Continuous Pedagogical Education: Some Digital Accents

Abstract

The problem of continuous pedagogical education in the modern university cluster, representing now theoretical and practical interest for involved communities, is actualized in the article. The necessity of cardinal renewal of organizational, content and technological components of the university education, dictated by the digital economy, is grounded. The possible reasons for the failures of Russian education, influenced by the crisis in the world educational trends, are revealed. The difficulties for the implementation of professional educational activities, associated with the socio-economic uncertainty of the teacher's professional status, the high probability of unpredictable situations, the contradictions between public needs, time challenges and educational activities, are determined. The authors present the implementation experience of the practice-oriented model of teacher's continuous education, actualizing such aspects as professional selection of school graduates showing an inclination for teaching in pedagogical universities; updating the system of pedagogical vocational education in accordance with the personal, social and state requirements; young teacher’s multi-faceted accompaniment in the postgraduate period. The results of the project "Continuous pedagogical education: from vocational guidance to postgraduate support" at State University of Humanities and Technology (GGTU) are summarized: pedagogical classes as a component of the system service and tools of future applicants’ pedagogical motivation; innovative competence-oriented model of continuous pedagogical practice using the digital environment capabilities; the development of psychological, pedagogical and methodological support system for young teachers -graduates from GGTU - at the professionalization stage. The authors focus on the modern university educational space digitalization, which gives new opportunities for continuous pedagogical education.

Keywords: Functional teacherdigitalizationpedagogical classpedagogical practice

Introduction

A prerequisite for the Russian education system modernization is the solution of the primary task –to improve the staff qualification, to prepare and form a teaching staff that meets the social needs (Noskova, 2015). A new, highly-qualified generation of teachers may appear in the Russian school, provided that the choice is set for the professional selection of those school graduates who have shown an inclination for pedagogical activity at the pre-university stage (Yusupova, 2014). Further, a cardinal updating of the pedagogical vocational education system is necessary in accordance with personal, social and state requirements. Hence, a successful graduate from a teacher training university being motivated at the appropriate period continues to need a multidimensional accompaniment at the stage of professionalization. Apparently, there is a logically grounded line of continuous pedagogical education, during which a modern teacher that is able to meet the time challenges is being trained.

Modern challenges to the education formulate its goal: a student’s personality development that comprises a well-formed system of values, accepted in the society, high personal qualities, critical thinking skills, cooperation and joint activities, creativity, communication and working with information and technological skills. So the renewal of today’s higher education technological component is one of the most important areas in the educational process modernization (Izmailova, 2017).

Problem Statement

The modern school urgently needs young teachers who are capable to respond adequately to changes in the educational situation, peculiarities of pedagogical systems, new conditions in the professional activity dictated by the modernization processes in the education (Brown, Lauder & Ashton, 2011; Gert & Biesta, 2010; Olson & Presley, 2010). The permanent modernization of the Russian pedagogy, unfortunately, did not bring the expected results in the last decade yet. The reasons are as follows: "the lack of a clear state policy", hypertrophied bureaucracy and excessive commercialization of the higher education system, mechanical tracking of foreign experience, ... devaluation of education " (Orlov & Kolishev, 2017).

In addition, the professional educational activities are characterized by complicated conditions for its implementation: the socio-economic uncertainty of the professional status (bachelor's, university graduate’s, secondary professional education graduate’s salaries), a high probability of unpredictable situations (psychological, social, professional ones, etc.). At present, the gap between public needs, the time challenges and the pedagogical education activities has reached a maximum (Osinina, 2015; Skudareva, 2014).

As never before, the use of external and internal resources for teacher’s growth and the new technological organization of professional training for the future teacher are relevant today (Aldoshina & Grishina, 2017).

Research Questions

the article presents the experience of implementing a practice-oriented model of continuous teacher education, which updates the following aspects:

• organization of pedagogical classes as a pedagogical motivation instrument;

• development and approbation of competence-oriented model of continuous pedagogical practice in the conditions of education subjects network interaction ;

• psychological, pedagogical and methodological support of young specialists - graduates from GGTU in the post-graduate period.

Purpose of the Study

Theoretical substantiation of the problem and practical experience in the implementation of continuous pedagogical education in conditions of digitalization.

