Home – Home – Jornals – "Philosophy of Education" 2016 number 1

The author of the article notes that presently, in connection with the introduction of distant education in domestic higher education institutions, a necessity has appeared of widespread usage of standardized testing. Tests, together with some advantages (assessment of erudition, the ability to update the knowledge, training of mechanical memory, etc.), have significant shortcomings: formal and not always information-essential and significant questions or tasks and formalized variants of answers that do not touch the essence of the question (task), are weakly connected with its content and reflect only the formal side of it. In addition, according to the author, the main danger of using such variants is «guessing» of the correct answers or their selection by eliminating absurd or random variants. These tests do not focus on the development of cognitive abilities of pupils and simultaneous complementary implementation of element-wise and operation-wise analysis and control of knowledge and skills, multiplying its didactic function. According to the author, the right combination of questions and possible responses to them, which go beyond the topic (including the applied-type questions), allows using programmed exercises to make the contents of control tests meet the challenges of the thinking development. The programmed response options constitute a system of «reference points», which are outlined in the preparation of a task and through which the student’s thinking moves. Such variants of answers determined a program of their mental activity. The programmed variants of answers define the boundaries of the area of mental actions, point to objects or certain aspects of the same object, on which the thought should be focused, set the direction and sequence of transition of thought from one object to another in the initial phase, promote the penetration of thought into the essence of the object (into the concept of it). The article highlights the general requirements for the preparation of programmed exercises, their questions and answers. An example of programmed exercise is given, devoted to the problematic study, develop and control of the mastering by future social workers, teachers and methodologists of an integrative concept of professional-pedagogical thinking.