A.I. Savenkov,

Doctor of Psychology,

Professor of the Department of Developmental Psychology, Moscow State Pedagogical University,

Moscow

FORECASTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN'S GIFTEDNESS

Of the range of issues related to giftedness, the problem of predicting the development of a child’s mental potential is the most important from the point of view of socio-pedagogical practice and the least developed.

One of the most important is the question of the genotypic and environmental conditioning of the pace or speed of development of an individual and, first of all, creativity and cognitive functions. The degree of genetic predetermination and environmental dependence of this rate (meaning the rate of maturation), in accordance with the data of psychogenetic studies, is the same as the final level.

One cannot ignore the fact that the influence of the environment can be so negative that, under a certain set of circumstances, it can block maturation. The range of these influences can be very large - from traumatic brain injuries to negative psychological and pedagogical influences. The idea that a gifted person is able to overcome any negative influence of the environment, usually expressed in the common statement “talent will always break through,” is fundamentally wrong. It is probably more appropriate to talk about a certain minimum of positive environmental influences, and the higher this minimum, the greater the opportunities for the realization of giftedness, its materialization in outstanding achievements.

Special studies of the degree of dependence of the rate of maturation and personality development on genotypic and environmental influences are extremely complex. That is why the problem of predicting development, predicting a child’s possible achievements is the least developed. It is largely unclear in what cases the accelerated rate of development of mental abilities, usually qualified as childhood talent, should be considered as a guarantee of future high achievements of the individual in science, art or other fields. We have already noted that many outstanding scientists, artists, and musicians did not stand out in any way in childhood and, on the contrary, many former child prodigies remained “former”.

The very fact of recognizing the dependence of the pace of personal development on the genotype explains on a theoretical level why children's giftedness is not always realized, i.e. does not lead to high creative achievements in adulthood. In addition to the negative influence of the environment, to which they usually try to blame everything in this case, it is quite likely that a program determined by the genotype is at work here.
Thus, genotypically, the rate of maturation can be accelerated, which will manifest itself in development practice. And the final result of development, by the same genotype, can be set as the norm. In this case, acceleration in one period, which occurred under the influence of genotypic factors, may be replaced by a slowdown in another period, under the influence of the same genotype.

This problem was also considered as part of the study of gender characteristics. According to a number of studies, as well as our own research, among girls of senior preschool and primary school age, there are several percent more gifted children than boys. But at an older age (at puberty), this percentage changes in favor of boys. And a significant proportion of girls who were previously ahead of their peers in development “level out” and leave the category of gifted. But the question of what causes this is not so simple. Maybe some kind of genetic program is triggered, or maybe the environment is to blame.

There are attempts to explain this fact by environmental influence, presenting it as the result of certain “social expectations.” It must be admitted that these assertions are not without foundation. After all, our cultural traditions require in a boy to awaken activity, energy, initiative, and the desire for self-affirmation. Traditional ideas about male behavior force us to teach him to fight external circumstances, to be a leader, a “winner,” strong, courageous, courageous, and at the same time be sure to be able to hide his feelings (especially pain, resentment, etc.).

Children of outstanding people have always been of particular interest to both scientists and ordinary people. First of all, they attracted the attention of biographers of geniuses. And this is no coincidence, because it is these children who, formally speaking, have the maximum advantages. Moreover, the advantages include not only a favorable external environment, but also no less favorable genotypic characteristics.
As a result of observations, statistical data have accumulated indicating that children of outstanding people rarely achieve the same results as their “great” parents. Everyone knows outstanding political leaders, scientists, writers, poets, musicians, artists who had children who followed “in their footsteps.” But as adults, these children very rarely reached the heights to which their parents rose.

Thanks to these and similar observations, the idea was formed in the public consciousness that “nature rests on the children of great people.” And we can count on outstanding manifestations in our descendants only in the next, third generation. Other observations also served as a kind of confirmation of this idea. For example, it has long been noted that very short people, as a rule, grow up to have children taller than them and, conversely, very tall children often grow up shorter than their parents.

If we take into account the fact that nature builds its designs according to general algorithms, then we have to admit that this rule should apply to other characteristics. Consequently, the same should happen with the inheritance of the inclinations of mental and creative abilities. Scientists have made the assumption that nature probably maintains a certain norm, allowing the possibility of fluctuations only within certain limits.

To understand how true these statements are, we emphasize once again that geneticists say that an organism does not inherit a trait as such, but only the ability to form this trait under certain environmental conditions. The gene that determines the trait has a characteristic that is called the special term “reaction norm.” By this we mean the range within which the genotype allows the possibility of fluctuation under the influence of the external environment. And since the conditions for development in parents and their children are objectively different, the degree of manifestation of certain signs (even in the absence of mutations) will inevitably be different. As a result, children (and grandchildren) may turn out to be both more and less talented than their parents or grandparents. And the above-mentioned “rule” about supposedly “resting nature” is probably one of the many myths that literally fill judgments about giftedness.

As we have already noted, some physical, chemical and biological factors can significantly affect the “reaction rate” of a gene.

Giftedness that manifests itself clearly and clearly in a child’s activities is called “explicit.” Veiled, disguised talent is called “hidden” or “latent” talent. There is another, very similar gradation - “actual” and “potential” giftedness. Manifested, obvious talent, noticed by psychologists, teachers, and parents, is called “relevant.” Children who demonstrate “actual” giftedness are often called not “gifted” but “talented” children.

And on the contrary, giftedness, which represents only certain mental capabilities (potential) for high achievements, but cannot be realized at the moment in activity, due to their functional insufficiency, is called “potential”.

Many famous scientists, musicians, artists and even writers showed their outstanding abilities at an early age. Everyone knows the brilliant creative achievements of little A. Mozart, the outstanding successes in childhood of K. Bryulov, F. Galton, I.I. Mechnikov, K. Gauss, N. Winner, G.V. Leibniz, V. Hugo, F. Schubert, N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, M. Mussorgsky, and this list can be continued for a long time. It's no secret that gifted children often become outstanding adults, but not always.

It is no less often the case the other way around - people who did not show themselves in childhood achieved outstanding results later, in adulthood. Often, outstanding mental potential, as evidenced by the biographies of many famous people, remained unnoticed by others for a long time. For example, biographers of Carl Linnaeus (the great Swedish botanist) note that in childhood his development was slow. True, he began to gain fame at the age of 24. The famous Russian writer I.S. Krylov began his literary career relatively late. Among the students of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum who were fond of poetry, A. Pushkin was not considered the first; A. Illichevsky successfully challenged the “palm of championship”. In childhood, many famous scientists and artists did not stand out among their peers in any way.

Naturally, in each such case, the reasons why giftedness went unnoticed are different. The potential may not actually manifest itself until a certain time. Or maybe parents, teachers and other adults did not show due attention to the subtle movements of the child’s soul, they did not have enough knowledge, their intuition did not work. Or maybe, on the contrary, due to misunderstanding, they did not notice these outstanding potential opportunities in the child and even considered manifestations of “creativity” and intellectual initiative as negative properties. But others considered them the most valuable.

We all know from our own experience that we often encounter parents, school teachers, university professors, and production managers who value diligence, obedience, and accuracy above initiative—originality, courage, independence of action and judgment. A kind of confirmation of this idea was found by American scientists who studied, from this angle, the biographies of 400 outstanding people. The study found that 60% of them had serious problems during school, in terms of adapting to the conditions of school life.

The facts of the existence of “actual” and “potential”, “explicit” and “latent”, “early” and “late” giftedness emphasize the complexity and importance of the problem of predicting development. What signs, personality traits, character traits, characteristics of behavior and activity can indicate to an adult that a child in the future may become an outstanding scientist, artist, leader, etc. The answer to this complex question cannot be simple. Scientists have already discovered a number of patterns that make it possible to predict a child’s future, but an algorithm for constructing reliable, well-founded forecasts is still infinitely far away.

World pedagogical experience shows that often faith in the capabilities of a student, multiplied by the skills of parents and teachers, is capable of creating pedagogical miracles. In life, it often turns out that what is important is not even what nature has given to a person, but what he himself has been able to do with the gift that he has.

This problem is related to another, no less important. The mental potential of a person, as we noted above, is not static. It exists only in dynamics and is constantly changing. Therefore, many scientists devoted their research to studying human productivity at various periods of his life. For example, American psychologists G. Lehman and W. Denis found that the most productive period of creativity for writers, artists, thinkers is the age of 20-40 years, for mathematicians - 23 years, for chemists - 20-30 years, for physicists - 32-33 years old, for astronomers - 41-44 years old.
Often, when developing a forecasting problem, random signs led researchers on the wrong trail. So, for example, in the XVIII-XIX centuries. it was noticed that almost all outstanding commanders (A.V. Suvorov, Bonaparte Napoleon, etc.) and naval commanders (G. Nelson, etc.) were short. Some biographers hastened to declare this a pattern and even came up with the theory of “stunted giants.”

But, having examined this idea more carefully, F. Galton came to interesting conclusions. According to him, one of the most important qualities of an outstanding commander is courage. A. Suvorov, G. Nelson, and other generals and naval commanders were distinguished by this. But it was precisely this quality that prevented most tall people from reaching adulthood and becoming commanders. F. Galton writes that they died while still junior officers. The shooter usually aims first at the tall man, like a hunter trying to shoot the largest bird.

One of the serious problems of forecasting is that the requirements for an outstanding person change significantly over time. So, for example, one time requires certain abilities from an outstanding person, and another requires completely different ones.

For example, a person involved in science, until the middle of the 20th century. called "scientist". Thus, it was assumed that this person knows a lot, and therefore is a “scientist”. Nowadays, scientists themselves are increasingly trying to call themselves not scientists, but “researchers,” thereby emphasizing that they may not possess (and often do not strive to possess) a large amount of information in the area where they conduct their research. A modern scientist is not so much one who knows a lot, but one who knows where and how to search for something new.

Another problem is no less important - during his professional career a person has to perform a variety of roles that sometimes require mutually exclusive personal qualities.

Let's look at some examples. It never occurred to the parents of Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov that their son, who was lagging behind in physical development, a sickly boy, could become a military man. And there was no question that he could grow into an outstanding commander. At the same time, almost all of his noble peers were included in the lists of military units from the day they were born and by the time they grew up had officer ranks. Alexander Suvorov, as a teenager, himself insisted on being accepted into military service. That is why he served as a soldier for a long time. And only at the age of 24 he received his first officer rank.

Everyone knows that in order to be a good soldier, you need some qualities, to be a good officer - others, and to be a field marshal - others. Can all this be combined in one person? A. Suvorov proved that this is possible, but perhaps his example is more the exception than the rule.

In special books devoted to the problems of giftedness, they often write that society usually does not like the gifted and does not value giftedness. Of course, this very “society” can be branded with shame for this. But if we look at this problem without emotions, then it is easy to understand that there is some justice in this. Giftedness, as we have already noted, is only potential. And society values ​​outstanding achievements, not the ability to achieve them. What is important for society is not what a person could do, but what he actually did.

Throughout the 20th century. Many special studies have been conducted on the problems of predicting outstanding achievements. The term “outstanding achievement” is not scientific, so its definition is quite vague. However, it is easy to guess that when we pronounce it, we assume that the person has achieved some brilliant results, has achieved exceptional success. It is legitimate to question where the line is between “outstanding achievement” and “above average achievement” or even “average achievement.”

There are, of course, many options here. Some believe that outstanding achievements are only epoch-making discoveries of a genius, others focus on prestigious awards and titles. There is an approach according to which this concept can be characterized statistically as success, assessed on a scale exceeding a certain value. That is, according to the ranking results.

