DIRECTIONS FOR RENEWAL OF THE UKRAINIAN SYSTEM OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION ON THE BASIS OF US EXPERIENCE

Abstract

The need for renewal of Ukraine’s education is objectified by the necessity to reach its compatibility with the global educational process. The article aims at outlining the trajectories of renewal of the national system of foreign language teacher education based on the experience of the USA. In the study the methods of comparative analysis and extrapolation were utilised. It was concluded that transformation of the foreign language teacher education system in Ukraine should be carried out along conceptual, legislative and organizational-content strands, at the state, institutional and personal levels. At the state level: development of legislative basis that would stipulate the establishment and work of professional public agencies in the sphere of foreign language teacher education; development and implementation of standards of foreign language teacher preparation; monitoring the quality of language teacher preparation and certification of its applicants by autonomous professional organizations; reconsideration of specializations and qualifications of specialists in the field of foreign languages in accordance with the requirements of the labour market; preparation of foreign language acquisition specialists («foreign language pedagogical linguistics») as a subspecialisation of «applied linguistics»; introduction of pedagogical internship. At the institutional level: diversification of forms and types of educational programmes (academically oriented/ applied, interdisciplinary, multilevel, combined); introduction of interdisciplinary educational programmes with integrated teaching of disciplines and foreign/second languages; diversification of didactic approaches to the development of language teachers’ professional competencies; increasing the number of credits allocated for school practicum and rationalization of its organizational forms and didactic approaches; development of integrated courses with the parallel study of foreign languages and the content of professional disciplines. At the personal level: developing student teachers’ motivation, the need for continuous professional development.