A System of Didactic Games as a Foundation of Teaching History in Secondary School

Today, an important part of an education system is use of various didactic tools. Among them a significant role belongs to didactic games that allow realising purposeful development of intellectual skills of children, their interest in studies, as well as formation of creative potential and independent work in teaching history. In the course of analysis of an experience of using didactic games at history lessons, the authors were guided by works of S.A. Ezhov, O.S. Gazman, V.P. Bespalko, R.M. Mironova, P.I. Pidkasistiy, G.K. Selevko et al. The empirical basis of the study included practical classes of teachers of history in Magnitogorsk and their analysis at methodological seminars and round tables. Besides, the authors used guidance papers published earlier. An important source and a legal basis for application of didactic games at school are the Federal State Educational Standard. To achieve the set goal, such methods were applied as: a method of generalizing advanced practices of teachers of history; a study of foreign and domestic scientific works in psychology, pedagogy, devoted to the problems of education, non-traditional forms of teaching lessons, modern pedagogical technologies. At present, in the historical education, role-playing, theatrical and business games have gained the most widespread. Analysis of these games and peculiarities of their use at school among schoolchildren of different age groups has shown that a business game should be used predominantly at high school, while role-playing and theatricalized games have already become applicable in 5-7 grades