The voice of history: why is Russia introducing a new oral exam for ninth graders
Russian schoolchildren will start taking an oral history exam. It will become mandatory for admission to the state final attestation (GIA). Experts consider this approach to be a rejection of the trend towards simplifying the educational process. It will allow you to effectively combat the "training" for tests, helping to develop communication skills and the ability to analyze the causes of events. Whether the addition of a second oral exam will increase the burden on teachers and schoolchildren is discussed in the Izvestia article.
Historical memory
In Russia, schoolchildren will be required to take an oral history exam for admission to the GIA. This was announced at a meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission on Historical Education by the head of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation Sergey Kravtsov.
"It has been decided to introduce an oral history exam for grades 9 before the main state exam. This is a single oral exam for all students," the minister explained.
He recalled that students taking the Unified State Exam (USE) are currently writing a historical essay. The appearance of an oral exam in this subject for ninth graders will be part of a general test of knowledge of the material.
Kravtsov noted that the new form of certification will not be introduced in the next academic year, which will allow teachers and students to prepare for the exam.
By the way, 9th grade students are already undergoing an oral interview for admission to the OGE. They are taking the Russian language.
Rosobrnadzor commented on the decision of the Ministry of Education and Science, expressing its readiness to implement decisions related to changing the admission procedure to the GIA.
"We certainly support the introduction of such an exam, understanding its importance and significance. We believe that the introduction of the oral exam format into the state final assessment system will improve the quality of history studies in schools and make history lessons more meaningful," said Anzor Muzaev, head of the Federal Service.
In the near future, the preparation of models and tasks for the interview will begin. This work will be carried out by the Federal Institute of Pedagogical Measurements, subordinate to Rosobrnadzor. Preliminary testing of the exam in the Russian regions and a wide public discussion are planned.
At the same time, there are also thoughts in the professional community that it is possible to make in-depth study for 11th grade graduates. For this purpose, in particular, it is possible to introduce the mandatory passing of the Unified State Exam in this discipline. This opinion was expressed by the former Minister of Education of Russia, President of the RUDN University Vladimir Filippov, who is one of the creators of the Unified State Exam. He stated that knowledge of the history and culture of his country can be considered one of the backbone competencies of citizens of any state.
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.
Emphasis on depth
First of all, the oral format of the exam is an opportunity to assess how a child thinks, says Alexander Tolmachev, Deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Youth Policy. The answers to the questions in this form involve reasoning rather than a simple enumeration of facts and terms.
— And history is a subject that is aimed not only at remembering certain events, but also at analyzing the processes that led to their appearance, — says the parliamentarian.
Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, founder of the online school "Intellect Academy" Inessa Vasilyeva also positively perceives the return to the oral format. She recalls that in the past, students have taken several oral exams, not only in the humanities, but also in natural sciences.
"At the same time, universities also had internal oral exams, where applicants could always prove what they meant by a particular statement," the Izvestia interlocutor clarifies.
Tolmachev sees the main goal of the new approach as honing the skills of reasoning and public speaking. However, it can also help with "training" for tests, because of which the student does not have real deep knowledge, he points out.
The introduction of an oral history exam is really aimed at testing the ability to think, and not just memorize facts, confirms Vasilyeva. This gives priority to live communication and understanding of cause-and-effect relationships.
— The oral format will allow you to test the real understanding of the subject, the ability to build arguments and think logically, which is difficult to achieve with tests. The purpose of the exam is to move from dry factology to a deep knowledge of history and to form a historical consciousness," the expert emphasizes.
She considers this approach to be the opposite of "coaching" for the exam, which she had previously encountered, since it is impossible to pass such an assessment by simply memorizing the answers.
— The student needs to formulate thoughts, discuss, answer additional questions. Standard tests are not so effective in this case," the teacher clarifies.
The introduction of a new mandatory stage for admission to the state final certification can be called a rejection of the trend towards simplifying the educational process, agrees Irina Abankina, professor at the HSE Institute of Education. At the same time, the oral history exam will become part of the school's responsibility for forming a civic position after graduation, she expects.
— Now, with the transfer of social studies to the high school curriculum, the main education at school is focused on history. And in combination with the educational programs that every school has, successful passing of the oral exam will also be the result of educational work," explains the interlocutor of Izvestia.
Time to adapt
In the new conditions, schools will definitely strive to additionally prepare students for the exam, Irina Abankina believes. And the burden on teachers in such a situation will increase, she does not exclude.
"This is a real teaching activity, which is measured in academic hours, since the exam still requires a lot of time," the expert points out.
The new format will require a review of work programs, warns Inessa Vasilyeva. Regular history lessons, in her opinion, may not be enough, as part of the study of the subject, special classes on the development of oral speech and argumentation will be needed.
The burden on schoolchildren will also increase, Abankina expects. However, there will still be more advantages from this approach.
— Yes, this will increase the burden on teachers and schoolchildren, but it will give an idea of how seriously and profoundly history lessons are conducted, what results they can achieve and how this correlates with the educational programs available at school, — says the interlocutor of Izvestia.
In turn, Alexander Tolmachev does not believe that adding a second interview for admission to the GIA will negatively affect the workload of schoolchildren. According to the parliamentarian, exams usually taken orally require less preparation time.
— Unless, of course, we are talking about simple cramming. But it is ineffective and meaningless over a long distance. It is much more important to learn to understand, not just to memorize," the deputy clarifies.
At the same time, at first, the number of those who will not receive admission to the GIA may grow due to an unformed habit of the new format, admits Vasilyeva. Long-term preparation for the exam is designed to minimize this risk.
The risk that some students will not be able to graduate from the 9th grade does exist, does not exclude an Abankin. But in the long run, this approach will give a good result.
— After all, it is important not just to graduate students, but to prepare enough adults, responsible citizens who can demonstrate civic maturity based on knowledge of the history of the peoples of our country, — the interlocutor of Izvestia is convinced.
In turn, Tolmachev recalls that even now the school curriculum is aimed at developing skills both for effective memorization of material and for oral presentation involving reasoning. In this regard, the parliamentarian does not expect a significant increase in the percentage of those who will not be able to receive basic general education.
Another existing risk of switching to an oral exam format is the possibility of a subjective assessment, warns Abankina. But this should not be a serious problem, because for admission to the GIA, it is not so much the assessment that is important, as the fact of successful completion.
At the same time, it is extremely important that teachers can create a calm and friendly environment during the exam, Vasilyeva adds. Otherwise, students who are not yet used to this format may experience additional stress.
— The introduction of a new oral exam is a long—term investment in the quality of education. However, it requires serious methodological preparation and consideration of the transition period," the teacher emphasizes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
