The system of planned, stage-by-stage formation of mental actions (PSFMA) as a creative design of psychological conditions for instruction

Abstract

Abstract Piotr Galperin is a representative of cultural-historical psychology and a follower of Lev Vygotsky. His legacy considers the nature of human mental life, its origin and further development in the process of phylogenesis, anthropogenesis and ontogenesis. In addition, Galperin's contribution was in developing a system of psychological conditions, which enables the formation of mental actions, images and representations with prescribed outcomes. This system is defined as the system of planned stage-by-stage formation of mental actions (PSFMA). Among other applications, PSFMA can be used: i) as a method to study the formation and development of a person's mental activity, ii) to examine the relationship between the theoretically described and objectively occurring in practice the process of systematic formation of mental functions and iii) to design learning and teaching activity aimed at developing 21st century competences. In this paper, I argue, that the direct transfer and application of the mechanisms of PFSMA in classrooms gives satisfactory results only when the conditions of the theoretically planned formation closely correspond to the conditions of real situations in classrooms. In order to bridge the conditions outlined in PFSMA and the real educational practice, it is necessary to carry out several adjustments to account for the complexity of learning. To do so, three models of instructional design are presented in the paper: i) psychological, ii) psychological-pedagogical and iii) procedural or technological model. However, the three-model framework should be considered as an intellectual tool rather than as an algorithm that provides instructions for teachers' actions.