In short, we are talking about a level of achievement that far exceeds the average level. Some researchers have tried to clarify the question of whether it is possible to predict relatively close events: success at school, in extracurricular activities, in higher education, at work.

German psychologist Gunther Trost summarized the results of many similar studies. Studying parents' predictions of a preschooler's child's school success, he notes that many scientists question them. But, analyzing the results of these predictions, he noted one curious feature - many parents actually overestimate the child’s giftedness. At the same time, parents with a high educational status often underestimate the giftedness of their children, while parents with a low educational status often overestimate it.

A similar study of the predictability of outstanding achievements in higher education allowed G. Trost to draw the following conclusions: success in high school and the results of school aptitude tests are the best guidelines for predictions; high scores on intelligence tests also have satisfactory predictive value. Other factors, especially interests, motivation, and self-esteem, themselves have low predictive value. But they make an additional contribution to the overall prediction of academic achievement. For students with high intelligence, they can be used to differentiate between very good and brilliant students. To predict extracurricular achievements, interest, dedication, and various aspects of creativity are most significant.

It is also important that when studying the prediction of job success, the researcher notes that “general intelligence” (IQ) is the best guide for predictions. But only if we are talking about the future: administrators, scientists, teachers, doctors, lawyers. The predictive value of this indicator (IQ) for this category of future specialists is higher than for low-skilled or unskilled workers. The relationship between college GPAs and job success is significantly lower.

The influence of the environment on the level of development of an individual’s intellectual and creative potential and the level of his achievements has traditionally been the subject of many special studies. Naturally, teachers are the most active in this regard. Often new educational technologies open up previously unknown horizons. And thanks to this, a level of achievement that was previously perceived as outstanding suddenly becomes commonplace and accessible to everyone. For example, it has been noted that often gifted children (often without outside help) learn to read at the age of two or three years. Currently, educational technologies have been created that allow any healthy child at the age of one and a half years to master this operation without much difficulty.

Many former students of the Soviet school remember how, starting to study a foreign language in the fifth grade, then continuing its study at a university (and some even in graduate school), most of them came out of this many years of “training” with a memory unclouded by foreign words and speech rpm But as soon as new educational technologies appeared, it suddenly became obvious that almost every child is a “linguistic genius” (K.I. Chukovsky). In one and a half to two years, he is able to master not just one, but dozens of different, dissimilar languages ​​(G. Doman, etc.). In this regard, the question is legitimate: is it possible to purposefully raise an outstanding person?

Such attempts are known, and they can rightfully be considered successful. A classic example is Karl Witte, a pastor and educator from Germany. Even before the birth of his son, the pastor, having argued with the listeners of his lectures - members of the McDeburgh Pedagogical Society of Gymnasium Teachers, told them: “If God sends me a son... then, as I decided, I will make him an outstanding person.”

The pastor's son was born shortly after this dispute, in 1800. He was named after his father - Karl. Through the efforts of his parents, the boy achieved outstanding success by the age of six. He amazed the gymnasium teachers with his abilities. At the age of nine, young Karl Witte entered the University of Leipzig, where after the first year of study he successfully passed all exams. At the age of 13, he became a Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Giessen, then, after studying for four semesters, received a Doctor of Law degree in Heidelberg. At the age of 18 he became a professor at the University of Heidelberg.
Karl Witte Jr. left his mark on science, but still did not deserve the title of genius. However, my father’s pedagogical discoveries turned out to be very valuable. The home education method developed by Karl Witte Sr. was described by the author at the request of the great Swiss teacher I.G. Pestalozzi. Many gifted children were raised by their parents based on this book. Perhaps the most striking among them was the founder of cybernetics, Norbert Wiener.

Many experts who do not recognize “children’s giftedness” cite this example as supposedly confirming that the main thing in the development of talent is the environment and special training. But isn’t it possible to admit that Karl Witte’s son Karl Witte Jr. (like Norbert Winner) was a gifted child, thanks to which, with the help of his father’s methods, he achieved such results in childhood and adolescence.

However, it should be understood that new pedagogical technologies are not able to “make all children gifted,” as some teachers are trying to claim (G. Doman, P.V. Tyulenev, S. Suzuki, etc.); this process has a fundamentally different mechanics. However, the question of the influence of the environment on the development of a child’s intellectual and creative potential does not become less significant.

The decisive environmental factor in the development of children's intelligence is recognized as “mental stimulation” that occurs during communication between a child and an adult. The “intrafamily environment” is recognized as one of the most important components of environmental influence. In the work of V.N. Druzhinin identified three groups of models that explain its influence on the intelligence of children.

The first group of models argues that communication between parents and children plays a decisive role. This, according to their supporters, has a decisive influence on the development of the child’s intelligence. Especially in this case, the importance of the time factor is emphasized. The more a parent communicates with a child, the greater his intellectual influence on the child. However, it is not difficult to see that these statements are dubious.

Since the average mother communicates more with her child than the father, in this case, in psychogenetic studies, there should be greater correlations between the intelligence levels of children and the intelligence of mothers than of fathers. But in reality this is not the case.

The second group of models, called identification, assumes that the child develops by mastering new roles. When identifying himself with one of the parents (of the same sex), he masters the methods of behavior characteristic of the parent. Empirical research also does not support these assumptions.

As the third V.N. Druzhinin highlights the model of R. Zayonets. It predicts the dependence of a child’s intelligence on the number of children in the family. R. Zajonc suggested that its “intellectual climate” depends on the number of children in a family. This climate is the sum of the levels of each family member. Naturally, in this case, each family member influences others and the family influences each member.

According to the observations of R. Zajonc, first-born children receive advantages in intellectual development. They interact more with their parents than their later-born siblings. Brothers and sisters born after a short period of time are similar to each other, like twins. They compete for parental attention. The level of development of their intelligence is negatively affected by the fact that they interact not only with their parents, but also with each other, thus reducing the possibility of “intellectual stimulation”.

Research by R. Zajonc's colleagues, who studied the connection between the “intelligence quotient” and the child’s place in the family structure, showed that IQ, on average, decreases as the number of children in the family increases. In most cases, the highest IQ scores are obtained by older children. The further the youngest are from the first-born and the more children in the family, the lower the IQ of the youngest.

It is curious that these data were confirmed as a result of checking the forecast made by R. Zajonc. Noting the upward trend in the average American family size that began in 1976, he accurately predicted the progressive decline in Scholastic Aptitude Test scores for American schoolchildren through 1980.

Different results were obtained from researchers who studied the dependence of the level of creativity on the number of children in the family. It turned out that in this situation the model of R. Zajonc does not work. Researchers M. Runko and M. Baled tested the level of development of divergent thinking according to J. Guilford in adolescents (5-6th grade). According to their data, only children have the best results in divergent thinking. Firstborns come in second, followed by younger children. The worst indicators for creativity were demonstrated by children with average birth time. Importantly, children with more siblings perform better than children with one sibling.

This idea is indirectly confirmed by other studies. Many experts have noted that children with many brothers and sisters are less egocentric, more open to experience, easier to cooperate with others, more persistent and sociable.

The above results of studying environmental influences on the level of intellectual and creative development of a child do not reflect the entire palette of research. A lot of specialized literature has recently been published on this topic. Moreover, many aspects of this complex problem are simply unexplored.

For example, recently the term “information pollution of the environment” has appeared. An unsystematized avalanche of information, falling on a child, can lead to the same negative consequences that physical, chemical, and biological factors can cause. True, as experts in the field of neurophysiology note, the brain does not suffer from it, but the development of the most valuable personal quality - creativity - can be significantly disrupted.

Socio-pedagogical research shows: the more unfavorable the environment, the greater the role it plays in overall differences. Where only a limited part of the population can provide their children with a good education, a lot depends on the environment, but in conditions where education becomes generally available, hereditary factors come forward. They are the ones who begin to determine the future of a person in the first place.

There is hardly any doubt that people are born mentally different, even in the same family. But the main question is not only whether the genotype or environment plays the main role, but also how, according to what laws, the interaction between them occurs. The result of these interactions is not a simple quantitative addition of their forces, but qualitative changes in the psyche. The multifactorial nature of heredity plus the multifactorial nature of the environment give rise to an infinite variety of collisions between these two elements. As a result of these collisions, the same infinite variety of mental properties is born. But where, which element dominates and where, which of them is inferior to the other?

In this regard, the question arises whether it is possible to increase the capabilities of the brain through pedagogy. Modern psychology and pedagogy give an affirmative answer to this, but this answer cannot be classified as simple. American psychologist Watson John Broadus (1878-1978) back in the 20s of the XX century. in his book “Behaviourism” (1925) he wrote that humanity had entered an era of limitless self-improvement. In our time, it should be noted that the pace of this self-development has a clear tendency to accelerate.

We consider development as the transition of a growing organism to a qualitatively higher level. This transition depends on “maturation”, i.e. the deployment of an internal program determined by the genotype, and from “learning” - the influence of environmental factors. Understanding and recognizing the importance of each of these factors does not remove the question of how they interact.

The search for an answer to this question has been going on for more than a century, and many solutions have been found. We will not consider those of them that are of only historical interest. This is the field of activity of professionals studying the history of pedagogy. Let us dwell on those theories that underlie modern methods and technologies for developing a child’s abilities.

A significant part of the specialists who stood at the origins of experimental research into the problems of children's giftedness had a very popular idea of ​​recapitulation, also called the “basic biogenetic law”. From this point of view, development was presented as a reproduction of the main features of the evolution of the species to which the individual belongs (“the basic biogenetic law”). At the same time, the exclusively speculative search for external analogies of mental development and the evolutionary process as a whole was quite quickly supplemented by the same kind of analogies with the main stages of the process of cultural and historical development of society (E. Claparède, V. Stern, etc.).

One of the proponents of this approach was the famous American scientist Hall Grenville Stanley (1845-1924). He, like other proponents of the theory of the “basic biogenetic law,” sought to identify the stages of human development with the stages of the evolution of human culture as a whole. He argued that the development of each child reproduces the history of the human race. However, Stanley Hall entered the history of science primarily as the creator of pedology, a comprehensive science about the child.

One cannot help but recognize the partial plausibility of these analogies, and therefore, even admitting such a representation as one of the possible, one cannot help but note that the idea of ​​recapitulation does not provide answers to the main questions directly related to the problem of giftedness. Other theories that directly study the problems of interaction between hereditary and environmental factors are much more productive in this regard. One of the most unpopular in world theory and practice, and at the same time still recognized by some domestic teachers, both practitioners and theorists, is a theory rooted in the teachings of the ideologists of the philosophy of “enlightenment” (D. Locke, C.A. Helvetius and etc.).

Of course, no one will dare to seriously defend the idea of ​​tabula rassa, but the ideas of the supporters of the so-called “revolutionary theory” are very close to it. Thus, referring to the approach formed in Soviet psychology of the 30-40s, as well as research in the field of pedagogy and psychology up to the 70s, the famous Soviet philosopher E.V. Ilyenkov writes: “...in the composition of the higher mental functions of a person there is and cannot be absolutely nothing innate, genetically inherited... the entire human psyche is a lifetime formation, the result of education in the broad sense of the word, i.e. is transmitted from generation to generation not by natural means, but exclusively by “artificial” means” (E.V. Ilyenkov, 1990, p. 89).

