OPPORTUNITIES OF SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS ON HISTORY IN THE FORMATION OF STUDENTS’ CIVIC COMPETENCE (USING THE EXAMPLE OF THE TEXTBOOK BY O. I. POMETUN, YU. B. MALIENKO “WORLD HISTORY”, FORM 7)

Abstract

The article analyses opportunities of the textbook on World History of Medieval ages in the formation of pupil’s civic competence at basic school. The author investigates the potential of the textbook as far as the work at cognitive? Axiological and procedural components of civic competence is concerned. The article deals with the opportunity to form a cognitive component on the basis of Medieval societies, states, rulers, troops, legislative acts, etc. which are well presented in the textbook. The author’s and supplementary texts, descriptive illustrations and methodical devices of the textbook allow a teacher to form civic definitions such as “society”, “state”, “policy”, etc. The textual and non-textual components of the textbook represent peculiarities of the Medievalsociety states, the essence of the policy, the range of rights and freedoms of citizens. It is concluded that the methodical devices of the textbook give a teacher an opportunity to form skills to explain the basis of dividing the Medieval society into social strata, to define the criteria of the rights and freedoms of citizens, to identify their Medieval uniqueness, to draw conclusions as to the justice of the society. The article is rich in a great number of documentary material (Medieval miniatures, mosaics and frescos) which helps a teacher to make up interactive exercises on getting pupil’s skills to reconstruct a historical image of a Medieval ruler: a European king, an emperor, an Arab caliph, a Turkish sultan, Medieval troop and a war itself. Tables and charts explain reasons for Medieval society problems such as plundering raids of Vikings, Mongols, crusades, “warrior’s push to the East” that determined the directions of the Medieval policy of different states. The author describes the opportunities to use the reproductions of paintings, fragments of documents, modern photos of Medieval heritage: cathedrals, castles, blocks of towns for forming an axiological component of civic competence which are given in this textbook. The material about a Medieval town, castles and cathedrals, a handwritten and printed book, mosaics, frescos, miniatures, let a teacher form pupils’ attitude to the state, respect to people’s achievements and positive perceptions of their values. Documentary material reflects the God’s value. Widely represented facts about the people’s fight for the right to have an independent state, the defence from enemies, courage and bravery in the struggle for their rights help a teacher to form a person’s attitude to rights and freedoms as a value. The article offers different variants of forming the procedural component of the civic competence. There are a lot of various questions and tasks in the textbook which are represented for the teacher to use a wide range of supplementary texts and illustrations gives a teacher an opportunity to create his or her own experimental teaching techniques. The textbook provides the pupils with the opportunity to form abilities to orient in the socially-political life, positively perceive and value people’s achievements determine common values and be tolerant, understand the experience of valuable orientations and a civic position of the historical personalities who are honoured by the people.