The branch of psychology, which studies the laws of the process of acquiring social experience by a person in specially organized learning conditions, is called "Pedagogical Psychology". From this area, the concept of “educational activity” is associatively distinguished, which is the basis of educational psychology. The concept of “educational activity” even among competent people is treated differently, sometimes it is associated with concepts such as teaching or learning.
You can consider this concept according to DB Elkonin, who believed that “educational activity is an activity that has the content to master generalized methods of action in the field of scientific concepts ... such activity should be prompted by adequate motives. They can be ... motives for the acquisition of generalized methods of action, or more simply, motives, own growth, personal improvement ”[238, p. 245]. In some cases, educational psychology considers educational activity as a certain specific mode of activity. It is always aimed at the subject and involves his self-development, improvement and the formation of his personality thanks to useful and informative pedagogical activity.
Pedagogical psychology distinguishes several basic principles of educational activity, which significantly distinguishes it from other types of training.
- It is specifically aimed at solving educational problems and mastering the material.
- In this teaching, general scientific concepts and principles of action are mastered.
- Joint methods of action (in contrast to worldly methods) anticipate the solution of complex life problems.
- Learning activities lead to a change in the personality characteristics of a person.
- Subsequently, this whole complex leads to a change in the mental properties and social behavior of the student, depending on the results of his own active actions.
The main product of educational activity, educational psychology considers structured knowledge, which underlies the solution of complex scientific and practical problems. Learning activities consist of concepts such as motivation, learning tasks in the most diverse form, learning activities, assessment, passing into self-esteem and control, turning into self-control. Motivation, as the most basic component of training, is included in the structure of any educational activity, it can be both internal and external in relation to the type of activity, but it always remains internal in relation to the personality of the student.
The educational task is offered to the student in the form of a specific task in a specific situation. This aspect is very important for the student, because it is at this moment that he has the opportunity to discover something new and unknown. To do this, he will need certain efforts and contact with the subject, and the result will indicate the goal. Pedagogical psychology explains that the main difference between the educational task and all the others is that its final result is to change the person himself, as a person, and not the objects with which he interacts.
Developmental and educational psychology has special requirements for educational tasks.
- First of all, the task should be part of a complex system, and its usefulness is evaluated in the general totality of the entire system.
- When creating a task, one must strive to ensure that it not only fulfills the immediate educational goals, but also strives for the implementation of more distant ones.
- Educational tasks should help in the development of the educational system, and help the correct implementation of educational activities.
- The educational task should be presented in such a way that the corresponding means of activity act as a direct product of training.
Proceeding from this, one should not underestimate the influence of educational tasks on the entire process of educational activity, especially since the psychology and pedagogy of higher education and middle management clearly confirms this.