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THE PROJECT WORK METHOD
IN THE SYSTEM OF LIFELONG EDUCATION
AS AN EFFICIENT FORM
OF ORGANIZING EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
G. Т. Sulaymonova
The project work method with pupils of secondary schools is considered in this article. The stages of project preparation and implementation are shown. The skills developed by pupils in the course of implementation of this method are listed. The rules for teachers, who decided to use the project work method, are presented.
Key words: lifelong education system, students, trainees, project method, learning activities.
Encouraging children's interest in learning by organizing their independent activities led to a number of goals and problems, the solution of which leads to the emergence of new knowledge and skills. A number of techniques which are based on the development of cognitive and creative skills of pupils and their abilities to independently design their knowledge, and to navigate themselves in the information space, are used in the process of creative learning for commitment, independence, and constructing individual educational routes for pupils. One of them is a project method that involves problem solving, which provides, on the one hand, for using different methods, and on the other hand, for integrating knowledge, skills from various fields of science, engineering and technology. By definition, the project is a creative activity, a set of specific actions, documents, preliminary texts, a plan to create a real object, and various theoretical products. Projects in productive training are based on a “subject-subject” relationship between all participants of the pedagogical process. In this approach a teacher is a consultant, a partner, and does not lead the student in learning, but rather accompanies the student.
Preparation and implementation of the project have certain stages:
(1) Orientation stage. This stage lasts for 3-4 weeks depending on the direction of the project (school, out of school, newly formed). It consists of the following phases: (a) individual and collective discussion (it is important to show the difference between productive learning and traditional school learning: acquisition of new experience, the opportunity to make a “product”, and at the same time to get education); (b) establishing discussion groups, where various topics are discussed and new forms of work may be introduced (teachers should carry out intensive collective work for creating an atmosphere of trust); (c) analyzing personal experience.
(2) Development stage. This includes the following phases: (a) developing individual tasks; (b) analyzing pupils’ personal experience; (c) developing collective tasks; (d) defining objectives; (e) indentifying resources.
(3) Project implementation stage. This stage includes the following phases:
(a) discussing and choosing research methods for retrieving information;
(b) independent work of students on solving the problems (tasks); (c) intermediate discussions about the results achieved; (d) drawing up the project.
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(4) Presentation stage of the project results. This consists of the following phases: (a) preparing the presentation; (b) defending the project.
(5) Project assessment stage. At this stage the following is assessed: (a) the importance and urgency of the problems, their adequacy in terms of the studied topics; the correctness of the results used; (b) the activity of each project participant according to his/her individual capabilities; (c) the collective nature of decision-making; (d) the nature of communication and mutual aid and the compatibility of the project participants; (e) the necessary and sufficient depth of penetration into the problem, and other characteristics.
When using the project work method, students acquire: (a) skills related to the development of their interests (finding out new interests based on analysis of previous ones, comparing abilities and interests, and the ability to defend them); (b) an ability to find practical, interesting activities (to determine cognitive activities, and the ability to ask questions about relevant activities); (c) the ability to choose the type of activity (to find potential areas of practical activities, to explore them, to find the answers to all questions about the areas of practical activities, to make a justified choice of the area of practical activity); (d) the ability to investigate the conditions of practical activities (to notice, to formulate and link practical activities and the conditions in which they are carried out, to discuss practical activities, to identify the opportunities of practical activities), as well as other skills.
Throughout the work on the project, teachers support children, answer their questions, and share their experience and ideas. The criteria for defending an individual project are discussed with pupils.
Rules for the teacher who decides to work with the help of the project method: (1) the teacher makes the choice whether it will work with the help of the project method. None of the school administration can force the teacher to make a certain decision. In this case each member of the teaching staff share the responsibility for his/her work; (2) the teacher is fully responsible for preparing children who are participating in the project; (3) the teacher trusts pupils, and considers them to be equal participants of the overall creative work, constantly emphasizing this trust through his/her behavior; (4) the teacher gives children the opportunity to do independent work. He/she creates the conditions to be able to operate freely and independently; (5) the teacher develops a new position, moving from the position of a lecturer and a supervisor to the position of an assistant and a mentor; (6) the teacher intervenes in the independent work of children only when circumstances so require, or when students themselves so request.
Bibliography
1. Труды международного сотрудничества «Образование через всю жизнь: Непрерывное
образование для устойчивого развития» / сост. Н. А. Лобанов; под науч. ред.
Н. А. Лобанова и В. Н. Скворцова. - Т. 7. - СПб.: ЛГУ им. А. С. Пушкина, 2009. - 512 с.
Translated from Russian by Znanije Central Translastions Bureas
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