Comparative analysis of future foreign language teachers’ independent learning organization in Ukraine and иGreat Britain

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Comparative analysis of future foreign language teachers' independent learning organization in Ukraine and иGreat Britain

Olha Palekha

Poltava

Abstract

self study teacher language

The article presents a comparative analysis of the experience of organizing future foreign language teachers' independent learning in higher education institutions of Ukraine and Great Britain. It is highlighted that organization of independent learning has common and distinctive features.

Keywords: future foreign language teacher; future foreign language teacher training; independent learning; higher educational institutions; Ukraine; Great Britain.

Main part

Research justification. Integration of Ukrainian higher education into the world dimension presupposes the search for effective forms and methods of organizing professional teacher training, which can use the achievements of national science and practice and implement foreign experience in the system of higher pedagogical education at a high level.

One of the essential directions of reforming higher pedagogical education is its integration into the European and world educational dimension. The training of qualified, competent, competitive teachers is becoming a leading task of modern education. The teacher becomes a carrier of change, the creator of the intellectual elite of the state, a person who forms the knowledge, values, and views of young people. State policy on language education, the expansion of international relations, and the growing need of society for professionals who would be fluent in a foreign language as a means of intercultural communication are changing the role and place of foreign language teachers in society. An essential prerequisite in this regard is the recognition of Ukrainian foreign language teachers in other countries, close contacts with educators and scientists from developed countries.

It is important to actively search for new ways to reform education and higher education, in particular, the development of new concepts of education and training. In this context, attention should be paid to independent learning as it helps to develop the ability to learn, to form student's ability to self-development, creative usage of the acquired knowledge, ways of adaptation to professional activity in the modern world.

That is why the mechanisms, conditions, and ways of effective organization of future foreign language teachers' independent learning are clearly outlined in higher education institutions of modern Great Britain, its role and place in the system of professional training of pedagogical staff are defined. The methods and forms of students' independent learning are worth noting. According to the results of our analysis, the system of organizing independent learning in modern higher education institutions in Great Britain can be considered quite successful, as it is one of the main reserves for improving the effectiveness of professional future foreign language teacher training.

The new educational paradigm, which is formulated in the context of the legislative processes and presented in the relevant official documents in Ukraine, aims to form, firstly, the relevant competencies of future foreign language teachers, and secondly, to replace the knowledge-centric system of training for personality - oriented, where priority is given to the formation of skills to obtain information, development of independence and the ability to mobilize their potential.

Research publications. Scientists of Ukraine have actively joined the study of the issues of professional training of future foreign language teachers in the context of reforming the system of higher pedagogical education. The subject of the analysis is foreign language teacher training in a higher educational institution (O. Bihich, I. Sokolova, T. Shkvarina), improving the quality of this training (B. Bihich, I. Belikova), the formation of competencies of future foreign language teachers: general cultural competence (T. Nesvirskaia), socio-cultural competence (S. Shekhavtsova), professional competence (I. Pinchuk), key professional competence (A. Hordiichuk), educational-strategic competent (I. Zadorozhna). Questions of application of the newest information technologies in the course of training foreign language teachers are presented in researches by O. Podzyhun, O. Shestopal.

An urgent issue is the organization of independent learning of future foreign language teachers, who are also in the circle of scientific interests of Ukrainian researchers. In particular, the peculiarities of the organization of independent work of future foreign language teachers on improving foreign language communicative competence (I. Zadorozhna), the problem of readiness of future foreign language teachers for self-education (N. Popovych), independent research activities of future foreign language teachers are considered by M. Kniazian.

The purpose of the article is to make a comparative analysis of the independent learning organization of future foreign language teachers in Ukraine and Great Britain.

We can state that the system of higher pedagogical education in Ukraine aims to train a highly qualified foreign language teacher who will be competitive and ready to meet the challenges of today. However, the practical implementation of the reform outlined some pedagogical problems, including the search for innovative training programs for teachers, its differentiation and individualization, the use of a wide range of new technologies and modern forms, methods, and teaching aids (Гордієнко, 2006), strengthening the role and importance of independent learning in the process of foreign language teacher training. It is the contradictions between the requirements for future foreign language teachers as competent employees, ready for independent teaching, and the level of their professional training that determine the existence of these pedagogical problems.

