Project method in modern school. Modern problems of science and education Recommended list of dissertations
PROBLEMS OF MODERN EDUCATION
2011, №6, 35-43
NEW UNDERSTANDING OF A PROJECTS METHOD IN EDUCATION
Lazarev V.S.
Director of the Institute of Innovation in Education of the Russian Academy of Education, Doctor of Psychology, Professor, full member of the Russian Academy of Education
Email: [email protected] Lazarev V.S.
Director of Institute of innovative activity in education (Russian Academy of Education), Doctor of science (Psychology),
Professor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Education
Annotation. The article discusses the problem of effectively including students in project activities. The necessity and possibility, based on the achievements of pedagogy, psychology and design, to rethink the purpose of the project method and build its application on a modern theoretical basis is substantiated.
Annotation. Article reveals the problem of effective incorporation of students in project activity. Necessity and possibility of leaning on pedagogical achievements, psychology and projecting in a new fashion to comprehend appropriation of a project method and to build its deployment on modern theoretical base are substantiated.
Key words: project, design, project method, project activities of students, practical intelligence, formation of mental actions.
Keywords: project, projecting, projects method, project activity of students, practical intelligence, formation of intellectual actions.
The last twenty years have passed with increasing pressure on the school from government agencies and the public. They demand a qualitative update from it, not being satisfied with either its current state or the changes taking place in it.
Renewal factors are having an increasingly strong impact on the school, and there is no reason to expect that this impact will weaken in the future. A developing society places new and increasingly high demands on the results of education and upbringing of schoolchildren. In order to keep up with the times, not to mention ahead of it, school education must change qualitatively. The promotion of the national educational initiative “Our New School” and the introduction of the New Generation State Educational Standards were a consequence of this understanding. Responding to the challenges of the time, Russian schools, with more or less activity and adequacy, change the content and methods of their work.
One of the most significant innovations of the last decade in our schools has been the use of the project method. This method, in different versions, has long been used abroad. In our country, its use was prohibited in 1932, and interest in it arose again only at the end of the last century.
Potentially, the use of the project method allows solving a variety of didactic problems. It is well compatible with various models of developmental education. However, as I
I try to justify in the future that the potential of this method is not used effectively today. Firstly, because the scope of its application is unjustifiably narrowed, and secondly, the changes that have occurred in pedagogy, psychology and design since the creation of the idea of the project method make it possible to significantly modernize its theoretical basis and forms of application.
This article offers a new perspective on why and how students should be included in project activities.
1. Concepts of project and design
I'll start with the changes that occurred in the mid-twentieth century in the understanding of project and design. It is important to understand this, since often in educational practice, and even in theoretical research, a project is called something that, in fact, is not a project. Of course, if you wish, you can call any product of children’s creativity the implementation of a project, but such a name will not make the act of designing and will not bring any benefit.
In books and dictionaries we will find different definitions of the concept “project”.
A project is a set of documents (calculations, drawings, etc.) for the creation of any structure or product.
A project is a combination of a problem, an idea for solving it, means of its implementation and the results obtained in the process of implementation.
A project is a complex, non-repetitive event that involves the introduction of something new, limited in time, budget, resources, as well as clear instructions for implementation.
A project is work performed at one time (i.e., having a definite beginning and end) in order to obtain a unique result.
A project is a sequence of interrelated events that occur over a specified limited period of time and are aimed at achieving a unique, but at the same time, specific result.
Upon careful analysis of the above definitions, it is not difficult to detect two different understandings of the term “project”. One of them can be called narrow, and the second wide.
Initially, the project (from the Latin pro]e^sh - thrown forward) was interpreted as an image of a future result, presented in the form of a symbolic model or a reduced natural copy of a future object (building, structure, device). In the modern world, projects are created for a wide variety of products and structures: airplanes, cars, ships, machine tools, instruments, hydroelectric power stations, airports, canals. However, the meaning of the term “project” today is understood more broadly. It includes not only the image of the desired result, but also the activity itself to obtain it, all stages of its production from the origin of the idea to its implementation in reality.
Today, almost every day we hear about starting or planned production, publishing, music, theater, business, environmental and other projects. Here it is especially important to pay attention to the fact that creating a new product, for example, writing a book, is only part of the project. A written book needs to be published and distributed so that it reaches the reader. To make a film, record a music disc, or stage a play, you need to invest money. These funds must ultimately be returned to the project with a certain profit. The goals of the people investing in the project and the goals of the director of the film or play will not coincide, but these are goals that are realized in one project.
Today, in different fields of activity, projects of different sizes are created and implemented: from those in which small groups of people participate, to projects in which the number of participants reaches several hundred and even thousands.
A project differs from a regularly repeated process in that:
It has a single life cycle1 with fixed start and end times;
1 A life cycle is a sequence of stages (phases) in the production of something that it goes through, from beginning to end. The life cycle of producing a standard car, building a standard house and many other products, unlike a project, is reproduced many times.
It is focused on achieving a clearly defined end goal;
His product is unique in its own way, it may have prototypes, analogues, but at the same time it has some unique features;
It has higher uncertainty regarding its outcome since past experience cannot provide a reliable basis for predicting its consequences.
Every project is implemented when there is a need for something new or to improve something already existing. That is, before the project begins to be implemented, an urgent need arises, a need for something. But, if we know how to satisfy this need, then the project is not needed. We just need to implement the (standard) method of action known to us. A project is needed when a need for something is recognized, but those who have this need do not know what and how to do to satisfy it. In this case, they say that there is a problem.
In a broad sense, a project today is understood as a special way of posing and solving problems. Special - because not every problem is solved using a design method. You don't need a project to look for food in the desert or forest. A project method of solving problems is needed when the image of the desired result is poorly defined, and it needs to be designed, when it is possible to plan the process of achieving the desired result, when it is possible to control and regulate the course of planned actions.
Like any complex formation, a project consists of components, the qualities of which and the connections between them determine the qualities of the project itself. The project includes:
Problem;
Project goals;
Action plan to achieve goals;
Mechanism for monitoring and regulating the progress of plans (mechanism for managing the implementation of plans to achieve goals);
Resource support for the project;
Actions ensuring the implementation of the project;
Project implementation results;
Project team2.
Project components are developed, formed and used during its implementation.
The project life cycle goes through the following stages:
Statement of the problem - problematization;
Developing a way to solve the problem;
Planning the implementation of the solution;
Practical implementation of the project;
Completion of the project.
By posing a problem, they identify a need for something that does not yet exist, or a need to improve something that already exists. The presence of a need for change is a condition necessary for the project to begin to be implemented, but not sufficient. It is also necessary that there be opportunities to achieve what is required. Therefore, when developing a project, it is necessary to identify what can be done and what result that meets the need can actually be obtained. Our needs do not always coincide with our capabilities. The goal will be realistic only when the necessary opportunities are found to achieve it.
To achieve a goal, you need to perform some actions. But before actions can be carried out, they need to be planned. The action plan determines who should do what, when, where, and what results should be obtained in order to achieve the desired results. Solving complex problems without a well-thought-out plan greatly increases the risk of failure, especially when the problem is solved by a group rather than one person.
2 In a particular case, the project can be implemented by one person.
Performing any action requires resources: human, material, technical, informational, financial. No matter how wonderful a plan may be, it will remain only an idea if there are not sufficient funds for its implementation, or the executors do not have the necessary qualifications, or the necessary technical capabilities are not available. Therefore, during the planning process it is necessary to decide what resources will be required and from what sources they will be obtained. You may want to create a school theater, but this, in addition to the enthusiasm of the creators, requires premises, props, equipment and more.
The next stage of the project after the development of the plan is its practical implementation. A well-thought-out plan is the basis for the success of a project. But even good plans cannot cover everything. Therefore, during the practical implementation of the project, it is necessary to monitor the extent to which the actual progress of work corresponds to the planned one. If they no longer comply, you need to decide how to change the plan to achieve the goal.
Modern design contains special tools that allow you to better analyze problem situations, understand what the problem is, identify opportunities for solving it, evaluate which existing opportunities are preferable to use, design realistic goals, develop effective plans for achieving goals, assess risks and reduce them.
Thus, to include students in design means to include them in activities to identify and solve problems in some areas of social reality or in their own life. In doing this, they must go through all stages of the project life cycle, solving design problems and evaluating their results, and if this does not happen, then pseudo-design takes place.
2. Educational tasks that can be solved by including students in project activities
The main result of including students in design should be a change in the students themselves; they will have to learn something, learn something. When asking the question in schools: “What do children learn by developing the products that they, together with teachers, present as the result of a project?”, I received answers: “they learn to find new information for themselves,” “they learn something new,” “they gain creative experience”, etc. All this indicated that teachers have a vague idea of what project activity is and what educational tasks they want to solve by including students in it.
But even in theoretical works devoted to the project method, there is often a narrowing of the scope of its application and its reduction to the development of cognitive skills.
Thus, one of the most authoritative researchers of the project method is E.S. Polat, answering the question “what is the project method?”, writes: “If we talk about the project method, we mean precisely the way to achieve a didactic goal through a detailed development of the problem (technology), which should result in a very real, tangible practical result, designed in one way or another... The project method is based on the idea that constitutes the essence of the concept of “project”, its pragmatic focus on the result that can be obtained by solving one or another practically or theoretically significant problem. This result can be seen, comprehended, and applied in real practical activities. To achieve such a result, it is necessary to teach children or adult students to think independently, find and solve problems, using for this purpose knowledge from different fields, the ability to predict results and possible consequences of different solution options, and the ability to establish cause-and-effect relationships.” But, then defining the requirements for using the project method, it reduces the scope of its application to solving research problems and developing cognitive skills in students.
Without denying the importance of developing students’ skills to independently obtain knowledge and apply it, I believe that focusing attention only on this significantly narrows the possibilities of the method
projects. This is connected, in my opinion, with the continuing priority in school education, which is given to the cognitive sphere.
Until recently, Russian schools were focused on transferring ready-made knowledge to students. At best, it formed a certain “picture of the world” in them, but did not teach them to study and understand this world and, most importantly, did not teach them to act in this world. As a result, school education increasingly came into conflict with the needs of the developing society and the children themselves. Its essence is that the volume of new knowledge acquired by humanity is constantly increasing.
The speed of acquiring new knowledge also increases. At this pace, the school cannot update the content of its educational programs and increase its volume. And, if it remains oriented toward the transfer of ready-made knowledge, it will inevitably transmit increasingly outdated knowledge about the world. Therefore, the task is naturally set to teach schoolchildren to acquire knowledge themselves and develop their cognitive skills. Developing students' ability to understand reality is certainly important, but it is not enough for their full education.
Graduation from school occurs during the period of life before a person enters early adulthood. Leaving school, a boy or girl will have to begin to build a new life activity and they need to be able to do this meaningfully. Boys and girls are required to be not just active, but to conduct a search with an understanding of themselves and the world around them, to make decisions based not only on intuition, feelings or the famous “maybe”, but, logically weighing the pros and cons, to be able to enter into in effective communication with other people.
The task is further complicated by the fact that it is necessary to choose one’s path in today’s rapidly changing conditions, focusing not so much on today as on tomorrow, and for this it is necessary to foresee the needs and opportunities in the socio-economic situation of the future. Thus, the school graduate finds himself in a situation of self-determination regarding his future. Adequate self-determination is the most important condition for a normal transition to the next stage of life. But it is precisely in solving this problem that modern school graduates experience the greatest difficulties.