Thus, it turns out that the development of an individual, especially his cognitive sphere, depends almost entirely on environmental influences and, first of all, on the part artificially isolated from it - “upbringing and training.” At the same time, while recognizing the presence of genetic factors, supporters of this approach constantly emphasize that the latter have practically no influence on the development of higher mental functions. These genetic factors, in the understanding of representatives of this point of view, manifest themselves in the form of “inclinations”, which they deliberately define as “anatomical and physiological”. This emphasizes that the physical development of the organism, to some extent, depends on the genotype, and the mental development is completely free from its influence. It follows that any person, regardless of his “anatomical and physiological” inclinations, can develop any psychological and behavioral properties, and the level of their development depends entirely on the quality of training and upbringing.

This approach received the code name “revolutionary”. A modified version of this is another approach called “functional”. Defending the idea that both the formation and transformation of a function is determined by how often it is exploited; “...abilities are manifested and formed in activity” (B.G. Ananyev, A.N. Leontyev, S.L. Rubinstein, B.M. Teplov, etc.); “...the earlier a function is put into use and the more intensively it is exploited, the higher the level of its development” (G. Doman, E. Thomas, etc.). Proponents of this theory defend the position of the determining role of lifestyle in the development of the psyche.

One of the founders of this approach was the outstanding Soviet psychologist L.S. Vygotsky, author of the cultural-historical theory of the development of higher mental functions. In his theoretical developments, he noted that the psyche of modern man is the result of the interaction of the processes of biological maturation and learning. But in the minds of L.S. According to Vygotsky, these processes are welded together; with the birth of a child, they merge into a single line of development.

Considering the genesis of mental functions, he noted that they are based on two forms: innate (natural) and acquired (cultural). The first is determined biologically, the second - culturally and historically. Calling the second indirect, he gave it clear preference. This theory, like any other, needed creative development based on new scientific data. However, many followers of L.S. Vygotsky, in accordance with the long-standing Russian intellectual tradition, noted by N. Berdyaev, turned it into an object of worship, into a kind of religion, a teaching with a strict set of immovable dogmas.

The ideological bans on research in the field of pedology that followed the acceptance and approval of this theory, and then the declaration of genetics as a “bourgeois pseudoscience” contributed not so much to the development of this approach, but to its vulgarization and the real return of a significant part of its supporters to the fold of the “revolutionary” approach.

One of the consequences of this phenomenon is that a significant part of the supporters of this concept still denies the concept of “giftedness.” And gifted children, since they really exist in nature, just like the mentally retarded, and you can’t argue with this fact, are called an amorphous term - “children with advanced development.” To prove their point of view, this group of researchers especially often argues about the lack of clear ideas and concepts of intellectual and creative talent. But the lack of our knowledge in this area is not yet evidence of the absence of this objective existing phenomenon in nature.

The most popular object of criticism from researchers who deny giftedness as a mental phenomenon is the IQ testing system. But all the advantages and disadvantages of this approach are the merits and problems of the IQ system itself and its progenitor “testology”. All this has little to do with the question of the presence or absence of children’s giftedness as such. Is it possible, referring to the imperfection of the ruler or its absence, to claim that all measured objects are equal?

The theory opposing the previous one was called “evolutionary”. Its supporters believed that development, which they considered as the individual’s transition to a higher level, is, in the most general form, the result of the biological maturation of the organism and its interaction with the environment. By biological maturation in this case we mean the gradual (evolutionary) transformation of the genetically inherent capabilities in the body that exist in the form of inclinations. According to this concept, both in the final result and in the very process of evolutionary development of inclinations (meaning, first of all, the pace), represented in the form of ontogenetic development of the organism, there is nothing that is not contained in the genotype.

Naturally, no one has long considered the interaction of genotype and environment as a one-dimensional phenomenon, which was largely characteristic of the founders of this approach (F. Galton, G. Joly, etc.). Inheritance is a very complex process, determined by a huge number of factors, and largely unexplored. But still, a number of discoveries made on the basis of experimental studies allow us to confidently assert that when considering the problem of childhood giftedness, as well as the other pole - mental retardation, hereditary factors cannot be brushed aside, declaring them insignificant.

The most popular approach is called “probabilistic” (“sto-chatic”). Its appearance and approval is due to the fact that the results of many longitudinal studies of problems in the development of cognitive processes have been summed up and summarized, including the results of studies of the development of gifted children (L. Termen et al.).

The main statement of the supporters of this theory is that the final result of development, achieved at each stage, is not initially contained in the genotype. Moreover, one or another result of development cannot be arbitrary, i.e. completely free from genotype. Thus, the development of an individual’s cognitive functions is associated with the genotype and the environment, but the most important thing is that the level of development is determined not by dominant genotypic or, on the contrary, dominant environmental factors, but by their combination as a result of random and therefore difficult to predict circumstances of an individual’s life.

It is also important that supporters of this approach emphasize the fatal nature of previous stages of development in subsequent development. That is, what is decisive at each stage is what was achieved at the previous level. In other words, what has been achieved at previous stages of development is the foundation for future achievements. And what is especially important is that what is lost at one stage of development can either be completely irreplaceable in the future, or be replenished, but with significant losses.

This idea is confirmed by the universally accepted idea of ​​“sensitive periods”. These ideas also have their explanation from biologists. Geneticists note that genetic information is needed to build a substance from cells. But the structure of the brain cannot be programmed by genetic information. From 50 to 100 thousand genes are involved in the formation of heredity, which means from 50 to 100 thousand messages embedded in them. But to describe the state of the brain, you need to describe each of its cells, each synapse - a switching point where information is transferred from one neuron to another. And there are a million billion of them. Therefore, if there were a million billion messages in the genetic code, one could assume that heredity created the brain.

But in reality, supporters of this point of view argue, the child, in the figurative expression of the French geneticist A. Jacquard, builds his own brain. He is in the position of a worker who has been given a million billion parts and asked to create a machine where all these parts must not only be used, but connected together so that the machine works. But there are no plans or schemes. There are only 50 (100) thousand parts in the drawing. Incomparably less than what is given to the worker. And he begins to act at his own discretion, creating from these parts any machine components he likes, and the child does so, forming his brain.

All the theories discussed are attempts to explain the essence of the development problem. As we see, none of them can be recognized as absolutely true; each only reveals to us a certain facet of this complex phenomenon. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the emphasis of the supporters of each point of view.

From the moment of birth or even conception of a child, genotype and environment, figuratively speaking, merge into a single line of development. And then it is practically very difficult to understand where the influence of the genotype is and where the environment is. In modern science it is generally accepted that the human psyche in many of its manifestations has an innate character, i.e. determined by genotype. But it is unknown what the real, potential capabilities inherent in the genotype are. It is also not clear what the result of their interaction with the environment will be at each moment of development.

"Gifted Child". – 2012. - No. 3 . – P. 26-42.



The relevance of organizing research activities with preschool children.

Development of cognitive interest through the development of the child’s exploratory behavior. “It is more natural and therefore much easier for a child to comprehend new things by conducting his own research - observing, conducting experiments, making his own judgments and conclusions based on them, than to receive knowledge already obtained by someone in a “ready-made form.” (A.I. Savenkov). Therefore, it is necessary to increase the share of research teaching methods in the educational process.

Research activities allow you to organize learning so that the child can ask questions and independently find answers to them. However, there is no holistic approach to the development of research activities in the aspect of the personal development of a preschool child. And this indicates the relevance of the problem of developing research activity in preschoolers and its insufficient development in terms of child development.

With the introduction of federal state requirements into the preschool education system, the requirements for the teacher himself and for the methods of teaching and educating preschoolers are changing. By the time a child enters first grade, he should be able to solve complex problems such as:

Be able to see the problem and ask questions;

Be able to prove;

Draw conclusions;

Make assumptions and make plans to test them.

It is the research method that is one of the main methods that can help a preschooler solve the above problems. After all, the research method most fully corresponds to the nature of the child and the modern requirements of education and training.

In preschool age, during classes, children should receive only positive emotions, satisfaction and a sense of self-esteem from the results achieved. Therefore, we need a special approach to learning, which is built on the basis of the child’s natural desire to independently study the environment. This is research education, as it is aimed at developing the child’s scientific research skills and abilities, at educating a true creator. This means that research activity should be free, practically unregulated by any external settings or time.

Therefore, it is necessary to look for new ways for the full development of children’s cognitive activity. For this purpose, the materials of the relevant methodological literature on the topic “Children's research” were studied and systematized. The work is based on the methods and techniques of research teaching proposed by A.I. Savenkov “Methods of research training”

Purpose This technique is to develop cognitive activity, intellectual and creative potential of the child’s personality, by improving his research abilities.

When approaching the creation of research activities for preschoolers, I set the following tasks:

1. Organize a subject-development environment.

2. Teach children the skills and abilities of research.

3. Develop the ability to use research and communication abilities in the learning process and in everyday life.

4. Organize work with parents to develop the research activities of preschoolers.

Stages implementation of research activities.

Independent research practice;

Research ability training;

Monitoring children's research activities.

Independent research practice.

The main content of the work at this stage is for children to conduct independent research and complete creative projects. Classes within its framework are structured in such a way that the degree of independence of the child in the process of research and creative design gradually increases.

Research ability training.

During this training, children must acquire special knowledge, skills and research skills. They must learn:

See problems;

Ask questions;

Make hypotheses;

Define concepts;

Classify;

Observe;

Conduct experiments;

Draw conclusions and conclusions;

Structure the material;

Explain, prove and defend your ideas.

Monitoring children's research activities.

Monitoring includes activities necessary to manage the research learning process. The child must know that the results of his work are interesting to others, everything that he has discovered and studied is very important for everyone, and he will definitely be heard. He needs to master the practice of presenting the results of his own research, master the ability to argue for his own judgments, conclusions and conclusions.

Stages of children's research.

Educational research for a preschooler includes the following main stages:

Identification and formulation of the problem (choice of research topic);

Development of hypotheses;

Search and offer possible solutions;

Collection of material;

Summarizing the data obtained;

Preparation of research materials for defense;

Protection.

Specifics of the organization of the educational process.

First stage consists of preliminary preparation of preschool children for conducting research activities, involves familiarizing children with the equipment and materials of the “Experiments and Experiments” mini-center and their purpose. This mini-center has:

Instruments – “helpers”: laboratory glassware, scales, inanimate objects, containers for playing with water of different volumes and shapes;

Natural materials: pebbles, clay, sand, shells, bird feathers, saw cuts and tree leaves, moss, seeds, etc.;

Recycled material: wire, pieces of leather, fur, fabric, cork;

Different types of paper;

Dyes: gouache, watercolors;

Medical materials: pipettes, flasks, measuring spoons, rubber bulbs, syringes (without needles);

Other materials: mirrors, balloons, butter, flour, salt, sugar, colored and transparent glass, sieve, candles, containers for storing bulk and small items.

Second phase (practical) - classes for children to acquire special knowledge (thematic vocabulary of a scientific nature) and develop their special skills and research skills. For this purpose, training sessions proposed by A.I. Savenkov are conducted (with the addition of several of his own games and exercises). The purpose of these classes is to introduce the child to research activities. Here the child learns to choose a topic that interests him, build an action plan, communicate with peers and adults, search and collect information, systematize it and make a report. Also, training sessions help children become more self-confident and learn to listen and hear each other. This type of work is carried out in free time - in the morning or evening, between classes, on walks - with the whole group or individually. At the same time, targeted walks, excursions, short-term and long-term observations of objects of animate and inanimate nature are planned. Weekly conversations are held that are aimed at developing children's curiosity and the need for new knowledge. This work allows us to identify children who are active, inquisitive, and capable of creative thinking. Then, from a group of such children, a club of experts “I explore the world” is created. Next, classes are conducted on the cognitive cycle, developed using research teaching methods. These classes are attended by children all at the same time or in subgroups (in accordance with the schedule of classes).

