The role and functions of the teacher in the educational process. Main functions of a teacher Pedagogical activity: essence, structure, functions
PLAN
Topic: “Scope and types of activities of a psychology teacher”
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………….……3
1. Training of psychology teachers……………………………………..6
2. Knowledge, skills, abilities and personal qualities of a psychology teacher……………………………………………………………….….………….10
3.Functions of a psychology teacher and his role…………….…….………….20
Conclusions…………………………………………………………….………………………….………23
References………………………………………………………………….………..……….26
Introduction
As you know, there are three main goals of psychology as a discipline and the activity of psychologists:
1. Search for new psychological knowledge.
2. Application of psychological knowledge to solve practical problems.
3. Transfer of psychological knowledge.
Scientific psychology is aimed at achieving the first goal, the second is applied and practical psychology, the third is the methodology of teaching psychology. Scientific psychology as an independent science was formed in the second half of the 19th century. and during the twentieth century. has come a long way in development. It has become one of the recognized branches of scientific knowledge; Psychology departments and laboratories have taken their rightful place in university science in many countries. Practical psychology as a field of professional activity began to take shape in the 60s of the twentieth century. In the USA, in the 70s of P. - in Europe, in the 80s. - in the Soviet Union. Despite the difficulties of initial development and assertion of its own status, it gradually became a recognized area of professional activity. The strong position of psychological services in many areas of health and education is proof of this. The methodology of teaching psychology in many countries is only in the initial period of its formation, despite the fact that the teaching of psychology itself has as long a history as psychology itself. Works on methods of teaching psychology were published throughout the twentieth century, but they appeared quite rarely and concerned only certain aspects of this field of activity. The periods when psychology was introduced as an academic subject in secondary schools (at the beginning and in the middle of the twentieth century) were marked by the intensification of methodological work in the field of teaching psychology (Samarin, 1950; Panibrattseva, 1971). Interest in psychology as a science and field of practical activity clearly prevailed throughout the twentieth century, although most psychologists, willy-nilly, had to work as teachers of psychology. It was assumed that for successful teaching of psychological disciplines, deep knowledge of scientific and applied psychology is quite sufficient. However, recently, an increasing number of specialists have become aware of the fact that psychology as an academic subject and psychology as a science are not identical concepts. The psychology course has its own didactic objectives, therefore, for successful teaching, only psychological knowledge is not enough; the ability to teach is also necessary. Works devoted to the methods of teaching psychology in higher educational institutions have begun to appear in our country and abroad only recently. In addition, special conferences or sections within other conferences are organized on issues of methodology for teaching psychology in different types of educational institutions. The interest of psychologists in teaching is growing. Methods of teaching psychology are studied as a compulsory subject by students studying in the specialty “Psychology”. Upon graduation, they are awarded the qualification “Psychologist.” Psychology teacher." Thus, this training course performs an important function of preparing students for teaching. It is assumed that, in accordance with the acquired knowledge, skills and abilities, a specialist must be ready to participate “in solving complex problems in the system of the national economy, education, healthcare, management, and social assistance to the population.” At the same time, he must be able to carry out the following types of professional activities:
· diagnostic and corrective activities;
Expert and advisory;
Educational and educational;
Research;
Cultural and educational.
Let's consider the requirements for the professional preparedness of a psychology specialist (State educational standard..., 2000). The specialist must be able to solve tasks corresponding to his qualifications:
· based on accumulated theoretical knowledge, research skills and information retrieval, be able to navigate modern scientific concepts, competently pose and solve research and practical problems;
· participate in practical applied activities, master the basic methods of psychodiagnostics, psychocorrection and psychological counseling;
· possess a complex of knowledge and methods of teaching psychology in higher educational institutions.
Thus, the qualification “psychologist, psychology teacher” presupposes readiness for three types of psychological activity: scientific, practical and pedagogical.
1. Training of psychology teachers
Domestic and international experience shows that teaching psychology is carried out by both psychologists and teachers. In the first case, the task of pedagogical training of psychologists becomes urgent, and in the second - the psychological training of teachers. The obvious advantage of a psychologist is his deep knowledge of the subject, but he sometimes lacks pedagogical and methodological preparedness for teaching. A teacher does not have as deep a knowledge of psychology as a psychologist, but he has an obvious advantage in terms of methodological preparedness; he knows how to pedagogically competently select educational material and teach it to students. Both psychologists and teachers have the right to teach psychology, but it is important that the psychologist is pedagogically educated, and the teacher is psychologically educated. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the study by psychologists of pedagogical disciplines that are important for successful teaching. The widespread opinion that knowledge of the relevant scientific discipline is sufficient to teach it is not always justified. In the case where psychology is taught by teachers of other subjects, it is necessary to improve their psychological qualifications. Traditionally, in many countries, the following situation has developed: in higher educational institutions, psychology is taught by psychologists - scientists and practitioners, and in secondary educational institutions - by teachers of philosophical or social disciplines. The reason for this situation was, apparently, the traditional idea of the university as a scientific and pedagogical institution, and of the school, gymnasium, and lyceum as an educational institution. Therefore, there is an opinion that scientific qualifications are primarily important for a university, and pedagogical qualifications for a school. In any case, specialists with appropriate education and scientific and