On May 18, Saratov State University hosted the graduation ceremony of the third cohort of the SSU Pedagogical Classroom. 88 children from Saratov Region and 51 high school students from the People's Republic of Luhansk have successfully completed the training and received the certificates.

Schoolchildren and their parents, university teaching staff, and volunteer students came to the festive meeting in Bldg. 11, SSU.

Head of the Priority Projects and Programmes, SSU, the curator of the Teachers in the Educational Paradigm strategic project of the Priority 2030 programme Elena Yelina welcomed the participants of the event and presented the graduation day programme.

‘Today, we are completing the programme of this academic year. We are glad that the young participants from remote areas could come to our graduation ceremony and meet with us. Today, we are to present you with the certificates of the Pedagogical Classroom. Our teaching staff will say their parting words – these are the people who will work with you when you become students at Saratov State University. We expect the current tenth graders to continue their studies in the Pedagogical Classroom next year. Traditionally, you will take a completely new curriculum, you will once again be able to take part in the regional pedagogical olympiad and prepare even better for the admission,’ Elena Yelina said.

Chair of the Department of Education Methodology Ekaterina Alexandrova continued the final meeting of the Pedagogical Classroom this academic year. She gave a lecture entitled Don't Belittle Moments, dedicated to developing a productive dialogue with time.

Ekaterina Alexandrova spoke about the methods of planning the daily routine and shared her experience of maintaining psychological and physical health by harmoniously distributing the workload.

‘When I started collecting my secrets of fruitful scheduling, I found a great saying that we have as much time as great people who have achieved a lot in a short period of their lives. We usually lye when we say we do not have time. First of all, we want to be pitied. Secondly, this is how we cover up our inaction. People always find time for what they want to do,’ Ekaterina Alexandrova shared her life observations.

Plans for the day can be harmoniously divided into the categories of “I want” and “I need” according to Ekaterina Alexandrova. As an example, she cited the results of self-reflection – she realised that late in the evening, many people get tired not of the number of completed tasks, but of understanding how much they have not had time to do. For higher productivity, Ekaterina Alexandrova advised to save time for spontaneous events when making a schedule.

In her opinion, fatigue is a natural human condition. It is necessary to allow yourself to recover and be able to rest competently and organise breaks between periods of intensive work.

Ekaterina Alexandrova presented the theory of time management and introduced high school students to useful Internet resources that allow them to effectively distribute daily tasks. She advised students-to-be to think over options for planning their life at the university in advance.

In the second part of the graduation ceremony, a pedagogical game was held for the students of the Pedagogical Classroom. Both high school students and their parents took part in it. The organisers were Chair the Department of Pedagogy Ekaterina Balakireva, Associate Professor of the same department Natalia Kurchatova, and volunteer students.

‘Imagine that you are already working at a school, and you are a team of young teachers. At school, there are often situations when instant reaction is required, the ability to find a way out of sometimes hopeless situations. It seems to us that you understand this and are ready for it. In a short time, you will have to become a cohesive, friendly teaching staff,’ Natalia Kurchatova explained the task of the game.

After intensive work on projects in teams, the participants of the game presented a common solution on the following issues – Modern School Environment, Classroom Teachers: Their Main Tasks and Qualities, and School and Parents: Friendship or Alienation?.

According to high school students, the school of the future should be equipped following the requirements that will effectively involve children in learning. At the same time, at the suggestion of the students, an interactive roof can be located in school buildings, which at night can perform the functions of a planetarium dome and project the starry sky.

The participants of the second team believe that classroom teachers play the most important role at school and coordinate the training of the students. Teachers-to-be listed the qualities of good teachers and pointed out that a trusting atmosphere in the classroom is important for children. According to the students, teachers should always be ready to help.

The last team discussed the rules of interaction among students, parents, and teachers. According to their position, it is necessary to set clear boundaries among all participants of training. Future teachers called for joint extracurricular activities where both school staff and children could meet with their parents.

Summing up, Head of Priority Projects and Programmes Elena Yelina noted the high level of performances by the teams that correctly used pedagogical terminology. ‘Surely, we could see all the children on the university bench as students – today, you have shown your willingness to master a complex university curriculum.’

Elena Yelina thanked the parents who encouraged their children to become part of the Pedagogical Classroom, SSU. Then she invited the teachers to say parting words to the graduates.

‘At today's celebration, I remembered the position of the teacher Alexei Makarenko. He believed that one cannot teach a person to be happy, but one can educate him so that he becomes so. Today, your eyes were filled with joy from meeting each other, from the opportunity to be at our university. You have made a difficult but correct choice of your future profession – now, I can rightfully address you as my colleagues. We will be glad to see you again on September 1 at the solemn line, but in a new status for you as students of SSU,’ Acting Director of Pedagogical Institute, SSU, Tatyana Firsov said.

Head Teacher of the Pedagogical Classroom, SSU, a specialist in education-to-methodology of the Centre for the Support of Talented Children Olga Prozorova congratulated the students on the successful graduation and thanked all those gathered for the atmosphere of universal happiness in the classroom.

At the end, the high school students received certificates of the SSU Pedagogical Classroom curriculum in a solemn atmosphere. In memory of the last academic year, the participants of the meeting took a common photo.

To remind, the SSU Pedagogical Class project is implemented as part of the Teachers in the Educational Paradigm university strategic project of the Priority 2030 development programme.

The course traditionally includes lectures, seminars, case studies, talk shows, and games with the participation of leading teachings staff and scholars of Saratov State University. Homework plays a special role in training, which is an indicator of the involvement and academic performance of students.

Read the news about all classes of the SSU Pedagogical Classroom on the Saratov State University website in the special section.