Cultural-Historical Foundations of School Course in Biology

The article analyzes the provisions of the cultural-historical psychology that serve as a theoretical and methodological basis for the practice of general education in biology. International monitoring of educational achievements reveals low biological literacy of Russian schoolchildren. The authors see the main reason in the insufficiently thought-out selection of the subject content. In middle school courses, it is mostly empirical, reduced to the study of the structure and functions of organisms and their diversity. In high school courses, it is theoretical, but theoretical concepts are given in a ready-made form, are not sufficiently interconnected and are often reduced to dictionary definitions, which negatively affects the development of cognitive and personal abilities of students. Currently, general biological education is being reformed, and the concentric construction of the subject content is being replaced with a linear one, which completely eliminates theoretical concepts from the middle school courses. The authors see the solution to the problem in updating the content of the school course in biology. As a methodological basis for the selection of content, a system approach is considered, the provisions of which were implemented by L.S. Vygotsky in the construction of the subject area of the cultural-historical psychology. Vygotsky’s ideas about developmental learning and their further elaboration in the general psychological and psychological-pedagogical theory of activity are suggested as a theoretical basis for the organization of the educational process. Special attention is paid to the theory of learning activity developed in the works of D.B. Elkonin, V.V. Davydov, their disciples and followers. The paper presents the concept of the content for the school course in biology and describes the experience of its implementation.

1. Aleshin A.I.Metodicheskie problemy teoreticheskogo issledovaniya v biologii [Methodological problems of theoretical research in biology].Gorky: Volgo-Vyatka publ., 1973.183 p.
2. Andreev I.D.Teoriya kak forma organizatsii nauchnogo znaniya [Theory as a form of organization of scientific knowledge].Moscow: Nauka, 1979.302 p.
3. Arsen’ev A.S., Bibler V.S., Kedrov B.M.Analiz razvivayushchegosya ponyatiya [Theory as a form of organization of scientific knowledge].Moscow: Nauka, 1967.440 p.
4. Vakhtomin N.K.Genezis nauchnogo znaniya [Analysis of the developing concept].Moscow: Nauka, 1973.285 p.
5. Verzilin N.M., Korsunskaya V.M.Obshchaya metodika prepodavaniya biologii [General methodology for teaching biology].Moscow: Prosveshchenie, 1983.380 p.
6. Vygotskii L.S.Sobranie sochinenii: V 6 t.T.1.[Collected works: In 6 T.T.1].Moscow: Pedagogika, 1982.488 p.
7. Vygotskii L.S.Sobranie sochinenii: V 6 t.T.4.[Collected works: In 6 T.T.4].Moscow: Pedagogika, 1984.432 p.
8. Gaisinovich A.E.Zarozhdenie i razvitie genetiki [The origin and development of genetics].Moscow: Nauka, 1988.422 p.
9. Davydov V.V.Problemy razvivayushchego obucheniya: opyt teoreticheskogo i eksperimental’nogo psikhologicheskogo issledovaniya [Problems of developmental learning: experience of theoretical and experimental psychological research].Moscow: Pedagogika, 1986.240 p.
10. Davydov V.V.Teoriya razvivayushchego obucheniya [Theory of developmental learning].Moscow: INTOR, 1996.544 p.
11. Dialektika nauchnogo poznaniya: ocherki dialekticheskoi logiki [Dialectics of scientific knowledge: essays on dialectical logic].In E.K.Voishvillo, D.p.Gorsky, and I.S.Narsky (ed.).Moscow: Nauka, 1978.480 p.
12. Il’enkov E.V.Dialekticheskaya logika: ocherki istorii i teorii [Dialectical logic: essays on history and theory].Moscow: Politizdat, 1974.271 p.
13. Kedrov B.M.Problemy logiki i metodologii nauki [Problems of logic and methodology of science].Moscow: Nauka, 1990.346 p.
14. Komissarov B.D.Metodologicheskie problemy shkol’nogo biologicheskogo obrazovaniya [Methodological problems of school biological education].Moscow: Prosveshchenie, 1991.160 p.
