The immediate tasks of the educational process in a university are formation the high level components of the individual mentality, in particular "social sciences", "attitude to yourself and the world", "view on the world", "estimation reality", "patterns of thinking", "belief", " ideals"," interests"," social attitudes", "patterns of behavior"," behavioral alternatives", "national character", "national spirit" and others.
The staff of the Department of Human Geography and Regional Studies constantly cooperate with students in scientific, cultural and spiritual aspects. Educational activities (talks, curatorial hours, thematic lectures), organization and holding traditional holidays, founding their own traditions – these are not a complete set of means which is an integral part of the educational process of the department.
Preparation, organization and holding holidays of the department promote formation departmental traditions, creation conditions for full disclosure students’ creativity and talents.
Dedication first-year students to the ranks of human geographers
Annually in the first week of September the festive welcome of new generation – first year students to human geographers is arranged who entered the major "Human geography" Typically, special guests attend the celebration, including Dean, Vice-Rector, lecturers and staff, graduates of previous years, all years students of the department and their parents – such organization demonstrates high degree importance of the event and helps the first year students feel " one's own". Holding such holiday allows getting acquainted with activities of the department and its staff and students, groupmates, demonstrating their creativity and communication skills in preparation for the celebration; to learn more about the university, visiting interesting tour to the museum.
Traditionally, students of the department prepare presentations of the summer holidays practices: unforgettable natural practice in the village Gaidary, so-called "basic course"; interesting and rich by new experiences interregional practice of the second year students, during the practice students visited all socio-economic regions of Ukraine; comprehensive training and research expedition of the third-year student in one of the region’s districts. The highlight of the celebration can be considered greetings of the first year students by graduates of the department, who greet them with the beginning of their student life and solemnly transmit them symbols of student life of the department – "Symbol of the department" and "Key from Knowledge". Thus, the educational event foster friendly welcome of the first year students and formation the spirit of the department in their minds.
Students' Day
"Professional" students’ day usually celebrate loudly and fun. This holiday celebrates in the university, where KVN, quizzes and competitions between student teams hold. For participation in KVN, two teams usually form composed from all years students, allowing them to get to know each other, communicate, share experiences. This, in our opinion, is an important factor in the methodical organization of the educational event. Team competitions are planned in such way that students can show their intellectual and creative abilities.
In addition, academic groups, represent theatrical performance and their student photo collages about everyday life and leisure. Lecturers also prepare for the holiday and present funny moments of their life in photos. Such communication between students and lecturers allows conducting educational activities in friendly, almost family atmosphere and not only relaxing but also upbringing the sincerity and openness of the students directly through their example. Holding such events is an important direction of educational work with students, which foster formation not only friendly atmosphere, but also improvement organization of the educational process.
New Year celebration
Usually New Year celebration is the brightest and is held in the format of the carnival. Each academic group prepares creative performance; most often songs, funny jokes, interconnected storyline. This format allows students showing their creativity and talent.
Preparation for the holiday is an important educational aspect at the group level, this is another opportunity better to recognize each other; in terms of individual education – development communicative competences of personality. New Year celebration requires considerable preparation, but allows students to plunge into the unconstrained atmosphere of New Year festive emotions, greet each other and get away from the winter session for a period of celebration.
Excellent Student's Day
Launched in 2005, the Excellent Student's Day by the Department, it is held in late of May, when the summer session has already passed. Dean and Head of the Department make conclusions on the work during the last year, celebrate students’ success in all areas of life of the department and university: learning, research activities, participation in conferences, self-government, amateur, etc. Student Awards asset is usually done in three "categories": for excellent academic achievements, for active scientific work, for help in organizing and conducting conferences "Region: human-geographical aspects." The most active and successful students are awarded diplomas and prizes.
Holding Excellent Student's Day allows increasing importance of education, research and social activities, as well as creating positive image of an active student. It leads to new achievements and desires to fulfill their potential in various fields of the university life and has positive influence on the development of the student personality.
Graduate's holiday
The prom is always the most desirable and at the same time the saddest holiday, because a new milestone begins on the one hand and another period of life completes on the other hand. Student graduation is the last call of carefree time, this is time to recall the brightest moments of the student's life and possibly to outline plans for the future.
All students prepare to the Graduate’s Day, because they became friends during years of study at the department. Students prepare theatrical greeting for the holiday, funny video greeting, little presents and poetic suggestions in memory of unforgettable years of students-geographers. Also, students seeks “to give” something in memory of graduates: films and collages of their student life, summer practices, childhood; commemorative bells and books. Usually during the holiday, staff of the department remember interesting moments from student life and compose virtual portrait each of them. Graduates receive flowers, gifts and diplomas with certain categories, which were noted personal values and original achievements each of the graduates. In turn, graduates share their memories, advice and wishes to younger comrades, thank the department and University for unforgettable student years.
It became tradition to bequeath the Head of the Department’s order on “happy and dignified life and memory about their alma mater».
Curatorial hours
Educational work of the group level conducts at the level of academic group and a curator ensures it who from the first day helps students to form a team. Academic groups conduct both individual and group organizational and educational, cultural and educational activities; establish communication with students’ parents, find out personal students’ problems, etc. The curator fosters ensuring students’ harmonious development, social activity, social responsibility, intellectual creativity, hard work, enterprise and initiative, other positive qualities in the university.
The curators of the academic groups focus on helping active students in planning and implementation organizational and educational work aimed at achieving qualitative indicators of progress, maintaining discipline and increase students’ public activity. The main forms of educational work at the group level are curatorial hours, excursions, cultural and entertainment events.
Curatorial hours are important and the most common form of educational work in the academic group. They are included in the schedule and hold every weeks on Wednesday on 13.40.
The aim of curatorial hours is comprehensive harmonious development of creative personality, analysis of own attitudes, creating healthy socio-psychological environment in a group, which should ensure formation proper relation to reality, awareness yourself as a carrier of material and spiritual values, their preservation and transmission to follows generations. Curatorial hours are usually held in the form of thematic lectures, debates or discussions, including individual, role-playing games, contests, watching documentary movies with discussion, etc.
Uneven students experience of academic groups received in different social conditions, often complicates understanding with their peers, lecturers, inhibits achieving goals, creating negative atmosphere. So topics of curatorial hours are selected according to students’ individual psychological characteristics and they are problematic, relevant, interesting and dedicated to moral and ethical, aesthetic, psychological problems in society, issues of state and law, environmental situation, family and sex relations and general student events (holidays, anniversary dates), etc.
The curator and active students of the academic groups execute the main role in organization and conducting curatorial hours. The curator should have the necessary life experience, pedagogical intuition, to understand own individuality and responsibility for the students’ fate, to be able to influence on the students’ personality development, to help them to make right decisions, to be creative person, etc.
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