A Pedagogical Activity-based Model for Sustainable

Education of a Prospective Foreign Language Teacher

Elena A. Pankratova

Murom Institute (branch), Vladimir State University, 23, Orlovskaya Street, Murom, Vladimir region, Russia

Keywords: Competency-Based Teacher Education, Sustainable Education, Professional Competences, Professional

Activities of a Foreign Language Teacher.

Abstract: The paper is devoted to the problem of content designing teacher competency-based education for its

sustainable development. The research takes into account the tendency of knowledge-based education giving

way to competency-based education which is more beneficial for the growing economies. The research is

based on the following approaches: competency-based, communicative, axiological, task (problem)-based.

The paper gives the review on the issues related to the problems of definition, structure, development and

assessment of foreign language teacher competences. A pedagogical activity-based model for the content

development of a prospective foreign language teacher training curriculum has been developed. It is a three-

constituent model including: input requirements on the side of ideal goals and results; pedagogical activity as

a combination of profession oriented activities related to the performance of the tasks and solution of the

problems in the context of current pedagogical values; output requirements on the side of practical needs.

Three ways of the course content integration are suggested: horizontal integration of various courses by the

same activity, vertical integration of several pedagogical activities in the same course, and entire integration

of all courses through profession-oriented task and problem solving activities as the predominant teaching

and learning method. The paper concludes that the application of the proposed model will assist to train

students who are ready to enter the teaching field as confident beginning professionals capable of participating

in the sustainable development of a particular region.

1 INTRODUCTION

The introduction of new Federal State Educational

Standards of Higher Education (in the Russian

Federation) in pedagogical area involves developing

competences of prospective foreign-language

teachers that enable them to solve job tasks of various

types as part of pedagogical activity. Teacher’s

Professional Standard makes precise two generalized

teacher’s job functions including pedagogical

activities for project development and

implementation of educational process and basic

general education programs in educational

institutions. The current labour market indicates the

demand for professional staff in this area. For

example, Vladimir Region lacks 29 foreign-language

teachers as on February 2021 (On-line Portal Labour

and Employment Department of Vladimir Region).

The regulatory documents are transparent concerning

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4378-7224

teacher’s education content in a particular area. Each

Higher Educational Institution should define

professional competences of prospective teachers

based on Teacher’s Professional Standard, as well as

the analysis of requirements for professional

competences required from graduates in the labour

market, evaluation of domestic and foreign

experience. Hence, the need to bridge the gap

between theory and practice, to specify professional

knowledge of practical use, to identify competences

in the context of teacher’s professional activities is

quite evident. So, the research of the issues related to

effective and efficient education content designing of

prospective foreign-language teachers becomes

pressing.

Pankratova, E.

A Pedagogical Activity-based Model for Sustainable Education of a Prospective Foreign Language Teacher.

DOI: 10.5220/0010596807370742

In Proceedings of the International Scientiﬁc and Practical Conference on Sustainable Development of Regional Infrastructure (ISSDRI 2021), pages 737-742

ISBN: 978-989-758-519-7

737

2 METHODOLOGY

The research is based on the competency-based

approach which implies competency (including a list

of profession oriented competences) as the

professional readiness of a prospective foreign

language teacher to enter the working field.

Communicative approach is applied to differentiate

the related competences that are crucial for the

considered field among which are communicative

competence of a teacher and classroom interactional

competence. Axiological approach in pedagogy

presupposes the humanistic character of an education

paradigm with the pedagogic values in the core of any

educational activity. Task (problem)-based approach

focuses on the course learning through gaining

experience of doing meaningful profession oriented

tasks or solving open-ended problems related to

pedagogy.

3 LITERATURE REVIEW:

TEACHER COMPETENCES

AND PROFESSIONAL VALUES

European literature review related to teaching and

learning to teach has revealed them “as complex,

multifaceted, value-laden enterprises” (Caena, 2011).

