Interview with G. G. Mikulina, Candidate of Psychological Sciences and co-author of the primary-school mathematics course developed by a team of scholars under the guidance of V. V. Davydov

Introduction. The interview examines the experience of developing and methodologically refining a primary-school mathematics course within the Elkonin–Davydov system. Particular attention is given to the way in which V. V. Davydov’s ideas made it possible to translate concrete teaching difficulties from the emotional level into the domain of theoretical and research-oriented analysis.

Method. The material is presented as a conversation between V. A. Guruzhapov and G. G. Mikulina, a co-author of the primary-school mathematics course developed by a research collective under V. V. Davydov’s guidance. The interview reconstructs the circumstances under which Mikulina began working in experimental education and discusses the logical-psychological foundations of the course, the difficulties involved in moving from object-based actions to diagrams, models and literal notation, and the problems of implementing the course in school practice.

Results. The interview shows that the initial basis of the course was the logical-psychological analysis of mathematical content, in which the concept of magnitude was treated as the initial general foundation, while number was introduced as the result of measuring magnitudes. This approach made it possible to connect the development of primary-school pupils’ thinking with the acquisition of concrete mathematical knowledge. At the same time, the interview emphasises that the implementation of the course required continuous refinement: some solutions proved successful, whereas certain content had to be abandoned because it was difficult to translate into diagrams and models comprehensible to children.

Conclusion. The implementation of the course required teachers to master new subject matter, new teaching methods and a different way of evaluating learning outcomes — not only through the amount of knowledge acquired, but also through the development of pupils’ thinking. Special importance is attached to the methodological guide as an integral part of the teaching materials: the formulation of the learning task is presented as the central moment in organising learning activity. The interview thus captures both the radical nature of the course, its difference from traditional instruction, and the continuing need to refine its logical-substantive and didactic aspects.