Methods of Teaching Safety Knowledge

For the formation of safety knowledge, it is important to be able to use various forms of active learning, which facilitate better assimilation and practical application of safety fundamentals essential to a person's life activity. The following methods of active learning are most thoroughly developed in pedagogy, psychologically substantiated, and tested in practice:

• • analysis of specific situations (ASA);
• • the "intellectual warm-up" method;
• • the "brainstorming" method;
• • professional game;
• • thematic educational discussion;

• • organizational-activity game (OAG);
• • training through research work (R&D);
• • professional consultation;
• • individual practicum;
• • "round table";
• • business trip ("off-site seminar").
• 1. Method of analysis of specific situations (ASA). The essence of this method is that, in the course of instruction, the instructor creates problem situations drawn from professional practice. Its merit lies in the fact that, in the process of resolving a specific situation, trainees (students, company employees, etc.) usually act by analogy with real practice — that is, they use their own experience and apply the methods, tools, and analysis criteria they acquired during training.

Depending on the didactic (instructive, educational) goals and the specific nature of the material's content, various types of situations may be applied in the educational process: illustrative situations, evaluative situations, exercise situations, and problem situations. For example, consider the following situation: due to faulty electrical wiring, a fire broke out in an apartment on the fifth floor of a multi-story building. The situation is complicated by the fact that the door is made of metal and has jammed. It happens in winter, at night. As an illustrative situation, this example is supplemented with various facts about human behavior. In the case of an evaluative situation, evaluative comments are given on the victim's actions. An exercise situation involves practicing the actions of both the victim and the rescuer. A problem situation involves searching for various courses of action in case the situation becomes more complicated.

In the practice of applying the ASA method, certain variations of it have also emerged. These include the incident, the case, sequential situations, the "action maze" method, the "critical incident review" method, and practical problem tasks.

ability to determine the level of trainees' preparedness for further work in building up their knowledge. The intellectual warm-up proceeds at the rapid pace of a rapid-fire survey. The instructor addresses questions to the trainees, to which they must give a brief, specific answer. If the respondent has difficulty, the instructor asks the next person, and so on. In this way, within a short time (5—10 minutes), the class achieves an understanding of the basic concepts, categories, principles, etc. The merit of the method lies in the fact that during the "intellectual warm-up" each trainee remains constantly within the zone of active questioning and must be ready to answer any question posed by the instructor.

This method is useful for consolidating knowledge about social situations and the specifics of human behavior in dangerous and extremely dangerous situations, and it helps in applying psychological knowledge to provide first aid in cases of hysteria, suicide attempts, or severe psychological trauma.

3. The "brainstorming" method is used for making a group decision on a creative problem. The method is based on the assumption that reducing a person's self-criticism toward their own capabilities optimizes the conditions for creativity. This method promotes the development of dynamic thought processes and the ability to abstract oneself from everyday conditions and existing constraints and habitual views of phenomena and processes; it also builds the ability to concentrate on some narrow, current goal.

Conducting a class using the brainstorming method requires certain conditions:

• • the creative search must be aimed at a single object, with no deviation from it or loss of the core direction being allowed;
• • brevity and clarity of expression on the part of "brainstorming" participants;
• • it is undesirable to decline an offer to speak on the grounds that everything has already been said;
• • any independent thought and judgment should be encouraged;
• • the possibility and desirability of further developing positions and ideas expressed earlier;

• • tactful and benevolent facilitation of the "brainstorming" session by the moderator;
• • it is desirable to appoint as moderator a specialist who is well versed in the problem and enjoys the respect of those present;
• • openness in presenting ideas that have won recognition.

The rules of "brainstorming" that participants are made familiar with:

• • do not look down on an obvious solution: sometimes the obvious solution may be the best one;
• • all ideas are good (in fact, a smaller portion of the opinions expressed during a group decision-making process often serves as a springboard for an innovative solution to the problem);
• • each idea should be presented in a completed form; do not use overly brief descriptions, to avoid misunderstandings;
• • do not be afraid of repetitions: later, during discussion, identical ideas may turn out to be different or evoke different reactions at different times;
• • write down and present every idea to colleagues;
• • strive for quantity rather than quality;
• • be inventive, go beyond habitual patterns of thinking;
• • do not judge hastily;
• • do not stop, continue the discussion even when it seems that all known ideas have been expressed;
• • do not edit ideas;
• • maintain the pace and tension of the discussion.

For example, the topic of a brainstorming session might be "Developing a Security System for Your Institution (Enterprise)."

of roles, staging methods, psychodrama and sociodrama . A professional game involves specific role positions: rescuer versus victim, safety engineer versus production workers, and so on.