Francesca Caena (2011) following the ideas of

Feiman-Nemser (2001), Williamson & McDiarmid

(2008) writes the following: “The continuum of

teacher learning and teacher education, which turns

out to be fundamental in a lifelong learning

perspective, implies the need for extended teacher

professionalism” (Caena, 2011). A framework to

guide teacher education is considered to comprise

teacher skills and knowledge as objectives for student

learning. Improving quality of teacher education is

associated with improvement of teacher competences

and promotion of professional values.

Various approaches to teacher competency

structure have been developed.

Among the teacher requirements according to the

Conclusions of the Education Councils (November

2007, 2008, 2009) are three groups: 1) a specialist

knowledge of subjects; 2) pedagogical skills (teach

heterogeneous classes, use Information and

Communications Technology, teach transversal

competences, create safe attractive schools); 3)

cultures/ attitudes of reflective practice, research,

innovation, collaboration, autonomous learning”

(Caena, 2011).

Cambridge matrix of competences includes stage

descriptions through which a teacher will progress in

improving a specific range of abilities (relative not

absolute) under each category. The proposed stages

include the following: Foundation – Developing –

Proficient – Expert. The five categories of the

Cambridge English Teaching Framework: 1.

Learning and the Learner; 2. Teaching, Learning and

Assessment (2.1. Planning language learning, 2.2

Using language-learning resources and materials, 2.3

Managing language learning, 2.4 Teaching language

systems, 2.5 Teaching language skills, 2.6 Assessing

language learning); 3.Language Ability; 4. Language

Knowledge and Awareness; 5. Professional

Development and Values. “… gradual development

of teachers’ expertise over time involves growing

understanding of teaching and learning, growing

awareness of their own strengths, weaknesses and

potential as a teacher, increasing sophistication in

their planning, decision-making, teaching skills and

reflection, as well as the ability to respond to a more

complex range of classroom situations” (Cambridge

English: Teaching Framework).

Based on the argument of Cochran-Smith (2006)

Francesca Caena (2011) assumes “that any teaching,

learning or training practice represents a value choice

about key issues, mediated by institutional trends and

external regulatory mechanisms; the responses to

these key issues thus imply decisions linked with

beliefs, priorities and ideals, as well as tendencies to

maintain or change the present social order” (Caena,

2011). Among the three broad areas of competence

(working with others, knowledge, society) European

Commission distinguishes two clearly related to

professional values and attitudes: working with others

(developing a student’s potential and interpersonal

and cooperative skills of a potential teacher), working

in and with society (being responsible professionals

in local educational communities, developing

students as citizens with global responsibilities,

encouraging attitudes to cooperation, intercultural

dialogue and respect (Caena, 2011).

Communication in the classroom is described in a

number of works from the viewpoint of the teacher’s

speech (Nunan, 1991) and communicative interaction

with classroom students (Walsh, 2011; Wasi'ah,

2016

). Steve Walsh introduces classroom interactive

competence which is regarded as the ability of

teachers and students to use interaction as a guidance

and assistance tool for teaching (Walsh, 2011). The

researcher emphasizes that the focus should be made

not only on what the teacher says, but also how s/he

interacts with students. Thus a lesson is proposed to

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be regarded as a set of micro contexts generated by a

teacher and students during a set of interactions.

Most of the analyzed Russian works are dedicated

to the problem of developing and evaluating job

significant competences of prospective foreign

language teachers, among which are the following

groups: professional-communicative competence,

methodical competence, and Information and

Communication Technology (ICT) competence.

E. N. Solovova (2004) introduces the concept of

professional-communicative competence and

considers it as a component of communicative

competence of foreign-language teachers, alongside

with language, speech, social and cultural ones in the

light of emphasis on communicative tasks that are to

be solved by a teacher in the process of professional

activities

(Solovova, 2004). A. A. Korenev, A. M.

