Relationship between teaching and student development

Abstract

The paper comprehensively analyses the relationship between teaching (training) and student development (maturing) within the context of the following psychological theories: cognitive theory, identical elements theory, and socio-cultural theory, with special emphasis on the significance of cognitive theory and research aimed at discovering principles of intellectual (cognitive) development of children and the young according to pre-determined steps. In addition, the author highlights Vigotsky’s hypothesis on interdependence of teaching and student development, as well as the starting point in conceiving the developing teaching theory. In doing so, the author explicates values, similarities, differences, and scholarly and practical implications of experimental valorization of the developing teaching theory in the projects conducted by Zankov’s research team (development of students’ empirical thinking) and by Elkonin-Davydov (focused on development of critical thinking). Finally, the author compares trends and outcomes of moral education and of student development (intellectual, moral, and other components) in traditional teaching with those in innovative-developing teaching, presenting the level of foundation of types and systems of teaching in paradigms and theory.