Choosing a life path is not the only difficult problem that every person has to solve. Throughout life, people have to make many decisions about how to act in a given situation, what actions should be taken, etc. In many cases, relying on one’s own or others’ experience cannot be a sufficiently reliable basis for solving vital problems in new conditions. Therefore, those who do not know how to analyze non-standard situations and plan their actions in them often make wrong decisions and do not achieve what they strive for. Chess is a good example here. Every move the player makes is a decision, i.e. choice from a number of possible alternatives. A person can play chess all his life, but on the basis of practical experience alone he will not achieve a high level of skill, i.e. will not learn to make good decisions. At the same time, 1214-year-old students of chess schools who have studied the theory of the game often reach a master level. Mastering the cultural ways of playing chess leads to the development of the ability to analyze and plan actions in this particular area. However, being able to make good decisions in chess does not mean being able to make good decisions in life. These are different “games”.
To be an effective subject of his life, a person needs not only to have a good picture of reality, but also to have a developed ability to navigate this reality. This ability is called practical intelligence.
Practical intelligence is a special type of thinking that provides a person with the ability to adequately understand situations that arise in his life, set goals for practical actions, plan to achieve them, make decisions in the course of performing actions, predict and evaluate their possible consequences. Practical intelligence develops in a person throughout his life. However, when he develops only on the basis of experience, that is, through trial and error, he does not reach a high level of development. To learn how to set goals, develop plans to achieve them, evaluate and make effective decisions, you need to get involved in solving practical problems and develop the necessary intellectual skills. Best Opportunities
For this purpose, project activities provide. It has developed universal means for posing and solving problems. Inclusion and mastery of these tools will allow students to develop vital skills:
Analyze problem situations and pose current problems of activity;
Design goals;
Develop alternative solutions to problems and make informed choices;
Plan to achieve goals;
Predict and evaluate the consequences of decisions;
Work effectively in a group.
3. Psychological conditions for the development of students’ practical intelligence in project activities
Project activities provide an opportunity to develop students’ thinking, but this opportunity still needs to be used. Given how today, in most cases, students are involved in “design”, full-fledged conditions for the development of their research and practical thinking are not created. This happens, first of all, because students are not taught how to design. By getting involved in design, they do not master the culture of design activity.
In many cases, it is assumed that if students solve research problems, or practical problems, for the solution of which they will find and apply new knowledge for themselves, then thanks to this they will learn to obtain it. This is like assuming that if a person swims a lot, he will become a good swimmer. Of course, to learn to swim, you need to swim. But this is not enough. To swim well, you need to master culturally established swimming methods. In the same way, in order to learn to cognize reality, it is not enough to solve research problems; in the process of solving them, one must master cultural methods of cognitive activity. And this will happen only under certain conditions. Psychological science seeks to reveal these conditions in various theories of thinking.
If more than a hundred years ago, when the original idea of the project method was formulated, psychological science was in its infancy, then by now it has come a long way and, although the mechanisms of thinking and their genesis are still poorly understood, we know much more about them. And this knowledge should be the basis of the modern project method.
The first and most important condition for the formation of any mental or physical action is its practical implementation. No action can be formed through “eyes and ears”, i.e. by reading or listening to stories about how to do it right. Action is formed in action. This condition is necessary, but not sufficient.
Let's consider the experimental learning scheme, i.e. through trial and error (see Fig. 1).
Rice. 1. Diagram of learning through experience.
To make the accumulation of experience possible, in addition to performing the action, you need to have a standard for the result with which actual results will be compared. If there is no such norm, then every result is good, and the method of action that produces this result is correct. But this is not enough. If there is a discrepancy between the norm for the result and the actual result, reflection on the method of performing the action and its correction is necessary, i.e. feedback needed.
When experience is accumulated through trial and error, the success of forming an action will depend on what the subject’s image of the result is, how capable he is of analyzing errors, and how capable he is of planning actions. But in all cases it will not lead to the formation of a method of action as effective as that already accumulated in the experience of mankind. No matter how much a person swims, he will not swim as well as athletes can, and will not play chess as high-level chess players do.
If we want to teach children to think, we must ensure that they appropriate the methods of mental activity developed in the culture of this activity.
In Russian psychology, the most famous theories of the formation of mental actions are the theories of P.Ya. Galperin and V.V. Davydova. Since both named authors belong to the same scientific school - cultural-historical psychology, these theories are based on a number of general provisions. But at the same time, they are qualitatively different in their understanding of mental action and the mechanisms of its genesis3.
Development of individual thinking and P.Ya. Galperin and V.V. Davydov was associated with the appropriation by man of his socially developed methods - internalization.
P.Ya. Galperin, based on the hypothesis of L.S. Vygotsky that higher mental functions are first formed as external forms of activity and only then become mental processes of the individual, concluded that any new mental action must first be formed not as such, but as external - material or materialized. In an article devoted to the doctrine of interiorization, he presented a detailed scheme for the formation of mental action as the transfer of external objective action into the “internal plane.” According to P.Ya. Galperin, in order for an action to be formed, its marking must first be completed. “Such markings constitute what we call the orienting basis of action. Its formation is the main task and the main content of the first stage of action formation (“drawing up a preliminary idea of the task”). It is important here that the marking is carried out by the teacher. At the next stages, the execution of an objective action should be, as it were, carried out first in loud speech, and then in “external speech to oneself.” The transition from loud speech to “external speech to oneself,” according to P.Ya. Galperin, and constitutes the process of interiorization.
Thus, interiorization in the theory of P.Ya. Halperin acts as a part, a phase of the process of formation of mental action. But the transition of action to the mental plane, according to P.Ya. Halperin, does not yet make it a psychological phenomenon. It becomes psychological when the action passes from the form of “external speech to oneself” into “inner speech.” As a result of automation and reduction of “external speech to oneself,” an objective action in the mind turns into a thought about this action, a “pure thought” about the solution to the problem that this action constitutes.
This understanding of interiorization was subject to justified criticism by a number of authoritative scientists (S.L. Rubinshtein, A.V. Brushlinsky, V.V. Davydov, V.P. Zinchenko, E.V. Ilyenkov). Based on the theory of P.Ya. Halperin can form mental actions by giving them an indicative basis, but one cannot teach him to build such a basis on his own.
In theory V.V. Davydov's internalization is not a phase in the formation of mental action that precedes the formation of its psychological form. In his interpretation, appropriation and development are not two independent processes; they are correlated as the form and content of a single process of human mental development. The formation of mental action occurs in the process
3 See this for more details.
human appropriation of the corresponding concept. “The concept appears... as a form of mental activity through which an idealized object and a system of its connections are reproduced, reflecting in their unity the universality, the essence of the movement of a material object. The concept simultaneously acts both as a form of reflection of a material object and as a means of its mental reproduction, construction, i.e. as a special mental action.”
A concept existing in the public consciousness becomes a means of individual thinking when its meaning enters the individual consciousness. But it cannot simply move from the external, objective form of existence to the internal, subjective one. The meaning of a concept can become a fact of individual consciousness if it is somehow revealed by the individual. Since it is believed that behind each concept there is hidden a special action (or system of actions), it is necessary to understand how these actions are formed and function.
Based on studies of the genesis of various mental (ideal) actions by V.V. Davydov made three important general conclusions.
First, a necessary condition for the formation of ideal actions is the constantly repeating movement “thing - deed - word - deed - thing,” in which only the ideal exists. When analyzing these transitions, it is necessary to distinguish between the “logic” of material actions and the “logic” of ideal actions.
The second conclusion is that the genesis of mental action has as its starting point the identification of a contradiction in the method of performing an objective action. This presupposes that its subject has reflection.
The third conclusion is that the formation of mental actions presupposes the creative activity of the subject. The transition from material actions to ideal ones is closely related to the attraction and production of means of symbolization by the subject himself.
In his theory of developmental learning, V.V. Davydov proposed a model for developing research skills in schoolchildren and developing their cognitive abilities. He did not study the problem of developing practical thinking in detail. At the same time, he believed that if the research is structured as genetic modeling, then it is inextricably linked with design. And vice versa, any transformation of reality based on the project method is at the same time its knowledge. “An activity-based approach to improving all areas of social practice,” wrote V.V. Davydov, - is internally connected with the design method. In order to correctly assess the modern significance of this method, one must keep in mind that in recent centuries the role of scientific research in the study of reality has been absolutized, and design (as well as construction, programming, planning, which is close to it) has been pushed aside in this function. A characteristic feature of design is not the study of what already exists, but the creation of new products and at the same time the knowledge of what can only arise."
Let me summarize. The development of pedagogy, psychology and design allows us to understand the design method in education in a new way and build it on a modern theoretical basis.
Design activities in education, depending on how they are built, can be developmental or non-developmental. Involving students in the development of projects does not guarantee that a developmental effect will be achieved. This can only happen under certain conditions. These conditions are being revealed today in psychological research, and their results should form the basis of the modern edition of the design method.
If we want the inclusion of students in design to lead to the development of their thinking, then we need to ensure that, while developing a project, students simultaneously solve educational problems associated with mastering the methods of this activity. Neither a person’s cognitive nor practical abilities will develop if he does not master the culture of the corresponding activity.
telnosti. No matter how many projects students develop, if they cannot distinguish a good project from a bad one, i.e. will not know how to assess the quality of projects, if they cannot reflect on their design method, they will not develop research and practical intelligence.
To develop the practical thinking of students and the formation of appropriate mental actions in them, it is necessary to ensure their mastery of a complex of meta-subject concepts. Without pretending to be complete, I will name those that I consider the main ones:
Problem, problematic situation;
Solutions to the problem;
Finding a solution to the problem;
Measurement, measuring scale;
Criterion,
Decision-making;
Goal and goal setting;
Plan and planning;
Effectiveness and efficiency of problem solving;
Conditions for effective teamwork.
The formation of each concept is a special educational task that must be solved in the process of solving practical problems of design activity. During design activities, at each stage of the project life cycle, transitions should occur from solving practical problems to solving educational problems.
A necessary condition for students to master cultural methods of design activity is their reflection of their actions, discussion of what, how and why we did, analysis of errors and adjustment of the method of action.
The initial form of students’ developmental design activity should be a collective form4. It is in this form that the necessary conditions are created for the full development of individual thinking.
Bibliography:
1. Galperin P.Ya. To the doctrine of interiorization // Questions of psychology. - 1966. - No. 6.
2. Galperin P.Ya. Development of research on the formation of mental actions // Psychological science in the USSR. T 1. - M.: Education, 1959. - P. 441-469.
3. Davydov V.V. Developmental learning theory. - M.: INTOR, 1996.
4. Davydov V.V., Andronov V.P. Psychological conditions for the origin of ideal actions // Questions of psychology. - 1979. - No. 5.
5. Kilpatrick V. H. Project Method. - L., 1925.
6. Lazarev V.S. The concepts of mental action and its formation in the theories of P.Ya. Galperin and V.V. Davydova // Questions of psychology. - 2010. - No. 4.
7. Polat E.S. http://www.ioso.ru/distant/project/meth%20project/metod%20pro.htm
Internet magazine “PROBLEMS OF MODERN EDUCATION”
4 According to what was formulated by L.S. According to Vygotsky’s law of the genesis of mental functions, any such function initially has an external form of existence in the form of a relationship between people, and only then acquires an internal form. In particular, in order to learn to evaluate your own way of acting, you must first evaluate the way of acting of others and receive from others an assessment of your way.
