APPROACHES TO PRESCHOOL TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL TRAINING IN THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT: EXPERIENCE OF WESTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Abstract

Abstract. This article analyzes scientific approaches of the professional training of pre-school teachers in the European educational space. The author analyzes theoretical principles of formation of each of the known today approaches, determines the peculiarities of their manifestation in professional pedagogical preparation, describes the historical aspects of the formation of each individual approach; specifies the factors that influenced this process. The functional analysis of the main scientific paradigms, their mutual influence, the author analyzes the relationship between the paradigms of preschool teachers’ professional training and scientific approaches, which served as indicators of the manifestation of these paradigmatic principles is presented in the article. In general, the conceptual foundations of modern preschool teachers’ professional training in European countries are conditioned by the comprehensive goal of pedagogical education: the preparation of a highly skilled competent teacher capable of responding to the rapidly changing demands of the society, able to flexibly act and qualitatively solve pedagogical problems arising in professional activities, to provide quality education for preschool children, to help preserve their mental, physical and spiritual health and harmonious comprehensive solutions. The author determines that a common conceptual trend is the transition to pragmatically based scientific approaches. In Great Britain there was a gradual transition from individualism through idealism, behaviorism to pragmatic vocational education; in France, approaches based on social interaction are formed from idealism to pragmatism; in Germany there is a sharp reorientation from the quadrant of idealistic and behaviorist-based approaches to the quadrant of pragmatically, individualist-based approaches. Each quadrant has its own qualities and characteristics. Thus, the first one (individualistidealist) puts the personality of a teacher in the center of professional education; the second (idealistic-behavioral and social interaction) focuses on the formation of common values, integration, self-control, inclusion; for the third (behavioral, social interaction, and pragmatic), training is essential, based on collective cognition and responsibility, social orientation of preparation, preparation for education in the «society of knowledge» and continuing education; in the fourth quadrant, the priority is the formation of personal value orientations that are designed to provide a comfortable and rationally grounded interaction in the society. The author summarizes that the multi-vector of paradigmatic principles and concepts predetermine the existence of a wide range of scientific approaches that conceptualize professional training and promote its quality. Among the priority scientific approaches, the traditional group is: humanistic; cultural; competency, in the context of which technological, informational-communicative and informational-communication, practical and research-oriented approaches, modular concept connected with the integrated approach are implemented. Among the innovative new paradigmatic principles, the concept of vocational training based on social interaction is characterized, which implements a dialogic approach based on the concept of «knowledge sharing» and the cultural approach, coach approach, flash approach; Griffith approach.