15. Lakatos I.Fal’sifikatsiya i metodologiya nauchno-issledovatel’skikh programm [Elektronnyi resurs] [Falsification and the methodology of scientific research programmes].[Center for humanitarian technologies].23.12.2011.URL: https://gtmarket/ru/laboratoriy/ basis/4369 (Accessed: 18.02.2020).
16. Lektorskii V.A.Ratsional’nost’, krititsizm i printsipy liberalizma (vzaimosvyaz’ sotsial’noi filosofii i epistemologii Poppera) [Rationality, criticism, and the principles of liberalism (the relationship between social philosophy and Popper’s epistemology)].Voprosy filosofii = Questions of philosophy, 1995.no. 10, pp. 27—36.
17. Malinovskii A.A.Znachenie obshchei teorii sistem v biologicheskikh naukakh [The value of the General theory of systems in the biological Sciences].[System research.Methodological problem.Yearbook].Moscow: Nauka.1984.pp.83—115.
18. Rubtsov V.V.Kul’turno-istoricheskaya nauchnaya shkola: problemy, kotorye postavil L.S.Vygotskii [Cultural-historical scientific school: problems posed By L.S.Vygotsky].Kul’turno-istoricheskaya psihologiya = Cultural-historical psychology, 2016.vol. 12, no.3, рр. 4—14.DOI:10.17759/chp.2016120301.
19. Ruzavin G.I.Nauchnaya teoriya: Logiko-metodologicheskii analiz [Scientific theory: Logical and methodological analysis].Moscow: Mysl’, 1978.244 p.
20. Sukhorukova L.N.Postroenie soderzhaniya obshchego biologicheskogo obrazo-vaniya na osnove printsipov sistemnosti i istorizma [Building the content of General biological education based on the principles of system and historicism].Biologiya v shkole = Biology in school, 2019.no.6, pp.22—26.
21. Sukhorukova L.N., Matyushenko E.E.Postroenie teoreticheskogo soderzhaniya shkol’nogo biologicheskogo obrazovaniya na istoricheskoi osnove [Construction of the theoretical content of school biological education on a historical basis].YAroslavskij pedagogicheskij vestnik = Yaroslavl pedagogical Bulletin, 2012.no.2, pp.117—121.
22. Sukhorukova L.N., Kuchmenko V.S., Kolesnikova I.Ya.Biologiya.5—6 klassy [Biology.Grades 5—6].Moscow: Prosveshchenie, 2018.123 p.
23. Sukhorukova L.N., Kuchmenko V.S., Kolesnikova I.Ya.Biologiya.7 klass [Biology.Grade 7].Moscow: Prosveshchenie, 2018.158 p.
24. Sukhorukova L.N., Kuchmenko V.S., Ivanova T.V.Obshchaya biologiya.10 klass.Profil’nyi uroven’ [General biology.Grade 10].Moscow: Prosveshchenie, 2019.123 p.
25. Sukhorukova L.N., Kuchmenko V.S.Obshchaya biologiya.11 klass.Bazovyi uroven’ [General biology.Grade 11.Basic level].Moscow: Prosveshchenie, 2019.127 p.
26. Sukhorukova L.N., Kuchmenko V.S.Obshchaya biologiya.11 klass.Profil’nyi uroven’ [General biology.Grade 11.Profile level].Moscow: Prosveshchenie, 2010.207 p.
27. Filosofsko-psikhologicheskie problemy razvitiya obrazovaniya [Philosophical and psychological problems of education development].In V.V.Davydov (ed.).Moscow: INTOR, 1994.128 p.
28. Tsukerman G.A., Obukhova O.L., Ryabinina L.A., Shibanova N.A.Vvedenie iskhodnykh ponyatii: v poiskakh nedostayushchikh opor [Introduction of initial concepts: in search of missing supports].Kul’turno-istoricheskaya psihologiya = Cultural and historical psychology, 2017.vol.13, no.4, pp.4—14.DOI:10.17759/chp.2017130401.
29. El’konin D.B.Izbrannye psikhologicheskie trudy [Selected psychological works].Moscow: Pedagogika, 1989.560 p.