Research Methods

Analytical, sociometric ones, an experiment upon the implementation of the intra-university project "Continuous pedagogical education: from vocational guidance to postgraduate support", modeling of the continuous pedagogical education process.

Findings

Pedagogical classes serve as a component of the system service and a vocational guidance tool for prospective students at State University of Humanities and Technology (Skudareva & Osinina, 2017). Currently, pedagogical classes are organized in 10 municipal districts (Pavlovsky Posad, Elektrostal, Elektrogorsk, Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Klin, Dmitrov, Shakhovskaya, Volokolamsk, Istra, Mozhaisk) on the basis of internal and external integration with the implementation of off-hour activities and pedagogical workshops. The unique project "10U" is a pedagogical class in the city of Elektrostal, whose work experience is presented in Teacher's Newspaper No. 50 of December 12, 2017 in the article "In Search of the Perfect Teacher".

In the conditions of digital education, an information site has been created on the basis of GGTU, which allows to work with potential applicants in a remote format: audio- and video conferences, webinars, discussions in the mode of various types of teleconferences: web forum, e-mail - conferences and chat discussions, seminars , on-line discussions with students from remote educational territories. The subject schools for applicants functioning at all the faculties of the university significantly increase the level of professional orientation.

Training a new formation is impossible without a fundamentally new approach to the organization and content of pedagogical practices. This thesis initiates the development of an innovative competence-oriented model of continuous pedagogical practice, which has a modular structure.

This model focuses on the organization and content of the training (1^st-2^nd courses) and professional student practices (3^rd-5^th courses), which contributes to the understanding of continuous and systematic pedagogical activity, its characteristics in modern conditions, its various contexts, and promotes development motivation for future pedagogical activity. In accordance with the strategic goals of education modernization, it is important to innovate the forms, methods, technologies and content of training and professional student practices, as a pedagogical tool for improving the quality of education.

The model includes the following components:

• social order for education as a set of educational (related) requests and requirements;

• requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard as a social contract between a person, the society and the state as the subjects of social order for education;

• the digital space of the school as an objective reality and a genuine resource for enhancing the competitiveness of the individual in today's changing conditions;

• socio-cultural space of the class as a structural component of the the school socio-cultural space, determined by the level of interaction between subjects of educational relations;

• organization of children’s health recreation as a component of extracurricular practical pedagogical activity;

• subject profile pedagogical activity as a condition for the professional competences formation during professional (pedagogical) practice in the educational organization;

• scientific research activity as a condition of forming readiness for solving research problems and guiding the educational and research activities of students in the field of education.

The competence model of a pedagogical university graduate is presented as a result of mastering general cultural and professional competences in the process of all kinds of continuous pedagogical practice.

Obviously, the young teachers’ graduate support is undoubtedly necessary, since the teacher, especially at the beginning of his professional activity, underestimates the risks and is not ready to formulate a strategy for overcoming them, which can lead to a change in the young teacher’s professional development trajectories (Harland & Kinder, 2014; Kovalchuck & Vorotnykova, 2017).

Therefore, a special role is assigned to the organization of psychological and pedagogical support for young teachers at the beginning of their professional activity, when the process of professional development is inextricably linked with personal changes, normative regulation of activities (Klieger & Oster Levinz, 2015).

The main tasks of the system of methodological work with young teachers are: to overcome formalism in work through practical measures; to detect pedagogical difficulties and assist in their resolution; to increase the mentor’s personal responsibility; to form a system of moral and material incentives; create a system of advanced and assisted in-school supervision.

The implementation of the project in the field of postgraduate support involves the development and implementation of the program of accompanying the graduates from GGTU "Professional and pedagogical navigator", carrying out activities aimed at creating a regional system for supporting the development of the professional career of young teachers (with a professional experience of 0-3 years).

As expected results of the introduction of the program for accompanying young teachers, we should note: "retention in the profession"; creation of an effective model of methodological support and professional competence development; successful adaptation to the profession, professional communities; the formation of a conscious need for continuous professional education; development of professional competence and pedagogical skills.

The active implementation of the Program for accompanying young teachers being graduates from GGTU "Professional and pedagogical navigator" includes the following stages and forms of work with a beginner teacher:

Diagnostic stage - monitoring: employment of graduates, fastening in the profession, professional difficulties, educational needs of young teachers ("Education through life").

