Cand. Sci. (Pedagogy), Associate Professor, Department of Preschool Pedagogy, Institute of Childhood, Herzen University, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
Background. With the updating of the regulatory and methodological framework for preschool education (the Federal State Educational Standard for Preschool Education, the Federal Program for Preschool Education, and the Development Concept until 2030), the need for methodologically sound approaches to the spiritual, moral, and social development of children is growing. The centenary of the Department of Preschool Pedagogy at the A.I. Herzen Russian Pedagogical University highlights the need to understand its historical and pedagogical legacy and identify the continuity of the humanistic traditions established by T.I. Babaeva’s school in modern kindergarten educational practices.
Objective. To conduct a theoretical analysis of the problem of maintaining continuity in the implementation of the humanistic ideas of the Department of Preschool Pedagogy in the modern educational space; to determine which elements of the paradigm of T.I. Babaeva’s school are preserved in current social and moral education practices and meet modern preschool education requirements.
Sample. The empirical base consists of more than 50 scientific sources, including monographs, dissertations, dissertations, departmental anniversary collections, teaching aids, and current regulatory documents. Particular attention is given to 13 dissertation studies (1988–2009) completed under the academic supervision of T.I. Babaeva, as well as the works of her students and followers, reflecting the development of the school’s ideas from 2010–2026.
Methods. Theoretical analysis of psychological, pedagogical, and methodological literature, a retrospective and contextual analysis of scientific trends in the social and personal development of preschoolers that emerged in the second half of the 20th century and developed in the early 21st century, as well as a comparative-historical method for tracing the genesis and transformation of pedagogical concepts over time.
Results. A stable continuity of the school’s humanistic guidelines in modern practices is revealed. The relevance of the following provisions is confirmed: the priority of the child’s emotional well-being and subjective position; The effectiveness of a situational approach based on problematizing children’s communication experiences and drawing on the preschool subculture; the importance of children’s communities as environments for positive socialization; and the modular, stage-based logic of pedagogical technologies for developing moral qualities. It was established that the diagnostic and technological tools developed within the school have been successfully integrated into the implementation of the preschool educational program, modern social-emotional development programs, and the teaching staff training system.
Conclusions. T.I. Babaeva’s scientific and pedagogical school retains its methodological and practical significance in the modern preschool education system. Its humanistic paradigm, focused on developing subjectivity, emotional intelligence, and moral choice in children within a children’s community, fully aligns with the value foundations of federal educational standards. The school’s ideas continue to be developed in the department’s current research under the direction of A.G. Gogoberidze and are actively implemented in educational practices, teaching and methodological complexes, and networked innovative projects, ensuring the continuity of the traditions of Russian preschool pedagogy.
Background. Relevance of the problem of developing critical thinking in modern education is due to the need to prepare a person who is able to adapt to the conditions of a rapidly changing world and work effectively with a large information flow. Critical thinking is a key skill that allows you to achieve such educational results as the ability to analyze information, make independent judgments, solve problems, collaborate, and build constructive relationships.
Objective. To carry out a theoretical analysis of the problem in order to study the already identified possibilities of using pedagogical text analysis to develop critical thinking of a student-teacher. To determine the features of using pedagogical texts to develop critical thinking of student-teachers in the practice of teaching psychological and pedagogical disciplines at a university.
Methods. A questionnaire was conducted during the work. The percentage ratio method and content analysis were used to process the questionnaires.
Sample. 156 people participated in the study: 2nd-3rd year bachelor’s students in the fields of Psychology of Education, Psychological and Pedagogical Education; 1–2 years of the Master’s degree program “Methodological Support in Preschool Education” of the Institute of Childhood, the program “Development of Personal Potential in Education” of the Institute of Psychology of the Herzen University of St. Petersburg.
Results. The analysis of a number of scientific studies has shown that in adults, spontaneous formation of critical thinking and cognitive flexibility practically does not occur even in the process of accumulating professional experience. To develop these qualities, it is necessary to purposefully use special methods and techniques that contribute to the formation of students’ skills of reflection, critical analysis of situations, comparison of different points of view, as well as the ability to perceive and evaluate the surrounding reality from different positions, going beyond their own experience. The conducted study revealed a deficit in the use of pedagogical texts aimed at developing critical thinking in student teachers, as well as the limited number of tasks that contribute to its formation within the framework of mastering psychological and pedagogical disciplines in a pedagogical university. This indicates the need to enrich the programs of psychological and pedagogical disciplines with a larger number or variants of tasks that will effectively develop critical thinking in future teachers.
Conclusions. The higher education system is designed to develop critical thinking, guide student-teachers to master creative ways of solving life problems, self-education and self-development. In order to form critical thinking in students of higher educational institutions when studying various disciplines, it is necessary to systematically use pedagogical texts that present various author’s versions of traditional truths, professional attitudes and values.