The traditional means of assessment used in pedagogy, as well as tests of achievements, do not allow to properly identify the level of results of the educational process. This requires, for example, to determine not just the student’s ability to solve problems, but his ability to see and set them. It is also impossible, when using ordinary pedagogical tools, to assess a student’s ability to language in the form of knowledge of it as a means of communication, etc.
That is why there was a need to develop a fundamentally different toolkit of the educational process. This is a tool that will reveal its quality, as well as the formation of universal educational skills among students. This need was met after the appearance of educational monitoring at the Federal State Educational Standard.
Definition of a concept
The word "monitoring" is of Latin origin. Translated from this language, it means “overseeing” and “resembling”. Initially, this term was very actively used in ecology. Monitoring in this scientific field was used to observe, evaluate, and also predict the state of our environment in connection with the changes that occur in it, caused by human activities.
Recently, however, the term “monitoring” has been used in a broader sense. It is understood as constant monitoring of a certain process, carried out in order to identify its compliance with initial assumptions or the desired result. Today, monitoring is used not only in ecology, but also in many other sciences, including pedagogy.
What does this concept mean in the educational process? Educational monitoring is an assessment of its quality. When carrying out such work provides continuous monitoring of the educational process and its content. This makes it possible to predict its development and the acquisition of best practices. In other words, educational monitoring is a form of organization, collection and processing of information about the pedagogical process, as well as its subsequent storage and dissemination.
There are other definitions of this concept. So, in the opinion of A. S. Belkin, educational monitoring is an ongoing process of scientifically sound diagnostic and prognostic tracking of educational activities. EF Seeer has a somewhat different interpretation of this concept. In his opinion, educational monitoring is a process that allows you to track the condition of an object or system using periodically repeating or continuous data collection, which is some combination of certain key indicators.
Monitoring of the educational process is carried out when it becomes necessary to constantly monitor the phenomena that take place in the natural subject environment. Such events allow the future implementation of the results to improve the management of the entire training system.
The very concept of monitoring the educational process is close to the meaning of terms such as "certification" and "control". Nevertheless, the latter concepts are only special cases of the general observation system.
Basic principles
What are the features of monitoring educational activities? This process is a holistic system that has the following principles in its organization:
- Continuity. Monitoring of the educational system is a dynamically developing integral set of elements. Its structural and functional changes are always both quantitative and qualitative. By monitoring educational areas, it becomes possible to correct, as well as restrain or weaken certain trends in the educational process.
- Science. This principle implies the construction of a certain organization of observation. At the same time, its basis is the scientifically based characteristics of the educational process, excluding everyday life approaches to their assessment.
- Educational expediency. This principle of monitoring educational achievements is not an end in itself for educators. It is used only as a means for deep study and a reliable tool for managing educational processes. This principle indicates that when using various monitoring methods in educational institutions, technologies that would harm the dignity and interests of the individual should not be used.
- Diagnostic and prognostic orientation. This principle indicates the need to correlate information obtained in the process of monitoring the educational process with the normative criteria of pedagogical activity.
- Predictive observation. The meaning of any monitoring of educational organizations is not only to draw conclusions on certain trends that take place in the educational process. They also conduct it to predict possible areas of pedagogical activity, designed to support and develop positive and transform undesirable phenomena.
Functions
Monitoring conducted in educational organizations is the most advanced way of information services. He is one of the elements of a system designed to manage the quality of education.
Five basic functions are characteristic for monitoring the educational results of students. Among them:
- Indicative. This function considers the ability of the subject of the pedagogical process to feel free in the living space, using the information received and already received.
- Constructive. On the one hand, this function is a crystallization of individual assistance to a person. On the other hand, it is necessary to expand personal space. This becomes possible when interacting with people around and establishing positive contacts with them.
- Organizational and activity. This function represents the determination of the optimal variant of the personality’s position when it performs one or another activity using scientific and theoretical knowledge and continuous integration of the obtained data.
- Correctional. This function is necessary for some changes in tasks, as well as the position of the individual in the process of carrying out activities.
- Estimated and prognostic. When performing this function, the results of monitoring the educational organization in the form of control points and the expected end results of the study are compared with the available indicators of the pedagogical process.
Ongoing observations do not replace the traditional OS control system and are not intended to break it. The purpose of monitoring is to ensure its stability, reliability and long-term. In those cases when the management of the OS is organized competently and fully, it will respond in a timely manner to the changes that arise in their work and make the necessary adjustments to its plans. And for this, higher organizations need knowledge of such changes. The receipt of such data is due to the monitoring monitoring function. Only it will provide the feedback so necessary for management.
Monitoring objects
What is observation aimed at in the pedagogical process? The objects of monitoring are:
- the educational process itself;
- student performance;
- educational and professional activities of pupils;
- student personality development;
- formation of an educational group;
- the level of professional development of the teacher and his activities;
- the formation of the teaching staff.
Monitoring subject
Observation in educational institutions is subject to the condition of the object. It is fixed with its specific changes or in certain periods of time. The subject of monitoring can serve:
- the formation of general educational skills and abilities, as well as knowledge in a particular discipline;
- the quality of education;
- achievements of children in school, in additional education, and much more.
Monitoring subjects
By this concept is meant all participants in the pedagogical process.
These are teachers and students, the public and parents. The degree of participation of all of them in the pedagogical process is different. Nevertheless, each of these entities receives this or that information and analyzes it.
Results Processing
The organization of pedagogical monitoring consists of various levels of information. Let's consider them in more detail:
- At the first level, information is provided for the student. He should have the right to familiarize himself with the interpretation of the data received. The results proposed for study should be sustained in a positive manner and be textual material on the basis of which educational deficits can be identified and subsequent tasks identified.
