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Background. The article presented as a discussion brings up the variety of relevant topics on the dialectical thinking formation: “Why is the modern education not interested in developing the dialectical thinking?”; “If based on the dialectical and formal logic, will educ programs be marked with internal inconsistencies?”; “Can psychology define the operational structure of dialectical thinking as well as in the theory of formal-logical thinking?” The discussion emphasises that digitization calls for new didactic methods to build a mind able to find flexible solutions in contradictory situations. 

Objective. The discussion advocate for using both the dialectical and formal logic in the modern education. 

Results. The discussion explores the highlights of N. E. Veraksa dialectical thinking concept. The discussion also demonstrates the operational structure presented by the dialectical mental actions of unification, transformation, reversal or change of alternative. The article considers the preferable age to start training dialectical thinking in a child: despite Jean Piaget’s thesis that a preschool child’s mind is insensitive to contradictions, the study recommends to start teaching children to solve contradictory situations at an early age. The article analyses the opportunities and prospects of implementing dialectical thinking concepts in the modern education.

Conclusions. The main conclusion of the article is that digitization of childhood featuring information-dense social situations of development encourages the psychological science to come up with methods of developing thinking in new cultural environment. One of such children’s cognitive deve­lopment methods is dialectical thinking in solving contradictory problems.

The relevance of the topic of the article. Creating conditions for the harmonious and versatile development of children in all educational areas of the federal state educational standard of preschool education is one of the most difficult tasks in the work of an educator, since in the practice of kindergartens a differentiated approach is often used to organize the activities of a preschooler within one educational area. The project method is increasingly used as a means of integrating educational areas in the interaction of a teacher and a child.

The aim of the study. The work is aimed at studying the features of the application of the project method for organizing the educational activities of preschoolers and revealing the technology of the project method as a means to improve the quality of interaction between the teacher and children based on the unification of participants in the educational process around a common topic.

Description of the research progress. The project method is considered in the context of John Dewey’s ideas of educational transformation and instrumental pedagogy. Particular attention is paid to the history of the origin of the project method and its connection with the philosophy of pragmatism. A parallel is drawn between the socio-economic factors that led to changes in the approaches and methods of teaching children at the beginning of the last century, and modern challenges associated with the influence of information technology on communication between adults and children. The classification of projects for preschool age is given, the stages of project activity implementation are described, a detailed list of thematic areas for educational projects of preschool groups is given.

The results of the study. As a practical tool, the article describes a set of projects aimed at introducing children to the history of the Great Patriotic War. The complex includes four educational projects of a cognitive, artistic and aesthetic orientation, compiled for each age group of a preschool organization. Revealing the content of the projects, their main tasks are formulated, the forms of the teacher’s work and the types of children’s activities through which the tasks set will be solved. Each project provides for a starting event of a problematic nature, which will serve as a reason for the beginning of joint research and creative activities of the teacher and children.

Conclusion. Materials on the history of the emergence of the project method in pedagogy allow us to draw parallels with our time and highlight the problems of modern preschool education, the solution of which can be facilitated by the use of this pedagogical technology. The project method can be used as a means of integrating educational areas and organizing cooperation between the teacher and children in the process of communication and joint activities on the topic. The problematic approach underlying the project method is an actual tool for developing the ability of preschoolers to set a goal for future activities, to put forward hypotheses, to seek and find means to solve the problem. The given descriptions of the Victory Day projects can be used in the work of preschool educators as practical recommendations for organizing educational activities within the framework of using the project method.

Parents, teachers and researchers are wondering how the digital and technological world affects young children between 0 and 6 years of age at home. This study aims to show the use they make of it, the characteristics of this use, and the relationship that children establish with technologies, as well as to find out whether there are rules for this use and who sets them. A mixed quantitative-qualitative methodology, using the “questionnaire on the use of technology at home”, semi-structured interviews, and analyses of Early Childhood Education Assemblies (ECEA), generated very significant results. For instance, despite the quick incorporation of tablets or video game consoles, TV is still the favorite device of the youngest population, followed closely by mobile phones. The results indicate that these children spend an average of 92 minutes per day watching TV. In addition, 92% of them have a tablet and spend an average of 60 minutes per day using a computer or a tablet. It can be concluded that children start accessing and using ICT at the age of two.

The article discusses the problem of reduced play activity of a modern preschool. An overview of the research on the importance of the play as a factor in the development of the child in the preschool period of childhood is presented. The concept of «play dysontogenesis» is introduced, which means violated, not corresponding to psychological laws development of the play in preschool age due to a number of socio-cultural and educational factors. The reasons for the occurrence of play deprivation are revealed, which have a negative impact on the normal development of the child and the formation of the main neoplasms of preschool childhood. It has been shown that the simplification of the children’s play leads to mental and personal infantilism, a decrease in the ability to plan one’s own actions, a delay in the formation of significant mental functions and personality aspects, and a socio-normative disorientation of a growing person. Based on the data of individual authors and the materials of earlier studies, we suggest a high risk of the formation of various psychological dependencies and deviations, the emergence of play addiction and other socio-behavioral deviations as a result of a lack of play in preschool age. The results of familiarization with training curricula for preschool educational institutions are discussed, which indicate the complete absence in many programs of universities of theoretical disciplines, practical courses and workshops on psychology and pedagogy of children’s play, including applied aspects of teaching future educators how to organize and accompany preschool play. The conditions for the rehabilitation of the play as a unique social, psychological, cultural and age phenomenon, proposed by E.O. Smirnova as fundamental measures in modern preschool education, are outlined.