Introduction
Chapter 1. “Project Method”: theoretical exposition of the problem 15
1.1. Retrospective analysis of the “project method” phenomenon in domestic and foreign pedagogy 15
1.2. Psychological and pedagogical foundations and prerequisites of the “project method” in modern school 37
1.3. Technology "Project Method" 56
Chapter 2. Experimental study of the “project method” as a phenomenon of the educational process in a modern school 89
2.1. Simulation of experimental research 89
2.2. Experience in applying the “project method” (using the example of the educational field “Biology”) 113
2.3. Results and criteria for the effectiveness of experimental research 136
Conclusion 172
Bibliographic list of used literature 176
Applications 203
Appendix 1. Scheme of work on the project 203
Appendix 2. Special course program “Introduction to Project Method” technology 205
Appendix 3. Examples of projects 221
Appendix 4. Questionnaires 228
Introduction to the work
The relevance of research. The system modernization has begun
national education is not least associated with
dramatic changes that have occurred in recent years in
socio-economic structure of our life. Social order of society
school nowadays is that it is called upon to prepare
young people capable of adapting to changing life
situations, to benefit yourself and others. So, in the “Concept
modernization of Russian education for the period until 2010"
states that “School - in the broad sense of the word - should become
the most important factor in the humanization of socio-economic relations,
formation of new life attitudes of the individual. Developing
society needs modern educated, moral, enterprising
people who can independently make responsible decisions in
situations of choice, predicting their possible consequences, are capable of
cooperation, are characterized by mobility, dynamism,
constructive, have a developed sense of responsibility for the fate of the country...”
What comes to the fore is not so much the problem of the strength of the knowledge acquired by students, which for the most part quickly becomes outdated, but rather the ability of students to independently obtain this knowledge and constantly improve it. With a certain degree of confidence, it can be argued that the traditional classroom-lesson system that still prevails in school (for all its positive aspects) does not fully contribute to the diversified development of the student’s personality. Consequently, the search and development of productive pedagogical technologies is required. Among them, it is advisable to explore the positive potential of the project method. When discussing general education standards
co-chairman of the Russian Public Council for the Development of Education Ya.I. Kuzminov emphasized that “school adaptation to reality can only occur on the basis of new pedagogical technologies,” including “increasing reliance on independent search for information.” The teacher in such schools, according to the author, should act as both an organizer of projects for children and as a consultant in their implementation.
However, despite the significant interest in the project method in recent years, a certain number of scientific aspects remain relevant due to the ambiguity or inconsistency of this phenomenon.
Among the common contradictions Let's highlight the inconsistency:
between the declared social order for a competent, capable of independent project activity, well-rounded school graduate and the narrow framework of the education standard, the high normativity of the educational process;
between the need to use new effective technologies in the educational process and the unpreparedness of most teachers for this, as well as insufficient special psychological and theoretical training of the teacher as a consultant.
Among the private contradictions it is logical to include the following:
Between the individual’s need for independent educational and scientific
search in the process of project activities and the predominance of directive
forms of managing students' cognitive activity;
between the overload of the school curriculum with factual material and the need for students to acquire cognitive, educational, and practical skills that facilitate flexible adaptation to constantly changing social conditions.
Based on the identified contradictions, it is determined research problem: What are the possibilities of the “project method” in the educational process of a modern school?
To date, the conceptual foundations and objective prerequisites have been formed for studying the feasibility of restoring the “project method” in the conditions of modern pedagogical reality.
Among the modern works in the context of this issue, we will name the publications of such authors as SI. Gorlitskaya, V.V. Guzeev, I.A. Zimnyaya, A.P. Zolnikov, E.N. Kiseleva, R. Kurbatov, N.N. Kurova, I.Yu. Malkova, N.V. Matyash, N.Yu. Pakhomova, E.S. Polat, I.D. Chechel et al.
The readaptation of the “project method” and its popularization, on the one hand, and the lack of justification in theoretical and practical terms, on the other hand, were the grounds for defining goals our research: to scientifically argue the “project method” as a phenomenon of the educational process in a modern school.
An object research - educational process in a modern school (grades 8-11).
Item research - “project method” as a phenomenon of the educational process in a modern school.
Research hypothesis.
The “project method” as a phenomenon of the educational process will contribute to the development of students’ project activities if:
Based on a retrospective analysis, identified and argued
the possibility of its readaptation in a modern school;
The definition of the concept of “project method” is specified and established
its place in the conceptual-categorical apparatus of pedagogy;
the phenomenon under study is identified as the “Project Method” technology (readapted - restored - innovation) and introduced into pedagogical reality;
a model of project activity has been developed, criteria and levels of students’ project activity have been determined, a special course and program have been proposed, containing a variety of educational and extracurricular forms of educational organization that predetermine positive changes in the development of students’ project activity.
To achieve the intended goal and test the hypothesis, the following were set: research objectives.
Conduct a retrospective analysis of the “project method” phenomenon in domestic and foreign pedagogy in order to identify the possibilities of its readaptation in the educational process of a modern school. ;
Through a theoretical analysis of the concept of “project method”, to establish its place in the conceptual and categorical apparatus of pedagogy; to understand the specifics of this concept in relation to different contexts (“teacher’s pedagogical activity” and “student’s educational and cognitive activity”), to propose, accordingly, working definitions and a model of students’ project activities.
To argue for the “project method” in the educational process of a modern school from the perspective of pedagogical innovation as a readapted (restored) innovation as a pedagogical technology with the appropriate name “Project Method”.
Based on an experimental study, justify the model of project activity, determine the criteria and levels of its development among students. Develop a special course “Introduction to the Project Method” technology and a program that includes a variety of curricular and extracurricular forms of educational organization that predetermine positive changes in the development of students’ project activities.
Theoretical and methodological foundations research.
The central foundations were the philosophy of humanism and
sch
pragmatism, as well as progressive concepts of related areas:
free education, conformity with nature; spirituality of creativity (M.M. Bakhtin).
Psychological foundations: development ideology (E.N. Kiseleva), “type
mental activity, in which each time the
ideal structures and idealizations" (E.B. Kurkin), project psychology
activity (N.V. Matyash), age aspect (L.I. Bozhovich, L.S.
Vygotsky, I.S. Kohn, V.A. Krutetsky, A.V. Mudrik).
(Ш Fundamental importance for the theory and practice of development
project activity has an activity approach (activity theory
A.N. Leontiev, general methodological development of the category of activity:
context of subjectivity S.L. Rubinstein), ideas of value-semantic
exchange in interpersonal communication (V.V. Serikov, N.E. Shchurkova),
ideas about pedagogical innovations, pedagogical creativity
(V.I. Zagvyazinsky, L.D. Lebedeva, S.D. Polyakov, V.A. Slastenin, etc.),
person-centered approach (E.V. Bondarevskaya, V.V. Serikov),
* training based on interdisciplinary connections (V.N. Maksimova).
Justification of the “Project Method” technology is based on the concepts, theories, and scientific ideas of V.V. Guzeeva, M.A. Petukhova, G.K. Selevko, I.S. Yakimanskaya et al. Approach L.D. Lebedeva is used to identify the “project method” in the hierarchy of levels of the “pedagogical technologies” category.
Research methods.
SCH
Theoretical methods: studying scientific literature, school
documentation, including documents on the innovative experience of Ulyanovsk schools. Theoretical analysis (retrospective, comparative),
modeling; logical methods of analysis of the categorical-conceptual apparatus.
Empirical and experimental methods: conversation, questionnaires, testing, method of expert assessments, pedagogical experiment, including modeling of experimental work. Standardized methods and techniques were used: modification of A. Mehrabian’s test-questionnaire, proposed by M.Sh. Magomed-Eminov; creative tests by F. Williams modified by E.E. Tunic; polar point method as interpreted by A.I. Savenkova; identification of the sociometric status of the individual and the structure of interpersonal connections in the group (according to N.I. Shevandrin).
Statistical methods: mathematical processing
experimental data, including methods of multivariate statistical analysis: rank correlation method (Spearman coefficient), differentiation index (E. Ingram), graphical interpretation of data.
Empirical basis and main stages of the study.
First stage(stating; 1999 - 2000) involved studying the state of the problem in theory and pedagogical practice based on the analysis of domestic and foreign publications on the issues under study, pedagogical and methodological literature. Innovative experience in the practice of schools in Ulyanovsk was studied, experimental and control groups were selected. The experimental sample consisted of 4 classrooms (8 B, 8 D, 9 G and 10 A classes of the Municipal Educational Institution “Secondary School No. 78” in Ulyanovsk). The initial parameters of the work were determined (subject, hypothesis, methodology and methods of scientific research), and a confirmatory experiment was carried out. A research prospectus plan has been drawn up, and the main conceptual provisions for modeling the next stage have been selected.
Second phase(search; 2000 - 2002) involved identifying the effectiveness of the individual projects we proposed; were determined
logic, structure, content, methods of applying the project method in the educational process. Various types of projects were developed based on the material of the biology curriculum, which constituted the first version of the experimental methodology. Attempts were made to test and popularize positive results (seminars for teachers in schools, speeches at methodological associations, open lessons, speeches at pedagogical councils, annual teacher conferences, scientific and methodological publications).
Third stage(formative; 2002 - 2004). The main directions of the formative experiment are determined, the criteria for its effectiveness are theoretically substantiated. A comparative analysis of experimental data was carried out among themselves (by years of study) in order to assess the effectiveness of each of the developed experimental methods for applying the project method during school and extracurricular time. A total of 451 people took part in the study.
On final stage(2004-2005 academic year) the results were comprehended, argued and tested, conclusions were drawn, methods for presenting scientific materials were selected that were adequate to the research objectives.
Scientific novelty of the research.
The phrase “project method” is analyzed taking into account the hierarchical structure of its derivatives (“method” and “project”), phenomenological characteristics are highlighted, new aspects are proposed in the formulation of the concept “project method” in relation to two contexts: “teacher’s pedagogical activity” and “educational cognitive activity of the student."
The place of the “project method” in the conceptual and categorical apparatus of pedagogy is determined and justified. The phenomenon under study is identified in the classification system of pedagogical technologies as a technology called “Project Method” and argued in
educational process of modern school as a re-adapted
(restored) innovation, the introduction of which has a positive impact on
F
development of students’ project activities is accompanied by an increase in their
general academic performance and educational effects.
A model of the structure of project activities has been developed, its
components: focus on project activities as a dominant feature;
productive thinking, a set of interrelated skills:
cognitive, educational and practical. A new approach to
determining the effectiveness of the “Project Method” technology in
educational process based on a comprehensive assessment of quality
\% originality of project activities, expressed in the levels of its development in
students in grades 8 - 11. The main (reproductive-performing, variable-reconstructive, productive) and two intermediate - transitional levels are identified, the criteria and indicators of the formation of the quality under study are theoretically substantiated and tested.
Theoretical significance of the study.
The historical context is revealed - the “pedagogical biography” of the method
* projects, which made it possible to theoretically argue the effectiveness
readaptation and integration of this phenomenon into the educational process of a modern school (based on the material of the educational field “Biology”).
