Why are labor lessons needed at school? Labor lesson in elementary school.

If for another ten years not a single school could do without a labor lesson, today many consider this subject to be “morally obsolete.” Is this so, and do modern schoolchildren need such classes?

So, according to their views on the existing education system, parents were divided into two groups. The first group includes those people who believe that labor lessons will not teach their children anything useful, so it is best to devote this study time to another lesson, for example, an English lesson, mathematics, computer science or even economics. But another group of parents are sure that “you can’t pull a fish out of the pond without difficulty,” that is, such lessons are not only useful, but also educational for schoolchildren of all ages. That is, the child learns to work, show his thinking and ingenuity, and also realize himself in yet another area of ​​life. To understand for yourself whether labor lessons are needed at school, it is worth remembering what girls and boys do during them.

As I remember from the school curriculum, girls in such classes sew a skirt and apron, knit booties and socks, cross-stitch and satin stitch, and also learn the basics of cooking. In addition, they prepare a sweet table with their own hands, and then invite classmates to a friendly tea party. In general, this is very interesting, but the main thing is that young ladies not only get a lot of positive feedback from the work done, but also learn new knowledge that will definitely be useful to them in their future life and motherhood.

As for boys, they always find something exciting to do, such as working with wood, making crafts and souvenirs, basic carpentry and minor home repairs. Every boy always remembers how he made an original flower vase from a tin can, a flowerpot from old records, and a real kitchen stool with his own hands.

There are a lot of impressions, but the main thing is that such a future man will at least be able to hammer a nail in his house, and this, as we know, is not so little. Having studied all these school memories, many parents come to the conclusion that labor lessons are still educational for every student, be it a boy or a girl. But, nevertheless, each person must choose for himself what he wants to do in the future - physical and intellectual activities, but it was precisely these lessons that helped him set his life priorities and try himself in every activity.

The most surprising thing is that today physical labor has given way to intellectual labor, and the once exciting labor lessons have now been replaced by a new subject “technology”. This innovation places an emphasis on introducing the child to the computer, as well as gaining basic skills in work. Of course, we live in a world of scientific progress, but this is not a reason to forget about past equally entertaining activities at school. In order to finally decide whether it is worth studying a subject such as “labor” at school, we recommend carefully studying all its advantages and disadvantages, and drawing appropriate conclusions based on the information received. Of course, few people care about the opinions of children in school. However, this is a fundamentally wrong approach, because a child, being a full-fledged person, can independently make his own choice.

So, among the significant advantages, it is necessary to remember that work allows children to escape at least a little from the school curriculum and relax mentally, because, as you know, memorizing rules, solving examples and equations, as well as reading large texts simply exhaust the child’s psyche, requiring at least a short pause . In addition, work contributes to the development of imagination, abstract thinking and memory, and also allows you to get better at a certain activity and gain valuable skills in life. This subject significantly raises the spirit of collectivism and unites the class morally, because it is so interesting to work together and provide each other with unbearable help.

It is also worth remembering that such lessons are always noisy and fun, and this is not surprising, because every student simply offers numerous ideas, showing imagination and ingenuity. In addition, students develop a love and affection for work, and this will certainly come in handy in life. Many attentive mothers notice that their child is a creative person who strives to make unique things with their own hands, and, as you know, such potential is revealed by labor lessons at school. Among the benefits, it is also worth highlighting learning something new, and such a unique experience allows the child to grow above himself, realizing himself in new areas of life. So it’s simply impossible to overestimate the benefits of labor, although again, not all healers think so.

As for the shortcomings of the so-called “labor education”, there is no need to deny that they really exist. Firstly, today there are no longer those qualified specialists who instilled in children a love of work. Now such teachers only turn children away from this subject, resulting in bad behavior and regular absenteeism, which leads to satisfactory grades. Secondly, the program proposed by the teacher is not always interesting for children, especially if classes for girls and boys are combined and, due to the lack of proper premises, are held in the same class. Thirdly, there is a lack of equipment necessary for lessons, and children have enough theory in other lessons. This is where all the disadvantages of work end, but the advantages of such activities are definitely still much greater.