The value of such activities lies in the exciting joint acquisition of knowledge by children through their own searches for the necessary information on the proposed topic. The program content of the classes allows for the maximum implementation of methods and techniques that activate the use of children’s intact analyzers, which is very important for our children. After all, sensory knowledge of the environment is considered to be the initial stage of knowledge. Children, living in the world of objects and human relationships, strive to understand them and reveal them with the help of their feelings. Therefore, participation in research activities, especially in the experimental part, helps our children penetrate deep into objects - living and non-living, and also help them understand their internal properties and relationships. In turn, children’s sensory experience is firmly connected with speech, therefore, research activities contribute to the implementation - the development of children’s communicative abilities. And one more important circumstance: in such classes, much attention in the form of praise is given to complex, insecure children, whose interest in search activities is somewhat reduced. In this way, their further participation in joint work is activated and a sense of self-esteem gradually develops. As a result, children become more courageous and gradually reveal their natural talents: the ability to listen, speak, and simply communicate. And this, in turn, serves as a guarantor of the self-development of the individual; they learn to think, prove, argue, etc. in their own way. Thus, the main function of research behavior is fulfilled - the function of development. After conducting several joint classes on the cognitive cycle, you can begin the work of the club. In the club of experts, children independently choose a topic for research based on the proposed pictures (for example, with images of water, light, air, volcanoes, sounds, milk, etc.). Together they discuss a work plan on a topic they like and set an approximate completion date. Then, for a certain time, the “experts” engage in an independent search for information, illustrations, and materials for conducting the experimental part of the work. The main researchers, together with the “scientific supervisor” (educator), process the collected material, conduct a lesson on studying the selected object and set a time for the report. When presenting a “scientific” report, children put on a robe and academic headdress. All the paraphernalia creates an atmosphere of mystery and importance of all the work being done, some familiarization with the world of adults. The end result of work on the topic is a folder (album) with illustrations, with sketched experiments and, of course, the most important thing in it is the report itself, written in the form of symbols.

Parents play an exceptionally large role in carrying out such enormous work. They are an important and integral part of this work. Their task is to provide every possible, trouble-free assistance to their children in finding information and illustrations on the topics they study. It is also extremely important to conduct weekly “Together with the Child” events, which involve close contact between parents and children and focus them on emotional and cognitive communication. Consequently, such interaction with parents has a beneficial effect on the child’s psychological development and, as a result, provides great opportunities for increasing the level of his cognitive abilities.

PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY “THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER”

A.I. SAVENKOV

Child research as a method of teaching older preschoolers

Syllabus

Newspaper no.	Educational material
	Section I. Psychology of exploratory behavior Lecture 1. Exploratory behavior in modern psychology
	Lecture 2. Research activities and research abilities
	Lecture 3. Exploratory behavior and creativity. Test No. 1
	Section II. History and theory of exploratory learning for preschoolers Lecture 4 . History of the application of research teaching methods in preschool education
	Lecture 5. Didactic foundations of modern research teaching. Test No. 2
	Section III. The practice of inquiry-based learning in modern preschool education Lecture 6. Features of developing an inquiry-based learning program in kindergarten
	Lecture 7. Methodology for conducting educational research in kindergarten
	Lecture 8. Methods and techniques for enhancing educational and research activities of preschool children Final work

Section III. PRACTICE OF RESEARCH TEACHING IN MODERN PRESCHOOL EDUCATION

Lecture 8. Methods and techniques for enhancing educational and research activities of preschool children

Literature

1.Savenkov A.I. Little explorer. How to teach a preschooler to acquire knowledge. Yaroslavl: Academy of Development, 2003.

2.Savenkov A.I. Development of cognitive abilities. Workbook for children 5–7 years old. Yaroslavl: Academy of Development, 2004.

3.Savenkov A.I. Development of creative thinking. Workbook for children 5–6 years old. Yaroslavl: Academy of Development, 2004.

4.Savenkov A.I. Development of creative thinking. Workbook for children 6–7 years old. Yaroslavl: Academy of Development, 2004.

5. “Preschool education” No. 7, 2004. Thematic issue on the development of children’s research abilities.

To form the foundations of a child’s culture of thinking and develop the skills of exploratory behavior, a variety of techniques can be used. They will allow you to understand the general direction of work and show where you can find similar ones and how to develop your own methods. We have already partially touched on these issues in lecture No. 6, when we looked at the features of developing a research education program in kindergarten.

Today we will look at them in more detail.

Ability to see problems

A problem is usually understood as an explicitly formulated question, or more often a set of questions that arise in the course of cognition. The process of cognition itself in this case is interpreted as a consistent transition from answers to some questions to answers to other questions that arose after the first ones were resolved. However, the ancient Greek word problema literally translated it sounds like “task”, “obstacle”, “difficulty”, and not just a question. Therefore, the term “problem” in modern usage is much broader than the term “question”.

TASKS AND EXERCISES TO DEVELOP THE ABILITY TO SEE PROBLEMS

"Look at the world through someone else's eyes"

One of the most important properties in identifying problems is the ability to change one’s own point of view, to look at the object of study from different angles. Naturally, if you look at the same object from different points of view, you will definitely see something that eludes the traditional view and is often not noticed by others.

Let's do a simple exercise. We read an unfinished story to children:

"Autumn has come. One morning the sky was covered with black clouds and it began to snow. Large snow flakes fell on houses, trees, sidewalks, lawns, roads..."

The task is to “continue the story.” But this needs to be done in several ways. For example: imagine that you are just walking in the yard with friends. How will you feel about the first snow? Then imagine that you are a truck driver driving down the road, or a pilot taking off on a flight, the mayor of a city, a crow sitting in a tree, a bunny or a fox in the forest. You can come up with many similar stories and, using their plots, you can teach children to look at the same phenomena and events from different points of view.

When completing this task, it is very important to strive to ensure that children are relaxed and answer boldly. At first, you should refrain from criticism and, without stinting on praise, note the most striking, interesting, original answers. Naturally, for some children they will inevitably be of the same type. In the future, exercises of this kind will allow you to develop these abilities.

Naturally, from such a simple, conditional movement to the place of another person, living or even inanimate object, it is still infinitely far from the ability of a talented creator, called hypersensitivity to problems, but we have already taken the first steps in this direction.

"Write a story from another character's perspective"

A good task for developing the ability to look at the world “with different eyes” is the task of composing stories on behalf of a variety of people, living beings and even inanimate objects. The task for children is formulated approximately like this:

“Imagine that for some time you have become your favorite toy, a piece of furniture, a pebble on the road, an animal (wild or domestic), a person in a certain profession. Tell me about one day of this imaginary life.”

When completing this task, the most interesting, most inventive, and original answers should be encouraged. Note every unexpected turn in the storyline, every line that indicates the depth of the child’s penetration into a new, unusual image.

“Make a story using this ending”

Requires a different approach exercise to compose a story, having only its beginning or ending. The teacher reads the ending of the story to the children and asks them to first think and then talk about what will happen at the end or what happened at the beginning. We evaluate first of all the logic and originality of the presentation.

Example endings:

“When we went outside, the storm had already ended.”

“The little puppy wagged its tail welcomingly.”

“The kitten was sitting on a tree and meowing loudly.”

“How many meanings does an object have?”

You can deepen and at the same time check the level of development of the ability to mentally move, which allows you to look at problems differently, in children with the help of well-known tasks proposed by the American psychologist J. Guilford. Children are offered some familiar object with properties that are also well known. It could be a brick, newspaper, a piece of chalk, a pencil, a cardboard box and much more. The task is to find as many options as possible for non-traditional, but at the same time real use of this item.

The most original, most unexpected answers are encouraged, and, of course, the more, the better. During the implementation of this task, all the main parameters of creativity that are usually recorded when assessing it are activated and developed: productivity, originality, flexibility of thinking, etc.

Let us emphasize once again: in this task one should not rush with destructive criticism, but at the same time it is worth counting as correct only those options that are actually applicable.

Such work will allow the child to learn to concentrate his mental abilities on one subject. By placing it in different situations and thus creating the most unexpected systems of associative connections with other objects. The child thus learns to discover new, unexpected possibilities in the everyday.

“Name as many features of the object as possible”

The teacher names an object. For example, it could be: a table, a house, an airplane, a book, a jug, etc. The children’s task is to name as many possible signs of this object as possible. So, for example, a table can be: beautiful, large, new, tall, plastic, writing, children's, comfortable, etc. The one who names as many characteristics of this item as possible will win. This task can also be carried out as an exciting team competition.

Observation as a way to identify problems

The ability to see problems is closely related to the ability to observe. The specifics of observation are easy to understand by considering related terms. So, for example, we look with our eyes, listen with our ears, but we see and hear with our minds. Therefore, observation is not a perceptual act, but an intellectual one. The specificity of observation, its main pathos, as a method of cognition lies in being able to activate one’s own mental capabilities at the moment of contemplation, listening or other sensory perception, including consciousness and subconsciousness.

You can see the problem through simple observation and basic analysis of reality. Such problems can be complex and not so complex, for example, problems for children's research may well be: “Why does the sun shine?”, “Why do kittens play?”, “Why can parrots and crows talk?” But the observation method only looks simple and accessible on the surface; in practice, it is not at all as simple as it seems. Observation must be taught, and this is not an easy task.

A good task for developing observation skills can be a simple offer to look at some interesting and at the same time familiar objects to children: for example, autumn leaves (trees, apples, etc.). The leaves can be picked up and examined carefully. Having examined them, children can characterize the shape of various leaves and name the main colors in which they are painted. We can talk about where they grow and why they change color and fall from the trees in the fall. A good developmental task would be to draw these leaves from life or from memory.

One topic - many stories

Children's drawing, as one of the ways to realize children's exploratory behavior, is fraught with truly inexhaustible possibilities for the child's intellectual and creative development. Teachers V.N. Volkov and V.S. Kuzin developed an interesting task that develops the ability to look at the same phenomenon or event in different ways.

Children are encouraged to come up with and draw as many stories as possible on the same topic. For example, the theme “Autumn” (“City”, “Forest” is proposed)
etc.): by opening it, you can draw trees with yellowed leaves; flying birds; machines harvesting the fields; first graders going to school.

LEARNING TO PROMOTE HYPOTHESES

The word "hypothesis" comes from the ancient Greek hypothesis- a basis, assumption, judgment about the natural connection of phenomena. Children often express a variety of hypotheses about what they see, hear, and feel. Many interesting hypotheses are born as a result of attempts to find answers to one’s own questions.

A hypothesis is a conjectural, probabilistic knowledge that has not yet been proven logically or confirmed by experience. A hypothesis is a prediction of events. The more events a hypothesis can predict, the more valuable it is. Initially, a hypothesis is neither true nor false - it is simply undefined. Once it is confirmed, it becomes a theory; if it is refuted, it also ceases to exist, turning from a hypothesis into a false assumption.

The first thing that makes a hypothesis come into being is a problem. Where does the problem come from? We have largely discussed this issue above. In professional research work, it usually happens like this: a scientist thinks about reading something, talks with colleagues, conducts preliminary experiments (in science they are usually called “pilot experiments”). As a result, he finds some kind of contradiction or something new and unusual. Moreover, most often this “unusual”, “unexpected” is found where others everything seems understandable and clear, that is, where others do not notice anything unusual. “Knowledge begins with surprise at what is ordinary,” the ancient Greeks said.

You can specifically train in the ability to develop hypotheses. Here's a simple exercise.

