The concept and essence of principles in social pedagogy

The word “principle” comes from the Latin word principium, which means “base”, “beginning”. Each science and the area of practical activity corresponding to it in its development is guided by certain principles - basic, starting points, which follow from the laws established by science.

For any science, there are principles, the implementation of which occurs through certain rules. Principles and rules exist objectively, independently of us, and it is impossible to deviate from them, because otherwise such activity can be not only useless, but also harmful.

By its scope, the rule is narrower than the principle. It follows from it and reflects the particular provisions of a certain principle, the method of its application in a particular situation. According to the form of expression in pedagogy, the rules have the character of recommendations. The principle contains many rules, but their totality does not yet constitute the principle, just as the totality of phenomena does not yet determine their essence.

A principle is understood as an initial principle, more or less common to a given phenomenon. A rule is a certain norm that expresses the mandatory nature of the specialist's activity. The principle is a reflection of a certain regularity, the conditions for its manifestation or the result of everyday observations of practical activity and the conclusions arising from them.

Social pedagogy has spun off from pedagogy and, naturally, is based on the principles of this science. The principles of pedagogy, reflecting the level of development of society and its needs with a certain measure of anticipation of the practice of education, generally express the requirements developed in society for the reproduction of a certain type of personality: they determine the strategy, goals, content and methods of education, the style of interaction of its subjects. The principles in pedagogy give a general direction for the upbringing and education of the individual and serve as the basis for solving specific pedagogical problems.

However, the question of the principles of pedagogy for each period in the development of this science is debatable. The modern period is no exception. Different scientists put forward certain principles or interpret already known ones in a new way.

The object factor is a factor established by a person (group) in respect of which socio-pedagogical activity is carried out. It always has a targeted character and largely depends on the personality of the object, the uniqueness of the group. The most important principles are: conformity to nature, individual conditioning and humanism.

The principle of nature. Man is a natural being and develops according to the laws of natural and social nature. This means that under certain conditions there may be an appropriate direction and dynamics of development and upbringing of a particular person.

The essence of the principle lies in the fact that the attitude towards a person should be as a natural being, or rather, a social and natural one. He (man) should be developed, improved only taking into account his natural capabilities and no more. Otherwise, it can only be deformed and even destroyed. The principle of conformity to nature dictates the need for careful consideration in the process of socio-pedagogical work of the general laws of the development of nature, in other words, the natural capabilities of man. Compliance with these requirements will allow the most complete use of the individual natural inclinations of each child in the process of their directed, expedient and most complete development. The main requirements are:

• •    to know the laws and patterns of development and education of a person and be able to build in accordance with them all social and pedagogical work;

• •    to study and know not only age and gender individual characteristics, but also the immediate and future capabilities of a person - the object of socio-pedagogical work;

• •    correlate the chosen goals of socio-pedagogical work with the inclinations of the child, the means of achieving them - with his individual capabilities;

• •    in working with children with special needs, to study the features of individual, individually corrective and corrective-compensatory development, creating for everyone the most optimal conditions for individual self-improvement;

• •    in the process of socio-pedagogical work, take into account not only the natural conformity of human development and education, but also the possibilities of nature itself in achieving goals.

The interrelation of principles represents a certain system. Omissions, underestimation, neglect of one or another of them inevitably leads to a decrease or unpredictability of the results of socio-pedagogical activity.