pedagogical qualifications are allowed to teach. Teaching psychology in higher educational institutions is carried out mainly by specialists with a basic psychological education and certified specialists who have an academic degree of candidate or doctor of psychological sciences, as well as practical psychologists with the highest professional qualifications. Employees occupying the following teaching positions are directly involved in the learning process: dean of the faculty, head of the department, professor, associate professor, senior lecturer, lecturer, assistant. The procedure for filling positions of scientific and pedagogical workers in a higher educational institution of the state is regulated by the relevant regulations (Regulations on the procedure for filling positions, 2003). The filling of positions of teaching staff in a higher educational institution is carried out on the basis of competitive selection, as a result of which an employment agreement (contract) is concluded with the employee for a period of up to 5 years. Discussion and competitive selection of applicants for teaching positions takes place at the academic council of the university, faculty, or branch of the university. Previously, candidates for teaching positions are discussed at a meeting of the relevant department, and the department’s recommendations for each candidate are brought to the attention of the academic council of the university (faculty). The department has the right to invite applicants to give trial lectures or conduct other training sessions and, based on their results, accept recommendations (Regulations on the procedure for filling positions, 2003). In any state, the training of psychology teachers for higher educational institutions is carried out in the system of postgraduate professional education. The system of this training is similar to training in other specialties and is carried out on the basis of the Regulations on the training of scientific, pedagogical and scientific personnel (Regulations on the training of scientific, pedagogical and scientific personnel in the system of postgraduate professional education, 1998) and the Model Regulations on an educational institution of higher professional education. In accordance with these documents, doctoral studies, postgraduate studies, and postgraduate studies are the main forms of improving the level of education, scientific and pedagogical qualifications. Competitive work is a form of work on dissertations of specialists attached to higher educational institutions or scientific institutions, organizations without enrollment in doctoral, postgraduate, or postgraduate studies. The system for studying psychology in these educational programs was described in previous chapters. We note, however, that these educational programs are aimed primarily at improving scientific qualifications (candidate’s exams in philosophy, foreign language and specialty, preparation of a dissertation). Assistant and docent practices are aimed at improving pedagogical qualifications, as well as the study of courses in pedagogy and psychology of higher education (or higher education) introduced in some universities. Assistant practice involves a graduate student conducting practical and seminar classes with university students, and assistant professor practice involves giving lectures. Thus, the graduate student gains experience in teaching. Targeted training in psychology teaching methods is usually not carried out, although there is a need for this. Therefore, in a number of universities, postgraduate and postgraduate studies are organized in the study of such disciplines as: 1) pedagogy of higher education and 2) psychology of higher education. The main goal of the relevant courses is to prepare graduate students (adjuncts) for teaching at a university.
The professional qualifications of university research and teaching staff are determined by the following criteria:
1) basic higher education;
2) scientific degree of candidate of sciences;
3) scientific degree of Doctor of Science;
4) academic title of associate professor;
5) academic title of professor;
6) scientific work, reflected in the quantity and quality of scientific publications;
7) pedagogical work, reflected in the quantity and quality of educational publications.
To teach psychology in higher educational institutions, it is important to have a basic psychological education, which determines the content and level of professional training of the teacher. The scientific degree of candidate or doctor of science determines the degree of scientific qualification of the teacher.
They are assigned on the basis of the Regulations on the procedure for judging academic degrees, approved by the resolution. The academic degree of candidate of psychological sciences is awarded to psychologists who have confirmed their scientific and pedagogical qualifications in the form of successfully passing candidate exams in philosophy, a foreign language and a scientific specialty, as well as who have successfully defended a dissertation for an academic degree in a given scientific specialty. A dissertation for the scientific degree of Candidate of Sciences must be a scientific-qualifying work that contains the solution to a problem that is of significant importance for the relevant field of knowledge.
The academic degree of Doctor of Psychology is the highest scientific qualification. There is no specific training required to obtain this degree. The applicant must prepare and defend a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Psychology in the relevant scientific specialty (general psychology, personality psychology, educational psychology, etc.). This dissertation must be a scientifically qualified work in which, based on the research performed by the author, theoretical principles have been developed, the totality of which can be qualified as a new major scientific achievement, or a major scientific problem has been solved. A doctoral dissertation usually reflects the broad research experience of a specialist in the study of any new area of psychological science, obtained by the applicant personally (or as the leader of a research group.
2. Knowledge, skills, abilities and personal qualities of a psychology teacher
The profession of a psychology teacher has its own specifics, in contrast to the profession of a scientist-psychologist and a practicing psychologist. The teacher must not only have psychological knowledge, but also be able to convey it to students. From this point of view, the skills, personal qualities and abilities of a psychology teacher are akin to other teaching professions. To be successful, a teacher must have, to a certain extent, the following knowledge, skills and abilities:
1. Be versatilely educated, erudite in various fields of psychological knowledge, as well as in other sciences.
2. Know the subject being taught well.
3. Be able to independently select educational material.
4. Determine the optimal means and effective teaching methods.
5. Be able to explain educational material in an accessible way to ensure its understanding and assimilation by students.
