Pinkevich, Albert

Born Dec. 24, 1883 (Jan. 5, 1884); died 1939. Soviet educator. Professor (from 1918); doctor of pedagogical sciences (1935). Member of the CPSU from 1923.

Pinkevich was born in the village of Urunda, now in Iglino Raion, Bashkir ASSR. In 1909 he graduated from the University of Kazan. Between 1909 and 1917 he taught natural science and contributed to progressive journals and newspapers under the name of Adam Bel’skii. From the earliest years of Soviet power, Pinkevich was involved in promulgating school reforms. Between 1924 and 1930 he was rector of the Second Moscow State University and head of its subdepartment of pedagogy. In 1926 he founded the university’s pedagogical research institute. Between 1923 and 1932 he was a member of the State Academic Council. From 1931 to 1936, Pinkevich worked at the Higher Communist Institute of Education, and in 1936 and 1937 he headed the subdepartment of pedagogy at the Lenin Moscow State Pedagogical Institute.

Pinkevich was one of the first educators to write Soviet textbooks and devise teaching aids in natural science and education; he was also one of the first to deal with teaching methods. He criticized the theory of biogenesis as applied to pedagogy and opposed the theory of progressive education as well as unrealistic and impractical methodological proposals.