• 5. Thematic educational discussion. This method is used in discussing complex theoretical and practical problems, for exchanging experience among trainees, clarifying and reconciling positions, and developing a unified approach to the study of a particular phenomenon, etc. The method of educational discussions improves and consolidates knowledge, increases the amount of new information, and develops the ability to argue, prove, defend, and uphold one's own opinion. It is used both as a method underlying any class (a lecture-discussion, a seminar, a "round table," etc.) and as a method used fragmentarily in almost all types of classes, giving them a dialogical form — for example, a discussion on the topic "Human Safety: Problems and Solutions."
• 6. Organizational-Activity Game (OAG). The purpose of the OAG is to solve a theoretical-level problem task to which even science has not yet reached a clear and unambiguous answer. The second purpose is to develop the reflexive component of creative thinking. It is no accident that the OAG is regarded as a game aimed at development and the methodologization of thinking, and at working out generalized techniques of productive mental activity. Game technique: a topic is chosen that stems from the "pain point situation" that has developed at the given moment. Practitioners from related fields of activity should then be included among the playing groups. In addition, professionally trained game facilitators and methodologists are involved in the OAG, whose duties include the appropriate organization of group work and methodological support for the players. The OAG accustoms participants to collective mental activity and restructures participants' thinking.
• 7. Training through research work (R&D). This is a method whereby the trainee investigates and solves one of the unresolved problems. The trainee joins a group of several people who also face similar problems. The group works under the guidance of an instructor-consultant, who must turn this group into a "learning community," each member of which learns by using the experience of other community members who are solving their own problems. The practical application of the method of training through R&D has clearly demonstrated its advantages:
  • • it promotes an increase in trainees' creative activity;
  • • it makes it possible to cover the problem within the full complex of all interdisciplinary connections;
  • • employees gain not only theoretical knowledge but also practice in research work;
  • • it reveals the potential capabilities of both the team as a whole and each individual employee;
  • • the concrete practical orientation of the R&D allows the company to conduct socially significant research and carry it out without attracting additional resources;
  • • in the course of joint activity, the team is brought together and cooperation is strengthened.

• studying employees' professional and research interests and inclinations, and their readiness to perform their professional duties.

In practice, various types of consultations are used, the main ones being: methodological, subject-practical, methodical, organizational-technical, and general scientific. For example, the topic "Human Safety: Social and Legal Foundations" can be addressed by specialists such as a philosopher-methodologist, a lawyer, a safety engineer, and others.

9. Individual practicum refers to employees' independent classroom and out-of-classroom work carried out on a supervisor's assignment.

The purpose of individual practicums is:

• • developing individual abilities and a personal style of scholarly activity;
• • ensuring a deep scientific interest in specific problems of theory and practice;
• • enabling employees to master the skills of research work.

Individual practicums can be divided into two types:

• • practicing individual exercises;
• • carrying out research assignments.

Research assignments are carried out in two forms: in-classroom and out-of-classroom.

• 10. The "round table" method is used to conduct interdisciplinary classes as well as educational meetings held around a "round table." In the first case, a topic is presented for the class that needs to be examined from various angles: political, economic, legal, moral, and so on. Instructors from various departments, specialists, and officials are invited to attend. In the second case, this involves the comprehensive examination of a complex, pressing problem by invited specialists.
• 11. The business trip method ("off-site seminar") involves organizing off-site classes to be conducted in the real-world setting of the graduate's future practical work. Such classes are necessary so that trainees can gain concrete, visual impressions related to professional activity. The details and individual components of this specific process are then studied in depth.

The use of elements of pedagogical management in the professional training of specialists contributes to creating the psychological conditions for the development of a safety-oriented personality.

Conclusions

• • Safe work is an activity in which safe working conditions are ensured; the employee acts purposefully and safely both when carrying out work operations and when hazardous situations arise; and the employee's physical and mental state conforms to the norm.
• • By the degree of damage caused, instances of hazardous action can be classified as an accident, a mishap, or a catastrophe.
• • For industries and types of activity with a high potential danger of accidents with severe consequences, the key condition for ensuring safety is personnel reliability; professional selection is carried out to select such personnel.
• • The basis of a person's safe behavior is motivation — a system of factors that includes needs, goals, intentions, values, attitudes, and relationships to oneself and to others.
• • The cultivation of safe behavior can be defined as a targeted influence on an employee's psyche aimed at developing qualities in the employee that promote safe work.
• • For the formation of safety knowledge, it is important to be able to use various forms of active learning, such as: analysis of specific situations (ASA), the "intellectual warm-up" method, the "brainstorming" method, thematic educational discussion, professional games, organizational-activity game (OAG), training through research work (R&D), professional consultation, individual practicums, and the "round table" and "off-site seminar" methods.

• 1] The "intellectual warm-up" method. Its purpose is to bring trainees into an active "starting" state by activating existing knowledge, exchanging opinions, and working out a common position. At the same time, the instructor has the opportuni-
• Professional games are a type of business game intended to develop trainees' creative thinking, to build practical skills and abilities, and to work out an individual style of communication and behavior in collective problem-solving. A professional game is, in a certain sense, a rehearsal of elements of the future specialist's professional activity. Professional games can conventionally be divided into simulation, operational, and perfor-
• Psychodrama is a type of group psychotherapy in which patients alternately act as actors and spectators, with their roles aimed at modeling life situations that hold personal meaning for the participants, with the goal of eliminating inadequate emotional reactions, practicing social perception, and achieving deeper self-knowledge.
• Sociodrama is an active method of working with intergroup relations and collective ideologies.
• Professional consultation is scientifically organized information about occupations aimed at providing practical assistance in choosing a profession, taking into account inclinations, interests, and established abilities, as well as the needs of society. Professional consultation is conducted by a leading specialist and is intended: • to equip employees with advice of a methodological and subject-practical nature; • to provide mentoring assistance in finding necessary information and overcoming difficulties; • to make additional information resources available to the employee;

Questions for Discussion

• 1. Identify the specifics of the professional activity of the specialty you are studying.
• 2. Give a definition of safe work and formulate the rules of safe work for your specialty.
• 3. For what purpose is professional selection carried out?
• 4. What is the basis of a person's safe behavior?
• 5. What conditions and methods for cultivating safe behavior do you know?
• 6. What are the features of personnel management in connection with the need to ensure safety?
• 7. What methods of active learning do you know?