On the Criteria of Activity-Based Education

Abstract

The goal of this article is to discuss diagnostic criteria that are directly observable and at the same time allow to judge with sufficient reliability whether learning is activity-based not only in its project, but also in its implementation - in a cooperative child-adult action. Only one criterion is proposed here: children's initiative aimed at discovering and appropriating new concepts. In an attempt to elucidate the blurred meaning of such terms as “activity-based education”, “student as an agency (initiator) of learning activity” the authors suggest revising the subject matter behind these words, and for this purpose to visit the lessons and highlight the events that manifest children's learning initiative. The evidence from the literacy lessons taught according to the Elkonin’s ABC primer shows how the guesses and questions by individual students reveal to the observer that the students relate the concept mastered here and now and the concepts that belong to the same system but have not been discussed as yet in the classroom. Such transcending beyond the scope of the task as initially set by the teacher, discloses children's efforts to construct the concepts that outstrip the teacher's plan by several hours, weeks, and even months. As a rule, such initiatives are accompanied by expressed emotions of joy, surprise, pleasure, inspiration, interest, signifying their personal meaning for children.

Activity-based introductory curriculum for mastering initial competencies: Natural Sciences for urban students

“…Moreover, students began to keep track of the whole course structure: after a month each student could say, what the next lesson should be about. Thus, the consistent course structure based on the technologies that support human basic needs, and the shift of the teacher's role from leading to moderating, allow students to develop their learning initiative, which is one of the most important indicators of the sufficient psychological development in education [14,15]. 4.…”

Student Learning

“…The educational initiative as expression of cognitive training needs to pass from the stage of didactic planning to the actual implementation stage. This way, direct participation of students in explaining/ building concepts is proof that educational independence occurs through joining students' actions with those of their teachers in formal and nonformal educational contexts (Zuckerman et al, 2019). At the same time, metacognitive training may improve both the attitude of teachers and that of students regarding school tasks, towards the organisation and it brings forth a positive influence regarding their own learning together with an increase in the teamwork potential (Cerghit, 2002;Dulamă et al, 2017).…”