Daniil Borisovich Elkonin belongs to that wonderful galaxy of Soviet psychology experts, which forms the basis of the universal popular academic school of the equally famous scientist Vygotsky.
Daniil Borisovich combined the gift of a scientist capable of in-depth study of fundamental academic problems and the talents of a researcher who effectively solves practical psychological problems that are significant for pedagogical work. The psychologist is the founder of remarkable theories of the periodization of preschool maturation and children's play, as well as the technology of teaching a child to read. And one more thing to note about Daniil Borisovich - he possessed the exceptional soul of a cheerful and cheerful person who was able to preserve his great mind and kindness until the last days. In modern pedagogy, his works are of considerable importance. You will find a brief biography of D. B. Elkonin and a description of the two main works below.
Birth and education
The scientist was born in February (16th) in 1904 in the Poltava province. In 1914, he entered the Poltava gymnasium, which he was forced to leave after a few years due to lack of funds in his family. For the next couple of years, he worked as a clerk of military-political courses, a teacher in a children's colony where juvenile delinquents were. In 1924 he was sent to study at the University of Social Education, which was located in Leningrad. Soon the institution was attached to the Leningrad State Pedagogical Institute. Herzen.
Youth
In 1927, he graduated from the pedagogical faculty of this institution, and then worked for 2 years as a pedagogue pedagogue at a children's vocational school. In 1929 he began to teach at the university in his specialty. Since 1931, he worked with other researchers, developing the problems of children's play. As he said, especially in classical societies, play is considered a significant component in the existence of children. With the help of toys, acting as reduced tools, they gain a variety of skills. Toys also provide visual information about the society around (models of really existing objects and dolls in clothes), and contribute to the physiological formation of children.
Rise and fall
In 1932, Elkonin became deputy director of the educational institution, where, in fact, he worked. Over the next couple of years, a large number of his articles were published dedicated to the study of various types of children's activity: games, studies, communication, etc. He believed that through activities in the world a preschooler comprehends the basic principles of human culture, in this way his nervous system is gradually formed . After the publication in 1936 of the famous decree “On pedological perversions in the concept of the People's Commissariat of Education,” he was removed from all posts without exception.
Teaching activities
With great difficulty, he was lucky to get a first-grade teacher in the school where his children studied. Work with students was very significant for the psychologist D. B. Elkonin. Having no chance to work elsewhere, he gave all his energy to the school in 1938-1940. composed a primer and manual on the Russian language, intended for schools in remote cities. At the same time, he became the candidate of sciences for the second time.
War
In 1941, he enrolled in the national militia. He took part in the defense and liberation of Leningrad, ended the war as a major. He happened to survive a heavy blow: in the Caucasus, his wife and daughter died, evacuated there from his native city. The psychologist was not demobilized; instead, he was put on a teaching job at the university of the Soviet army. Further, Elkonin taught psychology, was fond of academic activity: he developed the fundamentals of the psychology of soldiers. The activities of the scientist did not suit his superiors.
The biography of D. B. Elkonin should be completed by the date of his death. The scientist died on October 4, 1984. Having survived quite serious blows in his life, he nonetheless constantly gained strength in himself for academic activity, for communicating with students and children. In his own theory of periodization of psychological development, he summarizes the conclusions of numerous popular children's specialists in psychology, building on their basis his own theory. D. B. Elkonin has made enough efforts to improve the educational system in our state. He is known around the world as a gifted psychologist and educator.
The biography of D. B. Elkonin is quite interesting, as well as his main works. There are more than one hundred and fifty. Below are two that are known to a large part of the population.
"Age and individual characteristics of younger adolescents"
Elkonin developed the concept of periodization of the psychological development of the child. He proceeded from the fact that age and age distinctive features are conditional definitions, and it is allowed to separate only more general age features. The scientist analyzed the age development of children as a general personality transformation, accompanied by a change in life position and the principle of relations with those around, the development of new values and motives of behavior at each stage. The psychological formation of children occurs spasmodically: there are evolutionary periods, dangerous stages. During the evolutionary stage, mental changes accumulate over time, then a jump is made, during which the preschooler goes to a new stage of age formation.
"Psychology of the game"
The monograph summarizes key materials on the psychology of the game. The scientist provides a complete critical analysis of foreign game theories at a theoretical level and experimentally argues a new (created with his direct participation) representation of the game, formed in Soviet psychology, demonstrates the importance of the game for the psychological development of children. The book is intended for specialists - researchers in the field of pedagogy and psychology.
The main works and biography of D. B. Elkonin, a psychologist and a person simply significant for science, show him as a truly great scientist who is popular all over the world.