical achievement in
the field of human telecommunications, assumes for Russian
school coming to its domestic philosophy.
Constructed on domestic ideas and traditions education will
always carry mission of nation development. The technical or
organizational forms of such education can be various, sometimes
completely unusual and unimaginable. However, on our deep
belief, the final received educational result of a man is
determined not so much by forms of educational activity,
including distant, but by ground philosophical ideas, on which
the educational process is constructed. It is the search of
these ideas in the works of domestic philosophers that is an
initial task of development of bases of virtual education in
relation to the Russian mentality.
We understand ambiguity and singularity of the given task, but
we realize its timeliness and necessity to maintain holistic
cultural development of education system in Russia.
At first we will consider a concept of virtual education. The
term "virtual" occurs from a Latin word "virtualis", that means"
probable; which can or should appear under the certain
conditions "(Dictionary of Foreign Words. - M.: Rus.Yaz, 1990. -
P. 106). The given term is applied in many areas of human
activity, which have indirectly prepared conditions for its
introduction in the area of education. Here are the examples of
the use of concept "virtual" in modern science and practice.
In physics such particles, which exist only at interaction of
other elementary particles are named virtual particles (virtual
photon, boson, etc.). Due to virtual particles there stars an
interaction of real elementary particles as though they
exchanged these virtual particles among themselves. The concept
"virtual" is applied also in meteorology, for example, there is
a virtual temperature, that is temperature, which dry air of the
same density as given damp air would have at the given pressure.
In psychology the terms "a virtual image", "virtual object" are
used. For example, association of a man and a machine considers
being a virtual object. The functions of this virtual object are
reduced neither to functions of a man, nor to functions of a
machine, and such virtual object is possible only at the
interaction of real objects - a man and a machine. From the
psychological point of view N.A.Nosov specificated the following
properties of a virtual reality: geniture, actuality, autonomy,
interactivity. In his opinion, the psychological virtual
realities are derived from mentality of a man. The virtual
reality exists only while the father reality is active; the
virtual reality has its own time, space and laws. The virtual
reality can cooperate with all the other realities, including
its father.
In computer engineering the so-called virtual memory - computer
memory is applied and to which no one physical carrier of memory
is corresponded. The virtual memory exists only as a result of
the functional relations between the elements of the computer.
With the help of the software ensuring creation of virtual
memory a man can use a larger volume of the information than
that allowed by real physical carriers. Practically all modern
computers are equipped by the special virtual machine (Java).
Today the term "virtual reality" has taken the greatest
popularity in computer modeling. In this case a man cooperates
with artificial three-dimensional visual or another sensory
environment, making some virtual actions in it. For this purpose
he uses dialogue devices - a virtual helmet, gloves or a whole
costume. With their help a man is immersed in the specific
environment generated by the machine, in which he can make the
certain actions: to pass in other rooms, to operate objects,
which he can see in the virtual environment, to test various
sensations from the varied points of view or virtual events,
caused by his actions.
Virtual technologies have been applied in the 1960 years in the
educational purposes when with the help of special trainers
pilots mastered the ways of controlling the plane.
Virtual validity has been applied in many areas of human
activity: in medicine, biotechnology, design development,
marketing, arts, ergonomics, industry of entertainment, etc. The
technologies of creation of a virtual reality are used in
computer games, exhibitions and commercial performances, in
space trainers and other kinds of activity, where modeling of
real and virtual processes is required.
The listed examples allow specifying the reasons and attributes
of virtuality, which is necessary to give a definition to
"virtual education". The reason of virtual processes is
interactions of real objects. In case one or several cooperating
objects act in a role of the subjects of active interaction
(student, teacher), this interaction becomes a source of their
virtual condition distinguished from a condition of the same
subjects before the given interaction. The changes and growth of
internal qualities of the real subjects arising as a result of
their virtual condition, characterize the process and the result
of their education.
The key attributes of virtual process are: a) its preliminary
indefiniteness for the subjects of this interaction; b)
uniqueness for each sort of their interaction, including
educational objects; c) existence only during the interaction.
The virtual process occurs in the appropriate virtual space,
which properties are characterized by similar attributes, and
also special virtual objects.
In a most general view we understand virtual education as a
process and a result of interaction of the subjects and objects
of education accompanied by their creation of virtual
educational space, the specificity of which only the given
objects and subjects define. The existence of virtual
educational space outside of the communications of the teachers,
students and educational objects is impossible. In other words,
virtual educational environment is created only by the objects
and subjects participating in educational process not by the
classrooms, manuals or technical means. (In brackets we shall
notice that the traditional understanding of education as a sort
of material, which " is given " to the student doesn't consider
interaction of the concrete persons and is established as the
educational programs, plans, manuals given for the realization).
Thus, virtual education is not reduced only to
telecommunications. It can occur (and occurs) in usual
face-to-face interaction of the teachers, students and
investigated objects. The computer technologies allow expanding
opportunities of face-to-face education by increasing mutual
availability of the distant students, teachers, experts, and
information files and, that is especially specific, virtual
educational object. The basic purpose of virtual education as
well as education of a man in general is a revealing and
achievement by him of his mission in the real world, combined
with his virtual and other opportunities.