If we face the truth, we can safely say that conducting labor lessons is not economically profitable. the fact is that all the equipment used has either simply broken down due to the expiration of its service life, or is obsolete for children living in the era of nanotechnology. As a rule, schools do not have sufficient funding to purchase new machines, instruments and mini-workshops, so they have to save money and replace labor lessons with technology. Parents, as a rule, do not interfere with such innovations, since they are sincerely glad that their offspring has the opportunity to additionally engage in mental work, mastering the use of a computer.

Today, a huge number of schools have abandoned labor lessons, sincerely believing that such classes are just a waste of children's time and nothing more. There are many reasons for such a refusal, for example, in private schools this is the initiative of parents who want the emphasis in their children’s education to be on mental development. As for educational schools, the meager budget itself dictates its own rules, because it is clear that the maintenance of machines, the cost of purchasing materials, and even the teacher’s salary are all expenses that not every school can handle. Also, many principals are afraid that the inexperience of schoolchildren can lead to increased injuries, and such a reputation is certainly of no use to any school.

There are not many parents who would try to return the labor development of their children to schools, since this requires money and free premises. Of course, such questions are raised more than once at parent-teacher meetings, but things do not go beyond loud statements and eloquent slogans. Often the director transfers the initiative to the parents' committee, however, even on a voluntary basis it is also not possible to return labor to the school. If previously children were very upset by the lack of such lessons, today it is a joy for them, because they can skip class or engage in a more interesting activity.

One way or another, there must be labor lessons in elementary school. Why? The fact is that physical activity trains fine motor skills of the fingers, and, as you know, it is these parts of the body that transmit signals to the brain, that is, by attending such lessons, the child develops and grows above himself. That is why many parents, sending their child to first grade, are keenly interested in whether the chosen school offers labor lessons that are valuable for children’s development. If there are any, then there is no doubt that they will certainly interest the not yet spoiled schoolchild who strives for new knowledge.

What value do primary school students gain from labor lessons at school? Firstly, they solve developmental tasks that can train technical and visual-figurative thinking, independence, creativity, spatial imagination, memory and even speech of the child. Secondly, there are didactic tasks that teach how to work with reference literature and the instructions attached to a particular product. Thirdly, educational tasks teach you to be neat, thrifty and tidy, which may also come in handy more than once in the future. Solving such tasks at each lesson shapes the personality, so no harm will come to the child from a labor lesson.

Every parent must understand that a child must grow up fully developed in order to be able to adapt in time to all life situations. This is not so little, because mom and dad will not always be nearby, and one day you will still have to enter adulthood with all its surprises and surprises. However, one way or another, the choice remains with the adults, because only they can decide which school to send their child to.

Labor lessons today are not available in every school, therefore, when enrolling your child in the first grade, it is worth asking the director whether the school curriculum provides labor education lessons.

Each person has the opportunity to choose what he will do, physical or intellectual work. Some are very good at mathematics and physics, others are unable to do these subjects, but they have something different, creative, they have “golden hands” that also need to be developed. Previously, at school there were labor lessons, not like now. And the supply was at the level and the time was different.

Many still remember labor lessons at school positively, while others do not. Agree, a lot depends on what kind of teacher. And this applies to all items without exception. Personally, I have almost nothing to remember about my labor lessons. I vaguely remember how they did something. But I was a creative student, I went to a class then, I even remember making a steam engine. But I didn’t have a mentor who would root for this and help me. Therefore, I had to develop somehow myself. Nowadays, modern students have completely different interests and hobbies, but this does not mean that there are no creative boys who invent something and love to make things with their own hands. There are many of them, you can believe me.

