A system-structural approach to the formation of conceptual thinking of students at the level of secondary general education

Abstract

One of the targets of the Federal state educational standard of General secondary education is the training of creative and critical thinking of high school graduates who know the basics of scientific methods of cognition of the world, motivated for creativity and innovation. The leading component of creativity is intelligence, allowing with high efficiency to solve mental tasks, including a limited amount of information. Therefore, the problem of intellectual development of students, which is directly related to the formation of their conceptual thinking, acquires a special significance in modern general education school. From the standpoint of system-structural approach the formation of conceptual thinking is at school age in the development of academic disciplines, built on the conceptual principle of the scientific method and ways of the actions inherent in the particular subject. Conceptual thinking in this approach is viewed as a systemic quality that has the properties of multidimensionality, multilevelity and dynamism, which includes personal and cognitive constructs. According to the principle of structure, conceptual thinking is a mental function, which is not only structured, but also included in structure of the personality. On the basis of theoretical and empirical data, the dialectical interrelation of the logical and psychological aspects of thinking is considered. It is shown that the growth of the reproductive (logical) component of thinking has a significant positive impact on the development of creative thinking of students. Also the author identifies verbal-logical method of learning as strategic component of the educational process that establishes the relationship between all components of the pedagogical system aimed at developing conceptual thinking of students. From the standpoint of the system-structural approach the peculiarities of development of conceptual thinking of students of 10–11 grades of secondary school are characterized: structuring of the content of education based on the principle of scientific presentation of information, orientation of cognitive activity of students in the direction of mastering the methods and laws of scientific knowledge, the formation of logical qualities of thinking through the verbal and logical method of teaching, in-depth subject and logical training of teaching staff.