6. Be able to create motivation for students to master educational material.
7. Be demanding of students’ knowledge and skills.
8. Possess communication and organizational skills and pedagogical tact.
9. Be logical and have a good vocabulary.
10. Possess expressive means of communication, oratory and artistic abilities.
11. Have observation skills and the ability to understand the student.
12. Be capable of reflecting on your own teaching activities.
Of course, a deficiency of certain skills and qualities is not a contraindication for teaching. There are different individual teaching styles. For example, one teacher may have pronounced artistic and oratorical abilities, while another may have the ability to present educational material in a logical and systematic manner. As in other types of professional psychological work, in teaching activities it is important for a psychologist to take into account the individual characteristics of his personality. Knowledge of the subject. In higher education institutions, especially in psychological departments, the scientific competence of the teacher and his knowledge of the subject are traditionally valued. Teaching positions are considered as scientific and pedagogical positions. The course is usually taught by a senior lecturer, associate professor or professor who himself conducts research in a given scientific field or conducts practical psychological work. This is a traditional practice in universities in many countries. Unfortunately, in the conditions of the current “market education”, many teachers, due to meager salaries, are forced to earn extra money by teaching courses and special courses in which they have little knowledge. They have to turn into “shabby parrots”, retelling hastily read textbooks and books and not even having time to delve into certain problems (Pryazhenikov, Pryazhnikova, 2001, p. 286). The decline in the scientific level of teaching is a serious problem in higher psychological education. However, psychologists who are specialists in their field are still respected by students as teachers. It should be noted that pedagogical skills and abilities also significantly increase the effectiveness of their teaching activities. In secondary educational institutions, greater importance is attached to methodological skills. Teaching positions are viewed primarily as teaching positions. As the review given in the previous sections shows, psychology in schools is taught by psychologists or teachers of other disciplines. Of course, a psychologist’s knowledge is more profound, but a lack of pedagogical skills sometimes prevents him from correctly selecting educational material and explaining it clearly and clearly. Teachers of other subjects may not know psychology deeply enough, but they know how to select the necessary material from available sources and teach it to students, making the learning process fun and accessible. The task of psychologists is to increase the level of psychological competence of psychology teachers. Intellectual qualities are of great importance not only for a scientist, but also for a teacher. An intelligent person is one of the characteristics most often mentioned by students when they evaluate a professor they respect. Very noteworthy is the statement of V.N. Druzhinin: “There is no successful psychologist without high intelligence” (2001, p. 33). In context, this statement might sound like this: “Without high intelligence there cannot be a successful teacher of psychology.” In order to clearly explain educational material to students, the teacher must first of all clearly understand it himself. It is in relation to the teacher that the winged truth is especially true: “He who thinks clearly, speaks clearly.” The vagueness of the teacher’s thoughts leads to the vagueness of his speech and, as a consequence, to misunderstanding on the part of the students. Those teachers who try to hide the poverty of thought behind scientific and beautiful formulations of uncertain content act incorrectly. Artistry and public speaking skills. Teachers are often expected to present course material in an “interesting” and even “artistic” way. A small impromptu survey of several groups of psychology students showed that many students consider “wit and a cheerful disposition” to be the “most important quality” of psychology teachers. Perhaps this is explained by the fact that the majority of psychology students are girls... (Pryazhnikova, Pryazhnikova, 2001, p. 287). But here is what S. I. Gessen wrote about this: “The oratory art of a professor lies not in the ease and distance of his speech style, but in his ability to think during a speech, to discover new evidence and shades of the thought he develops in a lecture. Therefore, the external roughness of speech, since it is an expression of the struggle between thought and word, often constitutes the true charm of scientific speech... Of course, a certain minimum of expressive means is necessary for a teacher of a scientific course...” G. Selye expressed similar thoughts: “It is characteristic that excessive beauty of speech is a disadvantage of a scientific lecture, since it distracts the listeners’ attention from the essence of what is being explained.” At the same time, one cannot deny the fact that the characteristics of a teacher’s speech influence the effectiveness of teaching, as we have already discussed above. The ability to place logical emphasis, make necessary and appropriate pauses, and clear diction are important for teaching activities. Such shortcomings of the teacher’s speech as too high a speed of presentation, nasal language, lisp, carelessness in pronunciation, contribute to the formation of a dismissive and sometimes negative attitude among students. However, these shortcomings can be corrected through systematic exercise. Pedagogical settings. The pedagogical attitude is understood as the teacher’s readiness to react in a certain way in a similar pedagogical situation. In most cases, the teacher himself sees his own attitudes as absolutely correct, so they are extremely stable and difficult to change. Conservatism and rigidity of attitudes increase with age. There are two types of dominant attitudes of teachers towards students: positive and negative. The presence of a negative attitude of a teacher towards a particular student is usually indicated by the following signs:
· the teacher gives a “bad” student less time to answer than a “good” student;
· the teacher does not ask leading questions or give hints;
· if the answer is incorrect, he rushes to redirect the question to another student or gives the correct answer himself;
More often reprimands and encourages a “bad” student less than a “good” one;
Tries not to notice the success of such a student;
Sometimes he doesn’t work with him at all in class.
The presence of a positive attitude of a teacher towards a particular student is evidenced by the following signs:
The teacher waits longer for an answer to the question posed;
If there is difficulty in answering, asks leading questions and gives hints;
Encourages with a smile or glance;
If the answer is incorrect, he does not rush to evaluate, but tries to correct it;
· addresses such a student more often during class.
By showing his attitude towards “good” and “bad” students, the teacher, without any special intention, has a strong influence on the students. Kindness and respect of the teacher towards students. In theory, all teachers understand the need to show kindness and respect to students. However, expressions of kindness and respect vary. They can turn into imitation of kindness, into “flirting” with students, into attempts by a psychology teacher to simplify his mission. Such a teacher becomes:
· or a “reteller” of textbooks,
·or turns into a “charming artist” or a “funny humorist”,
· or generally degenerates into a “smug redneck”, confident in his “strong knowledge” and “intellectual infallibility.”