Practical-oriented stage. Directions:

1. Research support of young specialists:

publishing materials,

participation in scientific and practical conferences, seminars, round tables (remote access),

project activities,

support of the scientific community of students, preparation for participation in the movement,

support and guidance of the pilot activities of the educational organizations,

creation of a bank of innovative ideas,

attracting young specialists to the students’ final qualification works management if there is a request for research of problems on behalf of employers,

scientific examination of targeted programs.

2. Methodological support of young specialists:

Moderation,

Young Teacher’s Day ,

master classes,

self-presentation of the young teacher's own experience in the pedagogical movement "Young People for Young People",

Individualization and differentiation of support,

School for a young teacher,

“a coin box” of pedagogical skills,

Supervision,

Discussion clubs.

3. Legal support: "Legal clinic":

legal advice (remote access);

legal protection.

4. Psychological support using the capabilities of the digital environment:

psychological and pedagogical coaching,

skype-consulting,

webinars,

consultations in the mode of electronic conferences, as well as in the mode of "real time" in ICQ mode,

chat conferences.

5. Educational and organizational support of young specialists:

consulting services,

internships,

creative competitions and laboratories,

"Map - forecast" of career prospects,

time management.

The expected result in the implementation of the multifactorial model of accompanying young teachers is the promotion of the formation of young teachers’ basic professional and "flexible" competences, the growth of professional self-awareness, positive self-esteem, the expression of an active life position, readiness for lifelong learning (Dave, 1973).

Conclusion

Practical experience of implementing the continuous pedagogical education model in conditions of digitalization makes it possible to distinguish the advantages of the project in comparison with the known analogues:

• the organization of pedagogical classes as a component of the system service of vocational guidance for prospective applicants;

• provision of a variable entrance to the pedagogical profession;

• use of new methodological tools while working with virtual pedagogical classes: the Virtual Tutor project, Virtual Consultant, Virtual Expert.

• improvement of methodological approaches to the organization and conduct of continuous pedagogical practice for students in GGTU using the digital environment capabilities;

• creation of a "simulator schools" network, a base for "teacher-trainers", a system of integrative practices;

• the formation of target settings that reflect the personal sense of involving pedagogical university graduates into professional and pedagogical activities for enriching them with "pedagogical capital";

• •determination of value means in professional competences forming for realizing a "short career line".

• To implement the project "Continuous pedagogical education: from vocational guidance to postgraduate support", the following resources are used on the basis of GGTU:

• personnel (education workers, social partners, academic communities of educators, society);

• information (Internet, information educational environment of GGTU, library resources of GGTU, Electronic Library System of GGTU, resources of school libraries);

• • educational and methodological (educational, methodological and diagnostic materials, materials designed by teachers, working programs);

• material and technical (necessary equipment, fully equipped classrooms and laboratories).

Besides, GGTU has a software that allows the teachers to organize the work with disabled students: a program for reading from the computer screen, designed for people with impaired vision. JAWS for Windows version 16.0 Pro provides the possibility of voice access to the various content, allows to present information on a constantly updated Braille display; the screen magnifier MAGic 13.0 Pro with the voice support - the program of screen magnification - helps blind and visually impaired people to master the computer, use various office applications, navigate the Internet; NVDA is a free screen access program for Windows operating systems that allows blind and visually impaired users to work at the computer.

In the mobile application of Electronic Library System “Lan” they integrated a service for blind students - a speech synthesizer, which allows them to work effectively with the system. Using this service, blind students can:

• carry out navigation both in the catalogue and in the text of the book;

• listen to sounded books on your mobile device;

• adjust the speed of speech playback;

• move on the sentences, paragraphs or chapters of the book.

Thus, returning to the articulated problem, it can be stated that in the process of research its essence is exposed in different ways and comprehensively: the necessity of updating the polycomponent higher education in the conditions of the digital economy is justified; the possible causes of failures in the modernization processes in the Russian education are outlined; the complex conditions for a young teacher’s training and his professionalization are defined; the results of approbation and introduction of the intra-university project “Continuous pedagogical education: from vocational guidance to postgraduate support”, implemented at State University of Humanities and Technology(Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Moscow region), are summarized. At the same time, our attention is focused on the digitalization of the modern educational space at the university, which opens up new opportunities and perspectives for continuous pedagogical education (Morze, 2013).

