DOI:
10.18413/2313-8971-2020-6-1-0-6
The problem and methods of teaching psychology to students of non-core specialties in higher education
Abstract
In the last decade, the issues of innovative changes in education are becoming the highest priority. It is necessary to move from the knowledge paradigm to the paradigm that assumes an independent orientation of the student in the world of information and forms his/her professional competence. First of all, modern education should support objective trends of social development and be open to everything new. In this connection, scientific interest in the problem of personal (psychological) characteristics of the students to the development of their psychological competence is necessary for the successful implementation of their future professional activities. The work was done in order to show the possibility of using innovative technologies in teaching psychology to the students of non-core branches in a modern university, as well as to pay attention to the need to expand the volume of teaching those sections of psychology that are relevant to the areas of studying in the field of communication and human management. The article deals with innovative technologies of teaching psychology to the students of non-core branches, which are successfully used in the educational process by teachers and are based on the methods of psychological cognition of personality and human relationships. The main methodological approaches to the consideration of innovative technologies of teaching students, such as content, forms and methods of teaching are set out. The modern understanding of innovative teaching methods, their psychological essence and interdisciplinary nature of use in the educational process is revealed, the general methods of activation of mental activity of students in the process of teaching psychology are presented. It is shown that in the implementation of educational tasks of the new generation there is a need not only in modern technologies of the educational process, but also in changing the content of training of specialists of non-psychological branches to study the science of the laws of development and functioning of the human psyche.
Keywords: modern education, psychology, innovative pedagogical technologies, personal potential, effective communication, creative thinking, self-realization
Introduction.One of the most important problems of modern education, which is now a serious concern, is the gradual "washout" of the humanitarian component of education. The high dynamism of the labour, the emergence of new technologies, occupations and professions, the complexity of professional activity, increasing requirements to the quality of education enter into competition with general humanitarian training of the future specialists, aimed at developing them as individuals. Specialists related to education constantly emphasize the importance of this problem and pay special attention to the need for intellectual and personal development of students, the formation of their ethical attitude to the world, the desire for self-actualization and constant self-perfection (Zhuravlev, 2007; Zaichenko, 2013, Lobza, Korotkova, 2018, Slastenin, Isaev, Shiyanov, 2013).
The problem of humanization of education is multifaceted. Let us note one of its most important moments – it is not a problem of successfully or unsuccessfully selected humanitarian subjects for study. It is the problem of creating a holistic system of education, in which the humanitarian component harmoniously interacted with science and technology in all universities, at training of specialists of any profile, any direction of socially useful human activities. One of these components can be the discipline of the psychological cycle, which will allow future professionals to know the basic laws of mental life, the knowledge of which is necessary for every modern person and does not depend on the chosen specialty.
The study of psychology gives a person the opportunity to better understand themselves, learn their individual psychological characteristics (temperament, character, abilities, values and motives), see their strengths and weaknesses, better understand other people and learn to establish contacts with others more effectively. Knowledge of psychology helps people in their professional activities, allowing them to solve real production problems, adapt to a new team, effectively build interpersonal relationships with managers and subordinates (Lobza, Korotkova, 2018: 117).
The difficulty of mastering psychology as a science lies in the fact that each person is a carrier of the psyche and its structural elements. Therefore, in studying it, one literally has to study oneself. It is just as difficult if the future surgeon learned to do the operation on himself. It is even more difficult for a non-psychological student to comprehend the science of psychology, which can cause serious difficulties in the educational process.
The task of the teacher is to arouse interest rather than resistance to psychological science, to reveal the possibilities of realization of psychological knowledge in the chosen professional activity and to give the opportunity to apply the acquired knowledge in the learning process. Each teacher is interested in students not only to understand the material as well as possible, but also to strive for new knowledge. The main guidelines of the university teacher is the use in the educational process of modern teaching methods that stimulate the creativity of students and activity in general (Gut, 2019).
The solution of this complex task requires from the modern teacher not only competence in the field of the branch, readiness to share deep knowledge on the taught disciplines of a psychological orientation, but also obviously the need of development and mastering new educational technologies providing active involvement of students in process of training, in educational, research and independent work (Belyakova, Prokopiev, 2005; Kolb, 2004; Wills, 1998).