Kindness and respect can also turn into pity for the student, as a result of which the level of demands decreases. The ability to understand a student and “get into his position” is very important. However, such kindness, taken to the point of absurdity, deprives some students of any incentive to study. In this case, the teacher pretends to teach, and the students pretend to teach. But there is no real teaching happening. The other extreme is represented by those teachers who see in their position an opportunity for self-affirmation by demonstrating their superiority over students. This may manifest itself in the teacher’s emphasized directiveness and demonstrative behavior, and his lack of desire to enter into dialogue or discussion with students. Such teachers do not show respect for their students’ own opinions, believing that only their point of view is correct. They do not admit their own mistakes. The optimal type of attitude of a teacher towards students can be expressed by the well-known pedagogical principle, which A. S. Makarenko formulated as follows: “Maximum demands on the individual and maximum respect for him.” At the same time, it is natural to believe that the level of demands should be optimal, that is, it should be combined with the real capabilities of students. In this regard, the teacher’s position does not seem entirely legitimate when he declares: “but this does not concern me” (for example, when the library has one copy of a book, and two student groups must prepare for a lesson in a few days). When making demands, the teacher must take into account the reality of the learning situation. Respect for the student is manifested in the fact that the teacher treats him as an equal participant in the educational process:
He is given the right to choose (within certain limits);
He is given the right to speak out (not necessarily here and now);
His opinion is valued (not necessarily accepted as correct).
Teacher's attitude towards criticism from students. During the learning process, situations are possible in which a student believes that the teacher is wrong in his statements in class. Firstly, a university teacher has the right to his point of view, even if this point of view does not coincide with the opinion of some of his psychologist colleagues. Secondly, a student can have his own scientific and ideological position. The correct behavior of a teacher may consist in the fact that he should give a student who disagrees with him the opportunity to at least briefly outline his point of view or declare the student’s different position in front of the audience. It is better to do this either during a break, or at a seminar (then there will be an opportunity to compare and discuss different positions), or in another lesson, having previously prepared to respond to the student’s comments. Far from being the best option is the “instant” and even “witty” reaction of the teacher, which does not allow one to better understand the problem, but only provides an opportunity to demonstrate one’s “artistic” abilities and makes the student an object of ridicule. Situations are quite possible when a student understands some issues better than his teacher. Therefore, discussions are a completely natural and mutually beneficial process. A scientific dispute, unlike a dispute between the ignorant, should take place only on the basis of logically constructed and verified arguments, as well as on the basis of mutual respect between the disputants. Personal relationships between the teacher and students. It is quite natural that a teacher develops personal likes or dislikes towards certain students. The reasons for this can be very different: both appearance and behavior, and personal qualities. However, explicit manifestation of this relationship is inappropriate. You cannot mix business (educational) and personal relationships. It is unpedagogical to demonstrate a dismissive and disrespectful attitude towards a student who the teacher does not like for some personal reasons. A good-looking student should not have the right to privileges. It is important that personal relationships do not interfere with an objective assessment. Some students, and especially female students, sometimes try to influence the teacher with personal charm. A special issue is the problem of intimate relationships between teachers and students. Are they acceptable? On the one hand, both teachers and students are adults, so they have the right to decide these issues themselves. On the other hand, everything that happens between teachers and students is closely monitored by “public opinion.” Therefore, a teacher who enters into intimate relationships with students must always remember this, remember his, first of all, moral responsibility. But since, as they say, “you can’t order your heart,” you should at least not put these relationships on display. Style of pedagogical communication between teacher and students. In the course of his teaching activities, a teacher usually develops a certain set of relatively stable techniques and methods of interaction with students. It is called the pedagogical communication style. Traditionally, there are three main styles: authoritarian, democratic and liberal. Authoritarian and liberal styles represent a kind of extreme in the use of a number of pedagogical means. A teacher who adheres to a democratic style takes a more flexible position in many respects. It is characteristic of a teacher with an authoritarian communication style that he takes an active and directive position, leaving students the role of passive performers in the educational process. Clarity of instructions and assignments, timely monitoring of their implementation are good organizing factors in students' educational activities. However, the need for certain tasks within the framework of the overall goals of educational activities is often not sufficiently substantiated. The positive importance of such qualities as awareness, independence and initiative is underestimated. For such a teacher, a student is not a subject of teaching, but only an object of learning. Students are held to a high level of expectations, but teachers often lack respect for their individuality. The teacher is not inclined to take an individual approach. It proceeds from an average idea of a student and abstract requirements for him. An authoritarian teacher is conservative and subjective towards students. He prefers to characterize his students as undisciplined, lazy, irresponsible; considers disciplinary influences and grades to be the most important factors in organizing educational tasks; prefers to underestimate a student rather than overestimate. He is uncritical of his teaching activities and does not know how to admit his mistakes. It is characteristic of a teacher with a democratic communication style that, while showing activity and initiative, he at the same time gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their own activity in the educational process. He formulates learning tasks clearly, while leaving freedom for creative initiative. Such a teacher argues for the importance of individual tasks within the framework of the overall goals of the course. In organizing training sessions, he relies on the personal experience of students, the specifics of their needs and capabilities. For him, a student is not only an object of learning, but a subject of educational activity. Demanding behavior towards students is combined with respect for their personality and individuality. At the same time, equal general requirements for all students are maintained. This teacher is objective in his assessments of students and does not demonstrate stereotypical negative attitudes. At the same time, he prefers to overestimate the student rather than underestimate him. The emphasis is on organizing meaningful and purposeful learning activities, rather than on disciplinary influences and marks. He is capable of objective criticism of his own activities, knows how to admit mistakes made and correct them, without losing his own dignity. It is characteristic of a teacher with a liberal communication style that he takes a rather passive and conniving position in organizing training sessions and is not demanding enough. In such a situation, students show dominant activity and subjective qualities. In the classroom, there is often a lack of organizing function of the teacher. As a result, there is anarchy in the organization of training sessions, setting and fulfilling requirements. Such a teacher does not attach importance to justifying the need to complete certain tasks or shows insufficiently appropriate argumentation. Undemandingness towards students is sometimes replaced by rigid demands. This creates uncertainty in students' expectations. A liberal teacher is characterized by situationality and inconsistency in student assessments; there is often bias and unjustified optimism. Ideas about a particular student can be illusory. Tends to take into account the student’s individuality and understand his special circumstances and, accordingly, to excessively reduce demands on him. Does not seek to discipline students. Often he fails to organize meaningful and appropriate learning activities. Manifestations of self-criticism are situational in nature; admits his mistakes, but usually does not correct them. A particular teacher can hardly be unambiguously assigned to any one of the listed types, although the dominance of one of the styles may occur. At the same time, the same teacher in different teaching situations and in relation to different students can demonstrate elements of different styles. Reflection on your own style is a necessary condition for its improvement. It is quite difficult to say unequivocally which of the considered styles is optimal. Teachers who are interested in humanistic psychology are sometimes prone to a liberal style of communication. Perhaps the least compatible with teaching psychology is the authoritarian style. The democratic style of communication is usually positively assessed, and rightly so. In many learning situations, for solving many learning problems, it is most appropriate. However, the preference for one style or another depends on many factors, for example:
From the age of pupils and students;
From the type of educational institution;
From the features of this class;
From the characteristics of the learning situation.