Let's think together: how do birds find out the way to the south? (Why do trees bud in spring? Why does water flow? Why does the wind blow? Why do metal planes fly? Why is there day and night?)

What, for example, could the hypotheses be in this case? “Suppose birds determine their route by the sun and stars”; “let’s say birds see plants (trees, grass, etc.) from above, they show them the direction of flight”; “or maybe the birds are led by those who have already flown south and know the way”, “it is likely that the birds find warm air currents and fly along them.” “Or maybe they have an internal natural compass, almost like in an airplane or on a ship?”

There are also completely different, special, implausible hypotheses; they are usually called “provocative ideas.” In our case, this could be, for example, the following idea: “Birds definitely find their way to the south because they catch special signals from space.”

Here are a few exercises to train your ability to develop hypotheses and provocative ideas.

For example:

I. Hypothetical assumptions about the causes of events.

1. Name the most plausible (logical) reasons for the events:

It became cold outside;

The birds flew south;

Misha and Seryozha quarreled;

The car is parked on the side of the road;

The man is angry;

Misha played with the construction set all evening;

The bear did not fall asleep in winter, but wandered through the forest.

2. Name two or three of the most fantastic, most improbable reasons for these same events.

II. Let's complicate the task.

1. Name the five most plausible reasons why the wind blows (Why does a stream flow? Why does snow melt in the spring? etc.). Be sure to start each answer with:

May be;

Suppose;

Let's say;

Maybe;

What if...

2. Also name the five most fantastic (implausible) reasons for these events.

III. Exercises for circumstances:

1. Under what conditions will each of these items be very useful? Can you think of conditions under which two or more of these items would be useful:

tree branch;

• toy car;

2. Very effective in terms of training the ability to put forward hypotheses is an exercise that involves the opposite action. For example, under what conditions can these same objects be completely useless and even harmful?

IV. Here are a few more exercises:

Why do you think baby animals (bear cubs, tiger cubs, wolf cubs, fox cubs, etc.) love to play?

Why do some predatory animals hunt at night and others during the day?

Why are flowers so brightly colored?

Why does it snow in winter and only rain in summer?

Why doesn't the Moon fall to Earth?

Why do rockets fly into space?

Why does a plane leave a trail in the sky?

Why do many children love computer games?

It is necessary to propose several different hypotheses on these occasions, and also come up with several provocative ideas.

V. Hypotheses that predict the possible consequences of events.

In the fairy tale, a goldfish granted three wishes to one person - the old man who caught it. Imagine that the Goldfish granted three wishes of every person on Earth. We need to come up with as many hypotheses and provocative ideas as possible to explain what would happen as a result.

LEARNING TO ASK QUESTIONS

An important skill for any researcher is the ability to ask questions. Children are natural explorers, so they love to ask questions, and if they are not systematically weaned off this, they reach high levels in this art. In order to understand how to help develop this important component of research abilities, we will briefly consider the theoretical aspects and methodology of working with questions.

Let's consider questions that require choosing from a wide variety of knowledge the only ones that are necessary in a given situation.

Exercise “Error Correction”

For training, tasks can be used that involve correcting someone’s mistakes, logical, stylistic, factual. Here is a funny children's dictionary containing a lot of errors that can be corrected during a special group lesson with children. This list is taken from the book by K.I. Chukovsky "From two to five."

“Planing is what is used for planing.
A digger is something you use to dig with.
A hammer is something that is used to beat.
A chain is something that is used to cling.
Vertucia is something that rotates.
Lizyk is something that licks.
Mazelin is something that is smeared with.
Kusariki - what bites" [ Chukovsky K.I. From two to five. M., 1990, p. thirty].

Game "Guess what they asked"

Quietly, a question is called into the child’s ear. Without saying it out loud, he answers it loudly. For example, the question was asked: “What cartoons do you like?” The child answers: “I love all cartoons, but most of all those about Uncle Fyodor, Matroskin and Sharik.” The rest of the children need to guess what question was asked.

Before completing the task, you need to agree with the children so that they do not repeat the question when answering.

LEARNING TO GIVE DEFINITIONS TO CONCEPTS

There are objects, phenomena, events - and there are our concepts about them. A concept is sometimes called the simplest cell of thinking. A concept is usually a thought that reflects in a generalized form the objects and phenomena of reality, as well as the connections between them. The concept is formed through the operations of generalization and abstraction. Therefore, not everything is reflected in the concept, but only the basic, essential features of the objects being defined.

In the science that studies these processes, logic, there are many rules regarding how to define concepts. Naturally, most of them are inaccessible and unnecessary for preschoolers. But this does not mean at all that propaedeutic work in this direction should not be carried out. Quite the contrary - it is necessary. A child who has developed the basics of these skills at an early age will be able to perform complex logical operations more easily and more naturally in the future, which will certainly affect not only his learning ability, but also his culture of thinking as a whole.

The child’s research practice is good in this regard because its internal logic requires updating the ability to define concepts.

Our experiments have shown that initial attempts to define concepts, based on the child’s intuition and the use of elementary rules of logic, create a good basis for a gradual, full transition to the plane of logic and logical thinking.

Techniques similar to defining concepts

In order to learn to define concepts, you can use relatively simple techniques similar to defining concepts. These techniques are common to everyone and are often used by professional researchers. The use of these techniques is a good basis for propaedeutic work in this direction.

Description

This technique involves listing the external features of an object with the aim of not strictly distinguishing it from similar objects. The description usually includes both essential and non-essential features.

Any science makes extensive use of descriptions. To describe an object means to answer the questions: “What is it? How is this different from other objects? How is this similar to other objects? Typically, a description records the results of observations and experiments using various linguistic means, signs, formulas, diagrams, and graphs. For description in research practice, both the language we use in everyday life and special, artificial languages ​​are used.

There are many examples of descriptions in books on various sciences; descriptions are probably used more often than anywhere else in biology. Take, for example, the works of great scientists, for example, Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. Along with numerous scientific conclusions and conclusions, a large place is given here to the description of different species of animals and plants.

Here is one of the many examples of descriptions contained in the book “Animal Life” by another famous biologist A.E. Bram. The author describes budgerigars:

« The budgerigar is one of the smallest parrots, but at first glance it appears larger due to its long tail. Its beak is more high than it is long; the upper jaw descends almost vertically, in the form of a long hook; legs are thin, rather high; the wings are long and sharp; the tail is long and stepped. The plumage is extremely soft and beautifully colored in various shades of green.» [ Bram A.E. Life of animals. T. 2. M., 1992, pp. 159–160].

An interesting exercise that develops the ability to make descriptions can be the task of observing the same parrots and then describing them. And after that compare your own description with the description of A.E. Bram. How accurately is it made? Is the author right in asserting, for example, that the plumage of budgerigars “...beautifully colored in various shades of green”?

Another developmental exercise is to compare your own descriptions with the descriptions of the same objects not by classic scientists, but by your group mates. We invite children to describe some object (for example: a stone, a table, a house, etc.) or a living creature (for example, some bird, animal, fish, etc.), and then compare these descriptions and choose, during a collective discussion, the most complete, accurate and at the same time brief.

It is not easy for preschool children to cope with such tasks, but, as our experimental work has shown, with targeted pedagogical efforts, their descriptions are quite worthy of attention. The experience children gain as a result of this work will become a good basis for developing the ability to observe, notice the main thing and, in the future, on this basis, clearly and clearly formulate concepts.

Characteristic

This technique involves listing only some of the internal, essential properties of a person, phenomenon, object, and not just its appearance, as is done with the help of a description.

For example, a child is trying to characterize a giraffe: “The giraffe is a good-natured animal, he has kind eyes, his horns are very small, and he never offends anyone.” Many characteristics of people, animals, and fairy-tale characters are contained in a variety of books for children. Familiarity with such characteristics will allow children to master this technique. This work, just like the previous exercises, can be considered as propaedeutic, allowing one to develop the ability to define concepts.

Let us give as an example an interesting excerpt from the characteristics of the same giraffe given by the already mentioned biologist A.E. Bram in his book Animal Life:

“Giraffes. In Central Africa, over a vast area: from the sultry sands of the Sahara to the possessions of the free Boers, there is one very strange animal, which the Arabs call “serafe” (sweetheart), and scientists call Camelopardalis (camel panther). Usually it is known under the name giraffe, which is a spoiled word from the same “seraphe”.

Both names - Arabic and Latin - perfectly characterize the giraffe. Indeed, this is, on the one hand, an extremely good-natured, peaceful, meek, timid animal that tries to live in peace not only with its own kind, but also with other animals. On the other hand, in the entire animal kingdom there is not a single representative with a more strange body figure..." [Bram A.E. Life of animals. T. 1. M., 1992, p. 418].

Let's give another example of compiling a characteristic. This time we will use material from E. Charushin’s fiction book “About Tomka”. The hunter chooses a puppy - a future hunting assistant. This is how he characterizes the puppies:

“The puppies are small - they have just learned to walk.

Which of them, I think, will be my hunting assistant? How do you know who is smart and who is no good?

Here is one puppy - eating and sleeping. He will turn out to be a lazy person.

Here is an angry puppy - angry. He growls and starts to fight with everyone. And I won’t take it - I don’t like evil people.

But it’s even worse - he also climbs on everyone, but he doesn’t fight, but licks. Even the game can be taken away from such a person.”

Before us are brief but very informative characteristics of the puppies, obtained by the hunter as a result of observations. Next, the author describes how a hunter conducts a simple and very interesting experiment in order to better get to know the puppy he likes:

“At this time, the puppies’ teeth itch and they like to chew on something. One puppy was chewing on a piece of wood. I took this piece of wood and hid it from him. Will he smell her or not?

The puppy began to search. He sniffed all the other puppies - did they have a piece of wood? No, I didn't find it. The lazy one sleeps, the angry one growls, the kindly one licks the evil one and persuades him not to be angry.

And so he began to sniff and sniff and went to the place where I hid it. I smelled it.

I was delighted. Well, I think this is a hunter. There’s no way anyone can hide from this.”

This passage, as we see, is remarkable not only because the author shows us an excellent example of a brief description of several puppies, but also talks about how to conduct an experiment. After all, the hunter who selected the puppy did real research when choosing the puppy. He observed each puppy, gave each a characteristic - determined the main, characteristic features of the puppies. He conducted an experiment with the puppy that interested him and became convinced that he could become a real hunting dog.

A collective conversation about this passage and the use of similar texts for these purposes will allow us to use examples accessible to children to talk about how people conduct research.

Explanation by Example

This method is used when it is easier to give an example or examples illustrating a given concept than to give its strict definition through genus or species difference.

Let us again use an example from the already cited book by A.E. Bram "The Life of Animals". Here is a description using the “explanation by example” technique:

« Sea turtles differ from land and freshwater turtles in that their front legs are longer than their hind legs and are turned into real flippers; the head can only be partially retracted under the shell, and the legs cannot be retracted at all. The sharp horny jaws are often jagged, so that they resemble teeth. The upper jaw covers the lower jaw and curves downward like a beak».

Another technique very close to the method of description through an example is comparison.

Comparison

Comparison can also be attributed to methods of defining concepts. It allows you to identify similarities and differences between objects. People at all times, wanting to understand how the Universe works, resorted to comparison. A Renaissance chemist and physician, Paracelsus (1493–1541) compared the world to a pharmacy; the great playwright William Shakespeare argued that the whole world is a stage; many modern scientists compare the human brain with a computer...

