Methods of formation of English teachers' self-educational competence in Great Britain

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METHODS OF FORMATION OF ENGLISH TEACHERS' SELF-EDUCATIONAL COMPETENCE IN GREAT BRITAIN

Viktoriia Perevozniuk - Ph.D. in Pedagogy, Associate Professor, Department of Philology and Publishing, Kremenchuk Mykhailo Ostrohradskyi National University, Kremenchuk, Ukraine.

Abstract

Research interests: professional training of English teachers, basic professional training of English teachers in the UK, personal development in modern society, social responsibility, distance education.

The article reveals the experience of English teachers' self-educational competence formation in the UK. The essence of the teacher's self-educational competence has been defined as his ability to learn throughout life. Forms and methods of self-educational competence formation in higher education institutions in the UK have been characterized, namely: the creation of individual educational route, compiling a portfolio, independent work of students, implementation of research projects, active teaching methods, etc. The difficulties arising in the process of English teachers' self-educational competence formation in the UK have been revealed, namely: excessive independence of students in choosing subjects; dependence of success of educational and research work from tutor's ability to interest the student; lack of criteria and a single system for evaluating the effectiveness of independent work, etc.

Keywords: self-educational competence; English teachers; form; methods; difficulties; UK.

Анотація

Перевознюк Вікторія, к. пед. н., доцент кафедри філології та видавничої справи Кременчуцького національного університету імені Михайла Остроградського, Кременчук, Україна.

МЕТОДИ ФОРМУВАННЯ САМООСВІТНЬОЇ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТІ МАЙБУТНІХ УЧИТЕЛІВ АНГЛІЙСЬКОЇ МОВИ У ВЕЛИКІЙ БРИТАНІЇ.

У статті розкривається досвід формування самоосвітньої компетентності учителів англійської мови у Великобританії. Сутність самоосвітньої компетентності вчителя визначено як його здатність здійснювати самоосвітню діяльність та вчитися протягом усього життя, що передбачає потребу людини у саморозвитку та готовність задовольнити свої пізнавальні потреби шляхом оволодіння знаннями, уміннями, навичками та системою цінностей у певній сфері, що виявляється у здатності організовувати самоосвітню діяльність, контролювати процес розвитку та коригувати його відповідно до потреб та завдань з метою досягнення високого рівня професійних навичок та особистісного розвитку. Охарактеризовано форми та методи формування самоосвітньої компетентності вчителя англійської мови у вищих навчальних закладах Великобританії, а саме: створення індивідуального освітнього маршруту, складання портфоліо, самостійна робота студентів, реалізація дослідницьких проектів з обраної спеціальності під керівництвом наукового керівника (написання статей, доповідей, наукових есе, дипломних робіт), семінари, активні методи навчання (ділові та рольові ігри, «метод кейсів», методи вирішення проблем, дискусії та дебати, тренінги), консультації, рефлексія під час занять та рефлексійної практики. Виявлено труднощі, що виникають у процесі формування самоосвітньої компетентності вчителів англійської мови у Великобританії, а саме: надмірна самостійність учнів у виборі предметів; залежність успіху навчальної та дослідницької роботи від уміння керівника зацікавити студента науковою діяльністю; відсутність критеріїв та єдиної системи оцінки ефективності самостійної роботи, неможливість отримання достовірної інформації про рівень знань, умінь та навичок учнів; безвідповідальне ставлення учнів до самостійних виконавських робіт; відсутність єдиної інформаційної бази щодо курсів дистанційного навчання в університетах; фінансові труднощі при впровадженні дистанційного навчання та інформаційних освітніх технологій тощо.

Ключові слова: самоосвітня компетентність; вчителі англійської мови; форми; методи; труднощі; Великобританія.

Problem statement

At the present stage of education development great demands are placed on teacher's personality: he or she must have a broad worldview, deep knowledge, various skills and abilities concerned with education activities, to be creative, sociable, socially active person, etc. It has to be a person ready to constant learning and self-improvement, is able to change according to requirements of pedagogical work and society as a whole. In view of this, the problem of formation of teacher's self- educational competence acquires special significance, because teacher's professional growth depends on his willingness and ability to learn throughout life.

