Change for generations: children's camps will start working according to a single educational program

Educational work in children's camps in Russia will be carried out according to a single federal program. This approach will help to form a well-rounded youth, experts are sure. However, institutions will need to find the right balance between the need to comply with uniform requirements and the ability to implement their unique ideas in education and upbringing. How the work of children's camps will change is in the Izvestia article.

What do they want to teach in children's camps

A unified educational program will be introduced in Russian children's camps. This approach was approved by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. The document includes a program and a calendar plan.

It is reported that the new standard is aimed at strengthening traditional values such as respect for human life and dignity, patriotism, civic responsibility, loyalty to the Motherland and a strong family.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Timkiv

The program consists of several mandatory blocks — "World", "Russia", "Man". Events include project development, research, watching science films, meeting with Russian Heroes, and sporting events. Among the directions is also the creation of conditions for the physical and psychological safety of the child, including the prevention of bullying.

The document also includes measures to promote a healthy lifestyle, give up bad habits and protect teenagers from the influence of dangerous groups.

The program takes into account the age and psychology of children. It is planned to create conditions for younger students where they will be able to master the basic rules of behavior and traditions. The main goal is to develop an understanding of civic, moral and cultural values, as well as a sense of belonging to a family and a team.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Timkiv

For children of secondary school age, the main task will be to teach independence and awareness of civic responsibilities. The program should help high school students choose their life path and profession.

The editorial board of Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. No response has been received at the time of publication.

A single standard

Igor Zhuravlev, director of the All—Russian Smena Children's Center, is confident that the decision of the Ministry of Education is a step forward in educating the younger generation. The new program will help to establish uniform approaches to work in all children's camps in the country.

— This is especially important on the eve of the summer campaign, when thousands of children from different regions of the country will take part in camps on the Black Sea coast, — the interlocutor of Izvestia is sure.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Timkiv

The program provides a large block of methodological materials that will facilitate the work of counselors and help them improve the quality of the events they create, says Alexander Jeus, director of the All-Russian Children's Center "Eaglet".

At the same time, children's recreation will become more useful and meaningful, since they will not only be able to have a pleasant time, but also learn new knowledge and skills, participate in scientific research, engage in project activities and develop their creative abilities, Igor Zhuravlev adds.

Preservation of identity

The federal program may affect everyone involved in children's recreation, including urban camps, field programs for additional education, tourist and tent camps, Andrei Bereznikov, chairman of the association of program camps, listed.

At the same time, there are now unique pedagogical practices of child development in the regions that are worthy of replication, Andrei Danilkov, Chairman of the Board of the Children's Camps Development Fund, is convinced. They cover local history, ecology, creativity, professional orientation, IT technologies, robotics, etc.

— A reversal in the direction of several priority areas in education may lead to the fact that all the others will be missed. Camps may lose their "identity" and uniqueness, and this is how Russian camp pedagogy differs from other global models of children's recreation, the expert warns.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Timkiv

Today's variety of educational programs allows children to choose a suitable camp and activity according to their interests, says Danilkov.

Variability is the key to the survival of any system, confirms Andrey Bereznikov. In order to fully realize the values embedded in the program, teachers will need a large number of indirect forms and methods of work.

— The methods outlined in the unified program are straightforward and proposed for implementation as mandatory. Their distribution in children's organizations can cause the opposite effect — formally, they will be performed by the organizers of the recreation, but they can cause children to reject or follow weak—willed without comprehension, warns the Izvestia interlocutor.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Timkiv

According to the expert, common standards are needed to ensure safety (both physical and psychological), transfer the values of modern Russia and the successful adaptation of children and adolescents in society. The forms of work, the specific content of the programs and the topics of the camp shifts can and should vary, Andrei Bereznikov is sure.

Therefore, one of the tasks of the camp management will be to find the right balance between the need to comply with uniform standards and the opportunity to implement their unique ideas, Igor Zhuravlev believes.

Rebuilding the system

There should be no global difficulties with the implementation of the program in the work of teachers, Alexander Jeus is sure. According to him, the Orlyonka counselors who participated in the development of the program noted that it does not limit teachers in creativity and the choice of methods of working with children, "but sets guidelines that will help form a community of creators who can make the world around them a better place."

However, some issues related to the implementation of uniform standards still remain, Andrey Bereznikov clarifies. It is not entirely clear, for example, who will control the execution of this order and how it is possible to fit the existing invariant points into one shift, given that the camps have their own program, usually scheduled by day and minute.

— It seems that if all the activities listed in the invariant blocks of the unified program are carried out, there will be no time left for the variable component during the shift at the children's camp. But this is a program that parents choose for their children by purchasing a ticket," the expert reminds.

Camps may need additional resources to "rewire" the focus and content of programs that are already being worked on, Andrei Danilkov notes.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Max Vetrov

— It is difficult to "sew" two or three additional mandatory directions into your program, especially if the shift lasts only 10-12 days, - the interlocutor of Izvestia is convinced.

In addition, problems may arise related to compliance with the mandatory rituals prescribed in the standard, warns Bereznikov.

"The most important thing is not to raise children who formally perform the necessary ritual, but who are indifferent or negative about it in their hearts," he urges.

Nevertheless, serious difficulties in implementing the program may arise only in camps that have never worked with children through meanings and values, the expert believes.

In general, it is premature to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the program at the moment. To do this, it is necessary to work out at least one summer camp in the mode of new requirements, summarizes Danilkov.