The goal is the determining element of the pedagogical system, without which pedagogical activity loses all meaning. It depends on it the content and means of obtaining results. In pedagogy, the goal is a mental idea of ​​what the results of the upbringing process should be, as well as about the qualities that need to be formed in the personality.
The principles of the pedagogical process are defined in such a way that education is always purposeful, and without a clear idea of ​​the purpose, pedagogical activity is unlikely to be effective. Consider the main points of goal setting, as well as the hierarchy of goals in pedagogy.
So, goal-setting in pedagogy is a conscious process, during which the teacher identifies and sets goals and objectives of his activity. As a rule, the choice of the goals of training or education is not voluntary. There is a clearly formulated methodology of pedagogy, as well as certain ideas about social values. In the pedagogical literature there are several positions on determining the goals of upbringing and education.
So, according to the first opinion, educational goals depend on religious ideas about life and its meaning, about the purpose of a person, which are given by religion and are of an absolute nature. The second position implies that goal-setting in pedagogy depends on the inner needs of a person, as well as on his individual nature. Representatives of the materialistic approach argue that the goals are influenced by the needs of society and its values ​​in all kinds of aspects, including technical, socio-economic, cultural and others.
The goal-setting in pedagogy is built on a certain hierarchical system, where the highest stage is state goals that reflect the public's view of the citizen and of the person as a whole. Such goals are developed by specialists and adopted by the government. The next stage is occupied by standard goals, that is, those goals that are reflected in educational standards and programs. Among them are the goals of studying in high school, as well as, for example, the goals of teaching mathematics or raising children of a particular age. Below all are the objectives of the topic of the lesson or extracurricular event.
Thus, the goal-setting in pedagogy is based on educational standards - requirements for the level and content of students' knowledge, which describe the minimum skills and knowledge of the graduate. Standards ensure the quality of education and its compliance with international standards.
In the history of society, the goals of education change with the change of philosophical concepts, psychological and pedagogical theories, and social requirements for education. For example, in the United States, the concept of adaptation of a person to life, which was developed back in the 20s, is preserved. It is partially changed, but the main goal remains the same: the education of a responsible citizen, an effective employee, a good family man and a reasonable consumer. Programs such as “peace education” or “survival education” were later developed. Such diversity indicates the existence of diverse approaches to goal setting.
Goal setting, as well as the functions of the pedagogical process, consists in the fact that goals are formulated in general, like a pedagogical credo, very often turning into generalized reasoning and blurry ideas about a particular goal. It is this generalization that makes it difficult to quickly develop educational processes and curricula. Teacher-theorists suggest solving the problem by introducing the concept of “pedagogical technology”, which formulates goals in a diagnostic way with words that describe the student’s action plans.