A conceptual analysis of the term-phrase “method” has been carried out
projects" in the context of various definitions presented in scientific
literature, which can be considered as a certain contribution to
streamlining the conceptual-categorical apparatus of pedagogy.
Sh
In accordance with the criteria of technological effectiveness of pedagogical
processes and phenomena “project method” is identified as a technology. The fundamental difference in approaches is shown: the “Project Method” technology in teaching and “teaching technologies based on the project method”.
This distinction allows us to build theoretical and practical
parts of the study in a single logic and avoid methodological errors,
F which served as the reason for leveling the significance of this phenomenon in
experience of the past.
Theoretical criteria for the feasibility of using the “Project Method” technology in grades 8-11 of a modern school are proposed. Among them is a shift in emphasis from reproductive cognitive activity to project research, which predetermines the productive (creative) level of students’ project activity.
A special course for schoolchildren “Introduction to the technology “Method” has been developed
\* projects" (content and technological components). In theory
a model of the structure of project activities is substantiated, components available for observation, measurement and evaluation are identified.
Practical significance of the study is confirmed by the guaranteed results of students’ project activities.
The work program of the special course, various
forms of educational and extracurricular project activities, as well as
developed topics for projects of varying complexity (reproductive,
heuristic, creative). Technological support offered
students’ project activities (instructions, memos, test tasks, etc.).
The criteria and indicators we proposed for determining the level of project activity of students are applicable in practice.
Our study recorded the fact of transfer of cognitive, educational and practical skills developed during the implementation of projects based on the material of the educational field “Biology” to other academic disciplines, which, of course, has practical significance for the participants of the experimental study themselves.
Reliability and validity results obtained
is achieved by consistency with the recognized provisions of domestic and
foreign science in the context of the problem under study, the choice of complex
scientific theoretical and empirical methods adequate to the tasks
dissertation work. Proper representation
experimental sample (p = 0.003), value judgments of competent experts, the use of standardized tests and methods, the longitudinal nature of the included pedagogical observation, the correctness of the study, confirmed by statistical indicators, allows us to consider the results obtained as reliable, valid, and justified.
Testing and implementation of research results.
Selected research results were presented at meetings
Department of Pedagogy and Psychology of Junior Schoolchildren, UlGGTU,
tested at the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference
“Personality: education, upbringing, development” (Ulyanovsk, 2002);
All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference (Ulyanovsk^ 2003); V
All-Russian Scientific and Methodological Conference (Tolyatti, 2003);
All-Russian Conference of Young Scientists (St. Petersburg, 2004);
All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference (Cheboksary, 2004);
International scientific and practical conference (Ulyanovsk, 2004);
Second International Scientific and Practical Conference
“Self-improvement, personal self-realization: psychological and pedagogical aspects” (Naberezhnye Chelny, 2004). In addition, testing of the results of the study took place at meetings of: departments of the Institute for Advanced Training and Retraining of Education Workers; methodological associations of biology teachers of the Zasviyazhsky district of Ulyanovsk; pedagogical councils of the Municipal Educational Institution “Secondary School No. 78” in Ulyanovsk.
Basic provisions submitted for defense.
1.
Basic definitions: 1). "Project method" as phenomenon
educational process in a modern school - in a broad context -
pedagogical phenomenon that has its own “pedagogical
biography", features of formation and functioning, scope
applications, defined boundaries, etc. In terms of pedagogical
innovations “project method” - readapted (restored)
innovation.
2). Pedagogical category We consider the “project method” in a teacher’s activity as a way of initiating the cognitive activity of schoolchildren through the presentation of educational (educational) problems, tasks, assignments for organizing theoretical and practical project activities of various levels of independence (from reproductive to productive) in accordance with the individuality of each student.
The “project method” in the activities of schoolchildren is a set of techniques and operations for the theoretical development of reality and the practical implementation of ideas, plans, independent research of educational problems with the subsequent formulation of a theoretical and practical result in the form of design work (project).
2. Technology “Project Method”, its identification
characteristics in the classification system of educational technologies,
manufacturability criteria.
3. Model of students’ project activities, in the structure of which
the following components: motivation (dominant focus
individuals for project activities), productive thinking, a set of interrelated skills (cognitive, educational, practical).
4. Approach to determining the effectiveness of technology “Method
projects" based on a comprehensive assessment of the qualitative originality
project activities in accordance with the selected criteria
(motivation, productive thinking, set of skills), expressed in
three main ones (reproductive-performing, variable-
reconstructive, productive) and two intermediate - transitional levels.
Structure of the dissertation work.
The dissertation of 231 pages consists of an introduction, two chapters (six paragraphs), a conclusion, a bibliography (292 titles in total), and 4 appendices. The main content of the work is presented on 175 pages, the total number of illustrations is 27 (figures 16, tables 11).
Retrospective analysis of the “project method” phenomenon in domestic and foreign pedagogy
In modern conditions of modernization of the Russian education system, the research and implementation of effective innovations in the traditional classroom paradigm, as well as the search for other forms outside its framework, acquires particular importance. The category of phenomena being studied also includes the “project method”, which, however, is not something fundamentally new and has its own history in pedagogical science and practice.
In the Russian Pedagogical Encyclopedia, the “project method” is interpreted as “a teaching system in which students acquire knowledge and skills in the process of planning and performing gradually more complex practical tasks - projects.”
Certain pedagogical elements of this method can be found in the classics of pedagogical thought. For example, a prominent representative of the Enlightenment, philosopher, writer J.-J. Rousseau, in his famous work “Emile, or On Education,” was one of the first to look for “means to bring together the whole mass of lessons scattered in so many books, to reduce them to one common goal that would be easy to see and interesting to follow.” Subsequently, the Swiss democratic teacher I.G. Pestalozzi actively pursued the idea that only the combination of learning and labor adequately corresponds to the psychology of children, their natural desire for a variety of activities. He implemented this idea in a special educational system - a shelter for poor children “Institution for the Poor” in Neuhof in 1774 - 1789. The famous teacher’s reasoning, published in 1802 in “Memoir to Parisian friends on the essence and purpose of the method”, is interesting: “the originality of the method lies essentially in the fact that in the learning process the use of all generally artificial techniques that do not follow is postponed until a later date.” directly from our not yet formed natural inclinations, but corresponds to a later, higher level of abilities developed from these inclinations. The use of these techniques should be postponed until the natural inclinations, which are the basis of all artificial means, develop on their own and are brought to a level at which they simply, easily and harmoniously combine with artificial teaching methods.”
A retrospective analysis of the project method in foreign pedagogy was given by the German scientist M. Knoll in his article “300 years of learning from a project.” The author notes that the emergence of the “project” phenomenon dates back to the 16th century and is associated with the attempts of Italian architects to professionalize their activities by declaring architecture a science and making it an academic discipline. At the Rome High School of Art, an important element was added to the lectures given there - a “competition”, when the best students were given tasks to make sketches of various structures. In this case, the opportunity and necessity for independent and creative use of the acquired knowledge opened up for students. Since the beginning of the 18th century, this competition has become firmly established in the curriculum. Initially, students were not given a specific task of bringing their work to life; this was called “progetti” - plans, projects. Since then and to the present day, three features of the concept “project” have remained relevant. At the Royal Academy of Architecture in Paris, starting in the 70s of the 17th century, special awards were established for students who took part in “projects”. In addition, by developing numerous projects, students were able to enroll in master classes, which made the “project” a recognized teaching method. At the end of the 18th century, this method became widespread in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
The project method originated in the second half of the 19th century in US agricultural schools. It was originally called the "problem method" or the "target act method." At the same time, new experimental schools appeared, for example, in the state of Missouri, experimental schools in the city of Winette, elementary classes at the Lincoln Center at Columbia University (New York) and others. With all the variety of forms and methods used in them, one central idea can be identified, which laid down the principles of teaching through creative activity, which became the harbinger of the ideas of project culture.
In 1908, the head of the educational department of agricultural schools, D. Snezden, first used the term “project method” in agricultural education. Agricultural schools were given a strictly defined task: to organically connect the work of the school with the needs of the rural population. Three years later, in 1911, the education bureau legalized the term “project.”
Psychological and pedagogical foundations and prerequisites of the “project method” in modern school
The two-element term-phrase “method of projects”, formed in a synthetic way, illustrates the phenomenon of polysemy, characteristic of the terminological systems of many sciences in the humanities, including pedagogy. In fact, the established concept of “method” acquires a different content and purpose in the phrase “project method”.
Thus, there is an obvious need to determine the understanding of this category in relation to our research, to study the psychological and pedagogical foundations and methodological prerequisites, and to propose a working definition that most adequately reflects the essence of the phenomenon under study.
To do this, consider the term-phrase in the context of both components (“method” and “project”).
Analysis of scientific and reference literature revealed the diversity and uncertainty of wording as one of the reasons for possible transformations of meaning. Thus, the concept of “method” (literally from the Greek “methodos” - the path to something) can be explained as: a method of theoretical research or practical implementation of something; - a way to act, to act in some way; - a technique and/or a set of techniques and operations for the practical and theoretical development of reality; - a way of constructing and justifying a system of philosophical knowledge.
The “method” has its genetic roots in practical activities. From the very beginning, the methods of a person’s practical actions had to be consistent with the properties and laws of reality, with the objective logic of the things with which he dealt.
“Project” in the “Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language” is considered in three meanings: 1) a developed plan for the construction of some mechanism; 2) preliminary text of a document; 3) idea, plan.
In European languages, this term is borrowed from Latin: the participle proiectuc is translated as “thrown forward,” “protruding,” “conspicuous.”
In relation to modernity, the term “project” is often identified with an “idea”, which the subject can dispose of as his own thought.
Summarizing the above, we note that in the pedagogical literature there are various definitions of the “project method” both as a complex of ideas, and as a pedagogical technology, and as a specific practice of teachers, aimed at developing in students a certain system of intellectual and practical skills.
The classic definition of the “project method” in the domestic encyclopedic pedagogical literature (60-90s of the 20th century): “a teaching system in which students acquire knowledge in the process of planning and performing gradually more complex practical tasks - projects.”
Scientific publications are distinguished by a wide variety of definitions describing the “project method”.
So, I.D. Chechel defines the project method as a pedagogical technology that focuses not on the integration of factual knowledge, but on the application of updated knowledge and the acquisition of new ones, for active inclusion in design activities, the development of new ways of human activity in the sociocultural environment.
We find a slightly different emphasis in the definition of the concept under consideration in V.V. Guzeev, who notes that teaching technology based on the project method is one of the methods of problem-based learning. The scientist defines the essence of this technology as follows: the teacher sets an educational task for schoolchildren, thereby presenting the initial data and outlining the planned results. Students do everything else on their own: they outline intermediate tasks, look for ways to solve them, act, compare what they receive with what is required, and adjust their activities.
The inclusion of project activities in the arsenal of organizational forms of professional practice allows a specialist to approach the analysis of a problem situation and make an adequate choice of ways to implement it, notes N.V. Matyash.
E.S. Polat emphasizes that the project method is from the field of didactics, private methods, if it is used within a certain subject. Therefore, the author states, the project method is a way to achieve a didactic goal through a detailed development of a problem (technology), which should result in a very real, tangible practical result, formalized in one way or another.