It is necessary to consider appropriate pedagogic of virtual
education as contextual, for the features of its application are
determined every time by concrete conditions of training and
that virtual educational situation, which exists only in the
given space, in the given time, between the given subjects and
objects of education. The necessity of the development
contextual pedagogic as well as virtual didactics ensues from
the need for concrete toolkit for organization of virtual
educational processes. However, logic of our research demands to
establish philosophical grounds for realization of pedagogical
and didactic development of virtual education bases. With this
purpose we will address to the works of the domestic
philosophers examining interaction of a man with the world as
the reason of transition in the special condition challenging a
man to reveal and perform his Universal mission. One of the
leading trends of domestic philosophical ideas, accepting this
orientation is Russian cosmism. Russian cosmism philosophy is a
complex doctrine about a man and the world interaction based on
global planetary thinking, which is characteristic for plead of
eminent Russian scientists of 19-20 centuries. This doctrine
concerns not only epistemological or other separate problems of
philosophy but the holistic conception of a man, his Universal
mission.
Restoration of natural communication of a man with nature and
history, revival of a man lifestyle, expanding of a man's
outlook up to a planetary one - these positions characterize the
philosophy of Russian cosmism. The founders of this philosophy
are world-known scientists who have achievements and discoveries
in scientific, cultural, and religious and public life:
N.F.Fedorov, Vl.S.Soloviov, K.Tsiolkovsky, P.A.Florensky,
V.I.Vernadsky, A.K.Chizhevsky, N.O.Lossky, N.A.Berdyaev,
D.L.Andreev, etc.
In the philosophy of Russian cosmism the ancient fundamental
principle works and it has a determining value for an
establishment of the preconditions of virtual education: the
microworld is similar to macroworld, that is a man is similar to
the universe. It follows as a logical consequence that the
global processes in the certain degree are identical to local
ones, changes in a man correspond to changes in a society,
changes at all levels of organization of a society (and nature)
are similar and are connected with Universal changes. The
reasons of the given changes from the point of view of virtual
processes are in local, global and space interaction micro- and
macroworld. This conclusion allows to consider that the unity
and similarity of a man and the world is achieved due to the
existence of interaction process of a man and the world - a
virtual process, which can exist separately neither from a man,
nor from the world. In other words, the implement of a man into
the world occurs under the condition of virtual educational
process, which has its features and laws.
Virtual education is, first of all, a process of movement of a
man to a new, unknown thing, occurring as a result of his
interaction with the real world. The purpose of such education
is not so much study of a reality but dismission of it, the
creation of a new educational result as a creative product. The
external educational directions if they are also necessary are
called in this case to give a support to education but to not
replace it. The virtual education is creation.
From the idea of philosophy of Russian cosmism about similarity
of a man to the world comes the sense of virtual education of a
man as expansion of his internal world up to the external one,
interpenetrating of micro- and macroworld. A man's coming into
the world also is a process of his education accompanying with
opening of new spheres of the external world. To be installed
with the internal world into the external one is possible only
in a man's own activity, in the certain condition, creating
things similar to the surrounding ones. If all the external
world could be conditionally divided into educational areas,
their semantic knowledge and understanding by a man occurs
through creation and comprehension by him the appropriate
internal condition, that is virtual condition.
Virtual education mostly meets the spherical model which has
unlimited number of degrees of freedom and which does not
specify for each man his unequivocal direction movements.
Personal educational potential of a man acts as the center of
such spherical model. There is no common direction of education
for all; everyone carries out his movement in separate parts of
the sphere. The structure of educational sphere consists of
educational areas defined by a man.
The spatial model of education means an opportunity to create
different educational spheres, in which there will be individual
development for everyone. The man himself determines the sphere,
builds various structures and values in it, and fills it with
the contents.
The construction of spatial model of virtual education leads to
exhibition of the internal world of a man as a set of extending
spheres: intellectual, emotional - figurative, cultural,
historical, social and others. All of them are closely connected
mobile and form virtual educational space of a man. This space
is capable of expanding in the external world opening its
external spheres. The process of such expansion occurs with the
help of student activity who uses his physical sense organs,
emotional - figurative and intellectual abilities. The physical
sight, for example, helps a man to penetrate everywhere, where
he can direct his look and cooperate with any seen real object.
"The flight of an idea" or the sensual sensations also increase
opportunities of a man in his interaction with the objects
invisible by physical sight. A set of extending, cooperating
virtual spheres combines the image of a learning man, gradually
filling by himself the world accessible to his knowledge.
It is also necessary to add a man's self-knowledge to his
knowledge of the external world that is reflective activity on
revealing his own actions, condition and changes. The spatial
model of virtual education connects external knowledge with
internal one, as they are uniform and inseparable in their
interpenetrating. It is possible to say that in this case the
ancient behest comes true: learning yourself you learn the
entire world.
"Working" on inside and outside object senses, a man fills in
the space intended to him. The internal world is enriched with
external; external one is filled with internal. The man becomes
the world; the world is filled by the man. The man's mission is
to reveal and to realize in himself the contents, which can
become external. Simultaneously there is a return process: the
external space takes internal developing essence of a man.
