The concept of a “free school” by K.V. Ventzel and V.N. Chekhov: on the use of pre-revolutionary and Soviet experience in modern Russian realities

Based on the analysis of the creative heritage of outstanding representatives of prerevolutionary and Soviet pedagogy, the article reveals the principles of building a “free school” based on taking into account the interests of each student and creating individual conditions for achieving the highest results. The concept of free education of the individual was adopted after the October Revolution, practically used in the practice of creating a “new school” in the first third of the 20th century, proving its effectiveness in the education and formation of the Soviet man. It is established that the theoretical postulates of a new type of pedagogy by V.N. Chekhov and K.N. Ventzel were the forerunner of the Western theory of a personality-oriented approach to education, the so-called transformative model of pedagogy, which became widespread in the late 20th - early 21st centuries. The authors substantiate the necessity and possibility of using the experience of prerevolutionary and Soviet pedagogy in modern realities.