We find another interpretation of the project method in G.K. Selevko, who considers this method as a system-forming component in the description and characterization of various technologies. The scientist presents the project method as: - a variant of problem-based learning technology; - a comprehensive teaching method that allows you to individualize the educational process, providing the student with the opportunity to demonstrate independence in planning, organizing and monitoring their activities (individual learning technology); - method of group training (group technologies); - component of the teaching methodology at the S. Frenet school (alternative technology of free labor); - a way to organize independent creative activity of students (technology of developmental education with a focus on developing the creative qualities of the individual); - method of self-development learning in teaching the basics of science at high school (technology of self-development learning).
Simulation of experimental research
The main part of the scientific work was carried out on the basis of grades 8-11 of the municipal educational institution (MOU) “Secondary School No. 78” in Ulyanovsk (based on the material of the educational field “Biology”).
Based on the fact that the effectiveness of any innovation is confirmed by practice, and at its initial stage by experiment, we made and carried out an attempt to simulate an experimental study. Essentially, this is also a project activity. In the process of modeling, creative imagination takes on a certain (design) form and meaning. Project activity presupposes awareness of the boundary between creative imagination and reality, as E.N. emphasizes. Kiseleva.
We proceeded from the fact that modeling is a general scientific method for studying any processes and phenomena; it consists in the construction and study of special objects (systems) - models of other objects - originals or prototypes.
Since one of the most important requirements for a pedagogical model is reproducibility, we sought to create a theoretical structure that could be implemented in practice and, if effective, reproduced under similar conditions with results of similar quality.
The experiment being carried out introduces into the chosen area of the educational process both a special pedagogical impact and research procedures, as well as organizational features.
The combination of these three features determines the type of pedagogical experiment. Depending on the basis for classification, the following types of pedagogical experiment are distinguished (the characteristics of the experiment we conducted are in italics): 1) from the studied aspects of the pedagogical process: - didactic (content, methods, teaching aids); - educational (moral, labor, aesthetic, environmental and other components of education); - private methodological; - managerial; - complex; 2) from connections with related scientific fields: - psychological and pedagogical; - social and pedagogical; - medical-pedagogical, etc. 3) depending on the place in the educational process: - intra-subject; - interdisciplinary; - school-wide; - interschool; - regional. The next criterion for an experiment is its volume or scale, determined by the number of participants: - individual; - group; - selective (limited).
In modeling the experimental study, we took into account that the defining goal is to find causal relationships along with the discovery of functional and other dependencies. A distinctive feature of the pedagogical experiment is that it contains multidimensional quantities, which means that the results “can only be assessed using methods of multivariate statistical analysis,” which was implemented when summing up the results.
So, at the first - ascertaining - stage of the study (1999 - 2000), the state of the problem in theory and pedagogical practice was studied.
The second - exploratory - stage (2000 - 2002) involved identifying the effectiveness of the individual projects we developed; the logic, structure, content, and methods of applying the project method in the educational process were determined. Various types of projects were developed based on the material of the biology curriculum, which constituted the first version of the experimental methodology. Also, at the exploratory stage of experimental work, attempts were made to test and popularize positive results in various ways. Among them: seminars for teachers in schools, speeches at methodological associations, open lessons, speeches at pedagogical councils, annual teacher conferences, the methodological association of biology teachers of the Zasviyazhsky district of Ulyanovsk, as well as original scientific and methodological publications.
To objectively and demonstrably test the working hypotheses put forward during the study, we organized an experimental study of the dissertation problem (third - formative - stage: 2002-2004).
Experimental (79 people - 8 B, 8 D, 9 G, 10 A MOU Secondary School No. 78) and control (83 people - 8 A, 8 B, 9 A, 10 B) classes were determined, the main directions of the formative experiment were selected, the criteria were theoretically substantiated its effectiveness.
The results obtained were compared with the corresponding results in control groups. In addition, a comparative analysis of experimental data was carried out among themselves (by years of study) in order to assess the effectiveness of each of the developed experimental methods for applying the project method during school and extracurricular time.
Note that no changes were made to the control classes. In total (at different stages of the experimental study), schoolchildren from secondary schools No. 13, 24, 25, 61, 66, 78 of Ulyanovsk and Krotovskaya secondary school of the Zasviyazhsky district of Ulyanovsk took part). This sample of students was representative.
Experience in applying the “project method” (using the example of the educational field “Biology”)
Participation in the project, on the one hand, predetermines the project activity, and on the other hand, is predetermined by it.
As an independent variable in the experiment, we considered the “project method” in the educational process as:
1) local didactic technology, which is integrated into the lesson technology and is aimed at solving lesson problems;
2) general didactic technology, “working” outside the lesson, integrating various supra-subject knowledge;
3) educational technology focused on socially useful and significant matters.
The constants in the experimental work were the academic subject, the teacher, and the students of the experimental sample.
Changing factors: educational material, degree of involvement of subjects of project activity in projects, etc.
The inclusion of students in project activities occurred gradually, on their initiative, starting from the first biology lessons in the 8th grade.
Initially, 27% of students showed interest in the project method. Their participation was limited to single projects, usually under the guidance of a teacher.
In its most general form, the technology under study is depicted graphically on the next page.
By the 9th grade, all students in the experimental sample were involved in project activities. As a result, we had the opportunity to track the dynamics of changes in each participant in the experiment over the course of 4 years of study. As a biology teacher for the entire senior school, as well as a class teacher, I consider it legitimate to talk about the method of participant observation at all stages of experimental work.
In general, in the practice of mastering the project method, the following starting points were implemented. 1. The idea of increasingly complex projects (the didactic principle of accessibility, the rules - from simple to complex, from known to unknown). Integrated educational projects, relying on interdisciplinary connections. (“The project method” is based on the widespread use of interdisciplinary connections, individual work under the guidance of teachers of various disciplines at all stages of training). 2. Exchange of roles among project participants within one group (A.S. Makarenko’s idea of \u200b\u200bchangeable commanders; the student gains experience as a leader in one project and experience as a performer in another). The principle of changing activities, mastering various types of activities, development in a spiral from reproduction and performance to independent creativity. 3. Approaches to creating shift pairs and small groups. Multi-variant groups (homogeneous, heterogeneous, mixed, “mobile”, random, interest groups, etc.). The principle of taking into account the personal characteristics of not only an individual student working on a separate project, but also the characteristics of a group of students completing a project task. 4. Acceptance of intellectual sponsorship in group work. School of consultants. 5. Creating situations of success. 6. Organizational conditions (so-called “project days” in the educational schedule; time for independent work in the library, laboratories, classrooms, school area - for practical projects; special course “Introduction to the technology of the project method”, etc.).
Reproductive projects have an initial level of complexity and involve mainly reproductive cognitive and performing educational activities, therefore they are intended for: 1) the first stage - introduction to work using the project method; 2) generalizations and presentation of a large amount of theoretical material; 3) poorly performing students.
Projects of this kind are usually accompanied by detailed instructions, including a formulated goal and an algorithm for achieving it, as well as a detailed list of information sources.
Problems and tasks are solved by updating existing knowledge and the algorithm of the following actions: fact - cause - accompanying events - analogues and comparisons - result.
The motivational component is based on the personal experience of students, their interests and inclinations.
In the process of completing a reproductive project, students gain additional knowledge. The moment of evaluating the completed project is very important: how much progress the student has made in comparison with himself, and not with his classmates.
The degree of teacher participation in the implementation of this type of project is very significant: he monitors the progress of work in small groups, answers questions that arise from students, acts as an arbiter in controversial issues, and provides assistance to both individual project participants and the group as a whole.
1The article discusses the issues of organizing student project activities, highlights the problems of high-quality training of specialists that meet the modern needs of society, and suggests ways to solve existing problems. The author analyzes the formation and essence of the method of project activity in education, offers effective ways to organize independent work of students through project activity. Project activities of students are considered as one of the main interactive forms of work with students. The analysis of the essence of the project method allows us to conclude that project work of students contributes to the activation of cognitive activity, the development of creative abilities, the formation of professional competence, the development of independence, the growth of personal qualities and it is advisable to use it in the educational process of the university.
project method
project activities
professional competence
Preparation
quality
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3. Zembatova L.T., Btemirova R.I. Organization and planning of independent work of students: a methodological manual for universities. – Vladikavkaz: SOGPI, 2008. – 44 p.
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6. Kolesnikova I.A., Gorchakova-Sibirskaya M.P. Pedagogical design: a textbook for higher educational institutions. – M.: Publishing center "Academy", 2005. – 312 p.
7. Novikov A.M., Novikov D.A. Educational project: methodology of educational activities. – M., 2004.
8. Sazonov B.V. Towards the definition of the concept of “design” //Methodology of research of design activities. – M., 1973.
New socio-economic conditions for the development of the world community have entailed changes in the requirements for the professional training of specialists who must have high professional competence, be able to independently acquire new knowledge, think creatively, be able to find optimal solutions in non-standard situations, and have the ability to innovate. The education system faces the problem of high-quality training of competitive, competent specialists of a new level, focused on personal self-improvement and professional growth.
The transition to new educational standards poses new tasks for the university: the search and implementation of pedagogical technologies, mechanisms, and teaching methods in the educational process that ensure the formation of competitive specialists who meet the requirements of the modern labor market. Since the traditional education system is based on the transfer of ready-made knowledge, comes down to solving theoretical and practical problems according to given algorithms and schemes, and is little focused on self-improvement and self-development of students, the problem arises of finding effective ways to solve the problems of high-quality training of highly professional specialists of a new level.
One of these mechanisms is the project method, which, as a pedagogical technology, includes a set of research, search, and problem-based methods that are creative in their very essence.
The term “project” (translated from Latin “projectus”) means “thrown forward”, and in dictionaries it is defined as “a plan, plan, prototype, prototype of any object, type of activity”.
In the pedagogical literature, the project method is considered in various meanings: as a teaching method, as a form of teaching, as a type of educational activity, as a means of managing cognitive activity, as a means of organizing independent work of students.
In the educational process, the project method or problem solving method began to be used in the 20s of the 20th century in the USA. The founder of “pragmatic pedagogy” J. Dewey and his followers E. Parkhurst and V. Kilpatrick believed that a project can be any activity aimed at solving a problem, carried out “from the bottom of the heart”, independently by a group of students united by a common interest, promoting the development of intellectual interest.
In Russia, the ideas of project-based learning appeared almost in parallel with the developments of American teachers. So, in 1905, the Russian teacher S.T. Shatsky organized a group of employees who functionally used design methods in teaching activities.
Under Soviet rule, the ideas of project-based learning became widespread, the project method was recognized as adequate to the goals of building socialism and was declared “the only means of transforming a school of study into a school of life and work.” However, the universalization of this method and the refusal to systematically study academic subjects led to a decrease in the level of knowledge among students; the project method was considered ineffective and excluded from school practice.
Today, there is a new revival of the project method, which is associated with the development of computer telecommunications technologies; project activities are beginning to occupy an important place not only in the system of general education, but also in higher education, allowing students to acquire skills that are not achieved with traditional teaching methods. Many leading teachers consider the project method to be one of the most effective methods for developing the cognitive and creative abilities of students and the formation of professional competence. According to E.S. Polat, the project activity of students is “a consideration in a new round of pedagogical, social and cultural achievements of long-forgotten old pedagogical truths, previously used in other conditions and in a different interpretation.”
