Methodological activities have not been fully investigated as an independent type of professional work of a teacher. In the literature of the pedagogical type, there are three opinions regarding methodological activities. In any case, their main goal is serving training practice. In this article we analyze the concept, purpose, basic principles, functions and methods of methodological activity. In addition, we note the most important recommendations related to its organization.
The concept and essence of methodological work
Under the methodological activities should be understood as part of the continuing education system of educators and teachers in the relevant institutions. Among the main goals of this work, it is advisable to note:
- Mastering the most rational methods and techniques regarding the education and training of children and adolescents.
- Improving the level of one’s own preparedness for the organization and subsequent conduct of the work of educational orientation.
- Exchange of experience between members of the teaching staff, as well as the identification and promotion of best practices in the field of education.
The methodological activities of teachers and educators are mainly focused on achieving and further maintaining a high level of the educational process in terms of quality. It helps to expand the skills associated with the development of pedagogical analysis, as well as the number of experimental studies of a theoretical type. The methodological work is organically combined with the daily practice of the educator or teacher.
You should be aware that the teacher’s methodological activity is considered as a single system of interrelated actions, activities and measures that are aimed primarily at the comprehensive improvement of professional skills and qualifications of each teacher. It is advisable to include measures related to self-education, management of professional self-education and self-improvement of teachers. In addition, the methodological work is aimed at enhancing and fully developing the creative capabilities of the teaching staff, and ultimately, at achieving optimal indicators of education and upbringing, at improving educational work, as well as at the development of some schoolchildren.
Principles of methodological activity
The principles of methodological work that exist today are classified into the following categories:
- Methodological principles, which include the rule of social conditioning of the development of pedagogical qualities in the professional plan, systematicity, scientificness, integrity of unity, as well as continuity.
- Pedagogical principles, which include the unity of education, development and training; perspective and focused development in a professional manner; balance of practice and theory; the visibility of the methodological activities of teachers and educators; optimization; activity of the team, carrying out its activities in the field in question; unity of individual and collective working methods.
- The following rules correspond to organizational principles: universality and commitment, continuity, comprehensiveness, planning, controllability, coordination and regulation, control and monitoring, rational use of material resources, as well as stimulation of methodological work.
Working methods
All types of methodological activities that exist today, constitute a holistic system of actions, activities and measures related to each other. The most effective methods at the present stage of development of educational and educational activities are considered to be the following:
- Theoretical seminar.
- Scientific and practical conference.
- Workshop.
- Methodical decade.
- Days of science.
- Methodical bridge.
- Methodical festival.
- Business game.
- Methodical ring.
- Discussion.
- Brainstorm.
- Teaching club.
- Training and video training.
- Lecture hall.
- Pedagogical readings.
- Project Protection.
- Professional exhibition.
- Public lesson.
- Teaching advice on a specific topic.
It is worth noting that the latest methods of organizing methodological activities include business, innovative, organizational-active and other games that contribute to creating a culture of self-development and intellectual culture of educators and teachers.
Purpose and tasks of the methodological work
As it turned out, the main direction of methodological activities is the formation of an innovative educational environment, as well as the competent creation of plans related to methodological work. Among the priority tasks of the methodological work of modern educational institutions, it is important to note the following:
- Improving the overall degree of professional and pedagogical culture of educators and teachers.
- Raising the level of subject-methodological, psychological-pedagogical, philosophical and methodological training of educators and teachers.
- Creating an innovative orientation in the methodological activities of teachers, which is manifested in the systematic review, generalization and further dissemination of best practices in the pedagogical field, as well as in the work related to the implementation of the achievements of the relevant science.
- Enrichment with fundamentally new technologies of education and training in the pedagogical sphere.
- Organization of activities related to the study of new educational programs, other curriculum options, as well as changes in relevant state standards.
- Methodological support for the formation of author-type training programs, teaching and methodological recommendations and complexes.
- Organization of work related to the study of instructive and methodological materials, new regulatory acts.
- Subject-methodological preparation of teachers for activities in the conditions of a school of a profile type, in other words, at the level of teaching non-core and core subjects.
- Assisting educators and teachers in their professional development. It is important to add that in this case, an individualized and differentiated diagnostic framework is appropriate for the implementation of the task, as well as advisory assistance in organizing the self-education of teachers.
- Carrying out the work of an experimental research plan.
Methodological Functions
The following functions are key regarding the methodological work and the activities of educators and teachers:
- Analytical involves analysis of existing developments in the methodological plan, the experience of colleagues, as well as relevant materials.
- Designing related to long-term planning and development of the content component of training, preparation and planning of educational work.
- Constructive, which includes a system of actions for planning the upcoming class (through the selection and compositional planning of educational information), as well as the presentation of forms for presenting curriculum material. All this leads to the interaction of teachers and students in the process of creating professional skills, abilities, as well as new knowledge.
- Normative, which fully contributes to the implementation of educational standards, the requirements of curricula, as well as the conditions for the implementation of the educational process in a particular type of institution.
- Research related to the search for new methods and forms of work.
