Student-centered learning and effective learning environment

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the definition of the main areas of continuity of school and
university. Topical issues of teaching and training are considered based on commu-nication skills and
rhetorical competence, including the “thinking by literature” method and in the development of speech
activity.
The authors deal with the experience of Nazarbayev intellectual schools, taken as a basis for the
reformation of secondary education.
Description of the complex model of the educational process technology at university is based
on new approaches to learning and identification of their advantages. Special attention is paid to the
communicative-activity approach. The basic principles of the model are the concepts of metaknowledge
and forms of pedagogy of social constructivism.
The subject of the analysis was a new understanding of the effectiveness of training, teacherstudent interaction on S-S ‒ subject-subject activity, ways of formation of students’ rhetorical competence,
mechanisms of formation of students’ motivation to learn, including empathy.
The authors describe the factors of effectiveness of the learning environment. Such methods as research of practice in action, learning by discoveries (controlled) method, directive (explicit) methods of
training in terms of the impact upon the cognitive and behavioral activity of students are analyzed in the
paper. The role of the teacher is demonstrated as of a reflective expert. Ways of designing cognitive and
metacognitive scaffolding, development of students’ argumentative thinking skills are also described here