Education as a special area of human activity is studied by pedagogy. What is pedagogy, how did it originate, and how can it be defined?
Etymology
This term has a very interesting origin. In ancient Greece, the accompaniment of a slave to the children of his master to school had a certain name - pedagogy. What is the meaning determined? It’s just that in the language of the ancient Greeks, the word “child” sounded like “paidos”, and the verb “to lead” was pronounced like “ago”. So it turned out that the “slave-schoolmaster” was called “paydogogos”.
Over time, the meaning of the word "pedagogy" has changed. What is pedagogy today? In the ordinary sense, this is all the same accompaniment of a child, a student, only the scale of such parting activities is different. The teacher is the one who accompanies the child through life.
From the history of pedagogy. Western School
Famous philosophers spoke about how to teach. For example, Immanuel Kant, who lived in the 18th century, believed that the socialization of an individual in the processeducation is the main tool that helps to create an educated person who is able to live in a civilized society and bring benefits to humanity.
Such reflections can be considered advanced for their time, because until the 19th century, education was closely connected with religion. Literate people then were mainly confessors, ministers of churches and monasteries, who were engaged in pedagogical activities along with theological.
The Western school of pedagogy underwent great changes at the beginning of the 20th century. Education gradually began to move away from the dogmatic canons of religiosity and became an obligatory attribute of an independent and we althy person. In the middle of the last century, educational reforms swept through Western Europe and America. Their result was the construction of a new system, more humane and focused at the same time on the interests of each individual student and on the needs of the entire human society.
Pedagogy in Russia
Education in Kievan Rus also remained connected with religion. Moreover, the main goal of literacy was then the training of new clergymen, people capable of preaching and carrying the word of God to the masses.
However, children were also taught to read and write. In the Middle Ages, they were mostly the offspring of we althy and influential parents. But slowly, gradually, education went to the masses.
Teacher training began in the 18th century. Teachers' seminaries and institutes were opened, and this recognized the importanceeducation in the life of Russian society and pedagogy as a science.
Only during the Soviet era, in the 30s of the last century, education became compulsory. Young children from the age of 7 had to go through all the stages of schooling in order to become literate and intellectual individuals as a result.
But let's finish our brief historical digression and move on to the theory of pedagogy.
Science Pedagogy
What is pedagogy as a science? To date, there are many definitions for it. However, the following can be considered the shortest and most capacious: pedagogy is the science of education.
How else is this concept defined? Pedagogy is the science of the transfer of experience from the older generation to the young, as well as the active assimilation by students of the knowledge imparted to them. As you can see, in this definition, the direction of pedagogical activity appears: it is performed by the teacher and perceived by his students.
Pedagogy is also the science of learning, upbringing and education, as well as self-learning, self-education and self-education. This definition refers to the processes that accompany this discipline as an activity. In this case, the emphasis is also placed on the fact that the concept of "pedagogy" involves the participation of two parties in the process: the one who teaches and the one who learns.
What does this science study? Let's talk about her characteristic attributes.
Subject and object of pedagogy
Any science has its own object and subject. And pedagogy, of course, is notexception. So, the subject of pedagogy is the formation of the personality of the student and his development, which occur during training. The object of pedagogy is the process of educating students. At the same time, it is defined as the transfer of life experience from the older generation to the younger.
There is an erroneous judgment that the object of pedagogy is the student, since the educational activity of the educator is directed at him. This is not true. In the process of mastering knowledge, the individual himself does not change, changes occur at the level of subtle matter - the personality of a person. And therefore, the activity of a psychologist is often associated with pedagogy, and every good teacher is essentially a little psychologist at heart.
Functions of pedagogy as a science
Like any science, pedagogy has its own functions. They can be conditionally divided into theoretical and practical.
Theoretical functions of pedagogy include:
- studying the knowledge about pedagogy accumulated over the centuries of human existence, as well as mastering the latest advanced developments in the field of education;
- diagnostics of existing pedagogical situations and phenomena, establishing the causes of their occurrence and development;
- drawing up a clear action plan aimed at transforming the existing pedagogical situation and improving it.
Practical functions:
- development of teaching aids, plans, manuals intended for teachers;
- introduction of fresh developments into educational practice;
- assessment and analysis of receivedresults of pedagogical activity.
