The Imaginative Thinking and its Development in Geography Lessons

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to consider figurative thinking as one of the most important mental processes and components of successful learning, as well as to reveal some of the possibilities for its development in geography lessons. In the process of conducting the research, which was the basis for it, the following methods were used: analytical, synthetic, experimental. Results: The significance of the formation of imaginative thinking for the successful inclusion of schoolchildren in the educational process is revealed. Some methodological aspects of the development of figurative thinking in the process of educational activity are indicated. The results of a pedagogical experiment on the development of figurative thinking in geography lessons are presented and analyzed. Conclusions: Imaginative thinking is an integral part of the general culture of a person and geographic culture – in particular. The content of geography as an academic subject has ample opportunities for the development of figurative thinking. The introduction of techniques aimed at the development of figurative thinking into the educational process helps to overcome the “emotional laziness” of school-children as a consequence of clip thinking and contributes to the transition of cognitive activity from ideas to concepts, from the sensory level of cognition to rational. In this regard, the development of figurative thinking is an important step, providing both the formation of logical thinking and the formation of complex thinking. The use of methods for the development of figurative thinking in geography lessons increases not only the level of its formation, but also contributes to the growth of interest in geography as an academic subject. This testifies to the effectiveness of the materials that were developed by the teacher and applied in the process of conducting the pedagogical experiment.