In the modern system of higher education, the project method is used as a component of the educational system and represents an organization of independent student activity that is aimed at solving a problem and achieving a certain result. Project activities of students are focused on revealing the personality of the student, developing interest in educational activities, developing intellectual and creative abilities in the process of activity to solve a problem.
According to many researchers, including N.Yu. Pakhomova, the project method is a student-oriented technology that allows students to organize independent activities aimed at solving the problems of an educational project, integrating a problem-based approach, group methods, reflective, search and research, and communicative techniques.
Analyzing the pedagogical literature, various approaches to the concept of the project method, we can conclude that the organization of project activities of students is aimed at developing the skills to independently acquire knowledge, the formation of professional competencies and the tasks of students’ project activities are:
Systematization, consolidation, deepening of the acquired theoretical knowledge and skills of students;
Consolidation and development of acquired practical skills;
Development of cognitive and creative abilities of students;
Formation of creative thinking, abilities for self-development, self-improvement.
Based on the assigned tasks, various types of projects are used in the educational process, the choice of which should be adequate to the content of the academic disciplines being studied and the level of students’ preparedness. E.S. Polat notes that the organization of project activities directly depends on the type of project and identifies the following typological features of projects:
- Dominant activity in the project; research, search, creative, role-playing, applied (practice-oriented), educational and orientation, etc.
- Subject content area; mono-project (within one field of knowledge; the following types are distinguished: literary and creative, natural science, environmental, language (linguistic), cultural, sports, geographical, historical, musical); interdisciplinary project (includes several disciplines).
- The nature of project coordination: direct (rigid, flexible), hidden (implicit, imitating a project participant).
- Nature of contacts: internal or regional (among participants of one educational institution, region, country, different countries of the world) and international (project participants are representatives of different countries).
- Number of project participants: personal (between two partners), paired (between pairs of participants), group (between groups of participants).
- Duration of the project: short-term - involves solving a small problem), medium duration (from a week to a month), long-term (from a month to several months).
Taking into account the identified typological characteristics of E.S. Polat defines the following main types of projects:
Research projects, which are scientific research work, with a definition of the conceptual apparatus
Information projects aimed at collecting, analyzing and summarizing information necessary to determine any conclusions or results.
Creative projects aimed at developing students' creative abilities.
Telecommunication (information) projects, which are joint educational, cognitive, creative activities of students based on computer communication.
Applied projects are characterized by a clearly defined result from the participants’ activities from the very beginning, which is focused on their social interests; have a clear structure, script, and assigned roles.
An analysis of the literature on educational design methodology helps to conclude that the process of creating a project should follow a certain logic and it is most appropriate to include the following stages: a) selection of a topic; b) development and organization of the project plan; c) implementation of planned project activities; d) presentation of the project; e) evaluation and analysis of results.
Selecting a topic. The topic should be personality-oriented, close to the student, aimed at developing his professional and personal qualities, general and professional skills. The choice of topics should be subordinated to specific educational situations, professional interests and abilities of students, requiring integrated knowledge, the use of projective research skills, and creative thinking.
An important stage of project activity is the development and organization of a project implementation plan. At this stage, students, with the help of the teacher, formulate a problem, determine the purpose of working on the project, draw up an action plan, determine sources of information, distribute functions, organize working groups, and determine forms for presenting the results of the project.
Implementation of project activities. At this stage, students select the necessary information, analyze it, select and structure the material in accordance with the chosen plan, work on creating a project product, and prepare for presentation.
Project presentation. Students present their work completed within the framework of the project: analyze their activities, present a way to solve the project problem, using the techniques of introspection and reflection. At this stage, students develop the ability to logically organize their thoughts, present them briefly, and develop public speaking skills.
Evaluation and analysis of results. During the discussion of the results of work on the project, the advantages and disadvantages of the project are identified, and an assessment of the project activities by students and the teacher is given. The teacher sums up the results, summarizes the results, and gives a final assessment of the project.
During the implementation of the project, there should be constant interaction between the teacher and students. The main role of the teacher is to conduct consultations, monitor the quality of students’ project implementation, and control students’ independent work. The teacher organizes student project activities based on dialogue, creative interaction and cooperation. The subject of project activity is the student, and during the project work he plays an active role.
According to E.S. Polat, the project method is a method of developmental education, which is based on the development of students’ cognitive skills, the ability to independently construct their knowledge and navigate the information space.
Research in Psychology D.S. Bruner, J.I.C. Vygotsky, C.JI. and others show the effectiveness of the influence of project activities on the activation and formation of cognitive activity. The project method, due to its didactic essence, allows you to solve problems of the formation and development of logical, algorithmic, critical and creative thinking of students.
In addition, project activities, according to N.Yu. Pakhomov, forms such important personal qualities as communication, tolerance, cooperation, necessary in subsequent professional work.
The pedagogical effectiveness of the educational project method can be represented by the following diagram:
|
Project method and its pedagogical capabilities |
||
|
Basedon principle individually concentrated training |
Implementsactivity approach to learning |
Builton the principles problem-based learning |
|
Promotes: - development of internal motivation to learn, - development of constructive critical thinking of students |
Providesformation of basic competencies of students, i.e. skills: - problematization; - goal setting; - activity planning; - self-analysis and reflection; - comparison, analysis, synthesis, forecasting; - independent search, storage and practical application of the necessary information (including using electronic media); - presentation of the progress of independent activities and its results; - communication and tolerance. |
|
The educational project method promotes the development of student independence, all spheres of his personality, ensures his subjectivity in the educational process, therefore, project-based learning can be considered as a means of activating students’ cognitive activity, a means of improving the quality of the educational process. Thus, today the project method is understood not only as one of the ways to organize the interrelated activities of a teacher and students (“teaching method”), but also as an integral “pedagogical technology”, which:
a) assumes the possibility of diagnostic goal-setting, planning and design of the learning process, step-by-step diagnostics, varying means and methods in order to correct results;
b) includes a justified system of techniques and forms of activity of the teacher and students at various stages of the implementation of the educational project, formulated criteria for assessing the results of this activity;
c) is used in the study of various disciplines both in higher educational institutions and in other educational institutions.
The analysis of the essence of the project method allowed us to conclude that project work of students contributes to the activation of cognitive activity, the development of students’ creative abilities, the formation of professional competence, the development of independence, the growth of personal qualities and it is advisable to use it in the educational process of a university as a mechanism for the formation of a highly qualified specialist, meeting the requirements of modern society.
Bibliographic link
Btemirova R.I. PROJECT METHOD IN MODERN HIGHER EDUCATION // Modern problems of science and education. – 2016. – No. 3.;URL: http://science-education.ru/ru/article/view?id=24488 (access date: 02/01/2020). We bring to your attention magazines published by the publishing house "Academy of Natural Sciences"
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Before talking about project and research activities and trying to figure out what kind of activity they are, let’s ask the question why now this direction in education has become the most “promoted”? Why was it recognized at the level of the governments of Moscow and the country as so significant that it is proposed to introduce project activities as a separate item and even shorten the summer holidays for high school students by a month, so that this dedicate a month to design work? There are many reasons, the most significant of which are:
- In the field of education quality:
- No matter how we talk about the high level of Soviet education, we must admit that in the competition with other systems we are losing. The main reason is that, despite the huge store of knowledge instilled in us by school and then by institute, we had absolutely no idea what to do with this baggage, where to apply it and how to use this baggage to discover and not lose our “I” later ", your individuality.
- The classroom-lesson system, of course, is very convenient for the teacher with its stability, repeatability and reproducibility of results, however, it did not allow the individual student to see himself in the most advantageous areas of work for him personally, to determine his place where he could show himself, apply the most effective way for yourself and for society is your own strength. Schoolchildren developed a stereotype of thinking, a stereotype of making decisions, expecting guidance from a senior (teacher) in their work and decision-making, as absolutely necessary. With this approach, the system, at best, is able to reproduce itself, but does not have the opportunity to develop, and at worst, each new reproduction becomes weaker than the previous one. This does not allow us to move forward and stimulate original thinking and the generation of fresh ideas.
- The gap between the most gifted and average students is widening. Children who have not found their place, have not determined their path and are simply inactive, fall into the category of weak ones and are forced to drag out their studies without interest, without hope of taking a worthy place among their classmates. This leads to attempts to stand out in other areas, for example, through aggressive, shocking behavior, etc. Their slogan is to endure school. The Russian school, just like the former Soviet one, is focused on working with gifted children, and for those lagging behind, at best, it provides additional classes in order to complete the program and catch up with the class. This is a very weak incentive for the student.
- In the information space:
- To move forward, the most important thing is to question whether your knowledge is perfect, therefore, school should allow you to develop critical thinking. This requires a special education based on the ability to analyze acquired knowledge, doubt it, critically rethink it, compare points of view, and be able to analyze sources of information from a position of trusting them. It is equally important to question the indisputability of textbook knowledge, which, as a rule, is based on the point of view accepted at a given time.
- The Internet has a huge influence on students, where information can be very useful, useless and harmful. It is necessary to teach schoolchildren to work with primary sources, to distinguish scientific approaches from popular presentation, private judgments from generally accepted ones, and this requires students to have their own knowledge on which to rely.
- The temptation of plagiarism is enormous, since it is much easier for a student to download an article or articles than to write and comprehend it himself. A significant part of the creative work that I have encountered as an expert in various pedagogical competitions is, at best, a compilation of other people’s thoughts, and at worst, simple copying, which for some reason is allowed by teachers here as a normal phenomenon. But you understand that no matter how you rearrange the puzzle pieces, you won’t get a new picture.
- In the strategic direction of the country's development:
- Course towards modernization. No matter how much we scold him for vagueness, inconsistency and poor control over the investment of resources, this course has been taken and hardly anyone doubts its necessity. And the main thing that underlies any development is the education system; it is this system that should lay the necessary foundation for moving forward. The concept of modernization of Russian education is based on the fact that the main result of the activities of an educational institution should not be a system of knowledge, skills and abilities in itself, but a set of key competencies in intellectual, civil law, communication, information and other spheres. Particular attention should be paid to educational-cognitive, informational, social-labor and communicative competencies, which determine the successful functioning of a graduate in future living conditions.
- Analysis of the results of the PISA study, which showed that, despite the outstanding knowledge of the “intellectual elite of schoolchildren” and high results in measurements for this category of students in our country, for example, TIMS S, the average level is extremely low. Students do not know how to apply knowledge comprehensively, do not understand the meaning of tasks, do not have the skills to analyze when reading a text, etc. Consequently, significant changes are needed in the educational process, new methods are needed, specialists with a different store of knowledge are needed, which will allow our average student to nevertheless find interesting and effective applications for himself.
- The need to sharply increase the speed of innovation from conception, idea to implemented result. These are the demands of the times and in the technical field you see this all the time. To get ahead, you need to run faster than the rest without breaking certain rules. Here we also have many problems, first of all, an extremely inert system for the development and implementation of innovations, analysis of proposals for novelty; discrepancies in terminology when we talk about the same thing in different languages or understand completely different things by one term. In the field of design, we must understand that the formation of terminological unity is not the prerogative of pedagogy. Here the basic terms and their interpretation will be from the field of science, research and engineering.
Design will largely allow us to resolve the identified problems, but on the condition that we ourselves understand what this method is, what it requires from the teacher, from the student. Now, more than ever, the word “project” has become fashionable. Projects are everywhere: in schools, in institutes, on radio and television, etc., while everyone understands something different by a project, there is serious terminological confusion.
