Almaty, Kazakhstan

I. B. Islamkulova, Cand. Sc. (Biology), Associate Professor

Current Issues in Teaching the Fundamentals of Pediatrics at Colleges of Education in the Light of Changing Environmental Factors

Big changes are underway throughout Kazakhstan's educational system. Among the factors underlying the reorganization processes of the higher educational model are processes that have affected nearly all aspects in our life — modern technological developments that have led to the computerization of the educational process. More progressive concepts have been developed, we have become better acquainted with the cutting-edge experience of countries leading in the educational services market, such as Germany, the USA and Great Britain, and we have applied this experience for the training of specialists of high professional qualifications under present-day conditions.

One of the most important conditions for training modern specialists in the credit system is getting them to complete independent work consisting of a combination of science and learning. Therefore it is important for students to acquire the skills of independent, creative work, and to be capable of applying the main research methods in their chosen professions, developing independence. When organizing independent work under a credit-based educational system, it is especially important to motivate students to learn independently.

Kazakhstan is a region with incredibly poor environmental conditions. The low technology of the industrial system, irrational natural resource use, and insufficient attentiveness to nature-protection measures intensify the impact of negative environmental factors, leading to increased morbidity and poor public health indicators [4, 5 ]. Thus, Almaty, due to natural-geographical and socioeconomic causes is a typical urbanized region, where infectious and allergic diseases are common. The desertification of the Near Aral Region has had a significant impact on the development of the region as a whole, as well as on socioeconomic indicators and pediatric health status. The unfavourable environmental circumstances in the region are exacerbated due to atmospheric pollution, and the depletion of groundwater, natural resources, etc.

Considering the current relevance of this problem, we have set the goal to focus the attention of students that in the future will be teachers in primary education on issues including such aspects as nutrition, children's acclimatization to kindergarten and school, psychiatric and stress disorders and their prevention.

The problems faced with regard to independent work arise due to the course programs and the requirements of the state educational standard. It should be noted that the level and complexity of tasks for independent student work depend on the students' course of learning, meaning that what needs to be targeted is the expansion and reinforcement of knowledge and skills acquired at lectures and seminars. Thus, for instance, when considering the theme of 'Children's adaptation to preschool institutions', we propose that an essay be written aimed at studying the concept of adaptive syndrome among children, the formation of conceptions of physiological, stress-related and pathological adaptation, the ability to discern the stages of adaptation and degree of adaptation, and knowledge of the possible impact of adaptive syndromes on child health. The task is accompanied by recommendations on completing the work so it includes the following:

1. Pay attention to the fact that when a child enters an early educational institution, there is a sudden change in environment, which differs from that which the child is accustomed to–the microenvironment of early education. Note should be made of the peculiarities of early educational institutions (long periods of time are spent with a large number of children, increasing the probability of cross infection, greater fatigue experienced by children, and specific teaching standards and approaches to children that can be unfamiliar to the child).

2. Expand on the meaning of the term 'adaptation', highlighting the universality of this phenomenon. Elucidate the role of the body's functional system in the development of adaptation, including social adaptation

3. Highlight the differences between physiological, stress-related and pathological adaptation, and understand that illness is a typical expression of pathological adaptation.

4. Give a complex overview of all the forms of adaptation, making it possible to single out the main stages in habituation to new environmental conditions, including in early education.

5. Take some time to detail the three stages of the adaptation of children to early educational institutions, describing disturbances in child behaviour, the child's relationships with adults and peers and speech activity. Indicate the duration of each period.

6. Based on the progression of the first two stages in the adaptation of the child to the early educational institution, adaptation is classed as easy, moderate or difficult. Give a full description of the degrees of adaptation based on the following criteria: duration of disturbances, appetite, the child's emotional status, relationships with those around him/her, motor activity and functional milestones.

7. The conclusion must note the importance of knowing how the adaptive process occurs in a child in the early educational institution.

When studying the topic of 'Preparing children for entry into school and determining their functional preparedness for school education', attention should be paid to the following: the need for preparing children for school, the ability to determine their functional preparedness for entering school, perceptions of the socio-psychological and intellectual preparedness of children, acquiring the concept of scholastic maturity. The task is accompanied by recommendations on completing the work so it includes the following:

1. At the beginning of the paper, shed light on the relevance of preparing children for school. Currently, the number of students of age six that are functionally unprepared for study in school ranges from 5 to 90%. Such children find it difficult to acquire the learning program, and it has been noted that their health status worsens. Therefore, in order to protect the children's health, the degree to which the child is functionally prepared for study should be determined and appropriate measures should be taken to correct any revealed defect.

2. Children's functional preparedness for school—their scholastic maturity—is determined on the basis of criteria. The paper should describe the main criteria, physical development, ability to work, speech development, neurodynamics, etc.

3. What the concept of social-psychological and intellectual preparedness for school consists in should be elucidated.

After the research is completed, children's degree of preparedness for school should be determined. A child may be designated as prepared, conditionally prepared, or unprepared for study at school. The characterization of these concepts should be discussed in detail. In concluding, it should be noted that the intensity of the adaptive syndrome depends on the preparedness of the child for school education.

When discussing the theme of 'Features of children's nervous systems', we propose that an essay be written on the topic “The role of the teacher in revealing neurological and psychiatric disturbances among toddlers and preschool-aged children”. Its purpose is to study the main types of nervous-psychiatric disturbances among children, stress-related states, the ability to differentiate between them, and to acquire a conception of medical-educational disturbances and to determine the role of the teacher in preventing and correcting nervous-psychiatric disturbances in children.

1. Students' attention should be drawn to determining the causes facilitating the development of nervous-psychiatric disturbances among children and the predisposing factors should be highlighted: heredity, organic features of the nervous system, temperamental features and the conditions under which the child was reared. In addition, factors serving as triggers for a given disorder should be listed.