It is important to note, that British system of higher education is focused on the formation of active, free, humanistically oriented individual, who strives for self-expression. Exactly therefore, one of the tasks of basic training of future teachers is the organization of a humanistic educational process, that promotes personal self-development, and language learning is considered to be important experience, that provides self-realization (Kuznetsova, 2002, p. 494). The function of teachers, in turn, is promoting the successful learning with gradual orientation of students to independent learning, whose education becomes an ongoing process, that lasts a lifetime. Thus, studying the experience of forming self-educational competence of English teachers in the UK in the process of their basic training is interesting and useful.

Research analysis. It should be noted, that certain issues of teachers training in Great Britain and their competence formation were the subject of research of both domestic and foreign scientists.

Indeed, the historical aspects of language teacher training in Great Britain were studied by О. Kuznetsova and Y. Novikova (Kuznetsova, 2002, p. 494; Novikova, 2014, p. 208). Special aspects of the implementation of language teachers' professional training in the UK are disclosed in works of V. Bazurina, I. Zadorozhna, I. Kozachenko, V. Kudina, I. Samoilyukevich, A. Sokolova, J. Coleman (Bazurina, 2006, p. 235; Zadorozhna, 2002, p. 20; Kozachenko, 2015, p. 219; Kudina, 2011, pp. 19-23; Samoilyukevich, 2007, pp. 40-44; Sokolova, 2009, p. 20; Coleman, 1997, pp. 71-78). Forms and methods of teaching students - future teachers of English in the UK are covered in research of I. Kozubovska, Popovich, N. Rokosov, R. Darabi, A. Moeller, A. McNutty (Kozubovska and etc., 2019, p. 32; Darabi, 2006, pp. 53-72; Moeller, McNutty, 2006, pp. 63-75). The issue of students' self-educational competencies formation in the learning process in higher education institutions of the UK is disclosed in works of E. Tanko, Y. Chimiris, O. Chubukina, T. Ghaye, K. Ghaye, K. Zeichner (Chimiris et al., 2017, pp. 314326; Ghaye T., Ghaye K., 1998, p. 148; Zeichner, 2007, pp. 36-46). In addition, a number of scientists (Day, 1994, pp. 287-302; Hunter, 2001, p. 231) are studying issues of student motivation and professional growth. However, the problem of forms and methods of English teachers' self-educational competence formation in the UK has not become the subject of a holistic study, which led to this scientific search.

The purpose of the article is to reveal the forms and methods of English teachers' self-educational competence formation in the process of basic training in the UK.

Presenting main material

Self-educational teacher competence as an ability to carry out self-educational activities and learn throughout life implies the need of every individual in self-development and willingness to satisfy his own cognitive needs by mastering knowledge, skills, abilities and value system in a particular field. Self-educational competence is characterized by the ability to organize self-educational activities, to control the process of one's own development and adjust it according to the needs and tasks set, in order to achieve the highest level of professional skill and personal development.

It should be noted, that professional standards, which determine teachers' training in the United Kingdom (Professional Standards, 2007, p. 14; Teachers' Standards, 2011, p. 15), include a section on teacher's professional development, where special importance is attached to the formation of such skills and abilities, such as: analysis and improvement of their own pedagogical activity, independent determination of goals and directions of further growth and self-improvement; critical, creative and constructive attitude to innovations and willingness to implement the most useful of them in their own practice (Professional Standards, 2007, p. 14).

In order to form English teachers' self-educational competence, the following organizational forms and methods of teaching are used in Great Britain.

• Creation of an individual educational trajectory, that contributes to conscious management of self-educational activities, definition of personal and professional needs, improving relationships with environment, reflection of their own learning (Day, 1994, pp. 287-302). This involves planning by students of their own educational activities and providing them with training materials: training program with the content of the material; textbooks and workbooks; printed materials (tables, illustrations, diagrams); software, video and audio recordings; materials for self-checking of acquired knowledge and self-assessment; course curriculum with start dates and completion of course' components studying, deadlines for homework, consultations and exams, etc. (Kozachenko, 2015, p. 219). Teachers help students to plan their activities, to develop practical tasks, to consult and coordinate their work (Kozachenko, 2015, p. 219; Novikova, 2014, p. 208; Samoilyukevich, 2007, pp. 40-44; Sokolova, 2009, p. 20; Supporting Teacher, 2013, p. 59).

