CREATING CONDITIONS TO REDUCE THE IMPACT OF THE INTENSIFICATION OF THE LEARNING PROCESS ON STUDENTS' HEALTH

Abstract. Human health is a topic that is quite relevant for all times and peoples, and in the 21st century, it becomes paramount. The health status of Russian schoolchildren causes serious concern among specialists. At the same time, the most significant increase in the frequency of all classes of diseases occurs in age periods coinciding with a child receiving general secondary education. This article describes how the intensification of the learning process affects the students.

Keywords: intensification, forms of work, health-saving technologies.

The main feature of the modern educational process still lies in providing students with a maximum amount of necessary information in a short period of time and teaching them what is needed in practical activities. The main direction of education should be the development of children's abilities to independently acquire a large amount of necessary information in a unit of time. The implementation of this direction is ensured by the intensification of the learning process.

According to the pedagogical encyclopedia, intensification of education is a principle of organizing the educational system that maximizes internal reserves to enhance the efficiency of education. It can be achieved through various ways.

One way is by increasing the number of instructional hours (lessons, extracurricular activities, optional classes, etc.). The actual school workload (according to the Institute of Age Physiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Scientific Center for the Protection of Children's Health, and a number of regional institutes) ranges from 7.2 to 8.3 hours per day in primary school and 8.6 to 9.2 hours per day in secondary school. With homework included, the modern school day for students ranges from 10 to 12 hours in primary school and 13 to 15 hours in secondary school. This significant increase in academic workload in such institutions and classes does not go unnoticed: these children often experience a higher prevalence and severity of neuro-mental disorders, greater fatigue.

Another way of intensifying the learning process is by actually reducing the number of hours while maintaining or increasing the amount of material to be covered. For example, there has been a significant reduction in the number of study hours dedicated to chemistry in secondary school; currently, the main course is taught over 2 years (8th and 9th grades) for 2 hours per week.

Such a sharp reduction in hours inevitably leads to increased homework assignments and an intensification of the learning process.

As society develops at accelerated rates, the question arises of how and what to teach people in the shortest possible time. The question of whether the duration of education increases proportionally with the growth in the volume of subjects that need to be studied is becoming extremely important, with scientists providing different answers.

Soviet scientists such as L. V. Zankov (1990), Yu. K. Babansky (1987), D. B. Elkonin (1974), V. V. Davydov (1996), and others believed that there are two ways to intensify the learning process.

Firstly, developing a specific standard that allows for denser study programs in different educational institutions.

Secondly, optimizing teaching methods and content in educational organizations.

However, as far back as the 1850s and 1860s, observations by doctors revealed a high prevalence of myopia, posture disorders (mainly scoliosis), neurasthenia, and anemia among schoolchildren. The prevalence of these conditions among students inevitably increased from one grade to the next, with the emergence of such health issues deemed an inevitable consequence of schooling, leading to them being labeled "school diseases." In 1891, the founder of hygiene, Fyodor Fyodorovich Erisman, wrote that "hygiene should demand simplification and reduction of educational programs."

Based on the above, we see the dilemma. On one hand – intensification, on the other hand – student health.

According to the Institute of Age Physiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the school learning environment generates risk factors for health disorders, with 20-40% of negative impacts deteriorating the health of school-aged children. These risk factors include:

1. Stressful pedagogical tactics;

2. Mismatch between teaching methods and technologies and students' age and functional abilities;

3. Neglect of basic physiological and hygiene requirements in the organization of the learning process;

4. Insufficient parental literacy in health preservation issues for children;

5. Shortcomings in the existing physical education system;

6. Intensification of the learning process;

7. Functional illiteracy of teachers in health protection and promotion;

8. Lack of systematic work in fostering the value of health and a healthy lifestyle.

Therefore, the existing school education system has a health-draining character. Analysis of school risk factors shows that most student health problems are created and resolved through the daily practical work of teachers, i.e., linked to our professional activities. Thus, teachers need to create conditions for preserving and strengthening students' health.

Suggested solutions include:

1. Creating a health-promoting infrastructure in educational institutions.

1.1. Establishing comprehensive conditions for child development and health preservation;

1.2. Ensuring the condition and content of buildings and premises comply with sanitary and hygienic norms (attendance of GPD, participation in interest clubs, sections, clubs, etc.);

2. Rational organization of the educational process.

2.1. Compliance with hygiene norms and requirements for organizing and volume of academic and extracurricular work for students.

3. Educational work with students aimed at fostering the value of health and a healthy lifestyle;

4. Organizing an enlightening and methodological system with teachers, specialists, and parents.

I propose a solution to the problem of the impact of intensified education on students' health using the example of my subject, chemistry, in the following ways:

1. In my lessons, I utilize a personality-oriented approach to teaching, which manifests through aspects such as:

• Structuring content into larger modules and blocks, allowing more time for independent student work;

• Using mutual and self-assessment in lessons;

• Employing methods where students create summary notes;

• Conducting individual work with students alongside the class or group work;

• Implementing project-based learning;

• Engaging in investigative experiments;

• Creating individual learning paths for both strong and weak students;

• Presenting and solving problems (problem-based learning);

• Facilitating students' independent research through progressively challenging tasks from reproductive to creative.

2. Incorporating group work to develop communication skills and achieve problem-solving collectively.

To achieve high educational outcomes, which every teacher strives for, students must be taught to think, find, and solve problems. To reach this goal, I apply project-based and investigative technology in my work. What does this approach offer?

• Significant improvement in students' knowledge quality;

• Increased student activity levels in lessons;

• Integration across different educational fields;

• Ability to work with different types of information, including electronic, and analyze it;

• Goal-setting and planning, both by teachers and students;

• Professional self-definition for students.

• Working on a project involves several stages:

• Setting a goal;

• Discussing potential research options, comparing strategies, selecting approaches;

• Self-education and activation of knowledge;

• Planning the course of action, distributing responsibilities (in group work);

• Researching, solving specific tasks;

• Summarizing results, drawing conclusions;

• Analyzing successes and mistakes.

3. I utilize the following forms of work in my lessons and extracurricular activities:

• Presentation lessons;

• Research lessons;

• Electronic laboratory work;

• Thematic projects;

• Electronic quizzes;

• Electronic testing;

• Individual learning arrangements.

Over the years, I have come to understand that education is not about the quantity of knowledge but rather about the full comprehension and skillful application of what you know and teach. Unfortunately, chemistry today is not considered of paramount significance to many. How can one find and select things that make the learning process interesting, creative, and memorable? I am confident that only by evoking positive emotions and feelings can a comfortable atmosphere be created in the classroom.