The pedagogy of cooperation as a scientific direction with its theses and principles took shape thanks to Soviet teachers in the perestroika 1980s, but the ideas of respect and interaction on an equal footing propagated by its founders sounded at different times from different thinkers and public figures, including Zh.Zh. Russo, Janusz Korczak, K.D. Ushinsky and many others.
And yet, the concept of cooperation, which was proposed by Simon L. Soloveichik with his like-minded people, is much broader than the joint activity of a teacher and a student. Pedagogical cooperation within the school should be carried out at all levels, including at the level of teacher-teacher and teacher-parents. After all, the educational process cannot be carried out without the influence of the entire school system and the participation of parents, whose style of education can be completely different.
The pedagogy of cooperation considered its main position the attitude to the student as an equal, free person. Her followers said that education, like training, should not be based on the unilateral action of the teacher on the student. Simon Soloveichik was able to unite innovative teachers who hold different views on learning, but who are united in the idea that Soviet pedagogy needs to be humanized. Among his followers, together with whom in the "Teacher's Newspaper" in 1986 the theses of a new scientific and practical direction were published, were Sh.A. Amogashvili, S.N. Lysenkova, B.P. and L.A. Nikitins, V.F. Shatalov and others.
So, what are the basic principles of pedagogy of cooperation? It:
- the principle of advancing, focusing on the zone of proximal development;
- the principle of cooperation between the teacher and students;
- lack of coercion in educational and extracurricular activities;
- organization of material into blocks;
- the use of keywords and supporting abstracts, etc.
Teachers working in this direction have proposed a number of methods that can significantly reduce the time required to master the previous volume of material, while maintaining the interest and motivation of the student. This was facilitated by the verbal-graphic form of presentation of the material, and an alternative approach to the assessment system, and attention to the creative abilities of the child.
To which school subjects and levels of instruction is pedagogy of cooperation applicable? The founders of this area developed their methods for both elementary school and middle management. Originally proposed by F.V. Shatalov and other educators supported the synopsis for studying the exact sciences, but later there was an experience in creating and using such supports in teaching humanitarian and social disciplines.
The pedagogy of cooperation has been repeatedly criticized for unnecessarily “indulging” students and leaving them to ourselves, which makes it difficult to study in a secondary school. This stems from the excessive, according to critics, idealization of the nature of the child. In addition, the implementation of the principles of pedagogical cooperation requires a teacher of special qualifications and cannot be carried out by him alone. This requires the participation of management, as well as the presence of a team of like-minded people.
Summing up, we can say that it was the innovative teachers of the 1980s that gave a new impetus to the development of pedagogical thought, and methods based on their ideas continue to be developed and implemented today both in schools and in educational institutions of the next steps. Moreover, the formulated principles of cooperation today for many become the norm in the organization of the educational process, regardless of their relationship to this area of pedagogical science.