Now let’s speculate a little - is there any benefit from labor lessons or not, and why should or should not this subject be taught at school? Many say that this item has already become obsolete. A few more years and work in school as an academic subject may not exist at all. Who needs to hammer nails and use a plane now? Who needs to saw and file? At home, fix something, nail a shelf, or assemble the furniture yourself. What for? Call a special person and he will do everything for money! Let these hours be used for other, more important items. After all, everyone knows what labor lessons in school have become at the present stage. There are no qualified teachers; most of them are not specialists, usually as an additional load. The workshops are in disrepair: no material, no tools, no machines, no visibility! Nothing! So why do we need such an item that causes nothing but problems?! Opinions differ, as always. It turns out that there are advantages that indicate the need for this subject to be present in the school curriculum. But there are also disadvantages. Let's figure it out with you what is actually more. Nobody asks children what they want to learn, but this is important. You will conduct a survey in any school class on the topic “what subjects are needed in a modern school.” The results will be very interesting. So let’s try to sort out with you the pros and cons of having labor lessons at school.

Advantages of a labor lesson:

- Allows children to take a break from other subjects that tire them mentally;

— Promotes the emergence of certain skills and abilities necessary in adult life;

— Unites children and teaches them to work in a team;

— Develops love for work and respect for working people;

— Allows you to relax and feel like a creator;

— Develops the child’s creative nature;

- Teaches something new;

Develops brain and muscle motor skills;

And much more…

Disadvantages of labor lessons:

Not all teachers teach this subject well enough, which is why children begin to hate labor lessons;

The program is not very interesting for children, there is little modern in it;

Children can be injured if safety precautions are not followed;

And a couple more, as Sharikov said.

In fact, there are also pros and cons if you look for them. The main reason why you can remove labor lessons is saving. If you don’t need to buy special equipment and materials, or pay a teacher’s salary, this allows you to save money. Parents are not very indignant about the lack of labor lessons, but all mothers and fathers want their children to develop mentally and get a good job in the future. But in fact, many people forget that physical labor only contributes to mental work, improving its results. Physical work helps fight mental fatigue and “retardation.”

Labor also allows you to determine the difference between mental and physical labor, as well as connect and compare them. This will allow children to better decide what they want to achieve in life, whether to work with their hands or with their heads. And, of course, work develops skills that allow you to develop in all aspects. Thus, work at school is an excellent preparatory stage for life, for who you have to be and what you have to face. Labor should be present in school, since its benefits are obvious to everyone.

So is work needed at school?

The young speaker spoke,
He talked about work.
He argued from the podium:
- Labor is needed always, everywhere!
The school tells us to work,
The squad teaches this...
- Pick up the papers from the floor!
One of the guys shouted.
But here the speaker winces:
- There is a cleaning lady for that!
A. Barto

Rarely is an appointee greeted by the people with such enthusiasm as the new Minister of Education Olga Vasilyeva. No one really knows anything about her, but the expectations are the most optimistic.

There is something Shchedrin-esque about this. Remember: “The best citizens gathered in front of the cathedral bell tower and, forming a nationwide assembly, shook the air with exclamations: our father! our handsome guy! our clever girl!.. The residents rejoiced; Even before they had even laid eyes on the newly appointed ruler, they were already telling jokes about him and calling him “handsome” and “clever.” However, in our case, enthusiasm is understandable and forgivable: Vasilyeva’s predecessors did a lot of trouble, so it seems to the people that things can’t get any worse, which means it will be better.

Today's new is not the completely forgotten old. Soviet. The school is again trying to become a place where they educate, and not just provide “educational services” - like diving courses or beading.

This is good and correct, but in this matter, as they say, the horse was not lying down. There is no official ideology as there never was. Who are friends and who are enemies, who are heroes and who are villains, what is respected and what is despicable is not clearly indicated. The Constitution still prohibits official ideology. And without it, everything is unsteady and incorrect, everything falls apart and all that remains is only gelatinous pluralism with tolerance in addition.

It is impossible to educate without ideology. Impossible. I'm not even talking about methodological developments - that's a matter for later. First of all, I’m talking about general principles.

It seems that there are plans to revive labor lessons at school. Work is indeed the basis of education. Respect for work and your own work.

