TRAINING FUTURE TEACHERS FOR INCLUSIVE EDUCATION OF SCHOOLCHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

Abstract

The teacher plays a key role in ensuring a high quality of education. With the spread of inclusive education new requirements are imposed on the teacher, including readiness to teach and educate children with special educational needs. The article presents an analysis of current research in the field of training teachers for inclusive education of schoolchildren with disabilities. The professional competence of the teacher of inclusive education is interpreted as consisting of two components: personal and activity-based components. The professional and personal readiness of a teacher of inclusive education lies in their mastery of the system of professional values, as well as in the formation of significant professional and personal qualities such as mercy, empathy, tolerance, and high level of self-control. The activity-based component includes the main types of pedagogical activities, taking into account the specific features of children with special educational needs. The studies under analysis emphasize the development of the personal and semantic sphere and the professional and personal qualities of future teachers of inclusive education. Furthermore, they suggest teaching models aimed at the preparation of students for fruitful interaction in the interdisciplinary team of specialists providing pedagogical support for the child with disabilities. Several studies reflect the design of the content of bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. The prospects for further research consist in the integration of the content of general pedagogical education with the preparation for work with children with disabilities, and in the development of criteria for assessing the professional competence of a teacher of inclusive education and design of new training models that could improve the quality of inclusive processes in education.