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Relevance (context) of the article. The analysis of the sources shows the effect of the P. Ya. Galperin’s theory of step-by-step development of intellectual activity. Relevance of the study is evident both at the level of fundamental general psychological mechanisms of intellectual processes, and at the level of educational technology development. P. Ya. Galperin’s theory has found its usage in developing methods for correctional and educational work in teaching children with disabilities.

The purpose of this paper is to show relevance of P. Ya. Galperin’s theory implementation, when developing methods in correctional education to form intellectual activity in preschoolers with intellectual disabilities.

Description of the research. The thesis reveals gradual development of intellectual activity in preschoolers with intellectual disabilities. There is an author’s method of forming intellectual activity in preschool children with intellectual disabilities. This method is presented on the example of actions of assigning the subject to the standard of form and direct quantitative counting. It is used in preparing children for school. This study is implemented in the educational field Intellectual Development. It is possible to use this method in the future to ensure preschool education of children with intellectual disabilities.

Findings. The research studied formation of a perceptive ability to match a particular object’s properties with the set standards of form and the ability to make direct quantitative calculations when using the method based on P. Ya. Galperin’s theory. The study revealed that, though the tasks at each stage of learning were getting more and more complicated, the intellectual activity acquirement was progressing. This is shown through preschoolers with intellectual impairments being more independent from an adult’s help and being able to shift to a more ‘reduced’ action according to P. Ya. Galperin. The distinguished gradual development of intellectual activity (first shifting from conceiving the task to acquiring the intellectual action in the tangible and physical way, second shifting to handling the observed objects without motor actions involved, finally shifting to prospective planning of the action) has proven to be effective when assisting a child in forming various intellectual actions, such as objective figure modeling, objects size-ranking, comparison, qualitative division, etc.

Conclusion. The method of forming intellectual skills in preschoolers with intellectual disabilities, built on the principle of gradual development of intellectual activity can be widely used in correctional, developmental and educational work. This study is possible to go beyond the actual intellectual development and be used in other educational areas of preschool education of this group of children.

Background. In the context of the implementation of the Federal Educational Program for Preschool Education, many kindergarten teachers face difficulties in organizing a developing environment, which leads to tension and disagreements within the team. Studying the teachers’ attitudes towards this issue will not only reveal the professional aspects of improving the quality of the educational environment, but also identify areas for working with teaching staff.

Objectives. Identification of the essence and contradictions in the attitude of preschool teachers towards the organization of a developing material and spatial environment.

Sample. The study involved 28 respondents aged 25 to 65, including teachers and specialists from preschool educational institutions in the Ivanovo region.

Methods. The study was based on discursive design and qualitative content analysis of pedagogical essays that expressed the author’s position on the main issues of creating a developing environment in a kindergarten. The analysis of the essays’ content was conducted based on four aspects of the organization of the subject space, including approaches to zoning, the composition and content of corners (activity centers), aesthetic design, and the possibility of children’s participation in changing the space.

Results. It has been revealed that determining approaches to zoning the group’s space presents a particular challenge for modern educators, as they must choose between a clear division of the environment into play areas or a “dispersed” arrangement of materials. Educators have expressed a desire to increase the diversity of the play areas, with a trend towards moving away from unpopular play centers and encouraging children’s initiative and creating conditions for their activities. A separate issue is the difference in approaches to understanding the aesthetics of a kindergarten between educators and supervisors, which can hinder the collaborative creative work of educators and children within the group’s physical space.

Conclusions. The essence of teachers’ attitude to the organization of the developing environment is expressed in the contradiction between the need to comply with formal requirements, which are expressed in the structuredness of the space and its external attractiveness, and the importance of providing conditions for the child’s initiative and activity. Improving professional training and working with pedagogical teams can be carried out by transforming professional values from a superficial understanding of the environment as a system of “correct” corners to the formation of a holistic image of the environment as a space for the developing interaction between the teacher and the child.