The contribution of Soviet scientists to the formation and development of methods of teaching natural science subjects in pre-war and wartime conditions

Abstract

The study is devoted to the analysis of the contribution of Soviet scientists to the development of methods of teaching natural science subjects in the period 1930-1945. The relevance of the work is determined by the need to rethink the historical and pedagogical experience of the USSR in the context of modern challenges of natural science education. The methodological basis of the research consists of the principles of historical and genetic analysis, the comparative historical method, the method of content analysis of archival documents and pedagogical literature. The empirical base consisted of materials from the People's Commissariat of Education of the RSFSR, documents on the activities of the Vygotsky-Luria-Leontiev cultural and historical school, materials from congresses of natural science teachers, and the works of leading methodologists of the period. Three main stages of the methodology's development have been identified: the experimental period of active teaching methods (1930-1936), the stage of stabilization and systematization (1937-1941), and the period of military mobilization of pedagogical science (1941-1945). It is established that Soviet scientists created an original concept of polytechnic education, developed systems of differentiated education and collective forms of work. It is shown that the cultural and historical school laid the theoretical foundations of the methodology through the concept of a zone of immediate development and an activity-based approach. During the war years, the methodology of teaching natural sciences acquired an applied orientation and strengthened its connection with defense issues. The results of the study are important for understanding the patterns of development of Russian pedagogical thought and can be used to improve modern educational programs.