Talgenism

Work with mistakes.
The correction of mistakes.
We have taught children and adults for a long time,but the same problem appeared:seminar bored children and adults.
And I passed through out the same periods. What is the main reason?

In my opinion the reason is that we do not apply correctly the method of reading «paragraph after paragraph».
It is our main extra programme. And we do not work properly. When there is a bungle senselessness appears.
Why should I sit here ,if I do not do what I am here for. I do not train my mental ability.
The main point of that is to select from many data ,formulate the main thought and give a name.
If we bungle, the seminar becomes senselessness, because the purpose of the seminar is only in this.
What should we do for not bungling? Let’s correct our mistakes. Let’s look at our summaries. I ask you to take out now your summaries, choose a paragraph that, in your opinion,needs to be polished up, formulate the basic thought more correctly. You have to take out a big note about paragraph and try to reduce this note.
How would we do this? Read a paragraph. Select the key words. How? I do not know.
Really I cannot say exactly. What the key words are. It is controversial question of course. Someone can disagree with me. For example,I say that there are 10 key words in this paragraph . But someone finds 11 or 12, someone finds only 7 — anyway there is no exact criterion.

What is a key word? What is key data,key information? What is mind? It is the ability to select main point per time unit. Someone do it fast,someone do it slowly. Sooner or later we can select key words and formulate the main thought from them.
When this seminar started (1987), we discussed exactly this question with participants : How to select the main thought? This is the basic skill on what Rivin method is based.
The ability to select the main thought, the ability to find key words is the mind training. This is slow thoughtful reading.

Then the next part: to make a basic thought from key words. Sometimes you cannot create the basic thought that reflects the whole paragraph using these key words. Then you come far and look for key words again.
If I bungle, I cannot respect myself. Of course, I do not want to see the text where I bungle. And I do not want to waste my time on seminar. Look, how many times you did not respect yourself, when you wrote so big basic thoughts in summary. Just sit for Vladimir Ivanovich, just sit and write. It is tediously, I agree.
When we started, we apply to it seriously. This work was honest, this honesty gave us competence. The competence depends on honesty for 100 %.

I want to say, that there is nothing more pleasant than honesty in our life.
Honesty talk, honesty think, honestly communicate. For this we have a mechanism , for this there is dignity,responsibility,duty. This is our internal road, that does not let us lie. These fundamental characters of moral self-determination give us opportunity to be honest.
Honesty- is a process, it is constant approaching to the truth. No honesty- no truth.
How precisely do I see it what is before me. The more precisely-the better. It is important for educational process.
Often they ask : “Should the main thought consist of one sentence? Or two?”
I want to say that it can consist of one sentence or two or three, but here there is one important moment.
When this seminar started, there was one indispensible requirement. The main thought should disclose the contents of an entire paragraph. For even cannot believe, but it is possible. The entire paragraph is in one small sentence.
As a rule, here are two mistakes: for the teachers it is typical to do one mistake, for children another mistake is typical.

The first mistake is the duplication of paragraph. The idea of key words and main thought is lost. Instead of the main thought we rewrite a part of a paragraph.
It is typical for teachers.
For children another mistake is typical. They duplicate a paragraph too abstractedly. For example, a speech is about geography events. It presents in a paragraph and students write only “geography description”. A name cannot be so abstract.

We obtained that a name consisting of several words recall all content. But it is necessary to work on it. It is necessary to train constantly. The key words, the main thought. Over and over.
It is difficult for you and your partner. But exactly this way the key words and the main thought arise.
We agree there is no better for a man than a possession of bigger abilities. The place where he becomes more capable, always attract him, because there he respects himself and he is pleased of it.
But on the path to it we have barriers, lack of skills and weak abilities because of self-invalidation.
How can we get over it?
You need to believe that you can do. Every time it will be a little expansion.
I, of course, have been reading for a long period of time and I am sure that I can formulate the main thought of any paragraph.
I start to work. At the same time I follow the rule: to be honest.
I work over and over, and finally I formulate the main thought. But my partner says: “ I do not agree”.
We need to try again. And it turns out that my partner is right. He sees it this way. And any partner calls in question and criticize that you have done and he can say the main thought is different. And then arise the ability of understanding.
It is connected with moral, with abilities, it is connected with the future. It is a wonderful thing. And for it we have to find words, select key words, and formulate the main thought of a paragraph.
“I allocated key words and only from them compose the main thought”.