Comparisons are actively used in literary texts. Here is an example of comparison - an excerpt from I. Bunin’s poem “Falling Leaves”:

The forest is like a painted tower,
Lilac, gold, crimson,
A cheerful, motley wall
Standing above a bright clearing,
Birch trees with light carvings
Glisten in the blue azure,
Like towers, the fir trees are darkening,
And between the maples they turn blue
Here and there through the foliage
Clearances in the sky, that window,
The forest smells of oak and pine...

The comparison technique can be used in working with children to train their ability to work with concepts. For example, choose a comparison for the following objects:

hedgehog,
sparrow,
deer,
steamship,
bike,
bulb,
tree.

For example, a hippopotamus looks like a cow or a horse (translated from ancient Greek, this word means “water horse”).

Discrimination

A technique that allows you to establish the difference between a given object and similar objects. An apple and a tomato are very similar, but an apple is a fruit, and a tomato is a vegetable, an apple has one taste, and a tomato has another, etc. Many examples of simple and complex discrimination tasks can be found in specialized and popular literature. Let's look at some examples.

Many examples of simple and more complex distinctions can be found in children's books. For example, in Boris Zubkov’s book “What are all cars made of?” describes the similarities and differences between wheels and their functions in technology:

“A car, a tractor, an electric locomotive, a trolleybus - they all have wheels. Four, six, eight wheels. There are car trailers for large and heavy loads that have twenty-four wheels. Even if the load is very heavy, it doesn’t matter! There are many wheels, and each one carries a small weight. This means that it is easy for each wheel to carry its own burden...

All wheels are the legs of the car. And there are other wheels in cars, for various purposes. For example, the steering wheel. It is the commander above the other wheels.”

After reading this text, you can talk with the children about what other wheels they know, how they are similar and how they differ from each other. There are many similar passages that can serve as good source material for classes.

Riddles as definitions of concepts

An important means of developing the ability to define concepts in children are ordinary riddles. They become such when we look at them not just as fun, but as a fun, but still quite serious task. The solution to a riddle is its definable part, and the formulation is the second half of the definition, its defining part.

Here are a few examples of definitional riddles:

Blackwing,
Red-breasted,
And in winter it will find shelter:
He is not afraid of colds -
With first snow
Right here!

(G. Abramov)

Guess: Bullfinch.

I'm black
I may be white
I am ruddy
And a little burnt - sometimes,
But it’s no problem!

(Ya. Akim)

Guess: Bread.

Chubby, white-faced,
Loves to drink plenty of water.
She has leaves with a crunch,
And her name is... (cabbage).

(N. Artemova)

He's from the pumpkin family,
He lies on his side all day,
Like a green log
Under the name... (zucchini).

(N. Artemova)

He stands thoughtfully
In a yellow crown,
Freckles darken
On a round face.

(T. Belozerov)

Guess: Sunflower.

Bug-eyed person
From the swamp he looks both ways.
"Kwakwakwa" and "kwakwakwa" -
That's all she said.

(E. Breger)

Guess: Frog.

It hides like a mask
Protective paint from everyone,
Marked as a transition
She's walking through Africa.

(E. Breger)

Guess: Zebra.

Who has a short one?
Crochet tail?
Who digs the ground
Piglet?

(N. Berendgof)

Guess: Piglet.

With horns, not a goat,
There is a saddle, not a horse,
With pedals, not a piano,
With a bell, not a door.

(V. Bespalov)

Guess: Bicycle.

Where it's sweet, there she circles,
Like a bee.
It stings and buzzes,
Like a bee.
And gets caught in the compote,
Like a bee.
But he doesn’t give me honey,
Like a bee.

(V. Viktorov)

Guess: Wasp.

This one has crumbs
Column legs.
This one has crumbs
Lag eyes.
As for the ears
From a kitchen dish.

(V. Viktorov)

Guess: Baby elephant.

It's round and red
Like the eye of a traffic light.
Among vegetables
There is no juicier... (tomato).

(V. Viktorov)

What is my name, tell me, -
I often hide in the rye,
A humble wildflower,
Blue-eyed... (cornflower).

(V. Viktorov)

Good-natured, businesslike,
Covered with needles...
Can you hear the patter of nimble feet?
This is our friend... (hedgehog).

(V. Viktorov)

Why have my ears grown long?
A the tail, like a ball, does not interfere with running.
I I saw: in the summer - it is the color of the earth,
C The winter wind of the animal is like snow.

(A. Volobuev)

Guess: Hare.

Elks, foxes and hares live here,
E whether oaks and birches grow,
WITH How many berries are there, how many mushrooms are there!

(A. Volobuev)

Guess: Forest.

Yellow, but inside it is white.
Will give a bunch of green arrows.
Just cut it right away
Tears will come out of your eyes.

(A. Volobuev)

Guess: Bow.

Yellow-skinned, she
Fragrant and tasty.
It's good under the sun now
One lives on a melon patch... (melon).

(A. Volobuev)

There are horns sticking out on the nose,
Unfriendly, gloomy look, -
Very hot-tempered, very strict
African... (rhinoceros).

(A. Volobuev)

It is visible among the branches
In bright feathers of all colors.
If tamed in a cage -
He can speak.
It's not hard to make friends with him -
The bird gets used to people.
Don't scare this bird.
This bird... (parrot).

(A. Volobuev)

Under the pine tree
By the path
Who is standing among the grass?
There is a leg
But no shoe
There is a hat -
No head.

(I.Gamazkova)

Guess: Mushroom.

King and Queen
Without crowns
A boat without oars
An elephant without a trunk
A horse without hooves, saddle and bridle,
And the privates are not little men.
White armor, black armor...
What kind of soldiers?

(L. Gulyga)

Guess: Chess.

Blue peephole
Take one look -
Yes, and he will hide
For the spikelet.

(I. Nikulshina)

Guess: Cornflower.

Tiny girl
Went out onto the meadow:
yellow head,
White wreath.

(I. Nikulshina)

Guess: Chamomile.

Who has a mustache?
Is the muzzle striped?
The back is like a bridge?
Is there a tail behind the bridge?

(G. Lagzdyn)

Guess: Kitten.

The white pebble broke -
A hero was born.
The hero on chicken legs
In red leather boots.

(I. Maznin)

Guess: A chicken that hatched from an egg.

Game “Difficult Words” (a way to define concepts)

Let's divide the children into two or three subgroups. Then each subgroup is given the task of coming up with three “difficult words.” The words should be those whose meaning, in the opinion of those who come up with them, is unknown to any of the children except them. Then one subgroup invites others to answer what the words they thought of mean. You can give 30 seconds to think about it. For each correct answer, the subgroup receives one point. The teacher acts as an arbiter.

LEARNING TO CLASSIFY

Classification is the operation of dividing concepts on a certain basis into disjoint classes. Not every enumeration of classes of a certain set can be considered a classification. One of the main features of classification is an indication of the principle (basis) of division.

Classification rules:

The division terms must be non-overlapping (must exclude each other);

Division at each stage should be carried out only by one base;

The division must be proportionate. The volume of the concept being divided must be equal to the union of the volumes of the division members;

The basis of the classification must be determined by a feature that is essential for solving the problem using this classification.

A special type of classification is halving - dichotomy. As a result, objects that have a characteristic and those that do not have this characteristic are identified. Assignment: find objects and phenomena that can be divided into two. In the usual classification, people can be divided into men and women, and in a dichotomous classification - into “men” and “non-men”; on adults and children and on “adults” and “non-adults”.

Despite the apparent simplicity of dichotomous classification, it should be noted that it is complex and, when classifying in this way, children usually make many mistakes. Therefore, it is advisable to conduct dichotomous classification exercises.

For example, choose words with the opposite meaning to the words:

Every teacher and psychologist knows how important the element of unusualness and entertainment is in learning. Logic in general and classification in particular give the impression of dryness and prudence. Therefore, sometimes it is very useful to use tasks that contain obvious errors. They make classes more emotional and at the same time make it possible to explain the real rules of logic, in particular the rules of classification.

For example, let’s offer children the following classification. We divide animals: big, small, red, black, white, able to swim, painted on the wall, sleeping at home and living in kindergarten, gnawing carrots.

Let's ask the children whether they have any objections to this classification. Ask them to justify their answer.

Or we divide trees: coniferous, deciduous, drawn in books, growing in the forest, fruit and magical.

In addition to the actual ability to classify, such tasks also allow you to develop critical thinking, which is very important in research activities.

LEARNING TO OBSERVE

Observation is the most popular and most accessible research method, used in most sciences and often used by the average person in everyday life. Observation is usually called a type of perception characterized by purposefulness. This purposefulness, expressed in a clearly realized practical, cognitive task, distinguishes observation from simple contemplation. Observation as a research method is also characterized by the fact that during it various instruments and devices can be used - telescopes, microscopes, measuring instruments, etc.

Exercises to develop attention and observation skills

Let's put some of their favorite things in front of the children. It can be a bright, interesting toy (for example, a doll or a toy car), a piece of furniture, a book, etc. It is better if this object is brightly colored and has many details; such an object and its details are perceived and remembered more easily.

Let us examine this subject together carefully and calmly. Then we invite the children to close their eyes. Let's remove the object and ask the children to remember and name all its details.

Then we will again present the same object to the children and collectively talk about what we named and what we did not notice or name, what remained outside the mental image of this object created by the children.

The next stage of the exercise is to draw the thing we have studied (this subject) from memory. It is advisable to reproduce both the general external characteristics of the object and all its details. Naturally, for such exercises it is necessary to select toys and objects that would contain a lot of details, but at the same time would not be too complex for children to draw.

This exercise must be repeated periodically, constantly changing objects for observation.

Another block of tasks for developing attention and observation is “paired pictures containing differences.” They can be used for these purposes.

COGNITION IN ACTION, OR HOW TO CONDUCT AN EXPERIMENT

Experiment is the most important research method; it is used in almost all sciences and is inseparable from research behavior. The word "experiment" comes from the Latin experimentum, translated into Russian as “test, experience.” This is the name of the method of cognition, with the help of which a phenomenon of nature or society is studied under strictly controlled and controlled conditions. Unlike observation, which only records the properties of objects, an experiment involves human influence on the object and subject of research; this influence can take place both in artificial, laboratory, and natural conditions.

Thought experiment

Experiments are not only real, but also mental, and even mathematical. At first glance, the phrase “thought experiment” may seem strange. If through reasoning and inference one can come to the correct conclusion, then why experiment? After all, the word “experiment” implies carrying out some practical actions with the subject of research. Still, experts highlight special thought experiments. During thought experiments, the researcher mentally imagines each step of his imaginary action with an object and can see the results of these actions more clearly.

Let's try to solve the following problems in the course of thought experiments. They can be solved by children of different ages and even adults. It’s just that the level of responses required may vary. The tasks allow this.

“What can be made from sand? (clay, wood, concrete)"

“What needs to be done to stop wars?”

“What should cities be like so that people don’t die on the roads?”

Experiments with real objects

The most interesting experiments are, of course, real experiments with real objects and their properties. Here are a few simple situations that describe experimentation available to preschoolers.

Let's start with experiments in the field of visual activity. It, as we have already noted, is an effective means of developing a child’s exploratory behavior.

Blot experiment

This technique of visual activity can be called blotography. Drop a little ink onto a sheet of thick white paper (for drawing or drawing). This can be done with a brush or pipette. Then, carefully tilting the sheet in different directions, let the ink spread. Instead of tilting the sheet, you can carefully inflate the mascara. It’s interesting how it will flow, while it is known for sure that no two blots will be exactly the same. Now all that remains is to dry the blot and then, turning the sheet, determine what it looks like most. The resulting image can be completed.

