Pedagogical assistance to the self-organization of students' intellectual activity

One of the pedagogical conditions for the development of the intellectual work culture of a future specialist is the pedagogical assistance to the self-organization of students' intellectual activity – pedagogical assistance to students in the process of developing the intellectual work culture.  

Within the framework of our research, pedagogical assistance to students in the process of developing the culture of intellectual work is a conscious, purposeful, transformative, systemic and subjective activity of teachers and students, where the purpose is to create the inner conditions so that a person can learn to independently develop on high level the culture of their own intellectual work.

An analysis of the pedagogical literature showed us that a holistic means developing students’ intellectual  work culture  is a special educational system, which includes a purposeful educational process, a set of means organized by external subjects outside the educational process, as well as the means designed for themselves by students. This system should work in such a way that students can raise the level of the culture of  intellectual work on the basis of the maximum possible independence of their own subjective activity. Teachers need to provide more independence to future specialists, to engage in a kind of creative cooperation with them in the process of developing the culture of intellectual work, which involves a joint discussion of various approaches to solving problems, a «struggle» of opinions, a clash of opinions.

In the process of such kind of work, future teachers need to give a reasoned opinion. Without this knowledge, which is assimilated by students, they cannot turn into their convictions, become truly their own ones. In the practice of educational process, teachers can significantly influence the development of students’ culture  of intellectual work as well as the results obtained. Their mutual understanding, mutual coordination, synchronism of actions, unity of requirements are the key to success.

The growth of students’ culture  of intellectual work demands from them rational management activities in all the aspects of planning, implementation and diagnosis of the results of self-education.

In our opinion, the leading role in the development of students’ culture  of intellectual work belongs to teacher. Forming future teacher’s cognitive need takes place at lectures, seminars, and during systematic reading of literature. The role of the teacher is not only to arouse interest in the subject, but also in the direction of thought, the will to actively form the need for systematic self-development and self-education.

Forms of teachers’ work: conducting elective courses, special seminars, lectures, organization of students’ research work.

An important place in the implementation of the interaction between teachers and students can be taken by an elective course, which purpose   is to deepen and expand knowledge about the types of self-education, its functions, the ability to work independently with information sources, familiarization with the techniques and methods of the culture of intellectual work on the example of traditional and new technologies.

In our opinion, the implementation of teachers’ pedagogical assistance to students in the process of developing the culture of intellectual work  will be successful if teachers develop the following organizational skills and abilities in students:

1) Skills and abilities to determine the purpose of cognitive activity, which will allow future teacher to independently set goals in the course of cognitive activity; be aware of the importance of goals when studying various educational material in lectures, practical exercises, in the course of independent study.

2) Skills and abilities of planning cognitive activity, which will allow students to choose rational and optimal ways to achieve the goals; plan their independent study in class and at home; plan for the day, week, month; to fulfill the planned plan based on their individual characteristics and capabilities; determine the sequence and duration of the stages of their mental activity; build a model of their cognitive activity; program their cognitive actions; make adjustments to the stages and methods of mental activity.

3) The ability to carry out self-assessment and self-control of the results of educational and cognitive activity. To use the methods of self-control of the progresses of educational activities; the ability to test the correctness of their theoretical knowledge, the strength of skills, practical abilities; evaluate the reliability of the theoretical knowledge presentation, practical skills; evaluate the reliability of the presentation of theoretical material, the correctness of solving problems. To understand the principles and algorithms of control and evaluation activities; to understand the indicators and the standards for assessing the quality of various types of cognitive activity. The ability to carry out multivariate assessments of what is happening.

4) The ability to carry out reflective analysis. The ability to conduct introspection and self-assessment of their mental actions. The ability to identify the  meaning of their intellectual activity; connect the results with the set goals; awareness of the used methods and techniques of intellectual activity. The ability to analyze the result obtained in the process of intellectual work, to understand it, to compare it with similar results of other people.

5) The skills and abilities of organizing educational and cognitive activities. The ability to create favorable conditions for cognitive activity, which include the organization of the workplace (availability and condition of educational facilities, their rational placement); organization of working hours; organization of home independent study. Determination of the most effective ways of mental actions; understanding of their individual intellectual characteristics and preferred methods of intellectual work, optimal rates and forms of employment in various areas of intellectual activity; the ability to predict the processes and results of their activities.

Pedagogical assistance to future teacher’s self-organization of the intellectual activity should also contribute to the mastery of health-saving technologies by students in order to achieve the maximum efficiency of the physiological, mental functions and behavioral reactions of the individual in the educational process.

As a result of training overload, there is a loss of inner organization, a loss of self-confidence, a shift or loss of purpose, etc. Of course, all this can have an adverse effect on health in its physical, mental, spiritual and moral aspects. Therefore, today the need for hygienic regulation of the educational activities of students is becoming increasingly important.

Intellectual labor is characterized, first of all, as a complex mental process associated with the comprehensive development of a person, in which the work of the brain and sensory organs predominates. It should be noted that negative emotions reduce productivity, increase fatigue in the course of intellectual work. This implies the need for special measures to reduce neuro-emotional stress in the process of monitoring the results of intellectual work including in some cases changing the forms of control. Among the measures of physiological rationalization of intellectual work, we would single out the creation of a clear rhythm of work. Activities performed rhythmically are the most economical in terms of the expenditure of nervous and muscular energy, and therefore the least tiring.