Main Part. Currently, the system of higher education uses a variety of innovative pedagogical technologies that are focused on individualization and variability of the educational process and are considered as one of the types of human technologies based on the theories of psychodidactics, social psychology, management and management (Slastenin, Isaev, Shiyanov, 2012). Pedagogical innovations in education have a positive impact on the entire learning process. Innovative technologies in education, according to V.Ya. Laudis, is the organization of the educational process, built on totally different principles, tools, methods and technologies and achieve educational effects, characterized by the absorption maximum of the amount of knowledge a wide range of practical skills, as well as maximum creative activity of students (Liaudis, 2007: 74). Since the educational process is based on a certain system of principles, the pedagogical technology, as rightly VA. Slastenin said, “... can be considered as a set of external and internal actions aimed at the consistent implementation of these principles in their objective relationship, where the personality of the teacher is fully manifested” (Slastenin, Isaev, Shiyanov, 2012: 335).
Innovative methods of teaching disciplines of psychological profile are based on the principle of activity of the cognizing subject, i.e. the student. Thus, various forms to enhance personal positions and individual life experience of students (intragroup and intergroup interaction, group discussion on the issue, written statements, project activities, etc.) are also in another aspect contribute to the formation of personality of future specialist, development of creative abilities of students and formation of their skills of self-education. The essence of innovations in psychology training is that they are based not so much on the basic processes of cognition (perception, memory, attention), but on the development of productive, critical, creative thinking, adaptive behavior with the mastery of new patterns of behavior, the mastery of constructive communication skills, the disclosure of personal potential of each student. In this regard, the learning process itself is built in such a way that students learn the basics of effective communication, interact in the interpersonal and intergroup register, improve the abstract-logical type of thinking, learn to think critically, solve typical and atypical problematic professional tasks.
In psychology, there are a variety of research methods and their conscious application in practical classes within the course of the discipline under study make the process innovative and more effective. Students successfully master the method of observation. In the classroom, the student will learn to observe his/her interlocutor, group, phenomena in the course of practical tasks and master self-observation, which is not an easy task, because now he himself becomes the object of knowledge, and not the proposed material (educational literature, bills, etc.). This requires the development of reflexive thinking, the ability to be aware of internal mental acts and mental states.
The learning process uses information and communication technologies, work on practical exercises conducted in pairs, micro-groups and sub-groups, students learn to work in teams, to develop group decision, leadership, learn the culture of conflict behaviour in the group with a further acquisition of technologies of management of conflicts, studying the mechanisms of group management, the changing roles of group members and practice the basic components of group dynamics. A major role in the implementation of this technology plays a discussion with the detailed introspection of each participant and objective review of the teacher explaining the intragroup and interpersonal phenomena (conformism, the phenomenon of social inhibition and facilitation, etc.) thereby implements the principle of interactive learning, providing the opportunity of being in constant information exchange the teacher and student. It is important that the teacher in the process of learning activities was able to create an atmosphere of self-disclosure of the internal potential of each student, expressed empathy and adhere to the principle of non-value judgment in their work. Due to the fact that all classes of psychological profile are completely based on the psychology of human relationships.
In the classroom, students become participants in various experiments aimed at the study of cognitive processes, their characteristics and unique phenomena: the subjectivity of perception, the effects of remembering and reproducing information, the phenomenon of early childhood amnesia, affective perception, the phenomenon of installation, etc.). The experiment successfully allows you to link theoretical knowledge with practice and bring to an active state of cognitive activity of students.
For realization of cognitive and creative activity of students in the professional activity Belgorod National Research University relies on educational technologies giving the chance to improve quality of education, to develop creative and research abilities of students. One of the system-forming approaches that enhance the developmental effect of learning and have a positive impact on the formation of the personality of the modern student is the project activity, which can be considered as an independent structural unit of the educational process. Since the role of the teacher in project training is consulting students, managing their information and cognitive activities. Students on their own, based on their own knowledge, skills and abilities must find the most rational and effective ways to solve the problem. In the process of project activities, students learn not only the means, but also the ways of specific activities, develop important social and professional skills, test their own abilities and capabilities (Gut, 2019).
For the study of psychological phenomena a testing method with training students to “decrypt” information is widely used, students perform numerous techniques with further self-processing. Also, in the Odintsovo branch of Moscow State Institute of International Relations there is a unique hardware – Hardware-diagnostic complex “Multipsihometr-05” which gives the possibility of studying the personal characteristics, mental state, motivation, values, career orientations and getting results already in the process of practical training with further discussion of individual differences. The student is given a unique opportunity to clearly see the objectivity of the tests and their practical use in their professional activities. Knowing their personal characteristics, the student will be able to master more successfully other disciplines and professional activities in general (Lobza, Korotkova, 2018).