Experiment with spray paint

The simplest device for spraying paint is a toothbrush. For these purposes, you can use various devices for spraying water and cosmetics. For example, for a kindergarten class, you can pre-load several sprinklers with paints of different colors. Now each participant in the lesson receives a sheet of white thick paper and, as carefully as possible, sprays any of the paints on it. Then we put leaves of trees or other plants on the sheet (you can use specially cut out geometric shapes or silhouettes of people, animals, etc.) and again, now with a different paint, spray it, then a third, and so on. After which the silhouettes can be removed. The result will be an interesting image.

Let's continue the experiment. You can change the number of silhouettes and the sequence of their spraying. You can spray paint at different angles, let it mix and not let it mix, etc.

Experiment with watercolor

On a damp sheet of thick paper (for watercolors or just for drawing) approximately half the size of a regular landscape sheet (A4 format), apply watercolors of different colors with a brush. The strokes should be large. They will merge, and this is not scary at all. The process of mixing paints itself is also an interesting experimentation. After all, paints change colors. You just need to make sure that they don’t all merge into a single dirty gray mass.

As soon as the process of applying paint is completed, we put it on our sheet exactly the same size and press it with our hand, trying to warm it with the warmth of our palm. After about a minute, separate the leaves. Before us are two very similar, but not identical compositions. In some places the watercolor mixed, in some the color remained pure, and in some places, as a result of the crystallization of the colors under the influence of the warmth of the palm, fabulous patterns were formed.

The easiest way to complete the resulting masterpieces is to stick several small circles of white paper on sheets of paper, and before us are unusual cosmic landscapes. All that remains is to place them in frames. You can do it differently; this requires the artist’s imagination.

Experiment “Determining the buoyancy of objects”

Let's invite the children to collect ten of the most common objects. These can be a variety of objects, for example: a wooden block, a teaspoon, a small metal plate from a set of toy dishes, an apple, a pebble, a plastic toy, a sea shell, a small rubber ball, a plasticine ball, a cardboard box, a metal bolt, etc.

Now that the items have been collected, you can make hypotheses about which items will float and which will sink. These hypotheses must then be tested sequentially. Children cannot always hypothetically predict the behavior of objects such as an apple or plasticine in water; in addition, a metal plate will float if it is carefully lowered into water without pouring water inside; If water gets in, she will of course drown.

After the first experiment is completed, we continue the experiment. Let's study the floating objects ourselves. Are they all light? Do they all float equally well? Does buoyancy depend on the size and shape of the object? Will a plasticine ball float? What will happen if we give plasticine, for example, the shape of a plate or a boat?

What happens if we combine floating and non-floating objects? Will they float or will they both drown? And under what conditions is both possible?

Experiment “How water disappears”

Let's give an example of another experiment with water. Let's try to conduct an experimental study of the process of “disappearance” of water. Water, as children know, can be absorbed or evaporate. Let's try to study these properties experimentally.

We will stock up on various items, for example: a sponge, a newspaper, a piece of fabric (towel), polyethylene, a metal plate, a piece of wood, a porcelain saucer. Now carefully, using a teaspoon, we will gradually pour water over them. What objects do not absorb water? - we'll list it. Now, of those that absorb, which absorbs better: sponge, newspaper, fabric or wood? If you splash water on part of each of these objects, will the whole object get wet or just the area where the water got in?

Let's continue the “disappearance of water” experiment. Pour water into a porcelain saucer. It does not absorb water, we already know this from previous experience. We will mark the boundary up to which the water is poured with something, for example, a felt-tip pen. Let's leave the water for one day and see what happened? Some of the water disappeared and evaporated. Let's mark a new border and check the water level again every other day. The water is steadily evaporating. It couldn't flow out, it couldn't be absorbed. It evaporated and flew into the air in the form of small particles.

Experiments with a beam of light

For this experiment we will need a table lamp or flashlight. Let's try to determine how different objects transmit light. We will stock up on sheets of paper (drawing paper, a regular notebook sheet, tracing paper, colored paper from a work kit, etc.), polyethylene of different densities, pieces of various fabrics.

Before conducting the experiment, let's try to hypothetically assume whether this or that object transmits light. Then we begin our experiment and experimentally find those objects that transmit light and those that do not transmit it.

Experiments with magnets and metals

Many children know that a magnet attracts metals as if by magic. But are all metals attracted by a magnet? Let's try an experiment to find out.

For this we will need a lot of different metal objects. Buttons, paper clips, screws, nails, coins, a metal ruler (both aluminum and steel will do), a metal tin can, metal parts of a ballpoint pen, etc.

During the experiment, it turns out that the magnet attracts steel objects well: buttons, paper clips, screws, nails, etc. And does not attract objects made of aluminum and copper at all: ruler, coins, etc. It is very important to draw conclusions and conclusions based on the results of the experiment.

Experiments with your own reflection

Many shiny objects, as children know well, allow them to see their own reflection. Let's try to experiment with reflection.

First, let's think and look for where you can see your own reflection. After a collective conversation on this topic and finding several options, you can try to look for objects in the room in which you can see reflections. These are not only mirrors, but also polished furniture, foil, and some toy parts. You can also see your reflection, for example, in water.

Looking at our own reflections, let's try to determine whether the reflection is always clear and distinct. What determines its clarity and precision? During the experiments, children will come to the conclusion that objects with very smooth, shiny surfaces give a good reflection, while rough objects give a much worse reflection. And there are many objects that do not allow you to see your own reflection at all.

Let us conduct a special study of the causes of reflection distortion. For example, you can see your own reflection in a not very flat mirror or window glass, in a shiny spoon, crumpled foil or other not flat object. Why is the reflection so funny in this case?

These experiences can have an interesting continuation outside the kindergarten, at home. For example, children can be asked to conduct an experiment about how pets treat their own reflection. Kittens, puppies, parrots and our other pets react especially vividly to their own reflection.

We have given several examples of experiments available to children; a large number of similar tasks can be developed independently. Currently, many books are being published describing such exercises and techniques. They can be used to develop a child’s interest in experimentation and experimentation skills.

JUDGMENT

Concepts in thinking do not appear separately, they are connected with each other. The form of connection of concepts with each other is a judgment. A judgment is a statement about objects or phenomena, consisting of an affirmation or denial of something. To think means to make judgments. With the help of judgments, thought receives its development. Judgment is one of the main forms of logical thinking.

One way to develop your judgment ability is to use the exercise below. Assignment for children - “check the correctness of the statements”:

All trees have a trunk and branches.
Poplar has a trunk and branches.
Therefore, poplar is a tree.

All wolves are gray.
Rex dog is gray.
Therefore he is a wolf.

All children from our group come to kindergarten in the morning.
Misha is a child from our group.
Consequently, Misha comes to kindergarten in the morning.

All kittens can meow.
Lesha learned to meow
Therefore he is a kitten.

LEARNING TO ANALYZE, HIGHLIGHT THE MAIN AND SECONDARY

The ability to highlight the main idea and find facts that confirm it is the most important quality required when processing materials obtained in research and preparing them for public presentation. Even university students often do not master this complex art. But despite this, even children can and should be taught it.

The simplest methodological technique that allows you to do this is the use of simple graphic diagrams. This makes it possible, for example, to identify the logical structure of the text. We will describe ways to use graphic diagrams using examples of activities with children. Let us take as an example an excerpt from a book for children by the writer Igor Akimushkin:

“The largest rabbit is the Flanders, or Belgian giant. It is almost a meter long from nose to tail. Weighs up to nine kilograms! The ears are so long that the rabbit cannot hold them straight up - so they spread from the head downwards along the ground. Rabbits come in different colors: gray, blue, red, black and white.”

Now let's try to find the main thought, the main idea of ​​this passage of text. During the collective discussion, one of the children will definitely name it: “ The largest rabbit is the Flanders, or Belgian giant." And what words (facts) confirm it? Again during the collective discussion we find: “It is almost a meter long from nose to tail. Weighs up to nine kilograms! The ears are so long that the rabbit cannot hold them straight up - so they spread from the head downwards along the ground.”.

Let's draw a diagram on the board, let's call it a “house with columns”; it expresses the logical structure of this short passage. We denote the main idea with a large triangle (1 - The largest rabbit is the Flanders, or Belgian giant), and the columns are facts that confirm it
(2 -it is almost a meter long from nose to tail, 3 - weighs up to nine kilograms!, 4 - The ears are so long that the rabbit cannot hold them straight up - so they spread from the head downwards along the ground). The final phrase of the passage: “ Rabbits are different colors: gray, blue, red, black and white" - denote by a rectangle lying at the base (5 - rabbits are different colors), and square supports supporting it ( 6 - gray, 7 - blue, 8 - red, 9 - black, 10 - white).

As you can see, even such a simple diagram is a good helper in identifying the logical structure of the text. You can write these ideas and facts on the triangle, columns and rectangles.

Let's continue our work and use another scheme - “Spider”. It was proposed by the English teacher D. Hamblin. True, he uses it somewhat differently, for other purposes. For an example of working with this scheme, let’s take E. Avdienko’s poem “Winter”:

Out into the open spaces
It's cold for a walk.
White patterns
In the braids of the birches.

Snowy paths,
bare bushes,
Snowflakes are falling
Quiet from above.
In white snowstorms,
In the morning before dawn,
They flew into the grove
A flock of bullfinches.

Now, during a collective conversation, we will find the main idea expressed in this poem. During the collective discussion, one of the children will also definitely call it: “The coming of winter.” What facts support this idea? Again, during a collective discussion, we find: “1 - the frost came out into the open spaces for a walk, 2 - white patterns in the braids of the birches, 3 - snowy paths, 4 - bare bushes, 5 - snowflakes are falling quietly from a height, 6 - in white snowstorms, in the morning before dawn, a flock of bullfinches flew into the grove.” And our diagram in this case might look like this:

The main idea is indicated in the center - this is the body of our spider, and the legs are facts that confirm it.

LEARNING TO MAKE CONCLUSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

An important means of thinking is inference, or inference. Inference is a form of thinking through which new knowledge is derived from people’s existing knowledge and experience. Inference allows thinking to penetrate into such depths of objects and phenomena that are hidden from direct observation.

In logic, two types of inferences are distinguished: inductive (induction - the transition from particular judgments to general ones) and deductive (deduction - the transition from general judgments to particular ones).

Inferences by analogy

Inferences by analogy require not only intelligence, but also rich imagination. This is done this way: two objects are compared, and as a result it becomes clear how they are similar and what knowledge about the properties of one object can give to the understanding of another object.

A kangaroo has long hind legs and short front legs; the hare's legs are almost the same, only the difference in length between them is not so great.

The body of the fish has a certain shape that helps overcome the resistance of the water. If we want the ships we create, and especially the submarines, to swim well, their hulls should be similar in outline to the body of a fish.

To develop primary skills and train the ability to make simple analogies, you can use the following exercises:

Tell me what they look like:
patterns on the carpet,
clouds,
outlines of trees outside the window,
old cars,
new sneakers.

The next group of exercises for searching for objects that have common characteristics, and in this regard can be considered similar, is somewhat more complicated:

Name as many objects as possible that are both solid and transparent (possible answers: glass, ice, plastic, amber, crystal, etc.).

Let's complicate the task. Name as many objects as possible that are shiny, blue, and hard at the same time.

Similar task. Name as many living creatures as possible with the following characteristics: kind, noisy, active, strong.

In addition to inferences made by analogy, there are many ways to draw conclusions and draw conclusions. Here is an example of a task that allows children to draw their own conclusions about a problem. To do this, we will use the following task.

How people look at the world

Our main task is to help children draw a conclusion (conclusion) through their own simple collective reasoning.

