Variations on the Subject of Developmental Education

Abstract

The article raises the problem of developmental teaching (education) from the standpoint of cultural- historical methodology, the origins and scientific foundations of it its basic principles and widespread practical systems. The author’s aim is to discover the general and specific features of existing models of developmental instruction, both theoretical justifications and practical recommendations for the organization of real school education. It is suggested that there is one system of developmental education based on the ideas of L.S.Vygotsky about the correlation between education and mental development and there are various theoretical approaches and practical models based on it. We tried to compare different attitudes to the correlation between education and mental development. We analyzed work made by Galperin, by research teams led by Elkonin and Davydov, and rby esearch teams led by L.V.Zankov. Special attention is paid to Repkin's research on the psychological organization of educational material, it illustrates the interpenetration of two approaches: Galperin's ideas about the developmental effect of instruction and Davydov's theory of learning activity. The author's hypothesis needs a theoretical and experimental verification, which will have not only a narrow scientific value, but also determine the directions of changes in the content of school education in accordance with the psychological laws of assimilation.