Therefore, flexibility in organizing pedagogical communication is perhaps an important characteristic of a teacher’s pedagogical skill.
3. Functions of a psychology teacher and his roles
The activities of teachers involve performing several functions: teaching, educational, organizational and research; As a rule, this is reflected in annual work plans. However, in reality, only one function and its corresponding activities can dominate. In the work of teachers of higher educational institutions, the most important role is played by the research function, which is usually not associated with the professional responsibilities of teachers of secondary educational institutions. However, in their work the importance of teaching and educational activities increases. In many countries, particularly in the United States, there is some traditional specialization of universities: some are scientifically oriented, others are educationally oriented. The former are more focused on carrying out scientific projects, and teachers at such universities are less interested in teaching activities. The latter pay more attention to teaching students than to scientific research, although actively working scientists are often found there too. However, they have much less organizational, logistical and technical capabilities for research work. It should also be noted that teachers with higher scientific qualifications, such as professors, are more involved in scientific work compared to other categories of university teachers. This is reflected in the corresponding distribution of professional responsibilities. In both higher and secondary educational institutions there is a need for organizational activity, which occupies a special place in the work of teachers in administrative positions. One of the difficulties of starting a teaching career for young teachers – formerly graduate students – is the transition to the role of a teacher. A new role often requires greater confidence and provides an opportunity to test one's teaching qualities and skills. The transition to teaching involves adaptation to new roles:
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Subordinate |
Head |
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Responsive |
Initiator |
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listener |
Speaker |
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Slave |
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Low responsibility |
High responsibility |
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Group member |
Group leader |
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Motivated |
Motivator |
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The respondent |
The questioner |
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Evaluated |
Evaluator |
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Student |
Educational |
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The transition period can be associated with a number of “fears”, which we will consider in more detail. Of course, there are fearless people; no circumstances bother them. For others, having to stand in front of a group of people and tell them new information can be daunting. Let's look at 5 “worst case scenarios” designed to help new educators understand that 1) other educators face the same challenges and 2) these educators have survived and succeeded.
Fear #1. They won't like me. Concerns about students' personal attitudes towards you prevent you from engaging with the content of the subject you are teaching. Try to arrive early to class and engage in casual conversation as students arrive. Not only will this help you and your students get to know each other better, but it will also give students an opportunity to discuss academic issues with you.
Fear No. 2. I'll lose control of the group. This anxiety can be overcome by adequate preparation and anticipation of certain events. Too much control over events can be self-destructive because it leads to resistance on the part of students. It is best to start each lesson by stating the plan, then invite students to add anything to it if they want. Students who know what to expect will be more receptive to your intentions.
Conclusions
By vocation or necessity, modern psychologists quite often engage in teaching activities, regardless of whether they work in a higher or secondary educational institution, in a scientific institution or in a practical psychological assistance service. Currently, the possibilities for teaching psychology have expanded significantly. This is due to the fact that in the last ten years there has been a significant expansion in the scope of psychological education both in Russia and abroad. Psychology is taught in various types of educational institutions and is part of various educational programs:
1. At psychological faculties of universities and other higher educational institutions that train psychologists.
2. In philosophical, pedagogical, law faculties of universities, in faculties of social work, as well as in specialized universities, in particular pedagogical, medical, technical, military, training specialists who work professionally with people.
