Problematization of Modern Educational Practices Studies from the Perspective of Their Philosophical Grounds

The study of educational practices in dynamics is one of the main challenges that modern researchers face all over the world today. New practices arise, are introduced and disappear at such a high speed that large groups of researchers around the globe do not have enough time to fix and describe the processes of their changes. The work of such groups is hampered by the lack of a modern methodology that responds to the needs of research. In the author's opinion, such methodology may be grounded on philosophical foundations of educational practices, for it is philosophy that has the necessary conceptual and categorical apparatus for studying the evolving processes in their dynamics. The most relevant trends in modern education, which, in the author's opinion, require philosophical reflection, are: (1) general transition to the Economy of Knowledge and, as a consequence, the strengthening of the requirements for the practical applicability of knowledge (sometimes in detriment to the theoretical knowledge); (2) a large-scale implementation of the Liberal Arts model, which involves setting specific tasks for students, instead of lecture training. A natural foundation for such reflection would be the model of open education-a model of individually oriented pedagogy. The onto-logical reflection of modern educational practices' philosophical grounds should be aimed at opposing the utilitarian approach by identifying the intrinsic value of subjects and courses that seem "unprofitable", "unprestigious" at first glance. Thus, alignment of educational practices along the path of their anthropological value will ensure their universality by transmitting the idea of the timeless nature of this value. An important aspect of comprehending modern educational practices should be their ethical component since individualization of education presupposes students' self-development when ethical standards can no longer be given didactically, from outer sources. In the author's opinion, the study of modern educational practices can be based on the following aspects: (1) the anthropological value of a practice-whether it develops the human potential or not; (2) the requirement of timelessness - the ability of a practice not only to satisfy students' immediate interests, but also to transmit timeless values; (3) the well-thought protection of a practice from its "inappropriate" use; (4) the clarity of the practice's ethical framework for all participants in the educational process.

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