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POSSIBILITIES OF GAME TECHNOLOGIES FOR INCREASING COGNITIVE MITIVATION IN YOUNG CHILDREN
E. N. Pyarlaytine
The beginning of the systematic school education of a child presents a number of important tasks to preschool education workers. The child's successful entry into a school life, his psychological state and learning achievements, depend on how the child is prepared for school. The formation of motivation for learning, e. g. the development of the real and deep motivation, which should be a driving force behind the desire to acquire knowledge, is one of the ways of preparing children for school. The main activity for preschool children is play, which is why games lessons are a basis of cognitive interest. According to Allan Fromme, "play for a child is what work is for adults. Both are equally fruitful"[9].
A game is one of methods to create positive motivation. Strong and steady cognitive interest develops in children through various game learning activities. The games lessons require the stimulation of emotional and internal forces. A game for children is, first of all, an exciting activity. “The game is a kind of nonproductive activity, the motive for which lies not in the results but in the process itself. In the history of humankind the game was intermingled with magic, cults and other; the game is closely connected to sport, military and other training and art (especially the performing arts). It plays an important part in the education, upbringing and development of children, as a means of psychological preparation for future life situations''^]. According to D.B. Elkonin, "the human game - is an activity, which reconstitutes the social relationships between people outside the conditions of practical activities... The game is an objective and primary spontaneous tool, seeming chaotic, but which gives the child an opportunity to get acquainted with the traditions of the behavior of the people around him "[10]. A.N. Leontiev defined the game activity in the following way: in the course, in the activity of a child, there appears “a contradiction between the rapid development of a child's need for activities with objects, on the one hand, and the development of the operations engaged in these activities (meaning the ways of activities), on the other. This contradiction can be resolved only in a single type of activity, namely, in the game activity, in play”[6].
The psychological concept defines a game as an activity, the object and motive of which lie within its execution. The game activity is multi-functional. It includes not only entertaining, but also educational, training, developing, communicative, relaxation and psychological functions. The entertaining function is to create a favorable atmosphere, turning the game into an interesting, unusual, and exciting adventure. The educational function develops the qualities of a friendly, helpful attitude to other participants in the game. The training function is the development of memory, attention, perception of information, and the development of different skills. The developing function is aimed at the harmonious development of personal traits. The communicative function is to create an atmosphere of communication, uniting the group of children, and to establish new
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emotional and communicative relationships based on interaction with each other. The relaxation function helps to relieve emotional tension. The psychological function forms the skills that help to prepare the physiological state of a child for more efficient activities.
Some requirements for the organization of the game have to be taken into account too, while creating the conditions for its implementation. Of importance is the psychological and intellectual readiness to participate in the game. The environment for the game activity should invite communication, in an atmosphere of friendliness, understanding and cooperation. The content of an educational game should be interesting and meaningful for its participants, and any game action has to be based on knowledge, skills and abilities acquired in various classes, and provide the ability to make rational and effective solutions, while critically assessing oneself and others. One of the most important social and psychological requirements is a reasonable combination of the game with practice of real communication. This leads to the intellectual activity, and mental and cognitive independence of pupils [4]. Using the game as a methodological technique in learning, the teacher has to be confident in the appropriateness of this use. The teacher has to define the goals of the game in compliance with the objectives of the educational process, and to be confident in the usefulness of the game, managing it with certainty and taking into account the individual personality traits of the children.
Thus, the game in work is the basis for the creation of cognitive motivation. Game technologies are aimed at teaching children to understand the motives of one's learning and behavior, and to form the goals and programs of personal independent activities and predict its immediate results. The game is one of the methods of organizing learning and cognitive activity. Thanks to games, the need for creative activity is rising as well as the need to search for possible ways and methods of actualization of existing knowledge, skills and abilities. Games improve memory and imagination, and teach children to manage their emotions and to organize their activities.
References
1. Советский энциклопедический словарь. - М, Советская энциклопедия, 1987.
2. Выгодский Л. С. Игра и ее роль в психологическом развитии ребенка // «Вопросы психологии. № 6.
3. Ермолаева М. Г. Современный урок. Анализ тенденции возможности. - СПб.: Каро, 2011.
4. Игра и учение / под ред. С. Т. Занько. - М.: Логос, 1992.
5. Ильин Е. П. Мотивация и мотивы. - СПб.: Питер, 2000.
6. Леонтьев А. Н. Совершенствование методики обучения иностранному языку в средней образовательной школе. - М., 1989.
7. Мотивация учения и педагогической деятельности / под ред. В. В. Мелетичева. - СПб.: АППО, 2011.
8. Мухина В.С. Детская психология. - М.: Просвещение, 1985.
9. Фромм А. Азбука для родителей. - Лениздат, 1991.
10. Эльконин Д. Б. Психология Игры. - М.: Просвещение, 1987.
Translated from Russian by Znanije Central Translations Bureau
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