There are several main approaches to understanding the term “project”. A project can be considered any idea or plan that is supposed to be implemented. This is an understanding of the term in a broad sense. In this case, a lot of things fall under project work: research developments and theatrical productions, preparing a scientific article and publishing a wall newspaper, planning a new educational course and planning a successful marriage, etc. Agree that not all ideas from the above are clearly suitable for modern project activities in school listed.
Methodological recommendations for organizing project and research activities of students in educational institutions of Moscow, published and sent to schools by the Moscow Department of Education, also contain tips and elements for planning project activities, which allow us to conclude that a different approach to understanding the term is becoming the main one "project". The main direction of project work is put forward so that the student can independently master the stages of project activity, be able to present the results of his work and defend them in front of an audience, compare different points of view on one problem or task, and can clearly indicate his scope of work if the project was carried out by a team. School theatrical performances, a huge number of presentations and reports, as a rule, have a completely different semantic orientation and carry a different semantic load. This does not mean at all that such work should be curtailed, replacing it with project activities, but project activities should take their place in schools, find their own circle of competent performers who carefully and scrupulously prepare students for very special work - the preparation and implementation of projects. Thus, we can come to the conclusion that the relevance of design work in schools is primarily associated with the need to develop in students the thinking inherent in technological, technical, scientific research developments, to teach them to track and implement the path of a project from concept to practical implementation and implementation (if the project has a practical orientation), to do this quite effectively. It is in this area that there is a significant lag behind the developed countries of the world and the most internationally recognized educational programs.
The projects were already used in the 20s of the last century, but were considered harmful, reducing the level of education, and were banned in 1931 by a resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks.
Unsatisfactory result according to modern researchers, it turned out as a result of:
- lack of trained teaching staff capable of working with projects,
- poorly developed methodology for project activities,
- hypertrophy of the “project method” to the detriment of other teaching methods,
- combination of the “project method” with the pedagogically illiterately formulated idea of “complex programs”,
- cancellation of grades and certificates, with the replacement of individual tests that existed before with collective tests for each of the completed tasks.
If we don’t figure out how to solve these problems today, we again risk “stepping on the same rake.” Some of you can say that you are familiar with a high-quality methodology for project work, which is understandable, gives good stable results (I believe that so far there are only methodological recommendations, outlines, approaches), or that you are satisfied with your own preparation for project work. I also hope that you understand that if we call the work that we successfully carried out for students and for ourselves before (newspaper issues, various theatrical performances, preparing reports and abstracts, etc.) as projects, we will not come to fundamentally new ones. results. All this is quite difficult and requires special knowledge, often from other areas of activity unfamiliar to teachers. The pedagogical community must realize that project and research activities of students are not only an integral part of education, but a separate system in education, one of the directions of modernization of modern education and development of the concept of a specialized school. The process of designing and conducting research with students needs to be scrupulously taught to teachers, to select from among them those whose work is most successful, to generalize their experience, to create methods based on it, and only after that, to speak about the widespread (but not total) project method in schools.
First of all, let's look at the specific requirements for a teacher:
- in order to understand what to teach children through the project method, the teacher must have a good understanding of this himself;
- no matter how independent the student’s work on the project, the main burden still lies with the teacher;
- it is the teacher, often in one person, who represents:
- customer of the project product, it is he who must set the task for the students,
- head of the work on its creation, work coordinator,
- inspirer of future achievements, enthusiast,
- assistant in difficult situations, specialist and consultant,
- grateful viewer-listener,
- a cautious critic, an organizer of discussion, a person who asks questions, often uncomfortable, but requiring an answer,
- an expert evaluating the design result;
- the teacher must solve the problems of teaching and education while working on the project;
- a teacher who does not enjoy the process of working on a project cannot give students an idea of the joy and satisfaction of such work and, therefore, should not act as a leader or consultant;
- if the teacher has chosen a topic that is interesting to him, but is poorly known, then the risk of making a mistake due to incompetence in the field of design and getting fatal errors as a result is high. To avoid them, the teacher must contact specialists in the chosen field (university teachers, researchers, engineering and technological personnel), and involve them as consultants, experts, and assistants.
A teacher or team working using the project method must be competent not only in the subject, but also competent in the correct sequence of design stages, that is, the process becomes the main object of study.
Designing, of course, can and should be done not only by schoolchildren; design work is carried out by teachers or teaching teams. But in this article we will be interested in the project as the result of the activity of a student or group of students, achieved with more or less assistance from the teacher and aimed at developing and consolidating in students new competencies that are key in the modern rapidly developing world.
Project - ( from the Latin “protruding forward”), even in the 1865 edition of the dictionary of foreign words, was defined as an assumption that what needs to be done to achieve some goal.
Project method is a flexible model of organizing the educational process, focused on the creative self-realization of the developing personality of the student, the development of his intellectual and physical capabilities, strong-willed qualities and creative abilities in the process of creating new goods and services under the control of the teacher, which have subjective (for students) or objective novelty, having practical or theoretical significance.
The essence of the method briefly boils down to the fact that the child is taught the stages of achieving a goal, asking him to completespecific task.
Project method is used to develop in the student a universal ability to pose and solve problems to resolve problems that arise in life - professional activity, self-determination, everyday life.
The purpose of using the project method– development of design thinking among students.
The main meaning Research and design in education is that it is educational. This means that its main goal is the development of the individual, and not obtaining an objectively new result, as in “big” science. Novelty in an educational project is subjective, that is, the student comes to the result (goal) through new ones. for myself knowledge, including new procedural knowledge and skills. In order for the student to perceive knowledge as really necessary, he needs to set himself and solve a problem that is significant to him, taken from life, apply certain knowledge and skills to solve it, including new ones that have yet to be acquired, and ultimately get a real, tangible result.
The closest type of activity to projects is reports, abstracts and educational research, they are often confused not only children, but also teachers. Let us give definitions, first, based on the fact that each of the named types represents independent the finished result of the activity.
- Report- oral or written communication for the purpose of introduce listeners (readers) with a specific topic (problem), give general information , it is possible to present the views of the author of the report, which in this case do not require scientific verification or evidence. Since preparing a report may require a lot of time, studying various sources, and a certain presentation of the results, there is a temptation to talk about it as a project, since work on a project is associated with the presentation of information.
- Essay– collection and presentation comprehensive information on a given topic from various sources , including presenting different points of view on this issue, providing statistical data and interesting facts. When working on a project, there is a similar stage - the abstract stage.
- Research– work related to solving a creative, research problem with a previously unknown result . If scientific research is aimed at finding out the truth, at obtaining new knowledge, then educational research has the goal of acquiring students the skill of research, mastering the research type of thinking, and forming an active position in the learning process. This kind of work is very similar to a project. However, when designing, research is only a stage of design work
You can consider, as you already understood, these types of activities from another point of view. So, research work is part of the project activity; this stage is most important if the project is classified as a research type. The abstract also represents a certain stage, usually preceding the actual design; it is especially important if the project is of an information type. A report, in turn, is a form in which the result of a design or research can be presented, along with a presentation, exhibits, software products, etc.
Project- work aimed at solving a specific problem
, to achieve in the optimal way pre-planned result
. The project may include elements of reports, essays, research and any other types of independent creative work, but only as ways achieving results.
Design is based on certain requirements of a scientific approach, in particular in modern literature the following are highlighted:
- do not make decisions without analysis;
- do not consider the trial and error method rational;
- break down each issue into parts to facilitate its solution;
- strive to establish patterns even where there is no obvious connection and consistency;
- draw up mental layouts, models, images, diagrams of the future design object, using your knowledge and imagination to the maximum, and only then move on to studying literature and databases;
- approach any issue comprehensively and systematically;
- consider that all proposed solutions have the right to exist, but among them there are those that best suit specific conditions and goals;
- take into account that fundamentally new solutions are often perceived as unrealistic, fantastic or simply bad.
Let's try to figure out what project activity in school is, what are its key features and differences from other types of activity, what requirements are placed on it, what mistakes are most common and how to avoid them.
Mandatory features of project activity:
- the presence of pre-developed ideas about the final product of activity, result;
- the presence of design stages (development of the concept, determination of the goals and objectives of the project, available and optimal resources for the activity, creation of a plan, programs and organization of activities for the implementation of the project) inherent in research and design in “big science”;
- implementation of the project, including its comprehension and reflection on the results of activities, which, in turn, are implemented through the defense of the project in front of the customer (if the project involved a practical result) or the scientific community, for example, at a conference.
THE PROJECT IS CHARACTERIZED BY:
- Presence of the original problem , which should motivate authors to find a solution. For students we can highlight:
- motivation by result(the student is results-oriented);
- motivation by process(the student is interested in the process of activity itself);
- motivation for evaluation(the student is interested in getting a good grade);
- motivation to avoid trouble(the student does not care about the result at all, but he wants to avoid trouble from parents, teachers, etc.).
Here the object area, object and subject of research are determined; the topic, problem and justification for its relevance are selected and formulated, scientific literature is studied and the topic is clarified, and, finally, a hypothesis is put forward.
- Setting a design goal . This stage is the most difficult, since the result most depends on it. A mistake in setting a goal will lead to an incorrect result. There are many theories on how to properly set design goals. One of the most common and effective methods, now used in the educational sphere, is the production of “smart” ( from English "smart") goals, i.e. setting goals using S.M.A.R.T. criteria . According to these criteria, the goal should be:
- Specific (Specific) or, according to other sources, viable (Sustanible),
- Measurable
- Achievable (Achivable) or, according to other sources, accountable (Accountible),
- Result-oriented
- Correlates with a specific period (Timed).
Specificity means that all project participants must clearly understand what they have to work on. You form your own vision of the result of completing the task in your head, and as you present the goal, other participants form their own idea. As a result, it may turn out that you have different ideas about the same goal. That is, it is important to achieve a clear understanding of the answer to the question of what needs to be obtained as a result of achieving the goal. In this case, the goal should be viable, which means it is interesting, creates motivation, and is promising for the student in science or practice.
Measurability means that the goal must have some measurable parameters defined; if this is not done, it will be impossible to determine whether the result has been achieved. If the indicator is quantitative, then it is necessary to identify the units of its measurement; if it is qualitative, then it is necessary to identify the standard of the relationship.
Reachability means that the goal must be realistic; design participants must have the resources necessary to achieve it - time, budget, tools, qualifications, etc.). Here it is explained how the goal will be achieved. Since we are talking about resources, their costs must be accountable and indicated when registering the project.
Result-oriented. Goals should be characterized based on the result, not the work done. Solving all the tasks set to achieve the goal should lead to exactly the planned result. When formulating a goal, it is necessary to determine in advance why its implementation is necessary. In the simplest case, literary sources recommend asking a chain of questions: “Why?” At the very end of this chain there should be something like the following answer: “Because that’s what will make me happy.” If this happens, then you are on the right track. But otherwise, if at the end of this chain you are plunged into uncertainty, then another question arises: do I really need this? In this scenario, it is recommended to urgently change something in the formulation of the goal itself. The test can also be done using the following goal, but this goal must also pass the question test.
Correlation with a specific deadline means that any goal must be feasible in a certain time dimension.