- A second level of information is provided for the teacher. In this case, the monitoring results have a detailed form and are tabulated or presented in the form of histograms and graphs.
- The third level is the final one. This information is required by the school administration, as well as city and district education departments. At this level, the conclusion of generalized results is made, on the basis of which a holistic idea of what is the quality of the educational process can be compiled, as well as relevant conclusions made and optimal decisions made to correct the situation.
Types of monitoring
Depending on the chosen object of observation, the specific tasks and goals that are associated with the implementation of such studies in practice are determined.
In other words, in each case, one of the types of monitoring is taken for implementation, which is distributed at three levels:
- Personal. Monitoring of the first level is carried out daily by the teacher. At the same time, he observes and captures the dynamics of the development of each of the students, as well as the whole team as a whole.
- Intraschool. Second level monitoring is carried out by the administration of an educational institution. At the same time, the dynamics of development of not only school collectives, but also parallels, as well as the entire educational institution as a whole, is monitored. Such monitoring is carried out using certain criteria, as well as comprehensively in several directions and time indicators at once.
- Municipal. At this level, monitoring is carried out by the governing bodies of the education system. These organizations track the dynamics of the development of OS.
Monitoring methods
There are various ways of observing the educational process. They include:
- Current observation. This method of monitoring the development of educational programs by students allows you to track changes in the level of professional development based on the influence of the educational process on this characteristic and understanding of the occurring phenomena. In this case, the effectiveness of the teacher’s actions will depend on his experience, psychological competence, attitude towards students, etc. It should be borne in mind that subjectivity is always characteristic of observations. And this sometimes negatively affects the final monitoring results.
- Explication. Translated from Latin, this term means "clarification", "deployment." This methodology for monitoring the development of the educational program involves obtaining extensive information about educational and professional activities. Its use allows you to diagnose all those changes that take place in the development of the student, as well as to promptly adjust the educational process. They carry out explication when posing leading questions, providing assistance in the form of joint actions and tips, as well as encouraging teachers to educate their pupils. The results of monitoring the development of the educational program in this case are recorded through observation. Fixing the same data is done using questionnaires. The empirically observable qualities of the trainees, as well as educational and professional actions, are reflected in them.
- Methodology of test situations. This monitoring method consists in the creation by the teacher of special conditions in which all the structural components of educational and professional activities begin to be identified most clearly. In this case, methods are applied in the form of interruption of the educational process, posing additional clarifying questions, dosed assistance in mastering programs, etc.
- Interview. This method of monitoring the development of the educational program is used to obtain information about the development of each of the subjects of the learning process. To obtain the necessary results, an analysis of oral and written answers to specially selected standard questions is carried out. This tactic allows you to identify the formation and severity of the basic elements of the educational process, the orientation of teachers and their students, as well as certain educational and cognitive qualities and properties.
- Testing. This method provides a subjective way of collecting data indicating the level of development of pedagogical processes and the level of mental development of all subjects of the OS system. An essential advantage of testing is its focus on the norm. This allows, after obtaining the results, to compare and contrast the available data.
Monitoring forms
Observation in educational activities may be:
- Starting diagnostics of education and learning. A similar form of monitoring is carried out by representatives of the psychological service. The results obtained by these employees are provided to the entire teaching staff. In the future, to increase the productivity of the education process, teachers use in their work psychologists' recommendations for the correction of these indicators.
- Express diagnostics of professionally and socially important characteristics of students. This is another form of monitoring the pedagogical process. It is used to study the dynamics of professional development throughout the entire time a student is in OS. The psychologist conducts express diagnostics. The results obtained by him are subsequently subject to discussion by teachers, who are required to promptly make adjustments to the educational process. Such data serve as an approximate basis for constructing a program for monitoring educational results and designing learning situations and tasks. If necessary, the results of current and starting observations are considered at ongoing psychological and pedagogical consultations.
- The final diagnosis. This is monitoring the development of an educational program by a graduate. The data obtained consider not only the level of formation by a high school student of his social and professional skills, knowledge and skills. Using the information received, a diagnosis is made of the degree of development of those qualities that are necessary for a future specialist.
Monitoring objectives
Why in the pedagogical process resort to observations of educational activity? The purpose of monitoring is to receive feedback. Its implementation makes it clear how effective the introduction of a new educational standard is.
Sometimes a similar process is formal. This is precisely what monitoring will indicate, the results of which will become clear evidence that the pedagogical process has not yet been reoriented towards the achievement of new tasks assigned to it. In such cases, certain measures will be required at the managerial level. Indeed, a change in educational programs or conditions will not lead to a transformation of the educational process. Thus, the main purpose of monitoring in education is to determine whether those changes that are set by the new standards are taking place and whether they “work” to obtain the desired result.
Monitoring tasks
The observation system developed by the FSES in the educational process should allow:
- to carry out a qualitative and quantitative analysis of pedagogical activity at the level of both public institutions and regions;
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How successful will the monitoring be? The quality of this process depends on many factors. A positive impact on the events can be exerted by the attention shown by the educational authorities, as well as by the leaders of educational institutions. With their sincere interest in receiving diverse, complete and reliable information, the monitoring service members will be guaranteed the most favorable conditions for work, access to the right sources, as well as the opportunity to conduct interviews to receive information from students, parents and teachers. The demand for the received data in full, as well as the adoption after their consideration of the most effective decisions on managing the educational process, will also have a positive effect on the quality of observations.