• Compiling a portfolio - a collection of training materials, which allows to record and analyze one's own achievements and difficulties while learning the language, develop reflexive student activities, form and maintain their motivation and readiness for conscious purposeful self-education (Kozachenko, 2015, p. 219; Day, 1994, pp. 287-302; Moeller, McNutty, 2006, pp. 63-75). The following types of portfolio are used: administrative language portfolio (language portfolio, which is a tool for demonstrating the result of English language mastering); feedback language portfolio (language portfolio, which is a feedback tool); comprehensive language portfolio (language portfolio, that reflects different tasks in language mastering); language learning portfolio (language portfolio, which is a tool for autonomous language learning); assessment language portfolio (language portfolio used as a worksheet of self-education, where students choose independently subject or direction, in which they want to form language knowledge). The language portfolio can contain a variety of information (biographies of famous people, music preferences, recipes, favorite books, modern songs, descriptions of different countries of the world, etc.- everything, that can interest students). The portfolio contains also a sheet of own results, where personal achievements of the student in speech activity are fixed, his level of language mastering is determined. It helps to carry out self-assessment of knowledge and skills of the student, stimulates his self-development (Zadorozhna, 2002, p. 20).

• Independent work of students. In the UK, independent work in higher education - a well-planned process, that takes place under teachers' guidance, provided methodically and individualized in accordance with training and abilities of students (Kuznetsova, 2002, p. 494; Novikova, 2014, p. 208). This is done in order to teach students to acquire knowledge independently and apply it to solve professional problems (Novikova, 2014, p. 208; Samoilyukevich, 2007, pp. 40-44). Basic tasks of teachers are to develop tasks in academic disciplines, to ensure the implementation of individual-oriented approach when developing tasks, to create positive emotional atmosphere in the classroom, to provide assistance to students considering the degree of tasks' complexity and their individual features, to control success of performing independent work. These are the very conditions to move from the management of independent work of students to self-government, gaining experience of independent creative activity (Chimiris et al., 2017, pp. 314-326).

The independent work takes almost 60% of teaching time in the system of basic teacher training (Sokolova, 2009, p. 20). In higher education institutions of the UK different methods of classroom and extracurricular independent work are used. In particular, classroom independent work (solving situational and problem tasks, lecture notes, role-playing games, etc.) has an educational character and is a preparation for extracurricular independent work, which is characterized by scientific and practical orientation (Novikova, 2014, p. 208). The main types of independent work are studying of scientific sources in libraries, performance of educational and creative tasks, work in groups on practical projects, educational materials' development, educational and research work (preparation of literature reviews, essays, control tasks' performance, etc.) (Bazurina, 2006, p. 235; Kozachenko, 2015, p. 219; Kudina, 2011, pp. 19-23; Darabi, 2006, pp. 53-72).

The role of teacher in the organization of independent students' work consists in the formation of subject-subjective relations in educational process, the implementation of an individual-oriented approach, the establishment of feedback.

• Implementation of research projects in chosen specialty under the guidance of a research leader (Bazurina, 2006, p. 235). This includes writing articles, reports, scientific essays, thesis, etc. (Novikova, 2014, p. 208). It is important to note, that teachers' research activities include their willingness to professional self-education (Kozubovska et al., 2019, p. 32; Kudina, 2011, pp. 19-23; Supporting Teacher, 2013, p. 59; Zeichner, 2007, pp. 36-46).

However, there is no unity in the approaches to the organization of research activities of students in British universities (Novikova, 2014, p. 208). In particular, in Cambridge, only the third year of learning acquires a research character: students teach research methodology in education industry (Research and Investigation in Education) and write a theoretical thesis on the profile. At York University students' research work begins with the first year to study the module «Fundamentals of research work» (Skills for Studying), then continues in the second year while mastering the theoretical module «Methodology of pedagogical research» (Educational Research Methods) and ends in the third year by writing a diploma work of practical character (University of York, 2013). It is important to note, that in all higher education institutions diploma work is a full-fledged module for 30-40 credits and provides for individual consultations with tutor, independent work of students, organization of lectures and seminar (group) classes on the researched problem. Such organization of research work ensures the unity of requirements for students' diploma works and allows you to focus on their content (Novikova, 2014, p. 208). educational competence teacher english

• Seminars devoted to detailed study of current and complex problems of discipline. Workshops usually have problematic character and take place in the form of group discussions. Seminars develop future teachers' skills and the abilities to search and analyze information independently, to defend their own opinion and draw conclusions as well as form the ability to make optimal decisions, develop the culture of scientific thinking (Bazurina, 2006, p. 235; Novikova, 2014, p. 208).

