ASSOCIATIVE METHOD: DIDACTIC NOMINATION

Introduction. Learning means «the process of acquiring knowledge and skills and the willingness to retrieve them from memory to understand potential problems and find solutions.» To increase the effectiveness of the learning process, it is necessary to provide the participants of the educational process with reliable means that will guarantee «assimilation», «search», «analysis», and «solution». We are talking about teaching methods. Our focus is on the associative method, which, like many others, today, has an extensive system of nominations and blurred categorical outlines. Purpose. The article aims to examine the problematic aspects of methods known by their common unifying feature as associative, to certify them by clarifying their name, defining their techniques, and describing the characteristics and possibilities of their application in Ukrainian language lessons. Methods. Analysis of psychological, pedagogical, and methodical literature on the topic in question, synthesis, comparison, induction and deduction, and analogy were used. Results. The article reflects the study results of the problematic aspects of teaching methods known by their common unifying feature as associative. The authors analysed existing publications and studied the peculiarities of applying the teaching methods in practice and their structure. The article substantiates that the method's trigger is the process of associative thinking, during which memory reproduces various images in the human imagination generated by experience or the subconscious. Originality. The research results gave grounds for revising the typological features of methods and grouping them by didactic characteristics, which, according to scientists, significantly simplifies the assimilation of information about teaching methods in pedagogical universities and adjusts the principles of its action towards efficiency. The names and didactic categories are clarified, and the teaching methods are defined. The article focuses on associative exercise as the most popular method from the «associative methods» in Ukrainian language lessons. The authors prove that associative exercise as a type of exercise method has significant didactic, developmental and competence potential. The associative activity contributes to the accumulation of a specific subjective experience of students at the level of imagination, and feelings, the discovery of new semantic connections; enrichment of students' vocabulary, and better remembering of information; facilitates not only the perception of new information but also the understanding of individual phenomena; becomes an impetus for creative ideas; develops imagination, attention; teaches students how to actively use life experience, produce new ideas. The components (techniques) of an associative exercise (in various combinations) may include instruction, comparison, comprehension, highlighting features, identifying elements of similarity, abstraction, recognition, analogy, transfer of characteristics, selection of words (phrases), modelling, search for alternatives, explanation, justification, generalisation, analysis of the formulation of conclusions, etc. Conclusion. To ensure the maximum effectiveness of the method, the teacher needs to carefully consider its place in the subject and its connection with other methods and techniques. The generalised materials of the study are included in the table, which is essentially a passport of the teaching method presenting its features and possibilities of application in Ukrainian language lessons.