The progressives immediately began to mutter. Some of the listeners who called Ekho Moskvy scoffed: if they teach you how to sew, it will come in handy in prison. Someone mockingly recalls how completely useless aprons were sewn.

Today, labor - simple, physical, which forms the basis of life - is not respected. Household mainstream philosophy is the life perception of a pretty maid who dreams of becoming a kept woman for a master and finally quitting working forever and starting chasing people just like you were yesterday. One girl I knew, who married a well-paid Moscow yuppie, spoke with contemptuous sympathy about her servant: “She had such a hard life that she can do everything: sew, cook, and clean.”

At the school in our village there is - formally - the subject "gardening". So they manage to study it... theoretically, in the classroom. And hired “Tajiks” look after the garden. At the same time, many children live in houses with plots. But you can also understand the teachers: well, if they impale each other with pitchforks or break each other’s skulls with a shovel, they will have to answer. And finding a teacher who actually knows how to work in the garden, not just from a book, is not an easy task.

The modern urban public has a downright ancient view of work: it is the work of slaves. “Well, there are all sorts of Tajiks, Moldovans, whatever they are also called - I confuse them.” Real life for the advanced crowd that shapes morals is life without work. The ideal is a person who can’t do anything, because he can hire, order, buy. By this he distances himself from the “cattle”.

It was Leo Tolstoy who plowed the land and mowed the grass, it was Churchill who worked in the garden and laid bricks on the estate with his own hands. They did not need to distance themselves from the “cattle” and prove their “difficulty” - they were already “counts”, not office yuppies.

Oh, and it will be difficult to organize labor lessons in the current atmosphere... It is difficult, but necessary.

What to teach? Yes to any craft. It’s not worth worrying too much about making sure it will come in handy in life. Quadratic equations are also not found in life, and spelling is now mostly checked by computer, but they teach it. For what? Forms thinking - you say? This is how handwork shapes it even more! Man became a man when he began to make tools and develop his hand. Today, advanced mothers do so-called “finger gymnastics” with their babies - it is believed that this promotes brain development. That's right, it helps. And sewing, embroidery, working with a hammer and soldering iron contributes even more. In my generation, all the girls sewed for dolls. I remember I created a whole wardrobe for a small doll the size of a palm. This is careful, painstaking work that requires skill. She quietly developed those same fine motor skills that are taught in school preparation courses.

At school we sewed - not only an apron, but also various other things, and in the 8th grade we even had a “calico ball”, to which all the girls showed up in their own sewn calico dresses. These were very beautiful and very cheap dresses in the style of Cinderella at the ball. Knowing how to sew is generally very profitable: just compare the price of the fabric and the finished product. And it’s very educational: figuring out a pattern (not to mention creating your own), laying it out on fabric so that it comes out economically - all this is mental work.

In general, any craft work is mental, and therefore developmental. Not every man today will put together a birdhouse: he simply does not know how to approach it. Labor lessons, no matter what you do, teach you not to be afraid of physical reality. You can do anything: repairs, making benches, painting old furniture (a very entertaining activity) - in a word, everything that a teacher can do well. We need to look for craftsmen and bring them to work. Then things will work out.

Look, someone will stop wanting to enroll in an ecological-linguistic university and get down to business. This is education.

I have three questions for community members. For those who want to leave their answers, I ask you to first look at the comments that are posted at the end of this post.

1. Please remember your time at school and tell me how much the labor lessons that you attended in those days were useful to you in your life (both professional and everyday). At the same time, it would be interesting to understand, if we talk about basic everyday things (cooking, sewing for girls, sawing, planing, etc. for boys), to whom do you consider yourself to be more indebted for the skills that you acquired by the time you grew up? : for school lessons or for parents?
2. Can you say how useful (from your point of view) labor lessons are for your children in a modern school? Do your children acquire any skills at school that make their PRESENT life in your family easier?
3. If you consider it reasonable to take such an approach to conducting labor lessons, in which children acquire REAL SKILLS that will be useful to them after they begin an independent life in their new young family (however, before, too, while they are still living " under your wing"), please share your knowledge about those schools where this experience, in your opinion, is actually put into practice.