3. In secondary vocational educational institutions, in particular such as pedagogical, medical schools and colleges.
4. In secondary general education institutions.
Psychologists working in scientific institutions often combine scientific research with teaching activities. Therefore, it is no coincidence that for many decades there has been a fairly stable expression - scientific and pedagogical activity. Psychologists working in the service of practical educational psychology very often receive requests to conduct conversations or lectures for parents, teachers, and students on various psychological topics. Psychologists working in industrial or commercial organizations are asked to conduct training seminars on the psychology of work and the personality of the employee, business relations in a team, as well as on various psychological aspects of commercial relations. The methodology of teaching psychology as a branch of scientific knowledge is now at the initial stage of its development. Related to this is the lack of empirical data on many issues. The authors of publications on methods of teaching psychology rely heavily on their own personal teaching experience and the experience of their colleagues. There are very few generalizing works. Currently, both in secondary and higher schools, two strategies for managing the educational process coexist. The first follows the traditional, normative way of organizing education, characteristic of the industrial era. The second began to take shape along with a change in social demand for the individual, for his role in social development, which appeared in a post-industrial informatized society. It was this second type of management, which placed the value of the personality of all its participants as the basis for the organization of education, and began to determine the innovation strategy. As research shows, the most psychologically difficult thing in the transition from traditional to innovative teaching is the process of teachers mastering a new type of management - systemic management of a holistic situation, which involves, first of all, a change in their own personal position and role in the educational situation. The transition from directive, administrative-command management of individual aspects of teaching to the organization of an integral situation in the fullness of its parameters, in a mode of joint activity, and then partnership with participants, cannot occur spontaneously. Here, efforts are needed aimed at training and educating the organizers of education themselves—teachers—while still on the student bench. The goal of teaching psychology is to understand a person and how to effectively interact with him. Therefore, the basis of the methods of teaching psychology are psychological theories of learning, educational activity and developmental education, which reveal the mechanisms of formation of creative thinking of students, the effectiveness of knowledge acquisition, as well as active teaching methods that implement the provisions of these theories in pedagogical practice. The course “Methods of Teaching Psychology” examines various forms of conducting classes both in secondary educational institutions and in higher education. Particular attention is paid to the use of active teaching methods aimed at developing students' theoretical professional thinking, psychological makeup, and the ability to creatively apply psychological knowledge in practical activities. It is active teaching methods that are the response of didactics to the need for natural laws of knowledge acquisition discovered by psychological science. Active methods, namely: programmed learning methods, problem-based learning methods, interactive learning methods - ensure the approval of the developmental education system at the university. The methodology of teaching psychology is the science of how to teach students, and how to get them interested in learning, captivated by it, and teach them to learn independently and creatively. Solving educational problems, searching and finding answers to problematic questions that pursue educational goals, teach students to apply the theory of psychology to life's realities. It should be noted that the methodology of teaching psychology is not a set of rigid and unchanging rules and technologies. This is the science of constant renewal, and not so much the content of disciplinary knowledge itself, but the renewal of psychological content - the value, motivational, communicative and cognitive foundations of interactions and relationships between the teacher and students.
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2. Functions of the teacher.
Pedagogical function is the direction of application of professional knowledge and skills prescribed to the teacher. The main areas of application of pedagogical efforts are training, education, education, development and education of students. In each of them, the teacher performs many specific actions, so his functions are often hidden and not always explicitly implied. The main function of a teacher is to manage the processes of learning, education, development, and formation.
The teacher is called upon not to teach, but to direct the teaching; not to educate, but to lead the processes of education. And the more clearly he understands this main function, the more independence, initiative, and freedom he provides to his students.
Socrates also called professional teachers “obstetricians of thought”; his doctrine of pedagogical skill is called “maieutics”, which translated means “midwifery art”. A knowledgeable teacher is obliged not to convey ready-made truths, but to help birth thoughts in the student’s head. Consequently, the core of pedagogical work is in managing all those processes that accompany the development of a person.
The first function of a teacher is goal setting. The goal is a key factor in pedagogical activity; it ideally anticipates and directs the movement of the common work of the teacher and his students towards their common result. The essence of the management process is to coordinate actions along the line of goal-result coincidence, minimizing inevitable discrepancies due to the high dynamism and unpredictability of the behavior of participants in the pedagogical system. Management of the learning process is based on knowledge of students: their level of preparedness, capabilities, education, development. This is achieved by diagnosing. Without knowledge of the characteristics of the physical and mental development of students, the level of their mental and moral education, it is impossible to either correctly set a goal or choose the means to achieve it.
Forecasting is inextricably linked with diagnosis. It is expressed in the teacher’s ability to foresee the results of his activities in the existing specific conditions and determine the strategy of his activities, assess the possibilities of obtaining a pedagogical product of a given quantity and quality.
The projective function of the teacher is to construct a model of the upcoming activity, select methods and means that allow achieving the goal in the given conditions and at the set time, highlight specific stages of achieving the goal, formulate specific tasks for each of them, determine the types and forms of evaluation of the results obtained, and so on. .
The diagnosis, prognosis, and project become the basis for developing a plan for educational activities. A professional teacher will not allow himself to enter the classroom without a plan thought out in every detail, clear, specific, and resourced. Master teachers draw up not one, but several versions of the plan, fearing that not all significant factors were taken into account when diagnosing, forecasting and designing the process; the development of the latter may suddenly take a different, uncalculated path.
Diagnostics, forecasting and planning are pedagogical functions performed by teachers at the preparatory stage of each project (cycle) of educational activities.
At the next stage of implementation of intentions, the teacher performs informational, organizational, evaluative, control and corrective functions.
The teacher’s organizational activities are mainly related to the involvement of students in the intended work, cooperation with them in achieving the intended goal.
The essence of the information function is as follows: the teacher is the main source of information for students. He knows everything about everything, and is fluent in his subject, pedagogy, methods and psychology.
Control, evaluation and correction functions, sometimes combined in one, are necessary for the teacher, first of all, to create effective incentives, thanks to which the process will develop and the intended changes will occur in it. When monitoring and assessing the quality of the process, not only the achievements of students are clearly visible, but also the reasons for failures, disruptions, and shortcomings become clear. The collected information allows you to adjust the process, introduce effective incentives, and use effective means.
At the final stage of any pedagogical project, the teacher performs an analytical function, the main content of which is the analysis of the completed task: what is the effectiveness, why is it lower than planned, where and why did it arise, how to avoid this in the future, and so on.
The variety of functions performed by a teacher brings into his work components of many specialties - from an actor, director and manager to an analyst, researcher and breeder.
In addition to his direct professional functions, the teacher performs social, civil, and family functions.
