SOCIALIZATION OF SENIOR TEENAGERS IN DEMOCRATIC SCHOOLS

Abstract

The article characterizes senior teenagers and analyses this age group as far as positive socialization in democratic schools is concerned. First of all, the article represents basic features of senior teenagers including biological, psychological and social characteristics of this age. The key statements are based on the researches made by domestic scientists V. Kutishenko and N. Lifareva and several foreign surveyors. The author describes cognitive development of senior teenagers as well as realization of personal abilities manifesting in all types of activities, and points out new tendencies in senior teenagers’ behavior. Senior teenagers belong to an important age group: this is the time of self-consciousness formation, and to learn how to take responsible decisions. Self-consciousness is an integral image of own being, emotional self-perception, assessment of own intellectual, and moral qualities, advantages and disadvantages, ways to improve personal characteristics. Outlook is a set of own ideas and knowledge based on previously-learnt experience supplemented with theoretical and abstract thinking forming an integral system of knowledge. Critical thinking is helpful for better understanding of the surrounding, constituting own personality and creating personal system of values. Secondly, the author describes democratic schools and the history of their origin, main features, purposes and characteristics of these establishments of alternative education including person-oriented learning environment and democratic management. The efficient socialization of senior teenagers in democratic schools has been analyzed. Democratic schools conferences are considered to be an efficient socialization instrument of senior teenagers: organization, coordination and conducting process of this type of conferences is described in the article.