Theorist, experimenter, teacher: On the centenary of the birth of L.A. Venger
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Abstract
Background. Preserving the self-worth of preschool childhood, maximizing the use of age characteristics for the cognitive and personal development of a child is an extremely important task of modern psychology and pedagogy. Right now, when many parents are trying to teach their kids to read and count, starting at the age of three, or even earlier, when gadgets, the Internet and Artificial Intelligence become part of our lives, the task of finding methods and educational work that would ensure the cognitive development of preschoolers while maintaining forms specific to this age is becoming urgent.
Objective. Scientific understanding of the works of L.A. Venger, the study of the relationship of biographical events with research ideas, the identification of areas of creative potential in the current situation of the development of psychology and pedagogy.
Methods. A retrospective analysis of L.A. Venger’s biography and work in the aspects of his contribution to the development of theory and practice of preschool education.
Results. The study of L.A. Venger’s scientific heritage revealed the specifics of his understanding of the development of abilities in preschool childhood. Being a consistent advocate of cultural and historical theory and working within its framework, the scientist considered the cognitive development of preschoolers through the prism of the development of various types of general abilities. Thus, following his teacher A.V. Zaporozhets, Leonid Abramovich considered sensory abilities as perceptual actions that are acquired by a child in the process of mastering sensory standards. The development of cognitive abilities occurs through the mastery and use of visual-figurative models (diagrams, drawings, plans, etc.). The development of creative abilities occurs on the basis of mastering actions with images, while speech means are added at the older preschool age. The undoubted merit of L.A. Venger is that the mechanisms for the development of each type of ability were described in detail, not only the means were described, but the ontogenesis of the corresponding actions was revealed. Educational systems based on these mechanisms have gained recognition in the pedagogical community, and diagnostic systems in the psychological community. At the same time, the issue of developing preschoolers’ abilities at the present stage is important for further study, in the context of childhood, which often takes place with an excessive presence of gadgets, but is not saturated with games and specific productive activities of children.
Conclusions. The concept of developing abilities presented in L.A. Venger’s research contributes to solving such fundamental problems of psychology as the relationship between learning and development; preserving the self-worth of preschool childhood in conditions of adequate educational work; developing the child’s imagination and creativity. L.A. Venger’s ideas undoubtedly remain relevant, and his work is continued by his followers and students.
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