The purpose of independent learning of future foreign language teachers in higher education institutions of Great Britain and Ukraine has a practical orientation, involves the assimilation of a certain amount of foreign language teaching material, the formation of speech skills (Палеха, 2016). In addition, it is important to develop student independence, the formation of skills of independent search activities, the ability to take responsibility, solve problems independently, find constructive solutions, and get out of a crisis, etc. According to I. Zadorozhna (2012), the organization of independent work in Ukraine is aimed at achieving the goal, which has a practical direction and provides developmental, educational, upbringing, professionally oriented components. However, it should be noted that in higher education institutions in Great Britain the skills and abilities to organize their self-education during professional activities, which are formed in the process of independent learning, are a priority compared to the practical orientation of language education. It is due to the wellfunctioning technology of organizing independent learning in British universities. Instead, the organization of future foreign language teachers' independent learning in higher educational institutions of Ukraine is in the process of formation and development.

It should be noted that today the place of independent learning in the training of future foreign language teachers in Ukrainian higher education institutions is important along with classroom classes, which is confirmed in the `Guidelines for the curriculum of higher education institutions of II, III, and IV levels of accreditation.' The document defines the ratio of students' classroom classes and independent learning. Study time provided for independent learning should be not less than 1/3 and not more than 2/3 of the total amount of time allotted for the study of a particular discipline (MapxeBa, 2010).

We analyzed the place of independent learning in the system of training specialists of Kyiv Borys Hrinchenko University, Mariupol State University, Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University, Kherson State University. The ratio of hours of classroom and independent learning was considered on the example of disciplines `Introduction to the specialty, ' `Practice of oral and written speech, ' `Practical course of foreign language, ' `Lexicology of English, ' `Practical course of English, ' `Practical grammar, ' `Theoretical grammar, ' `Theoretical phonetics.'

Thus, the analysis of training programs for future foreign language teachers in the above-mentioned universities allowed to state that the distribution of classroom and independent learning is approximately 50%:50% with a slight tendency to increase the percentage of hours for independent learning at Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University, which corresponds to the recommended limits of 1/3 to 2/3 of the total number of hours per discipline. We state that half an hour or even more falls on the classroom load of disciplines of practical orientation, which form practical speech skills. Disciplines of theoretical orientation tend to a balanced distribution of hours of classroom and independent learning. The analyzed distribution of hours shows that the ratio of classroom work and independent learning is determined taking into account the specifics and content of a particular discipline, its place, importance, and didactic purpose in the implementation of educational training, as well as the share of practical, seminar and laboratory classes.

According to the curricula of universities and pedagogical colleges of Great Britain, the share of independent learning is not less than 50%. In this situation, there is a similarity in the distribution of hours for independent learning in higher education institutions in Great Britain and Ukraine (Палеха, 2016).

We can state that one of the reserves of improving the quality of training of future foreign language teachers as a competitive, creative, motivated to self-education during the life of a specialist is to increase the amount of independent learning. Along with the increase in its volume, the volume of educational material increases. It, in accordance with the curricula, is submitted for independent learning.

The principles of organization of future foreign language teachers' independent learning in higher educational institutions of Great Britain are determined, which are represented by two groups, which are general pedagogical and specific ones (Палеха, 2016). According to A. Kotova, the main principles of organizing future foreign language teachers' independent learning in higher education institutions of Ukraine are the principle of student activity, individualization of learning, availability of educational material, clarity and certainty of tasks, clarity, systematicity, and consistency in developing skills of independent learning, consciousness and independence of learning, connection with life, the principle of having management requirements (Котова, 2012). I. Zadorozhna (2012) defines two groups of principles of independent learning. They are the following: didactic (activity, individualization, combination of individual, pair, and group forms of the specified work, creativity, clarity) and methodical (autonomy, communicativeness, intercomnected training of types of speech acts and aspects of language, mutual related learning of language and culture, the dominant role of exercises, the authenticity of educational materials). She also notes that the principle of professional orientation of foreign language communication is important for future teachers' independent work.