Educator (teacher, lecturer, mentor, master)– a person who has special training and is professionally engaged in teaching activities.
Pedagogical function– the direction of application of professional knowledge and skills prescribed to the teacher.
The main directions of application of pedagogical efforts are training, education, upbringing, development and formation of students.
Main function teachers – management of the processes of training, education, development, formation.
1. Pedagogical functions performed by teachers at the preparatory stage each project (cycle) of educational activities.
Goal setting. The goal is the key result of pedagogical activity; it ideally anticipates and directs the movement of the common work of the teacher and his students towards their common result.
Diagnostic function. Managing the learning process is based primarily on student knowledge. Without knowledge of the characteristics of the physical and mental development of schoolchildren, the level of their mental and moral education, the conditions of classroom and other education, etc., it is impossible to correctly set a goal or choose the means to achieve it. The teacher must be fluent in prognostic methods analysis of pedagogical situations.
Prognostic function. It is expressed in the teacher’s ability to foresee the results of his activities in the existing specific conditions and, based on this, determine the strategy of his activities, assess the possibilities of obtaining a pedagogical product of a given quantity and quality.
Projective (design) function consists in constructing a model of the upcoming activity, choosing methods and means that allow achieving the goal under given conditions and at a set time, highlighting specific stages of achieving the goal, forming specific tasks for each of them, determining the types and forms of evaluation of the results obtained, etc.
Planning function. The diagnosis, prognosis, and project are the basis for developing a plan of educational activities, the preparation of which completes the preparatory stage of the pedagogical process.
2. On implementation stage the teacher fulfills his intentions informational, organizational, evaluation, control and corrective functions.
Organizational The (organizational) activity of the teacher is mainly related to the involvement of students in the intended work, cooperation with them in achieving the intended goal.
Information function. The teacher is the main source of information for students.
Control, evaluation and correction functions, sometimes combined in one, are necessary for the teacher, first of all, to create effective incentives, thanks to which the process will develop and the intended changes will occur in it.
The collected information allows you to adjust the process, introduce effective incentives, and use effective means.
3. At the final stage pedagogical process the teacher performs analytical function, the main content of which is the analysis of the completed case.
In addition to his direct professional functions, the teacher performs social, civil, and family functions.
Professional functions are those that are directly related to the teaching and educational activities of the teacher. There are as many of them as there are types of activities.
They relate to relationships with children (pupils) and their parents, with colleagues (teachers) and with the school administration, education departments, with representatives of the public and with various other educational institutions in addition to the school. If we continue to present the issue along this path, it will be difficult to “embrace the immensity” and come to any definite conclusions. Therefore, we will reduce the types of pedagogical activities into five groups, based on their leading content, which reveals the main direction of this activity.
Functions of a teacher
Let us dwell on a brief description of different types of teaching activities professional functions teacher
1. Educational function. It is basic, constant in time, continuous as a process and the widest in terms of coverage of people. It never stops, applies to all age groups of people and happens everywhere. “Every minute of life and every corner of the earth, every person with whom a developing personality comes into contact, sometimes as if by chance, in passing, educates.” It is thanks to education that the purposeful formation and development of a diversified and harmoniously developed personality occurs. Therefore, we have the right to consider this professional function of a teacher to be basic and all-encompassing.
2. Educational function. Teaching as a section of the educational process belongs to the sphere of activity of a professional teacher. Systematic training can only be carried out by a sufficiently trained professional. And at the same time, teaching is the main means of education. By teaching, the teacher develops in the student mainly intellectual and cognitive abilities, and also forms his moral and legal consciousness, aesthetic feelings, environmental culture, hard work, and spiritual world. Consequently, we consider the teaching function of a teacher to be one of the most important professional functions.
3. Communication function. Pedagogical activity is unthinkable without communication. It is through communication, in the process of communication, that the teacher influences students, coordinates his actions with colleagues, parents of students, and conducts all educational work. This means that the communicative function is also professional and pedagogical. It is so important that recently many scientific teachers have been studying the problems of pedagogical communication and pedagogy of communication (I. I. Rydanova, L. I. Ruvinsky, A. V. Mudrik, V. A. Kan-Kalik, etc.), psychologists (S. V. Kondratieva, K. V. Verbova, A. A. Leontiev, Ya. L. Kolominsky, etc.).
4. Organizational function. A professional teacher deals with different groups of students, with his colleagues, parents of students, and with the public. He has to coordinate actions of a different nature and each participant has to find his place so that his abilities are best demonstrated. The teacher decides what educational activity or activity should be organized, when (day and hour) and where (school, classroom, museum, forest, etc.) it should be held, who will participate in it and in what role, what equipment (registration) will be needed. Good organization of educational work ensures high results. That is why we consider the organizational function to be professional and pedagogical.
5. Correction function is associated with the fact that the teacher constantly monitors, diagnoses the progress of the educational process, and evaluates intermediate results. Its result is not always and not immediately the same as it was mentally (ideally) conceived or expected. In the course of work, the teacher has to make adjustments (corrections) to his actions and the actions of his students. If the educational process is not adjusted based on the diagnosis, its result will be unpredictable. This explains that the correctional function is also professional for the teacher.
In pedagogy and psychology there are other judgments about the professional functions (and corresponding pedagogical abilities) of teachers. Thus, the research of psychologist N.V. is well known and widely recognized. Kuzmina, conducted back in the 60s. In her opinion, the main professional functions of a teacher are the following: constructive, organizational, communicative and gnostic (initially it was not listed). From her point of view, our approach coincides in its communicative and organizational functions.
