The dissertation presents a theoretical substantiation and practical solution to the significant scientific problem of training future vocational education teachers for innovative activities.
The analysis of the current state of training future vocational education teachers for innovative activity indicates that the process of forming their innovative competence remains fragmentary and insufficiently researched. The problem of vocational education teachers training for innovative activity is at the centre of scientific research and requires further theoretical understanding and development of effective practical mechanisms for its solution.
The study specifies the content of the concept of “innovative competence of a vocational education teacher”, which is interpreted as an integrated ability of an individual to successfully carry out innovative pedagogical activities, based on a balanced combination of theoretical knowledge in pedagogical innovation, subject-specific and methodological knowledge, skills and abilities to design, evaluate and master and implement pedagogical innovations in the organization of the educational process, moral and ethical values, interests and aspirations for innovations and necessary qualities such as creativity, focus on continuous creation of something new, persistent attitude to self-development and self-improvement, self-criticism, high creative potential, versatility of interests, tolerance, breadth of thinking, etc.) and enables the development of innovation of vocational education students.
Based on the analysis of scientific sources, the structure of innovative competence of future vocational education teachers is defined as a unity of four interrelated components: motivational-value; innovative-cognitive; activity; personal-reflective.
In accordance with the defined structure of the innovative competence of future vocational education teachers, criteria, indicators and levels (high, sufficient, average, initial) of its formation, have been determined.
Based on the results of expert evaluation, the pedagogical conditions for effective training of future vocational education teachers for innovative activities have been identified and theoretically substantiated. These include increasing the motivation of higher education students for innovative pedagogical activities; creating innovative educational environment in a higher education institution; enriching the content of future teachers of vocational education training with the innovative component; introducing innovative technologies into the training of specialists.
A comprehensive methodology for training future vocational education teachers for innovative activities has been designed. It is based on the integration of traditional and innovative pedagogical technologies (ICT, project-based, modular, contextual, problem-based, blended learning, case technologies, etc.), as well as a system of teaching methods (verbal, visual, practical, reproductive, problem-based, research, heuristic, simulation-game, dialogic, interactive) and organizational forms (problem lectures and seminars, discussions, creative practical classes, excursions, round tables, webinars, trainings, master classes, etc.), that correspond to the stages of competence formation.
The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that, for the first time, pedagogical conditions for training future vocational education teachers for innovative activity have been identified, substantiated and experimentally verified; the structural-functional model of this process has been developed combining target, methodological, subject, content-technological and diagnostic-resultative blocks; the methodology for professional training of future vocational education teachers for innovative activity has been improved, which systematically combines the resources of traditional and innovative pedagogical technologies with self-educational innovative activity of students; and the diagnostic toolkit for assessing the levels of formation of innovative competence of future vocational education teachers in accordance with substantiated criteria: motivational-value, innovative-cognitive, activity and personal-reflective has been created; the essence and structure of innovative competence, as well as its criteria, indicators and levels, have been specified.
