MASU extends cooperation with foreign scientists

• 05.12.2018
• 2071

In the framework of academic mobility, the cooperation agreement of Murmansk Arctic State University with the Arctic University of Norway, and the implementation of the Barents Plus program, the delegation of Institute for Psychology and Pedagogy of Murmansk Arctic State University visited Alta (Norway) in late November.

Here at the initiative of professors from MASU, an international seminar «Forming a Picture of the World of Preschool Children in Russia and Norway: the Way to Creating a New Society» was held.

This seminar was a continuation of cooperation between scientific and pedagogical workers, students MASU and colleagues from the Arctic University of Norway (Alta campus). This time German colleagues joined the project.

The range of issues that the seminar participants managed to raise and discuss was wide.

Kirsten Stein, who opened the seminar, presented the report «International Perspectives in a Changing World», presenting a retrospective analysis of approaches to cooperation of various countries in the field of education. She made a point of a part of the society is still in the thrall of the myths of the Cold War, when some people in Norway claimed that by 2020 Russia would acquire its northern part. Contrary to such predictions, the cooperation of our countries has not only not ceased, but is acquiring new forms. This example is our joint work on the problems of pre-school education, the exchange of Norwegian and Russian students who can themselves become familiar with the specifics of teaching education, for several years now. All of this helps us better understand each other, to form a picture of the world for future teachers and children.

Yulia Afonkina, Ph.D., associate professor, head of the department of pedagogy and psychology for special needs, made a report where she analyzed approaches to the analysis of the world view of a modern preschooler from the point of view of his/her personal experience, knowledge and feelings and defined a direction of world view development in this age.

Tatyana Kuzmicheva, director of Institute for Psychology and Pedagogy, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, associate professor, presented the author’s joint technology of teaching future teachers and psychologists based on the method of observing the child’s behavior in various educational environments, and revealed the value, semantic and organizational aspects of their professional cooperation. Foreign colleagues were interested in getting acquainted with the projects of researchers in the field of interdisciplinary study of the individual development and social adaptation of the child, on the basis of which his psychological and pedagogical support is carried out.

A report of Valery Chernik, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Pedagogy of MASU, was devoted to the development of the laughter culture of children of preschool age, a number of aspects of the children’s subculture.

The difficulties and opportunities to overcome them during the teacher’s adaptation to work in a pre-school educational institution were told by the teacher of one of Alta’s kindergarten worker Oda Helena Evien. She tried to comprehend and summarize her experience, share her findings, possible solutions to problems, and revealed the role of mentoring preschool teachers in the first year of work.

The participants of the meeting were presented the results of the project work of research groups of the Arctic University of Norway (Alta campus).

Professor Herbert Gottfried Zoglovek presented the results of a study on the comparative analysis of ideas and approaches to education by L. S. Vygotsky and the English teacher Veronica Sherborn. It was especially interesting to get acquainted with Sherbon’s ideas, because the name of Veronica Sherborne is little known in Russia. Meanwhile, in the 1960s, she developed a method for developing movement. It is based on movements that contribute to the child’s awareness of the boundaries and capabilities of his own body, the development of emotional contact with loved ones, the improvement of large and fine motor skills, the development of speech potential.

Professor Werner Bigell explores the peculiar features of education in multiculturalism (polyculturalism), working with students from different countries: Norway, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, etc. When discussing his report, Professor Bigell did not hide his interest in the work of Russian researchers on the problems of education in a multicultural society. In particular, his attention was attracted by the works of A. N. Dzhurinsky, V. S. Bibler, executed in the context of the ideas of the dialogue of cultures, as well as the practical experience of Murmansk teachers.

The report of the graduate student of the department of pedagogy and psychology for special needs Ekaterina Nikiforova turned out to be resonant. She presented the results of a study of the emotional value of preschoolers to the world.

The discussion was also caused by the report «Peculiarities of the world view of the modern preschooler», which was also made by the master candidate Ilona Shemyakina. Foreign participants in the meeting discovered the name of the authoritative researcher Yevgeny Subbotsky, who deeply researched and in a fascinating way, highlighted in his books the psychological aspects of a child’s mastery of the surrounding world. Following J. Piaget, he analyzed the development and upbringing of the personality, the formation of ideas about physical and mental phenomena in the new conditions. Ilona Shemyakina conducted her research using the same methods. They make it possible to doubt in conversations that the children have become different.

Professor Anne Beate Reinertsen devoted her report to the problems of pedagogical research methodology, offering the author’s view on qualitative research as an activity. She focused on needs to make pedagogical research more scientific. Norwegian colleagues noted that recently in their country pedagogy was attempted to be replaced by biology and some information from psychology. That is why the task is to raise the scientific level of pedagogical research. That’s why a group of Norwegian, American scientists and their colleagues from MASU are developing a new joint project «New Pedagogy». Prospects for further work and international cooperation in the field of education are connected with it.

The international seminar «Forming a Picture of the World of Preschool Children in Russia and Norway: the Way to Creating a New Society» was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Barents Plus program, which is being implemented in the framework of cooperation in the Barents Region.