Shcherbakov's classification
A completely different classification of a teacher’s professional functions is proposed by psychologist A.I. Shcherbakov. These are two large groups: a) general labor, which includes those functions that were studied by N.V. Kuzmina, Gnostic ones are replaced by research ones and b) actually pedagogical ones. The meaning of this classification is that the first group of functions can indeed be attributed not only to the teaching profession, but also to many others.
The approach and judgments of scientists Yu.N. are of interest. Kulyutkina (teacher) and G.S. Sukhobskaya (psychologist) about the functional roles of the teacher. In his work at different stages of the educational process, the teacher acts as a practical executor of his own plans, then as a methodologist and researcher. Scientists rightly note that the same teacher, depending on the stage of teaching and educational work, performs first one, then another, then a third function.
These are some of the approaches of different teachers and psychologists to considering the professional functions of a teacher.
It remains to be said that the professional functions of a teacher can only conditionally be considered separately, but in fact they are interrelated. Thus, we have already said that the teaching function is a special case of the educational function, the communicative function serves all others, the organizational function correlates with all the previous ones, and the correctional function is a condition for the success of all educational activities and, therefore, is associated with the corresponding functions.
Features of pedagogical work
Professional functions are those that are directly related to the teaching and educational activities of the teacher. There are as many of them as there are types of activities.
They relate to relationships with children (pupils) and their parents, with colleagues (teachers) and with the school administration, education departments, with representatives of the public and with various other educational institutions in addition to the school. If we continue to present the issue along this path, it will be difficult to “embrace the immensity” and come to any definite conclusions. Therefore, we will reduce the types of pedagogical activities into five groups, based on their leading content, which reveals the main direction of this activity.
Let us dwell on a brief description of the professional functions of a teacher in different types of teaching activities.
- 1. Educational function. It is basic, constant in time, continuous as a process and the widest in terms of coverage of people. It never stops, applies to all age groups of people and happens everywhere. “Every minute of life and every corner of the earth, every person with whom a developing personality comes into contact, sometimes as if by chance, in passing, educates.” It is thanks to education that the purposeful formation and development of a diversified and harmoniously developed personality occurs. Therefore, we have the right to consider this professional function of a teacher to be basic and all-encompassing.
- 2. Educational function. Teaching as a section of the educational process belongs to the sphere of activity of a professional teacher. Systematic training can only be carried out by a sufficiently trained professional. And at the same time, teaching is the main means of education. While teaching, the teacher develops in the student mainly intellectual and cognitive abilities, and also forms his moral and legal consciousness, aesthetic feelings, environmental culture, hard work, and spiritual world. Consequently, we consider the teaching function of a teacher to be one of the most important professional functions.
- 3. Communication function. Pedagogical activity is unthinkable without communication. It is through communication, in the process of communication, that the teacher influences students, coordinates his actions with colleagues, parents of students, and conducts all educational work. This means that the communicative function is also professional and pedagogical. It is so important that recently many scientific teachers have been studying the problems of pedagogical communication and pedagogy of communication (I. I. Rydanova, L. I. Ruvinsky, A. V. Mudrik, V. A. Kan-Kalik, etc.), psychologists (S. V. Kondratieva, K. V. Verbova, A. A. Leontiev, Ya. L. Kolominsky, etc.).
- 4. Organizational function. A professional teacher deals with different groups of students, with his colleagues, parents of students, and with the public. He has to coordinate actions of a different nature and each participant has to find his place so that his abilities are best demonstrated. The teacher decides what educational activity or activity should be organized, when (day and hour) and where (school, classroom, museum, forest, etc.) it should be held, who will participate in it and in what role, what equipment (registration) will be needed. Good organization of educational work ensures high results. That is why we consider the organizational function to be professional and pedagogical.
- 5. The correctional function is associated with the fact that the teacher constantly monitors, diagnoses the progress of the educational process, and evaluates intermediate results. Its result is not always and not immediately the same as it was mentally (ideally) conceived or expected. In the course of work, the teacher has to make adjustments (corrections) to his actions and the actions of his students. If the educational process is not adjusted based on the diagnosis, its result will be unpredictable. This explains that the correctional function is also professional for the teacher.
In pedagogy and psychology there are other judgments about the professional functions (and corresponding pedagogical abilities) of teachers. Thus, the research of psychologist N.V. is well known and widely recognized. Kuzmina, conducted back in the 60s. In her opinion, the main professional functions of a teacher are the following: constructive, organizational, communicative and gnostic (initially it was not listed). From her point of view, our approach coincides in its communicative and organizational functions.
A completely different classification of a teacher’s professional functions is proposed by psychologist A.I. Shcherbakov. These are two large groups: a) general labor, which includes those functions that were studied by N.V. Kuzmina, Gnostic ones are replaced by research ones and b) actually pedagogical ones. The meaning of this classification is that the first group of functions can indeed be attributed not only to the teaching profession, but also to many others.
The approach and judgments of scientists Yu.N. are of interest. Kulyutkina (teacher) and G.S. Sukhobskaya (psychologist) about the functional roles of the teacher. In his work at different stages of the educational process, the teacher acts as a practical executor of his own plans, then as a methodologist and researcher. Scientists rightly note that the same teacher, depending on the stage of teaching and educational work, performs first one, then another, then a third function.
These are some of the approaches of different teachers and psychologists to considering the professional functions of a teacher. It remains to be said that the professional functions of a teacher can only conditionally be considered separately, but in fact they are interrelated. Thus, we have already said that the teaching function is a special case of the educational function, the communicative function serves all others, the organizational function correlates with all the previous ones, and the correctional function is a condition for the success of all educational activities and, therefore, is associated with the corresponding functions.