2. When studying neurotic states among children, pay attention to the major syndromes: asthenia, neuroses, stress, fears, speech pathology and incontinence.

3. Among morbid states, headaches take second place following stomachaches, so it is important to know the reasons for their development.

4. Teachers in primary educational institutions need to know about children manifesting hyperactivity, because such children require special attention. Describe the symptoms of hyperactivity and the causes of its occurrence.

5. Due to the fact that the correction of deviations in children's neuro-psychiatric health requires a complex approach, the role of the teacher becomes more important in this process. The atmosphere around the child among his/her peers depends on the teacher. In concluding, a discussion should be given the role of the teacher in preventing nervous disorders and stress among children.

When studying the topic 'Health status and physical development of preschool-aged children', it is important to discuss the regular patters and the assessment of children's physical development, and to go over the main criteria and principles for assessing child physical development, to acquire the skills needed for revealing which children show signs of deviations from normal physical development and to determine the causes behind the occurrence of these deviations. At the same time, the students' attention should be drawn to poor environmental conditions as being one of the causes [3].

It should be noted that increases in height and body mass among children do not proceed evenly, but in spurts, and therefore the age-specific and seasonal fluctuations in child physical development should be explained.

1. As the body grows, its proportions also change – indicate the parts of a child's body that grow at the greatest and smallest rates.

2. A discussion should be given of the main parameters of child physical development – height, weight, chest size, head size, musculature, posture, leg shape and feet.

3. Give an example showing the parameters of preschool child physical development and assess them by comparing individual indicators with age-correlated standards.

4. Determine possible causes for the occurrence of these deviations and indicate the most serious deviations in child physical development (low stature in combination with low body weight and excessive body weight regardless of height). Some possible causes of deviations in the physical development of children of preschool age may be related to diet, lifestyle, physical health and the impact of environmental factors. Data from some researchers show that the prevalence of excessive weight among preschool-aged children in Kazakhstan is 13.5% [1].

In concluding, a description should be given of balanced childhood physical development.

When studying the topic 'Nutrition for toddlers and preschool-aged children', attention should be focused on the fact that within the system for rearing a healthy child, healthy nutrition is of the utmost importance from an early age. In this connection, the study of concepts such as 'standard metabolism', 'proper diet', and the relationships between energy expenditure, individual features and seasonal fluctuations; the issue of the role of major nutrients in the normal functioning of a child's body should be discussed.

Historically, breastfeeding has always taken priority in Kazakhstan. However, due to the effects of global practice, the active participation of women in the social culture of the country and the large variety of alternatives to mother's milk, more and more women are turning to baby formulas (artificial feeding). Because of this, it is becoming especially vital to explain the advantages of natural breastfeeding and to implement them in the teaching materials in this discipline when looking at the topic of nutrition fundamentals.

Based on the materials of the researchers [1,2], the prevalence of nutritional disturbances among children in Kazakhstan is as follows:

· Iron deficiency – 36%

· Vitamin A deficiency – 40%, especially in Kyzylorda Oblast and Semipalatinsk Oblast where prevalence reaches 57%

· Iodine deficiency in endemic regions.

1. At the same time, the student must be able to differentiate between such concepts as 'nutrition', 'assimilation' and 'dissimilation'.

2. Define the value of proper nutrition for children in their adaptation to changing environmental conditions and high resistivity to disease; the importance of proper nutrition in both quantitative and qualitative terms.

3. Explain the specifics of child metabolism connected to high energy expenditure for growth and the formation of new cells and tissues, and changes in energy expenditure depending on the age of the child.

4. Understand that for proper development, a child should consume 10% more calories than he/she needs for his/her daily energy requirements. Be able to predict the consequences that can occur if this rule is not followed.

5. Ingesting food is important not only as a source of energy, but nutrients are needed for optimum metabolic functioning. Therefore, the main nutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates, mineral salts and vitamins) must be consumed by children in specific amounts and have a particular qualitative composition. The role of protein, fat, carbohydrates, mineral salts and vitamins in the normal functioning of a child's body should be studied. States of vitamin deficiency and overabundance; vitamin D causes rickets.

At the end, a conclusion is made of the importance of maintaining the correct protein to fat ratio and good food calorie levels that correspond to the person's age.

Students are offered a list of recommended reading for self study on each topic.

Based on the foregoing, the credit-based educational system is founded on meticulous, methodical, scientific study and organization directed at providing students with a whole spectrum of informational and methodological support. The teachers main efforts should be aimed at fulfilling the requirements of universally mandatory standards and correctly organizing students' independent work

References

· G. O. Abuova – Early childhood nutrition status in Kazakhstan: Status of the problem and WHO recommendation, materials from the International Practical Science Conference on Nutrition as a Basis for Healthy Lifestyles, October 17, 2011

· Z. E. Battakova – Strengthening health through the formation of health lifestyles materials from the International Practical Science Conference on Nutrition as a Basis for Healthy Lifestyles, October 17, 2011

· Z. A. I. Ziyatdinova – The impact of environmental factors on children's physical development. Journal of Physical Education: Discipline, education, training, Issue:1 () 2005, January 01, 2005, pages: 58-59

· S. S. Tazhibayev, G. A. Saimasayeva, M. A. Apsemetova. G. S. Kakimova. Organizing children's nutrition in educational institutions. Collection of standards and scientific-methodological materials for organizers of in-school food. Almaty, 2008.-128 (editor T. S. Sharmanova)

· T. S. Sharmanov, G. O. Abuov. Nationwide survey of population nutrition (15-80 years) Republic of Kazakhstan, 1996.-Almaty, 2001- page 227.