Answering this question, I remind the order of slow reading.

1. What is it about?
2. What are key words? I simply talk with my partner and ask him to show what key he sees.
3. The main thought. From these keywords we formulate the main thought.
4. Name. From the main thought and key words we formulate a name.

Requirements.
A name and a main thought should be such that you can restore the entire text of a paragraph using them. Then the seminar reaches its goal. Then this gives you wings behind your back.
We check how a name is connected with the previous paragraph.
And then we think about the next paragraph.
It helps us to understand authors logic. And can appear a clear understanding that this text is bad, because the text is written illogically and the author did not see it. When we find it out we understand how our mind is good.

The ability of allocating the key words is the most important ability of our mind. It works everywhere. Whoever you can be : an artist, a mathematician, a teacher, an administrator. A clever man can allocate key data. This is an art and we train that only with the help of reading.
Rivins method is the basic method for our school.
I knew this method in the end of 1987 and I got involved in it. Still I have been studying it, mastering it, comprehending it.
I believe that it is important method in all education sphere and for children and for adults.

Studying the history of this method showed that this method existed long before Rivin.
Zakharov K. P. attended Rivin seminar in 1987 (25 years ago) . He said: » I will research the history of this method».
He defended the dissertation on this method and convincingly showed that this method existed for centuries.
In this book there is a chapter » Historical information «, written by Zakharov K.P.
It is said that this method is applied by father Girard, a priest from Fribourg,Switzerland,1798. Thanks to it, moral relations in this town change for the best. You could see that the youth of this town did not swear and spit on the streets.
The moral revolution had happened.

A.G. Rivin applied this method in 1918, in 1930-1932.
Why this method does not applied broadly? Father Girard 200 years ago applied this method successfully but he was sent into the exile for several years .
Eventually the citizens put up a monument to Girard in the city.

Decembrists and Odoevsky were interested in this method and wrote about it.
Decembrists brought this method from Europe. Then they were sent into exile to Siberia. Rivin learnt this method. We learnt this method too. And have applied this method in our school.
What this method is? This method gives the tremendous growth of intellectual skills. And they attend this seminar with pleasure. But others do not want to attend the seminar.
I even know people who hate this seminar.
However, the participants of the seminar get great results.

For 24 years we have been using this method and expanding its applying.
1) All 24 years we apply this method in educational form » Dialogue». In Dialogue pupils of 5-11 grades study Russian state programme.
2) During 12 years from 2000 year we have been using this method for improving teachers qualification.
3) On the basis of this method in 2009 we created the seminar » Pilots of mind» for students.
At this seminar students read favorite books and study extra five programmes.
4) 2 years ago we created the seminar where teachers and students stidy together.
There is a book about 1) application of this method, it is named » Education through Dialogue».
About 2) we use this method for improving teachers qualification. Discussing intellectual problems creates a collective of like-minded persons.
Teachers are middle culture.
The seminar helps it. Teachers know different books. They maintain and improve their education skills: select key words, formulate basic thought, formulate the name.
About 3) in 2009 we created seminar for pupils and named it » Pilots of mind». Children of different ages have been studying together «the principle of different ages education» that helps to overcome disagreement because of the inequalities.
Hazing appears when there is no collective work. But with collective work the relations improve fast. And appears the real respect based on the ability to find the key words and formulate the basic thought.
About 4) 2 years ago we changed the composition of the seminar. Firstly,it was necessary to teach pupils to work in pairs. But soon we saw that collective work changes for the better relations between student and teachers.
These are the problems that we find.
Not all teachers take part in the seminar. How to stimulate the teachers?
Does it depend on the internal motivation or on the intelligent features ? There is no answer to these questions.

What about prospects?
I would like it to become the full form of training. This form teaches the basic learning skills: reding, the ability to report.
This seminar helped our school very much.
For ten years our school has changed for the best. In 2012 we become a winner of the regional competition : » The best innovation product «. It is a great achievement.