The views of the above scholars are confirmed by the analysis of curricula of the disciplines `Practice of oral and written speech (English), ' `Practical grammar' for students majoring in Philology (Language and Literature. English) in Kyiv Borys Hrinchenko University. The programs present the principle of activity (the student is an active participant in the educational process and is personally responsible for their academic achievements), the principle of professional development (provides continuous independent professional development of students throughout life), the principle of relevance (independent extracurricular work focused on modern society and professional needs future foreign language teachers), the principle of personal development (the importance of personal and intellectual development of students and creating conditions for effective self-realization of their personality), the principle of integrative (all components of the content of independent extracurricular work are necessarily interconnected and interdependent), etc. (Палеха, 2016).

We can state that most of the principles of organizing independent learning in higher education institutions of the two countries are not identical in wording, but they are similar in content. It is essential to note that among the principles of organization of independent learning, which are implemented in higher education institutions in Great Britain, original and interesting are the principles of cyclicality, democracy (general pedagogical), algorithmization, and multiculturalism, unity of control, and self-control, aesthetics, emotional attractiveness.

It is determined that in higher education institutions of Great Britain future foreign language teachers' independent learning is performed in autonomous or partially autonomous forms (Палеха, 2016). According to the research of Ukrainian scientists, in particular I. Zadorozhna (2012), the levels of independent learning are partial autonomy, semi-autonomy, partially dependent autonomy, conditionally full autonomy. In particular, partial autonomy is correlated with the regulation of student actions by the lecturer and is based on strict management. Semi-autonomy is characterized by the possibility for students to choose their ways and means of achieving individual learning goals in the context of indirect guidance by the lecturer. Partially dependent autonomy is characterized by a relatively flexible type of management, which means the definition of individual goals by future foreign language teachers and the choice of their ways to achieve this goal. Independent determination of the student's educational goals and needs, the realization of the set tasks, selfcontrol, and self-correction is the basis of conditionally full autonomy, which provides counseling and flexible management of this process by the lecturer.

It should be noted that all the above forms (equal to I. Zadorozhna) of independent learning higher educational institutions of Ukraine require the presence of a lecturer who performs the functions of management, control, consulting, etc. takes a fairly active position in this process. Instead, in British higher education institutions, along with the partially autonomous performance of independent learning, which is to some extent similar to the levels described above, it functions autonomously. It should be emphasized that it involves mastering the content of independent learning independently, regardless of the lecturer. It is the future foreign language teachers who control the procedure and algorithm of their independent learning because everyone can choose where, how, when, and what to study. In this situation, the lecturer's role changes from the transmitter of knowledge to the manager.

The analysis of independent learning activities in higher educational institutions of Great Britain allowed to testify to a rather wide range of their use (Палеха, 2016). The analyzed syllabuses of the above-mentioned higher educational institutions of Ukraine also certify the existence of various independent learning activities, in particular, individual educational and research tasks, lexical and grammatical tasks, which are aimed at the formation of lexical, grammatical, and spelling competencies; creative works (creating presentations, essays); individual educational and research tasks (writing abstracts, summaries, researching selected issues, etc.). But it should be noted that in British higher education types of independent learning activities are more creative and aimed at developing the independence of future foreign language teachers who are able to search, analyze, reason, develop, and algorithm their learning strategy to meet the student's educational needs, interests, and preferences.

Conclusions. Thus, in Great Britain, there is a great experience of organizing future foreign language teachers' independent learning. Some features in this area are common to both countries, but in higher education, in the UK there is a much larger number of developments related to the formation of student independence, able to consciously and responsibly perform a variety of tasks outside the classroom. Changing the authoritarian model of vocational education, typical of Soviet times, to personality-oriented involves maximum individualization of future foreign language teachers' independent learning, creating conditions for self-development and self-improvement, meaningful and independent determination of their own learning needs, opportunities, and individual learning goals. In this aspect, the work in higher educational institutions of Ukraine has begun and needs further improvement. Higher education institutions in Great

Britain have already created a modem model of higher йducation, designed to provide students with systematic, strong and at the same time operational knowledge, able to provide conditions that contribute to the necessary and relevant requirement: to teach students to learn independently. These processes have a certain tradition and are actively implemented.

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