The article discusses the results of the study of the emotional well-being of 6-7 years old children of kindergartens in Moscow. The data were obtained through a questionnaire survey of children and their parents using the supplemented Children’s Barometer methodology, consisting of 22 questions for a child and 8 questions for a parent. The study was attended by 151 parent-child couples; children from 15 groups of 5 different preschools. Emotional well-being is based on satisfying the needs of the child, both basic and essential for the age at hand, and essential for personal development including personal relevance, recognition in the group, autonomy and initiative. It was important for us to hear the “voice of the child”, attitude towards kindergarten, what makes child happy and discomforting. It was found that children of 6-7 years old can express their opinion and attitude to what is happening in kindergarten. Organized forms of activity are less interesting for children than free activity; there are discrepancies between children’s and adults’ assessment of issues important for the child; children remember conflicts in kindergarten and it is important for them how the teacher resolves the children’s conflict. The educational environment and style of interaction between adults and children in groups implementing different pedagogical systems influences children’s attitude towards kindergarten, which was shown in significant statistical differences.

Introduction. The article presents the results of empirical research of teacher’s interaction with children at preschool age within the resolution of ethically controversial situations. To identify typical problems in the resolving of such conflicts we made the investigation with specially elaborated questionnaire and observation in six educational organisations of Moscow (in the survey 30 respondents participated: educators and managers).

Methods of the survey. To conduct the survey we developed the questionnaire based on the Code of Ethics of Singapore and the Handbook for Early Childhood Professionals, translated and adapted by the authors. In the process of questioning participants were requested to analyze 14 problem situations, and were asked to give examples of ethical dilemmas from their own working practice in kindergartens. In total we obtained the description of 25 situations.

Methods of observation. The observation was conducted in 8 preschool groups of different educational organisations using Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS-R) taking into account the parameters for the interaction.

Key results and conclusion. General characteristics of problem ethical situations were identified and described. Namely: analyzing the proposed ethical dilemmas respondents rather defend the correctness of one of the conflicting parties than offer a solution that takes into account boath conflicting interests; offering solutions to problem situations, respondents do not appeal to professional values; the surveyed teachers are dominated by the desire to settle the conflict here and now in authoritarian way, but not to arrange dialogue of different points of view; negative attitude to conflicts dominates. The conflict is not perceived as a natural component of the educational process, but as an evidence of the error of a teacher, a parent or a child. Consequently, the predominant setting “to avoid conflict anyway” or to suppress existing ones rather increases conflict interaction than the productivity of communication.

Problem. The provision of preschool education to citizens is one of the most important directions of social policy of Russia. The main problem which needs to be addressed is the shortage of places in preschool organizations, especially for children under three, and overcrowded preschool groups.

The aim of the study is to determine the place of the South Federal District regions in the national rating of regions according to the degree of development in preschool education. The key indicators included in the rating are the scope and security of the children in preschool education, the fullness of groups, and the quality of facilities and teaching staff. The author uses the official data from 2016and compares the results with previous research of other authors in 2012. In addition to the official data the author uses the national Russian survey “Comprehensive survey of living conditions of the population” conducted in 2014, which reveals the satisfaction of citizens with children in different regions of the South Federal District with preschool education.

The results of the study indicate a low quality of preschool education in the regions of the South Federal District. The worst indicators in particular are the low enrollment of children into preschool organizations and at the same time overcrowded groups in the existing institutions. Despite the obvious positive results of the modernization program for preschool education in the district, the regions still lag behind the average for the country’s. The stumbling block on the way to an improvement of the system is the settlement system in the district which is characterized by a low urbanization rate, lack of middle size cities and the prevalence of one large main city per region, where the majority of kindergartens are concentrated. The author also analyses the trends in this market and opportunities for private education in the examined regions.

Conclusion. One of the ways of solving the problem of preschool education is the support of nongovernmental educational organizations and the development of a public-private partnership. This could not only increase the availability of preschool education, but could also create new jobs for young mothers. Experiences in other countries demonstrate that this strategy works most efficiently in rural remote areas, which is particularly relevant for regions of South Federal District.

Background. Perception of fiction is one of the types of children’s activities that allows solving problems of speech, social and communicative, cognitive, artistic and aesthetic development of the child. Reading fiction can be considered as an activity, as well as a special kind of cultural practice aimed at enriching children’s independent activities. The variety of tasks related to working with a book and options for solving them require studying the current state of organizing classes on the perception of fiction in kindergarten.

Objective. To identify modern features of organizing classes on the perception of fiction by preschoolers based on the materials of the competitions “Reading Bianki” for teachers of kindergartens in the Ivanovo region.

Sample. The study involved 143 teachers of preschool organizations in 15 municipal districts of the Ivanovo region. 116 works of participants in the regional competition were analyzed.

Methods. The analysis of video recordings of classes and the study of competition works were used as research methods.

Results. There is a general tendency to overload educational activities with game techniques and surprise moments, as well as a desire to replace the discussion of a literary work with its retelling, game and productive activities. It has been established that teachers are not always able to determine the values and meanings laid down by the author of the work and promote their understanding by children. Based on the analysis of the contestants’ materials, the main types of questions used in the discussion of a literary work are highlighted.

Conclusions. Among the features of competitive (open) classes, it is noted that in most cases, additional activities do not contribute to children’s understanding of the meaning of a literary work, but are aimed at memorizing it or are conditionally related to the theme of a fairy tale or story. It has been revealed that with a serious approach to preparing the external design of classes, teachers do not pay attention to the substantive side of organizing developmental communication with children, maintaining a dialogue and helping to discover the meaning of a literary work.