ORGANIZATION OF STUDENT UNDERSTANDING OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL (ON THE MATERIALS OF TEACHING SOCIAL AND HUMANITARIAN SUBJECTS AT A PUBLIC SCHOOL)

The research paper studies the didactic features of the organization and management of the process of comprehension of social and humanitarian knowledge by the public school students. The author presents the results of the research focused on the development and implementation of both the didactic structure of the organization and management of students’ understanding of instruction materials and the didactic means used to solve the issues related to implementing the proposed didactic structure and improving the efficiency of instruction material. The didactic structure of the organization and management of students’ understanding of social and humanitarian knowledge is described as a specific system, which includes motivating students to learn and understand the learning material; organizing and conducting active reflection based on the use of appropriate techniques and teaching methods; discovery and consolidation of new knowledge, formation of concepts. The paper presents the results of the system experimental testing, data of a comprehensive study of the level and nature of student motivation to understand social and humanitarian concepts based on the application of the methodology used for determining the educational activity motivation, its levels and types, methods for determining the depth and stability of cognitive interest and the depth of knowledge of the subject, methods for identifying the educational motivation orientation. The paper describes the problematic questions, situations, and tasks that prove highly effective in the process of organizing active understanding of learning materials. The author presents intermediate and final results of the experiment based on the criteria specification and level development measurement of student thinking activity using such methods as Short Screening Test (to determine an integral indicator of general abilities), School Test of Mental Development, Intellectual Lability. The experiment proves that the level of student thinking activity development has increased by 10%, the activity of students in comprehending social and humanitarian concepts and knowledge has intensified. The results of the research clarify the potential role of problematic questions, situations, and tasks to enhance students’ mental activity, and determine the effectiveness of the didactic structure of organizing comprehension of social and humanitarian concepts.