6.3. Methods of organizing activities and experiences of social behavior

The methods of this group are aimed at practicing behavioral habits, which should become the norm for the individual pupil. They influence the subject-practical sphere and are aimed at developing in children qualities that help a person to realize himself both as a purely social being and as a unique individuality. Such methods include exercises, schooling, requirement, assignment and the creation of educative situations.

The essence of the exercise is to repeatedly perform the required actions, bringing them to automatism. The result of the exercises are sustainable personality traits - skills and habits. For their successful formation, the exercise must begin as early as possible, because the younger the personality, the faster the habits take root in it. A person with formed habits exhibits stable qualities in all conflicting life situations: skillfully manages his feelings, inhibits his desires if they interfere with performing certain duties, controls his actions, correctly asses them, taking into account the position of other people. The qualities based on habits formed by upbringing include self-control, self-control skills, organization, discipline, and a culture of communication.

Schooling is an intensely performed exercise. It is used when it is necessary to form the required quality quickly and at a high level. Often, schooling is accompanied by painful processes, causes dissatisfaction of the pupil. The use of schooling in humanistic educational systems is justified by the fact that some violence, which is inevitably present in it, is aimed at the benefit of the person himself, and this is the only violence that can be justified. Humanistic pedagogy opposes hard schooling, which contradicts human rights and resembles training, and requires, as far as possible, a softening of this method and its use in combination with other, above all playful ones.

Conditions for the effectiveness of schooling are as follows: a) the action to be taken must be useful and understandable to the pupil; b) actions must be carried out on the basis of a sample attractive to the child; c) favorable conditions must be created to carry out the action; d) actions should be carried out systematically, monitored and encouraged by adults, supported by peers; e) as they grow older, the action must be carried out on the basis of a clearly recognized moral requirement.

A requirement is a method of education, with the help of which the norm of behavior, expressed in personal relationships, causes, stimulates or inhibits a certain activity of a pupil and the manifestation of certain qualities in him.

Requirements cause a positive, negative or neutral (indifferent) reaction of pupils. In this regard, there are positive and negative requirements. Direct orders are mostly negative. Negative indirect requirements include judgments and threats. By the method of presentation distinguish between direct and indirect demand. The requirement by which the teacher himself achieves the desired behavior from the pupil is called immediate. Requirements of pupils to each other, "organized" by the tutor, should be considered as indirect requirements.

The form of presentation differ direct and indirect requirements. Direct requirements are characterized by imperativeness, definiteness, concreteness, accuracy, formulations understandable to the pupils, which do not allow two different interpretations. A direct demand is made in a decisive tone, and a whole range of shades is possible, which are expressed in intonation, voice strength, mimicry.

The indirect requirement differs from the direct one in that the stimulus for action becomes not so much the demand itself, as the psychological factors caused by it: feelings, interests, aspirations of the pupils. There are various types of indirect requirements.

• Requirement-advice. This is an appeal to the pupil's consciousness, convincing him of the expediency, usefulness, and necessity of actions recommended by the teacher. The council will be adopted if the pupil sees in his mentor a senior, more experienced comrade, whose authority is recognized and whose opinion he values.

• Requirement-game. Experienced teachers use the inherent desire of the game for children to present a wide variety of requirements. Games bring pleasure to children, and with them imperceptibly fulfilled requirements. This is the most humane and effective form of making a claim, however, it implies a high level of professional skill.

• The requirement of trust is used when friendships develop between pupils and teachers. In this case, trust manifests itself as a natural attitude of the parties respecting each other.

• Request-request. In a well-organized team, the request becomes one of the most used means of influence. It is based on the emergence of companionship between teachers and students. The request itself is a form of cooperation, mutual trust and respect.

• Requirement-hint is successfully used by experienced teachers in working with high school students and in some cases exceeds the direct requirement in efficiency.

• Requirement-Approval. At the time expressed by the teacher, it acts as a strong incentive. In the practice of masters of pedagogical work, approval takes various, but always expedient forms.

An assignment is a method of education that develops the necessary qualities that accustom you to positive actions. Depending on the pedagogical goal, the content and nature of the assignment are individual, group and collective, permanent and temporary. Any assignment has two sides: a measure of authority (you have been entrusted, you have been asked, no one can do this except you, the success of a common cause depends on you, etc.) and a measure of responsibility (an effort of will is required of you; end, etc.). If any of these parties is poorly organized (motivated), the assignment will not be executed or will not give the desired educational effect.

The creation of upbringing situations involves the organization of activities and behavior of students in specially created conditions. The educators are called situations in which the child is faced with the need to solve a problem — it can be a problem of moral choice, choice of a way of organizing activities, a social role, etc. The teacher intentionally creates only conditions for the situation to arise. When in this situation the child faces a problem and there are conditions for solving it independently, the possibility of social testing (testing) as a method of self-education is created. Social tests cover all areas of a person’s life and most of his social connections. Inclusion in the upbringing situation creates in children a certain social position and social responsibility, which are the basis of their further entry into the social environment.