References

1. Aldoshina, M.I., Grishina, Ju.V. (2017). Obrazovatel'nyj klaster kak model' nepreryvnogo pedagogicheskogo obrazovanija v universitete [Educational cluster as a model of continuous teacher education in the university]. Innovacii v obrazovanii, 2, 11-24 [in Rus].
2. Brown, P., Lauder, H., & Ashton, D. (2011). Forthcoming: the global auction: the broken promises of education, jobs, and incomes. Oxford, U. K., Oxford University Press.
3. Dave, R.H. (1973). Lifelong Education and the School Curriculum. Hamburg, VIE.
4. Gert, J.J. Biesta. (2010) Good Education in an Age of Measurement: Ethics, Politics, Democracy. Stirling, Paradigm.
5. Harland, J., & Kinder, K. (2014). Teachers’ continuing professional development: framing a model of outcomes. Professional development in education, 40, 4, 669-682.
6. Izmailova, R.G. (2017). Osnovnye napravleniya raboty po formirovaniyu kommunikativnykh kompetentsiy mladshikh shkol'nikov [The main directions of work on the formation of communicative competencies of junior schoolchildren]. Professional'naya deyatel'nost' pedagoga v usloviyakh preemstvennosti doshkol'nogo i nachal'nogo obshchego obrazovaniya. 158-163 [in Rus].
7. Yusupova, N.G. (2014). Perspektivy razvitija nepreryvnogo obrazovanija pedagogov Moskovskoj oblasti [Prospects for the development of continuing education of teachers in the Moscow region]. Nachal'najashkola,1, 3-7 [in Rus].
8. Klieger, A., & Oster Levinz, A. (2015). The influence of teacher education on mentor teachers’ role perception in professional development schools. Journal of Education for Teaching, 41, 2, 115-127.
9. Kovalchuck, V., &Vorotnykova, I. (2017). E- coaching, e- mentoring for lifelong professional development of teachers within the system of post-graduate pedagogical education. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education. 18, 3, Article 14, 214-227
10. Morze, N. (2013). Сreation of the university’s information and education space as a catalyst for the formation of teachers’ ICT competence. E-learning & Lifelong Learning In E. Smyrnova-Trybulska (Ed.), Cieszyn, University of Silesia, 39-54
11. Noskova, N.V. (2015). Problemy, poiski, reshenija sovershenstvovanija sistemy pedagogicheskogo obrazovanija Podmoskov'ja [Problems, searches, solutions to improve the system of pedagogical education in the Moscow region]. Sbornik statej Mezhdunarodnoj nauchno-prakticheskoj konferencii “Psihologija I pedagogika: proshloe, nastojashhee, budushhee”. P. 149-154 [in Rus].
12. Olson, G.A., & Presley, J.W. (2010). The Future of higher education: perspectives from America’s, academic leaders. New York, Free Press.
13. Orlov, A.A., Kolishev, N.S. (2017). Puti sovershenstvovanija pedagogicheskogo obrazovanija v Rossii i Bolgarii [Ways to improve teacher education in Russia and Bulgaria]. Pedagogika, 10, 97 -113 [in Rus].
14. Osinina, T.N. (2015). Problema realizatsii novykh obrazovatel'nykh standartov v sovremennom obshchestvenno-orientirovannom obrazovanii. [The problem of implementing new educational standards in modern public-oriented education] Sovremennoe obshchestvenno-orientirovannoe obrazovanie: dialog kontseptsiy Sbornik nauchnykh trudov po materialam Mezhdunarodnoy nauchno-prakticheskoy konferentsii. P.45-54 [in Rus].
15. Skudareva, G.N. (2014). Sovremennye roditeli kak sub"ekty formirovaniya sotsial'nogo zakaza I eksperty kachestva obrazovaniya [Modern parents as subjects of formation of the social order and experts in the quality of education]. Semeynoe vospitanie v otechestvennom obrazovanii. Moskva, 100-115 [in Rus].
16. Skudareva, G.N., Osinina, T.N. (2017). Social'nyj zakaz na nepreryvnoe pedagogicheskoe obrazovanie [Social order for continuous teacher education]. Problemy sovremennogo pedagogicheskogo obrazovanija. Ser.: Pedagogika I psihologija. Jalta, RIO GPA, 57-1.Ch. 1, 200-209 [in Rus].