Mikhailova (2019) go further in research of

professional and communicative competence from

the viewpoint of teachers’ professional context and

expand this concept by including the following as

components: using language in the classroom (in

particular, interactive communicative sub-

competence as its integral part), profession-wide

socio-cultural communication aspects, and

extracurricular communicative tasks (Korenev and

Mikhailova, 2019). Professional-communicative

competence from the authors viewpoint is considered

as a pack of communicative, discourse, social,

pragmatic and socio-cultural skills enabling a teacher

to effectively interact with students and create the

atmosphere during classes that best supports

promotion of students’ active speech behavior

(Korenev and Moiseeva, 2015). A model of

interactive professional-communicative teacher’s

competence in the classroom is proposed, which

includes three constituents: the linguistic aspect

(language competence), the content component

(methodology skills), and the interactive component

(interaction skills with students) (Korenev and

Mikhailova, 2019). Key principles for the

development of these skills are as follows: situational

context, communicative orientation, step-by-step

approach and common didactic principle to link

teaching with life. Among teaching techniques there

were highlighted interactive technologies,

cooperative teaching, and project technologies. The

development of professional and communicative

competence of prospective foreign-language teacher

is to be implemented as foreign speech practicing

courses, where a number of certain exercises are

recommended to perform as well as to conduct

teaching methods’ courses in foreign language and to

include them into practical training programs

(Korenev and Mikhailova, 2019).

The second group of investigated competences is

methodical competence, which is regarded as the core

of pedagogical and training activities of a foreign-

language teacher and is defined by the authors as

follows:

 a teacher’s skills related to teaching foreign

language and culture (Koryakovtseva, 2018);

 the integrative property of a foreign-language

teacher’s personality, which determines her/his

readiness and ability to effectively solve

teaching problems (Yazykova and Makeeva,

2012);

 the ability and readiness for project

development and implementation of teaching

process as foreign-language interpersonal and

cross-cultural communication, as well as

reflexive activities (Lubotinsky, 2014).

The structure of methodical competence is

considered by academic methodologists differently:

 based on subject-matter of methodical

competence as a process of solving dominant

types of teaching tasks, taking into account the

stages of their solution and the roles performed

by a teacher and the relevant sub competences,

methodical competence includes: (1) goal-

setting stage (teacher-researcher, teacher-

technologist, solves gnostic, and constructive

tasks): gnostic, project development,

constructive technology, information

technology competences; (2) goal-attaining

stage (practicing teacher solves organizational,

communicative educational tasks): gnostic,

constructive, communicative organizational,

communicative teaching, correctional gnostic

competences; (3) goal-ascertaining stage (the

teacher-researcher solves gnostic and

constructive tasks): reflexive-gnostic

competences (Yazykova and Makeeva, 2012);

 as methodical competence is of holistic nature

then it comprises technological readiness,

value orientations of a prospective teacher,

readiness for creative self-actualization in

pedagogical activity, the ability to analyze and

critically evaluate her/his own teaching

activities (Kozhukhov, 2008).

The foreign language teacher’s ICT competence

is considered as a five-component structure including

(1) value-motivational component: teacher’s

awareness of needs and interest and motivation

formation to use ICT in their professional activities,

A Pedagogical Activity-based Model for Sustainable Education of a Prospective Foreign Language Teacher

739

(2) cognitive component: theoretical knowledge of

the ICT use in foreign language teaching, (3)

operational component: ability to choose and use

modern ICT in teaching, (4) communicative

component: the teacher’s ability to share the

knowledge and skills, and to discuss with colleagues

the ICT use experience, (5) reflective component:

evaluation and self-evaluation (Sysoyev and

Evstigneev, 2014).

4 A PEDAGOGICAL ACTIVITY-

BASED MODEL

I suggest the pedagogical activity-based model for

designing professional competency-based education

of a prospective foreign language teacher which

includes three main constituents: (1) input

requirements, (2) teaching activity as a number of

types of professional activities associated with

solving corresponding types of tasks in line of today’s

pedagogical values, (3) output requirements.