Every adult knows that people look at the world differently, but this idea is not so obvious to a child. Of course, we can tell children about this without much difficulty and without resorting to research methods. But the child will perceive and understand this much better if we manage to avoid open didacticism. In order to make this thought a child’s own property, methods and exercises are needed that stimulate activity in this direction.

Let's offer the group the following task: on a sheet of paper (you can also use chalk on a blackboard) simple compositions of geometric bodies or lines are drawn that do not depict anything specific. We invite the children to look at them and answer the question “what is shown here?”

The teacher needs to record the answers; to do this, you can simply say them out loud or write them on the board. The principle works here: the more solution options, the better.

If the lesson is organized correctly, there will be many answers. Noting the most unexpected, most original and interesting answers, you should not skimp on praise. It is very important to praise children during such activities; this will give confidence to each child and will help them to boldly express a variety of ideas in the future.

Now that there are a lot of answers, let's try to summarize. Let us ask the question: “Who was right?” With skillful pedagogical guidance, children will quickly come to the conclusion that each answer can be considered correct - “everyone was right, but each in his own way.”

Now let's try to draw a conclusion, a final conclusion from this simple collective experiment. To do this, we can use a simple pedagogical technique, let’s call it “summing up the idea.” Let's try to lead children to the conclusion that since everyone is right, then we can say: “Different people look at the world differently.” It is very important that during this work children feel how an inference is made.

Metaphor and metaphoricality

A metaphor is a figure of speech that contains a hidden similarity or figurative convergence of words based on their figurative meaning. Constructing metaphors is a rather complex task, not accessible to every adult; this is something that creators can do successfully. Most children cope with this with great difficulty, but this is not a reason not to do it.

The primary technique to begin mastering this complex art is the exercise “Explain the meaning of the expression.” Let's take a few simple, common proverbs and sayings and have a collective conversation with the children about what they mean:

You can't take a fish out of a pond without difficulty.
There is nothing like leather.
Every vegetable has its time.
In crowded but not mad.
The eyes are afraid, but the hands are doing.
Houses and walls help.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
There is no smoke without fire.
If you chase two hares, you won't catch either.
As it comes back, so will it respond.
You can't spoil porridge with oil.
Don't sit in your own sleigh.
A gift is not precious, but love is precious.
Seven do not wait for one.
Seven times measure cut once.
The quieter you go, the further you'll get.
Murder will out.
A bad peace is better than a good quarrel.
Language will take you to Kyiv.

Questions and tasks:

1. Which of the above techniques are you already familiar with? Where did you encounter them? How can this be explained?

2. Select 2-3 techniques that seem most convenient to you to use, and try to test them in practice.

3. Come up with two or three tasks on your own, similar to those given in the lecture.

Final work

As a final work, you can prepare materials on one of two topics.

I. Description of a lesson on organizing children's research activities.

Lesson description includes:

Lesson notes,
- lesson analysis;

What stage did the lesson belong to - training or the stage of independent research? Have you encountered the need to deviate from your plan? Why? How did you cope with the difficulties that arose?

II. Description of one of the children's educational research works carried out under your leadership. Description includes:

A written story about how your child chose a research topic and how you helped him;
- description of the research results (it is better if photographs or an illustrated report form are attached to the description);
- a layout of the young researcher’s folder (possibly in drawings or photographs) with a description of the materials used.

Please note what you think is good about this study. What will you do differently next time you help a child?

A certificate (implementation certificate) certified by your educational institution must be attached to the completed work. A certificate form is sent to each student by mail. The final work must be sent before February 28, 2008 to the address: Moscow, 121165, st. Kyiv, 24, Pedagogical University "First of September".

Savenkov Alexander Ilyich - professor, doctor of sciences in the field of pedagogy and psychology. An outstanding psychologist devoted his life to creating programs for the identification and development of gifted children. He has written many scientific works and practical manuals for teachers and educators.

Biography

Savenkov Alexander Ilyich was born on September 25, 1957 in a small village in the Novosibirsk region. He grew up as an ordinary Soviet boy. He was fond of sports and went to a regular rural school. However, the guy was distinguished by his extraordinary abilities in the field of humanities.

After school, Alexander entered the NGPI. In 1983 he received a diploma from the art and graphic faculty of the NSPI.

The newly-minted teacher did not stop there and went to Moscow according to the targeted program.

In 1988, Alexander Ilyich Savenkov defended his PhD thesis at the Lenin Moscow Pedagogical Institute in the direction of “Theory and History of Pedagogy” and received a scientific degree - Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences.

Alexander Ilyich Savenkov is an example of a scientist who is engaged in self-education and never tires of developing throughout his life.

At the age of 40, he defended his dissertation on the topic “Pedagogical foundations for the development of productive thinking in gifted children,” which he wrote with the support and guidance of Dr. Pedagogist. Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Education A. M. Matyushkin. So in 1997, Alexander Ilyich became a Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences.

Despite such a high pedagogical title, Savenkov felt a gap in knowledge in the field of educational psychology. Developing the theory of giftedness and developing a methodology for working with gifted children, the scientist seriously began to deepen his knowledge of the psychology of childhood and education.

This prompted him to write and defend his doctoral dissertation, which revealed the main aspects of the development of capable children in an educational environment. Thus, in 2002, Alexander Ilyich Savenkov received a Doctor of Psychology degree.

In the professional sphere, Alexander Ilyich reached great heights. He is a teacher at Moscow State Pedagogical University, head of the department of educational psychology and director of the Institute of Postgraduate Education at Moscow State Pedagogical University.

But this did not prevent the scientist from completing a master’s degree at Moscow State Pedagogical University in 2012 in the training program “Psychology of Educational Management.”

“Live and learn” - this proverb describes the life of Alexander Ilyich Savenkov as accurately as possible.

Scientific and pedagogical activities

Doctor of Science devoted his life to the study of children's giftedness. He developed programs for diagnosing and developing giftedness. He has published many scientific articles and practical manuals on organizing work with preschool children and primary school students. Under his leadership, the experimental program “Gifted Child in a Mass School” was created and is being actively introduced into the practice of Russian schools. Today this program has been adopted by some schools in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Khabarovsk and other cities of our vast Motherland.

Another area that Alexander Ilyich Savenkov is actively developing is the research activities of preschoolers and elementary school students. Many scientific works of the outstanding educational psychologist are devoted to this topic.

Savenkov is the author of a unique program and research methodology for teaching preschoolers. Savenkov Alexander Ilyich initiated the organization in 2005 of the competition of research works and creative projects “I am a researcher,” in which children from 4 to 11 years old take part. The Doctor of Sciences himself is the permanent chairman of the jury of this All-Russian competition for young researchers.

Project activities and the development of research skills have become particularly relevant in the context of the implementation of the Federal State Educational Standard in Russian schools.

In 2016, Alexander Ilyich was elected to the position of corresponding member of RAO.

Social activity

Alexander Ilyich takes an active public position.

On a voluntary basis, he is an assistant to Federation Council member V.S. Kosourova.

The outstanding scientist was invited to the Expert Council of the Committee of the Federation Council, dealing with issues of science, education, culture and information policy.

Alexander Ilyich is also a member of the expert group on the development of the social infrastructure of childhood and the safety of children's products.

Recently, Savenkov has held the position of expert in the Committee on Family, Women and Children of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.

Awards

For his educational activities, Alexander Savenkov was awarded the Certificate of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation.

Working with gifted children

Savenkov has been dealing with issues of children's talent for more than 30 years. He developed a program to identify the inclinations and abilities of children at an early age. Issued a number of recommendations for developing these abilities and practical aids for parents and teachers. Alexander Ilyich insists that with the right approach, one or another type of giftedness can be detected and revealed in most children. He outlined his thoughts in scientific works devoted to the study of the phenomenon of giftedness and the development of the hidden abilities of children.

• in kindergarten and school";
• "A gifted child in a public school";
• "Diagnostics and development of children's giftedness";
• "The path to giftedness. Exploratory behavior of preschool children."

Research program

In her scientific work she pays great attention to the development of the research abilities of preschoolers and primary school students. In his works, the scientist claims that children by nature are researchers. That is why the educational process must be based on research activities. Learning should not be problematic, only then will it lead to success and be interesting for the child.

The author describes the methodology of research teaching in detail in his scientific articles and manuals for parents and teachers. These include books by Alexander Ilyich Savenkov, dedicated to the organization and implementation of the fundamentals of research training:

• "Content and organization of research training for schoolchildren";
• "Psychological foundations of the research approach to learning."

In total, Alexander Savenkov’s bibliography consists of more than 340 scientific publications revealing problems of psychology, pedagogy and psychodidactics.

The products of the scientist’s activities are in demand not only among teachers. Responsible parents find in Savenkov’s books answers to such important questions as how to teach their daughter or son to read, what to do if the child does not want to learn, how to help their child master knowledge,” and others.

Disciplines taught

“Pedagogical psychology”, “Psychology of giftedness and creativity”, “Evolutionary psychology”, “Psychodidactics”, Optional course “Development of children’s giftedness in primary mathematics education”, Supervision of research work of undergraduates, graduate students, doctoral students.

Scientific and teaching experienceMerits, awards

Winner of the International Competition of Teachers in Artek (2002) Medal “For Scientific Achievement”. Psychological and pedagogical sciences (Ukraine, 2010). Certificate of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation (2012) Honorary Worker of Higher Professional Education of the Russian Federation (2014)

Level of education, qualifications

Higher education, Master of Psychology

Direction of training (or specialty)

"Theory and history of pedagogy", "General pedagogy, history of pedagogy and education", "Developmental psychology, acmeology"

Total experienceMain publications

Number of scientific publications: more than 340 on problems of psychology and pedagogy

About Me

Graduated in 1983 from the Novosibirsk State Pedagogical Institute, art and graphic department.

In 1988 he graduated from full-time targeted graduate school at the Moscow State Pedagogical Institute named after. IN AND. Lenin (in 1988 he defended his thesis in specialty 13.00.01 - theory and history of pedagogy; supervisor - Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, T.S. Komarova);

He graduated from full-time, targeted doctoral studies at the Moscow Pedagogical State University in 1997 (defended his doctoral dissertation in 1997 in the specialty - 13.00.01 - general pedagogy, history of pedagogy and education; scientific consultant - academician of the Russian Academy of Education, Doctor of Psychology, A.M. Matyushkin ).

In 2002 he defended his doctoral dissertation in the specialty - 19.00.13 - developmental psychology, acmeology.

In 2012, he graduated from the Master's program at the Moscow Pedagogical State University, majoring in Psychology, majoring in Educational Management Psychology.

In 2016, he was elected a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Education.

Projects, events: A.I. Savenkov is the author of the program and chairman of the jury of the All-Russian competition “Research works and creative projects of preschoolers and junior schoolchildren “I am a researcher”, held since 2005. Head of the Psychology section of the Central House of Scientists of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Developer and director of the experimental program “Gifted Child in a Public School”, implemented in schools in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Khabarovsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Arzamas.

A.I. Savenkov is part of a group of experts in the field of development of the social infrastructure of childhood, the children's goods industry, and the safety of information and children's products.

Area of ​​scientific interests:

• psychology of giftedness and creativity;
• diagnostics and development of the child’s intelligence and creativity;
• psychology of exploratory behavior,
• psychology of indoctrination;
• pedagogical psychology,
• education of gifted and talented children.

Alexander Ilyich is the head of the scientific school - “Psychology of Giftedness and Creativity”.

A.I. Savenkov prepared: 20 candidates of pedagogical sciences and psychological sciences, 4 doctors of pedagogical sciences, 1 doctor of PHD (Kazakhstan).