In the classroom, the technology of “brainstorming” is actively used – it is the development of solutions by free generation of ideas by all participants of the procedure. The method is designed for effective decision – making at an innovative level, and well-planned and conducted brainstorming allows you to achieve results that are impossible with the use of other methods. The method of brainstorming involves a creative approach to solving problems that previously had a traditional solution or had no solution at all. The advantage of the method in teaching is that with its help the teacher is able to attract students for active participation who usually do not show the necessary degree of activity in the classroom and do not express their opinions openly (Lobza, Korotkova, 2018).
Discussing in the classroom, students master the art of asking questions (open or closed), learn the basic rules of dialogue, improving their communication skills and acquiring business conversation skills. This is the key to success in absolutely any professional field. The formulation of problematic discussion questions, the answers to which students find themselves with the help of brainstorming, allows to increase the level of critical thinking, to develop the ability of in-depth analysis of information from various specified criteria. Thus, there is a release from inertia and cliche thinking, there is a fundamentally new solution to the problem, increasing the creativity of the individual, which allows you to overcome the usual thought patterns.
Performing didactic games and training exercises is a necessary pedagogical means of activating the learning process. In the process of training exercises, the student has the opportunity to gain experience and consolidate the necessary patterns of behavior that can take place in his/her professional activity, as the student learns to predict various situations, with the possibility of further feedback from the participants and the teacher about the implemented way of behavior. Technology didactic game consists of three leading stages: preparation, conduct and analysis.
Assessing the effectiveness of didactic games, we can note the following: 1) the game allows for intermediate control of students ' knowledge 2) during the game, students form their own opinion, 3) practiced the ability to make informed independent decisions in real conditions; 4) formed the ability to work in a team to solve a common problem; 5) the game develops initiative and creative attitude to learning (Khutorskoy, 2008).
The use of the biographical method of studying mental phenomena helps to successfully establish cause-and-effect relationships between observed behavior and biographical data in childhood, on the example of criminal personalities in law, prominent politicians, etc.
The widely used analysis products and activities – graphological analysis of his/her handwriting, analysis of literature, etc. with the aim of developing flexibility of thinking, clarity of application of psychological knowledge and self-knowledge.
While using the constructive-projective activities in the portfolio, each student in this course fills a portfolio of completed homework, which often require independent information search activity of the student, thus is the positive reinforcement study material and formed a more complete picture about the studied discipline, having the ability to continue self-examination in a comfortable environment. The student's activity in creating a portfolio is focused on the process of studying his/her personality and inner potential, teaches to apply the knowledge in practice on their own. This approach, which emphasizes personal involvement in the processes of obtaining, assimilation and further application of knowledge in practice, allows to study psychology as a science with greater efficiency.
Thus, the knowledge of the psychological ideas is obtained through the prism of students’ own experience and exploration of their own identity and that of his/her fellow student, which makes the study practice-oriented.
In conclusion, it is important to note that the leading tasks of innovative learning can be considered: individual development of personal potential of the student, democratization of joint successful communication between teacher and student, humanization of the educational process, focus on creative, innovative teaching and active involvement of the student in the process of scientific knowledge of the discipline, the development of initiative of the student in the formation of himself as a future specialist of the chosen profile. As well as the modern use of technologies, tools and methods of training, which together contribute to the formation of innovative thinking of the future professional, which significantly increases its competitiveness in the modern labor market.
Conclusions.However, it is also necessary to pay attention to the fact that with such a variety of modern methods of teaching psychology, its fundamental and applied importance for the training of professionals working professionally with people, it is necessary to expand the number of hours of psychological disciplines for students of non-psychological specialties. This will allow the most in-depth study of much-needed science for each person.
Psychology is a necessary element of the modern scientific worldview, the practical value of which is inexorable and lies in the fact that with the help of psychology, a person learns the laws of mental activity and can use this knowledge to solve production problems, life difficulties. All the principles of social relations are based on the psychological laws of communication of people, their interactions and relationships. It follows that psychology gives a person the opportunity to better understand themselves, teaches effectively build interpersonal relationships with managers, subordinates, colleagues, relatives and others peoples.
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