Organization of specialized training and environmental activities of students in eastern European countries

The priority of the secondary education reforms in Ukraine
and other Eastern European countries at the turn of the 20th–21st centuries
was the specialized training at the senior level of secondary school. Specialized
education is aimed at solving issues of the general level of culture
and human education; preparing young people for life in the society and
the environment; choosing the further direction of study at the university
or professional education system; self-determination in the choice of future
profession, sphere of activity.
Nowadays, an important condition of the human civilization existence
is the ecocentric-oriented development of the society, when the growth in
prosperity of mankind is not accompanied by the destruction of the environment
and natural ecosystems. These processes are connected with the formation
of an ecological world outlook and culture of the society members.
Therefore, involving school-children in active practical environmental and
research ecological-naturalistic work is another characteristic feature of the
modern education.
The subject of the study is the organization of specialized education,
environmental and ecological-naturalistic work in educational institutions
in Eastern European countries. The methodology of studying the mentioned
problems of specialized education and environmental work is based on dialectical
and synergetic approaches. The most important philosophical principles
of the research are natural philosophy, philosophy of humanism, ecocentrism
and sociophilosophy. The general scientific methodology is based on such universal approaches and principles as: systemic, acmeological,
axiological, competency based and historical. Leading in the field of psychological
and pedagogical research is a personal-activity methodological
approach.
It is worth pointing out that schools in Eastern Europe have diverse educa-
tional programs and profiles. They are created by a combination of basic
compulsory disciplines; enhanced studying of profile subjects; elective special
courses and optional courses in accordance with the students' self-determination,
their interests, life plans and abilities. In a foreign school, there
are general, pre-professional and professional training programs. A common
feature of the organization of secondary education abroad is the differentiation
of learning by combining internal differentiation (according to abilities,
level of mental development, successes in learning) and external differentiation
(by interests and professional intentions). The senior school abroad is
mostly separated, functioning as an independent type of educational institution.
The general trends in the education of Eastern European countries are:
compulsory basic 9-year education; differentiation of training at the upper
secondary school, which lasts for the most part 3-4 years; separation of general
(academic) and professional programs; the gradual expansion of the network
and the direction of professional educational institutions.
In the scientific literature the concept of environmental and ecological-
naturalistic work is distinguished as a kind of environmental activities.
In our opinion, the ecological and naturalistic work of students is a
form of cognitive activity, which includes students' mastering knowledge
of the environment, gaining experience in solving environmental problems,
involving in the organization, implementing environmental and research
work, forming an ecological culture of the individual, socially-public experience
and skills in various branches of agriculture. A characteristic feature
of modern education in the countries of Eastern Europe is the involvement
of students in active practical environmental and research ecological and
naturalistic work. The increase in their efficiency is due to the use of new
practical ecologically oriented educational technologies.