Abstract
Today, ethnopedagogy has a certain influence on pedagogical theory and practice development. The analysis of pedagogical practice reveals insufficient use of ethnopedagogy’s developing and educational potential in teaching schoolchildren. Therefore, our research aims to develop a methodology for applying elements of ethnopedagogy in teaching biology to promote the development of students’ cognitive activity. The authors have tested a set of pedagogical conditions for using elements of ethnopedagogy in biology lessons. The effectiveness of the experimental method was verified, taking into account the age-related specifics of schoolchildren.The students studying in Russian and Kazakh were questioned to identify their interest in studying the ethnicity-related educational content in biology. The questioning showed a positive attitude and interest of children in the educational material with elements of ethnopedagogy. Implementation of the developed methodology during a pedagogical experiment has significantly enriched the content of biology lessons with ethnic elements such as interesting facts about living organisms and natural phenomena. The students were tasked to write essays, make crosswords, and prepare a group portfolio. The developed experimental method of applying elements of ethnopedagogy and its application in biology lessons acquainted students with folk cultural traditions and significantly contributed to their cognitive activity development.