And now - a few of my own comments.
I want to explain where the legs “grow” from. The fact is that I work for a publishing company that produces products aimed at school administrators. And working with me are people who were (or still are) directors or head teachers of schools. Yesterday, quite by chance, we had a conversation on this topic, and I, as a young father and as an active participant in all kinds of actions that fall to the share of parent committees, asked my colleagues a question about the extent to which the education of children is carried out in the schools in which they work. work is close to real practice. We had a rather interesting and meaningful conversation. For my part, I was primarily interested in whether boys are taught to work with a drill, saw, plan, sharpen, lay tiles, glue wallpaper, etc. In addition, I was interested in the question of whether labor lessons in their schools were somehow connected with the solution of some economic problems that arise in the school and require some kind of repair action. That is, for example, if a certain classroom needs renovation, is this situation used to demonstrate to children in practice the technologies that are used in the renovation of premises, perhaps while giving them PRACTICAL LESSONS. After all, this kills two birds with one stone: the children learn something, and the school saves money on repairs by solving some of the problems using its internal reserves. Or suddenly, in some toilet, the boys gouged a sink or toilet (this, for example, happened at the school where my girls study), and then at a labor lesson you can demonstrate to some class how to install a new sink, how to connect plumbing, etc. .P. This develops responsibility and a more careful attitude towards what is available at school. And in general, the school then gradually turns into a second home..
The main disadvantages of this approach, which my colleagues immediately told me about, are two things (actually interrelated). The first is the attitude of parents towards such events. Negative attitude. Because many parents will think that their children are simply being used. And in this case, I understand that all kinds of carrying heavy objects, cleaning rooms and other similar work can really strain many parents, especially when their child is plowing, and his desk neighbor does not want to do this. But I hope you understand that this is a different situation. The second problem is that now the school administration must be extremely careful in these types of situations. In the case of such a non-standard event, such as, for example, the participation of children of a certain class, say, in painting walls, they are obliged to conduct a bunch of instructions, obtain parental consent in writing and take a lot of other paperwork steps. And it's so complicated that hiring a painter is much cheaper.
Our conversation yesterday stuck in my head so much that this post was formed as a result. And now, to be honest, I would like, having received some critical mass of your comments, to formulate some parallel questions for the LiveJournal community director_shkoly where current education administrators sometimes “graze” to find out what difficulties are involved in overcoming such a “tilt” in labor teaching.

By the way, I know for sure that in less formalized schools, in rural areas, everything I wrote about is often natural and familiar. And moreover, sometimes such a joint school-home economics turns out to be a condition for the survival of the school with the level of funding that it has. And the relationships there between students and teachers are more sincere...

Thanks in advance to everyone who responds!

Subject:“Penguins on an Ice Floe” – origami.

Goals:

• Introduce the new model (penguin figurine) and the stages of production;
• Introduce new terms;
• Develop spatial imagination - the ability to read drawings, the ability to follow oral instructions;
• Development of memory and attention in the process of making a model;
• Development of creative imagination, fantasy, sense of taste when creating a composition;
• Repeat the rules for working with scissors and glue
• To instill in children a sense of accuracy and thrift while doing work
• Development of students' horizons

Material to complete the work:

• Colored cardboard
• Colored paper
• PVA glue

Lesson equipment:

• Sample work
• Schemes of model execution stages
• Tables with terms
• Antarctica map
• A fragment of the Reader's Digest film "Symphony of Life" (penguins) or a fragment of the film of the video encyclopedia for public education "Biology-3" (penguins)