3. Developing a plan for the upcoming work. The entire path from the initial problem to the implementation of the project goal must be divided into separate stages, each of which has intermediate tasks, methods for solving them must be determined, resources for this must be found, and a detailed work schedule must be developed indicating the deadlines for the implementation of each stage. The implementation of a work plan for a project, as a rule, is associated with the study of literature and other sources, with the collection of information, possibly with conducting various studies, analyzing and summarizing the data obtained, drawing conclusions and forming on this basis one’s own point of view on the original problem of the project and methods her decisions. It is very important here to determine who will do what work and establish responsibility. It is necessary to distribute the work so that each member of the design team is used with maximum effect and, therefore, received maximum satisfaction from work
You.
The RESULT of the project work MUST contain:
- Project product, meeting the specified goals.
- A written report on the progress of work at each stage, starting with the definition of the project problem, all decisions made with their justification, all problems that arose and ways to overcome them, the collected information, experiments and observations carried out are analyzed, survey results are presented, etc., results are summed up, conclusions are drawn, work prospects are clarified (portfolio ).
- Conducting public defense of the project. This is an obligatory part of the design, during which the author not only talks about the progress of the work and shows its results, but also demonstrates his own knowledge and experience in solving the project problem, acquired competence. The element of self-presentation is the most important aspect of the work, since it presupposes a reflective assessment by the author of his work and acquired experience. If the project is a team project, then each team member must be accountable for their part of the work. There should be no students who were not responsible for anything and did not have their own front of action .
By completing projects, students should gain an understanding of the product life cycle through their own experience.- from the inception of the idea to material implementation and use in practice. At the same time, an important aspect of design is the optimization of the objective world, the correlation of costs and achieved results. When designing, experience is gained in using knowledge to solve the so-called incorrect problems, when there is a shortage or excess of data, and there is no standard for solution.
Wherever we are engaged in project or research activities with students, it is necessary to remember that the main result of this work is the formation and education of an individual who owns design and research technology at the level of competence. Competence -
a new quality of a subject of activity, manifested in the ability to systematically apply knowledge, skills, and values and allowing one to successfully resolve various contradictions, problems, and practical tasks in a social, professional and personal context.
The basic competencies of a modern person are:
- informational(ability to search, analyze, transform, apply information to solve problems, obtain new information);
- communicative(the ability to effectively collaborate with other people, including those representing a different position or point of view);
- self-organization(ability to set goals, plan, take a responsible approach to health, make full use of personal resources);
- self-education(readiness to design and implement one’s own educational trajectory throughout one’s life, ensuring success and competitiveness).
What can be taught as part of project activities at school now.
In the educational and cognitive field:
- specify the task and break it down into subtasks that the teacher sets,
- formulate the goals and objectives of your own work, if necessary, building a tree of goals and a tree of subtasks,
- carry out experimental work (experiments) according to the methodology specified or agreed with the teacher,
- repeat historical (known to the student) research by scientists, checking and comparing their own results with known ones, understand the reasons for the discrepancies with the original source of the research, this is especially important at the initial stage of participation in project work at school, this is what gives rise to the development of critical thinking,
- process the experimental data obtained, correlate them with the research hypothesis, available data from other sources, use computer technology to process experimental data,
- draw reasoned conclusions
- repeat the same experiment many times and interpret the result if it differs from experiment to experiment,
- understand that a negative result of the work is possible and this is normal, understand that a negative result cuts off any branch of the research that turned out to be a dead end,
- understand the specifics of the work of a scientist, technologist, engineer, which will help in the future in the career guidance of the student.
In the information area:
- be able to work with scientific literature, select material and sift out the unnecessary, work with scientific sources and assess the degree of trust in them,
- maintain scientific integrity - quote correctly, do not pass off someone else’s work as your own, compare, rethink and rework already known facts,
- develop and optimize trajectories for searching for information on a given topic, including using the collections of foreign libraries,
- understand the differences between an abstract, report, poster report, presentation, etc., that is, the forms in which information is displayed,
- present the results obtained at conferences and in publications (for this, the student must master the scientific style of presentation: simple, concise, understandable and demonstrative),
- reduce information from more complete to concise based on highlighting the most important and discarding the unimportant, which is especially important when limiting the time for a report,
- interpret the result in different forms of presentation: presentations, reports, poster presentations, exhibits, etc. At the same time, the relationship and interaction of different forms is worked out (for example, what should be included in the presentation and what remains in the report),
- master information technologies (audio and video recording, e-mail, media, Internet).
In the field of communication:
- work alone and in a team, distribute work between participants according to areas and see it as one whole, understand that the overall result depends on the quality of your work,
- to find application for each participant, depending on his specific abilities, craving for certain types of activities - that is, everyone will find that place in the project work where he will be most in demand, most effective, and, therefore, will be able to bring the greatest benefit and receive maximum satisfaction from work,
- work with research teams outside of school, use the scientific and practical base of institutes,
- know ways to interact with surrounding and distant events and people,
- master various social roles,
- be able to introduce yourself (self-presentation), write a letter, questionnaire, application, ask a question, listen to your opponent, lead a discussion, etc.
In the area of value and semantics:
- form the student’s value guidelines,
- develop the ability to see and understand the world around us, navigate it,
- be aware of your role and purpose, be able to choose goals and meaning for your actions and actions, and make decisions.
Demanding and expecting truly new scientific ideas and, especially, discoveries from children and their teacher leaders is wrong; you can get another profanation and the opposite result. Working on projects in a variety of fields of knowledge is useful and should instill not only an interest in research and experiments, but also great respect for the work of scientists, technologists and engineers.
Classification of creative project works of students in the field of natural sciences and humanities , according to the methodological recommendations of the Moscow Department of Education, it allows us to distinguish the following types:
- Problem-abstract- creative works written on the basis of several literary sources, suggesting comparison of data from different sources and based on this own interpretation the problem posed.
- Experimental- creative works written based on the experiment described in science and having a known result. They are more illustrative in nature, require independent interpretation of the characteristics of the result depending on changes in initial conditions.
- Naturalistic and descriptive- creative works aimed at to observe and qualitatively describe a phenomenon. May have an element of scientific novelty. A distinctive feature is lack of correct research methodology.
- Research- creative works performed with using a scientifically correct technique, having obtained using this technique own experimental material, on the basis of which it is made analysis and conclusions about the nature of the phenomenon under study. The peculiarity of such work is the uncertainty of the result, that research can provide.
In a number of sources, projects also included games and creative projects (excursions, newspapers, videos, etc.), however, now, due to the awareness of the scientific orientation of project work, these types of activities should not be classified as student projects, since they do not have most of the required elements and design stages.
If we identify and compare the stages of work that students must complete during the design process, depending on the practical or theoretical significance of the result, then the project execution schemes will be approximately as follows (see Fig. 1).
Different student ages imposes its own restrictions on project activities. For primary school students and grades 5-7 of basic school, teachers should plan and carry out not projects, but practice certain stages of design (for example, drawing up notes or preparing a report on a topic, preparing a series of reports on each point of view on a certain problem, etc.) or implement forms of presenting information (selection or creation of illustrative series, poster presentation, etc.).
Analysis of experience in performing design work allows us to identify a number of typical mistakes that teachers allow when using this method:
- announcing to students the topic of a project or independently setting a problem, instead of creating a situation of identifying a problem that is significant for students or offering a list of projects, giving students the opportunity to make an independent choice;
- offering your ideas instead of creating a situation, asking questions that encourage children to find ways to solve the problem;
- offering a creative task to reinforce the studied educational material, mistakenly calling this work the implementation of a project;
- perception of students' creative activity for educational project work;
- presentation of an abstract (report, systematization of knowledge from various sources) as a project work, which can also be presented in writing, but, unlike an abstract, it presents the author’s independent view on solving the problem posed, including based on the study of literary sources . It is unacceptable to create in children the idea of scientific activity as a compilation of other people's thoughts. The designer must develop and present his own point of view on the sources of information, determine the purpose of the research and its methodology;
- there is always a danger of overestimating the result of the project and underestimating the process itself;
- basic moral principles - mutual assistance, loyalty to duty, a sense of responsibility for decisions made - are based on the actions of students, they must be “lived”, and not just heard from the teacher.
In the process of presenting the results of work, and, usually, this component of project activity takes the form of a presentation, the problems are as follows:
- the teacher and student usually do not see the difference between the text of an abstract or project and a report at a conference and the report becomes a simple reading of this text,
- reports and presentations are not synchronized in time and are not rehearsed, the student often reads in the report what is already shown on the screen, that is, he does not understand why, and does not know how to distribute information between the report and presentation,
- the student reads the text of the report without looking up from the paper, sometimes gets confused or cannot read a number of terms correctly, as soon as he asks a question or takes it away from the text, he gets lost. Let’s put aside the factor of the student’s excitement, and this simply requires rehearsals and sufficient fluency in the material your research, which can be quickly corrected with training. But, if the student did not do the work himself, he simply “downloaded” someone else’s work or works, then this means that he is trying to present other people’s thoughts instead of his own, without understanding what exactly he is presenting. The student, if he did the work himself with several literary sources, creatively processed them and received new smart product, presents the material quite freely in his own words (of course, when using complex terms, accurately reproducing numbers, dates, names, looking into the text of the report is quite normal) and can clearly define his contribution to the work.
- fear of receiving, and even more so, public coverage, negative or negative results experiment and research, lack of emphasis on the difficulties that arise during their implementation. In scientific work, hypotheses do not always find experimental confirmation, and in literary sources there may often be more opponents of your point of view than supporters, especially at an early stage of research. This is fine. An unconfirmed hypothesis is rejected, a new one is put forward and everything is repeated all over again, this is what science has stood for and stands for. At the same time, the student must learn to explain the reasons for failures and reasonably argue with opponents. But the school teacher is used to the problem must match the answer from the textbook, what a negative result this is. Result of this error– the student’s rejection of the very idea that the result may not work out or will differ from the expected, minimizing the number of checks of the result obtained or the absence of such checks at all, the absence of doubts, and, as an epilogue, falsification of results. Let us remember that when conducting laboratory work, if the school managed to preserve it and not replace it with pseudo laboratory work on a computer, it is rare that a teacher draws students’ attention to the reasons for failures in carrying out the work or the low quality of the results obtained, if the work was carried out generally correctly. Namely, the ability to doubt the result, the need to check and double-check it under various conditions distinguishes a true scientist and experimenter and moves scientific thought forward.
Thus, project activities in school should create an environment for identifying and developing future scientists and engineers, give an idea of the work of a scientist, engineer, and technologist, and help students master key competencies for setting goals, planning and promoting work, achieving and publicly presenting results. Ultimately, we will get competent, interested, enthusiastic devotees of modern science, technology and technology.
Literature
1. Methodological recommendations for organizing project and research activities of students in educational institutions of Moscow Moscow Government. Moscow Department of Education. From November 20, 2003 No. 2-34-20
http://www.c-psy.ru/index.php/teacher/master-class/8919-2011-03-14-15-21-19
2. Vokhmentseva E. A. Project activity of students as a means of developing key competencies http://www [Text] / E. A. Vokhmentseva // Current problems of pedagogy: materials of the international. in absentia scientific conf. (Chita, December 2011). - Chita: Young Scientist Publishing House, 2011. - P. 58-65..moluch.ru/conf/ped/archive/20/1390/
3. PEDAGOGICAL LOCATION. Method of projects at school.
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