• Active teaching methods, namely: business and role-playing games, «case method» (solving situational problems), problem-solving methods, group and mass discussions and debates, trainings, etc. They allow to develop thinking of English teachers, their skills and abilities to interact with society, help students to acquire new knowledge independently, creatively apply them in the new situations, that reproduce professional activity of a teacher, and later - in his own work (Kozubovska et al., 2019, p. 32; Novikova, 2014, p. 208).

• Consultations of leading teachers of higher education institutions and more experienced teachers (Kudina, 2011 pp. 19-23).

• Reflection during classes (Kozubovska and etc., 2019, p. 32) and reflective practice - introspection (self-analysis) of practical activities for its results fixation, analysis and increase of its effectiveness in the future. It accompanies the whole process of teacher training, promotes the development of critical thinking skills and engages students to professionally-oriented activities.

Reflection is realized mostly as a written analysis of their own activities (in the form of a portfolio, reflective diary of pedagogical practice, educational blog, forum, etc.) or reflexive dialogue with tutor (Novikova, 2014, p. 208; Ghaye T., Ghaye K., 1998, p. 148).

Despite the similarity of organizational forms and methods of development of self-educational competence, ways of their realization differ one from another, because methods of teaching the subject are specific and their choice depends on subjects' profile and chosen model of student's professional training (Novikova, 2014, p. 208).

Summarizing the selected forms and methods of English teachers' self-education competence development, it is important to emphasize, that the part of individual work of students in the UK is increasing (thus, some universities have a middle vacation (up to eight weeks) as the time for independent learning) (Kozachenko, 2015, p. 219). University training is recognized as one that forms students' skills of independent acquisition of knowledge and active work with information technology and promotes development of cognitive processes (Coleman, 1997, pp. 71-78).

Special importance for teachers' self-educational competence formation is attached to distance learning and preparation for integration of information and communication technologies in the educational process, because it provides the development of individual's self-educational activity skills (Samoilyukevich, 2007, pp. 40-44). At the same time, a scientific search, that was conducted, (Kozubovska et al., 2019, p. 32; Chimiris et al., 2017, pp. 314-326; Hunter, 2001, p. 231) revealed some difficulties in the application of forms and methods of self-educational competence development in the process of English teachers basic training in the UK, in particular: unreasonable amount of time allotted to independent work of students; providing students with excessive independence, when choosing training disciplines, which, to some extent, «blurs” the structure of the curriculum at the master's level; lack of diagnostics of the level of students' readiness for independent work; significant dependence of educational and research work' success from the ability of supervisor to interest the student in scientific activity; exaggeration of the role of independent work, which leads to difficulties in assessing learning outcomes, the inability to obtain reliable information about actual level of knowledge, skills and abilities of students; lack of developed criteria and a single evaluation system efficiency of independent work of students, that leads to their free mastery of information; not always responsible attitude of students to independent work; lack of UK Unified Database about distance learning courses at universities, which would provide students with complete information about various distance courses; financial difficulties in implementing distance learning and information educational technologies, etc.

Conclusions

Thus, the principles and national standards for the training of British English teachers emphasize early professionalization, applied professional disciplines and formation of a «reflective teacher-practitioner”. Use of new educational technologies, forms and teaching methods (creating an individual educational trajectory, compiling a portfolio, independent work of students, research projects, seminars, consultations, active methods of learning, reflection) gives the opportunity to form teachers' aspirations and skills of self-educational activity, to model social and subject content of future professional activity and creates students' complete idea of the creative nature of teaching profession. The study doesn't cover all aspects of the problem. We consider the coverage of the peculiarities of the use of different types of teaching and educational technologies in English teachers' training in the UK for the formation of his self-educational competence to be the prospect of its further development.

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