Types of methodological activities
It is worth noting that the definition of the type of activity is based on the content of the functional component of pedagogical work. In our case, we are talking about sustainable procedures for the implementation of the design, planning, selection and application of training tools to a specific subject. All this leads to the development and improvement of the training system itself. The types of methodological pedagogical activity include the following points:
- Analysis of documents of the educational program type, as well as methodological complexes.
- Planning a system of lessons in practical and theoretical training.
- Methodical analysis of the material used in the learning process.
- Modeling and subsequent construction of methods for presenting educational information in lessons.
- Designing students' work related to the formation of practical skills and technical concepts.
- The formation of teaching methods in a particular subject.
- Designing students' work related to the creation of practical skills and technical concepts.
- Development of methods for controlling professional skills, knowledge and skills.
- Management and evaluation of students.
- Reflection of one’s own activities in preparation for the lesson, as well as in the analysis of its results.
It is worth noting that the presented varieties of educational and methodological activities in any case do not cover the entire diversity of the practice of professional teaching staff in a methodological way. With methodological training, university students master certain basic types that provide full-fledged preparation for classes.
Recommendations on the organization of methodological work
Further, it is advisable to consider current recommendations on the organization of education and methodological activities. So, the methodological work is recorded (executed) in a documentary manner in the form of:
- Protocols of methodological tips.
- Development and summary of the most successful methodological activities of a particular institution.
- The activity plans of the Moscow Region, laboratories of the "master class", problem groups of students.
- Written materials that reflect the work of the teacher, problem groups of students, Moscow Region, “master class” laboratories, on introspection and analysis of pedagogical activity.
- Analytical references related to the issue of the degree of knowledge of students. In this case, it is advisable to provide charts and graphs.
- Texts of reports, essays, texts, messages.
- Generalized materials regarding the system of work of teachers of a particular school, as well as print materials on educational problems.
- Formed adapted and modified methods, individual programs and technologies.
- Information from city (district) methodological seminars.
- Awards, diplomas, which serve as a public recognition of the effectiveness and efficiency of the activities of individual teachers, groups, municipalities or laboratories "master class".
Methodical work directions
The main areas of lesson and extracurricular methodological activities are as follows:
- Educational-methodical.
- Organizational and methodological.
- Scientific and methodological.
- Innovative and methodological.
It is advisable to analyze the presented areas of methodological activity in a separate chapter.
Directions of work: content
You need to know that organizational and methodological activities are mainly aimed at implementing continuous interaction between the leadership of the educational institution and the participants in the teaching staff to create optimal conditions for the development and improvement of their professional training, the disclosure of the abilities, interests and capabilities of each teacher. The organizational and methodological work includes the following components:
- Organization of a methodological work system for the development of pedagogical creativity and skill, as well as for the self-realization of teachers' initiatives.
- Providing a process related to advanced training in terms of logistics.
- Planning and further organization of methodological work with employees based on diagnostics.
- Involvement of team members in the workflow of scientific and pedagogical associations, as well as in activities of an experimental and research nature.
- Organization of ensuring collective and individual work in a methodological plan.
- Organization of reflective activities of teachers, as well as identifying ways to solve problems of pedagogical nature.
- Formation in the educational institution of the system of professional development of teachers and, thus, the improvement of educational and educational processes.
Scientific and methodological work implies the full provision of a scientific research approach to the issue of organizing the educational process, raising the professional level and improving teachers on the basis of the achievements of psychological and pedagogical science, as well as direct scientific and practical experience. Among the main directions of this type of activity, it is important to note the constant study of the achievements of the science in question, the practice of teaching and theory; the assimilation of scientific methods related to the diagnosis of the educational process and the creation of the ability of teachers to analyze their own work on the basis of scientific research methods; improving the planning and analysis of methodological work, using modern scientific approaches and priorities in the development of educational structures; improvement of varieties and forms of control and diagnostics of the level of development of the collective of teachers and so on.
Conclusion
So, we fully examined the concept, definition, key features, purpose, basic principles, varieties, functions and methods that form the basis of methodological activity. In addition, they indicated some recommendations related to its organization. We examined the key areas of methodological work. It is important to note that among them a special role is played by innovative and methodological activities. The fact is that it is it that allows us to move forward progress and processes erupting in the field of upbringing and education both in the Russian Federation and in other equally developed countries.
Thus, by innovative methodological work it is necessary to understand first of all one of the most relevant areas of activity of modern educational institutions. In accordance with the numerous opinions of experts, it is necessary to give it a greater degree of independence. The key areas of this type of activity are as follows: the introduction of advanced educational and managerial technologies; development and subsequent protection of innovative projects of the pedagogical plan, the formation of an individual trajectory of the development of a collective of teachers in a professional plan; the formation of their own traditions in the team; organization of activities in qualitatively new structures of the methodological type, including a laboratory, department, pedagogical workshop, and so on; protection of copyright techniques; the formation of an innovative pedagogical field, as well as innovative maps of an educational institution; development of programs of a comprehensive and targeted nature related to the management of innovative processes; the formation of a bank of pedagogical innovations and more.