What is pedagogical activity?
The work of a teacher, a mentor in educating a child's personality is the main one. Pedagogy, of course, takes into account the family situation and enlists the support of the child's parents. However, the main teaching and educational work is still carried out by the teacher. What is pedagogical activity and how can it be defined?
Pedagogical activity is the practice of transferring to students the social experience accumulated by mankind, as well as the formation of favorable conditions for the development of the child's personality. It is not necessarily done only by a school or university teacher. Indeed, professional pedagogy provides for the teacher to have a specialized education. However, if we remember a parent teaching his children, we will understand that his actions can also be attributed to pedagogical activity. After all, he passes on his experience to the younger generation and thereby changes the personalities of children.
What distinguishes directed pedagogical activity from any other is that it has a clearly defined goal. And this goal is education.
In what areas of pedagogical activity does the teacher work?
Pedagogical activity is not an abstract concept. It is divided into several separate types, each of which has its own practical content and purpose. So, each teacher analyzes the educational process and studies the theoretical foundations of his profession. In addition, the teacher in the course of pedagogical interaction learns the personality traits of his students. Such activity is called cognitive or gnostic.
The teacher is designing. He develops new methods and training programs, prepares for lessons that differ in form from the standard ones. The teacher analyzes the tasks that the education system sets for him, and on their basis finds adequate solutions. The teacher carries out organizational activities. This means that under his guidance, students perform certain pedagogical tasks. The communicative activity, also carried out by the teacher, lies in his ability to build a dialogue both with the students themselves and with their parents, as well as with the administration and colleagues.
There is a separate area of teacher activity - correctional pedagogy. What is it? Correctional pedagogy is a developmental and educational classes with children with special needs of psychophysical development, which are carried out according to special programs. Such activities are usually carried out by teachers who have received appropriate educational training.
Teacher: what is he like?
Education of a person's personality is hard and responsible work. Pedagogy, however, is increasingly depreciating in our time. However, professionals motivated to achieve success still meet, work in their place and really sow “reasonable, good, eternal.”
What should a successful teacher be like? What qualities of mental organization distinguish him? ActuallyIn fact, the character traits of a teacher are largely determined by the specifics of his work. But at the same time, as a profession of a teacher characterized by a clearly directed activity, it imposes no less clear requirements on the future teacher. So, the teacher must be ready to teach. This readiness is reflected in his theoretical knowledge and practical skills and abilities, and also has physical and psychological components. The teacher must be prepared for stress, be able to resist it. In addition, a teacher needs good he alth and considerable stamina in order to work with a large number of students.
A teacher himself must constantly learn, try to improve the level of his intellectual development and teaching skills. In his work, he should use innovative forms of organization of the educational process. At the same time, a prerequisite for successful pedagogical activity is love for children and a willingness to pass on to them not only their knowledge, but also a piece of their own soul.
Where to get a teaching profession?
There are a lot of pedagogical universities now, almost every more or less large city has its own. In addition, many universities have departments or faculties of pedagogy. For example, there is a faculty of pedagogy at Moscow State University, one of the oldest universities in Russia. And at the prestigious university of the Republic of Belarus - BSU - there is a department of pedagogy.
In addition, in Russia and throughout the post-Soviet space in recentdecades, a huge number of commercial institutions of higher education opened. Education in many of them is prestigious to receive, and it is much more difficult to enter some of them than to state universities. This is also the leading commercial pedagogical university in Moscow, which will be discussed below.
Institute of Psychology and Pedagogy
This educational institution grew out of the scientific and practical center "Correction". In 1990, the institution was named "Institute of Psychology and Pedagogy".
Today, there are six psychological and pedagogical speci alties, and the forms of education remain traditional: daytime, part-time and evening. In addition, university teachers prepare applicants for admission to the institute in Sunday courses and classes for an intensive educational program.
Students of this institute study for 5-6 years, the term of study depends on the chosen form of education and faculty.
Closing word
There is a special, noble and high mission of man. It consists in professional activity, and this activity is pedagogical. Pedagogy is not just a science or a branch of professional theory and practice. It is also a calling to be lived up to. That is why people who can be called teachers, professionals with a capital letter, are worthy of respect.