DURING THE CLASSES

1. Organizational moment

2. Communicate the topic and purpose of the lesson

– Today in the lesson we will design from paper and create a composition. Designing from paper or origami is an amazing transformation of a square (a sign with the term is hung on the board).
Using origami-type design, you can make many toys, jewelry, beautiful panels, and various compositions. Of course, the creators of paper figurines took their models from nature. So we will turn to nature and go on a trip to Antarctica.
You guys know that a globe is a small model of the Earth. Look, the top of the globe is painted white and the bottom too. This is not without reason, as two opposite regions of the Earth are indicated on the globe. The northernmost is the Arctic and the southernmost is Antarctica.
Antarctica is a huge white country - a land encased in an icy shell - a huge continent. The depths of Antarctica store minerals: iron ore, diamonds, coal. Living and working in Antarctica is not easy. You won't find a colder place in the whole world. Even in summer it's 50 below zero here. And there’s nothing to say about winter for 90 years.
In the depths of the harsh Antarctica you will not find any animal or bird. All its inhabitants stay close to the shore. It’s warmer here, and it’s easier to get food in the sea. Antarctica is inhabited by seals, sea lions, elephant seals, whales, birds, and a lot of fish.
So, let’s go, and the Seven-Flowered Flower from V. Kataev’s fairy tale will help us with this:

Fly, fly, petal,
Through West to East
Through the North, through the South
Come back after making a circle.
As soon as you touch the ground -
Be, in my opinion, led...
Order that we end up in Antarctica!

We return to class. Video showing.

Questions after viewing

– Who met us in Antarctica? (Penguins.)

– What kind of penguins are they? (Penguins are ancient birds. Currently, there are 16 - 18 species of these interesting inhabitants of Antarctica. Birds cannot fly, because instead of wings they have paws-flippers that help them swim. Penguins are excellent divers. Thousands of thin feathers and subcutaneous fat helps them withstand such frosts.)

3. Sample design analysis

We will make an applique like this to commemorate our journey. (Show)

It will be somewhat unusual; its main characters will be made using the origami method.

- Let's see how many parts the penguin figurine is made of? (Alone.)

– What shape do you think the piece had before it was folded? (Square.)

-What kind of square figure is this? (Properties of a square.)

– I took a 10 cm square, but if I take a larger square, will it turn out to be such a penguin? (Yes, just bigger.)

– The size of the square does not affect our model, but we must remember that the size of the penguin must correspond to the size of the base. (Show.)

– How do we connect the model to the base? (We will glue it over the entire surface - this is an applique.)

4. Analysis of manufacturing technology

– What material will we make it from? (Made from colored paper.)

– Thin colored paper is convenient to fold. Let's outline a plan. (An instructional diagram is posted.)

- What should we do first? (Mark the square by folding and cut off the excess part.)

– Let's remember the safety rules when working with scissors.

- How will we finish the work? (Glue the model to the base.)

– What should we take as a basis? (Cardboard.)

– Why cardboard and not colored paper? (The paper bends and takes on an unsightly appearance.
Cardboard will not deform when in contact with glue.)

– Let’s remember the rules for working with glue.

5. Workplace equipment

Let's check the workplace. Let's remember once again what we need for the lesson:

– colored paper;
– cardboard;
- scissors;
- glue;
- napkin;
- backing oilcloth.

6. Independent work with frontal display

– Now we will do the work, for everything to work out well, you must clearly work according to the scheme.

1. Take a strip of black paper and mark a square by folding it. The place of the fold, speaking in a special language, is called a fold.
Fold - bend in a certain order. (A sign with the term is posted.)
2. We took scissors and cut off the excess part. Put down the scissors.

3. We must glue the model to the base. Let's take the base, what is missing from it? (Ice.)
4. To do this, take a sheet of white paper and cut out ice floes.
5. Place all the details on the base. I'll go check it out.
6. Glue it.
7. Let’s decorate our work (add a beak and eyes).
8. Let's make some more penguin models. (If possible.)
9. Let’s put aside our work, whoever succeeded.

7. Updating knowledge

– What new terms did you become familiar with?

– How did we do the work so as not to miss any action? (According to the diagrams.)

– What else did you remember from the lesson?

8. Display of works

– You worked well today.

9. Homework

– You can continue working, you can come up with a funny story about penguins for your application.