State and society as a whole formulates

requirements for training prospective teachers at the

input, the first element of the system, recording them

as educational standards that determine the guideline

and curriculum content scope to achieve primary

endpoints: development of universal, general

professional and professional competences. It is

proposed for the purpose of training foreign language

teachers to extend the list of competences as a result

of mastering the main educational program by one

more competence that involves specific features of

teaching a foreign language, namely, international

cooperation competence i.e. readiness to organize and

implement international projects at the premises of an

educational institution. A foreign language is not only

a goal, but also as a teaching tool, where its cross-

curriculum nature reveals. Moreover, since the

language stores, mirrors and conveys culture then

foreign-language education implies co-studying of

languages and cultures. The subject of study focuses

on communicative competence development and thus

necessitates using it as a communication tool in the

light of interaction of cultures. All the above-

mentioned calls upon developing prospective teacher

as an organizer of cross-cultural communication and

interaction. Our successful practices of developing

this competence within the frame of international

projects based on the regional specifics (national

cultural values through local manifestation) is

described and can be recommended for applying

during training prospective foreign- language

teachers with the view of sustainable development of

a particular region

(Pankratova, 2016, 2017, 2019).

Input requirements can be described as ideal goals

and prospective results to be achieved which reflect

the society’s vision (stated in federal educational

standards) of the future development of the education

system for the benefit of the society as a whole.

The second constituent of the model correlates

with the organization of teacher education content in

view of understanding the professional competence

of a prospective teacher as readiness for pedagogical

activity, which is performed as a number of types of

professional activities associated with the solution of

respective types of tasks based on the relevant

knowledge. Pedagogical activity for job training can

be represented by foreign-language communication

activity, methodical activity, psychological and

pedagogical activities, research activity, international

activity. Preparation to implement each of them

demands mastering solution technologies for

respective tasks. For example, methodical activity

requires solving project tasks, tasks related to

conducting a lesson, reflexive tasks, etc.;

psychological and pedagogical activity deals with

solution of awareness-raising tasks in various

academic and non-academic situations, tasks related

to interactions with students, parents, colleagues, etc.;

research work involves the task of testing new

teaching methods and teaching aids and presenting

the obtained results to pedagogical community, etc.;

in regard to international activity it is necessary to

solve problems of finding foreign partners and

implementing joint projects, etc. Step-by-step action

algorithm is proposed to use as one of the tools for

teaching types of activities and it summarizes

successful practices of its implementation

considering variability of implementation methods.

For example, we have already described the

algorithm for implementing an international project

that we use as part of practical training

(Pankratova,

2019).

It seems appropriate to develop competences of

prospective foreign-language teacher through

meaningful integration not only horizontally,

combining academic disciplines separately for each

type of pedagogical activity, but also vertically,

integrating several types of pedagogical activity in

one academic discipline. For example, linguistic

disciplines on foreign language theory will be aimed

not only at the development of language constituent

of prospective teacher’s communicative competence,

but also methodical competence from the viewpoint

of teaching language aspect under study to students at

different stages of training. Entire integration means

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740

organizing University classroom activities in any

course as the process of performing pedagogical

activities through doing profession-oriented tasks and

solving profession-based problems.

The basic element of each type of pedagogically

oriented professional activity is value-based, since

mastering pedagogical values (norms regulating

pedagogical activity) takes place in the process of

implementing pedagogical activities (Slastenin,

2002).

Market demands for teachers and practical needs

of an educational institution contributing to the

sustainable development of a particular region are

studied at the output, the third element of the system.

Requirements to a teacher are formulated in the

respective Professional Standard of a Teacher from

the viewpoint of performing generalized labor

functions, a detailed study of which enables to define

professional competences and indicators of their

maturity, which can be compared to the respective

types of pedagogical activities and types of

profession-oriented tasks with respect to pedagogical

values.

The analysis of the demand for graduates of our

Institute in 2017-2020 manifests that all graduates of

the University located in a small town are employed:

the vast majority work as foreign-language teachers

in various educational institutions. A large number of

them came back to their small homelands, which is

obviously positive, since the formed competences

will let them not only to continue professional

perfection passing through the stages of teacher’s

development from a foundation teacher to an expert

teacher, but also to raise cultural standard of the area

where they live and work, since the axiological

approach is the basis of pedagogical training.

However, the content designing teacher

competency-based education should start with the

first and third constituents as they regulate, ally with

public needs, since the second constituent relates to

the organization of teacher’s education content,

which should be necessary and sufficient to meet both

groups of requirements and be flexible for

restructuring in case of changing them.

5 CONCLUSIONS

Thus the proposed model for the content development

of prospective foreign language teacher training

curriculum, on the one hand, reflects the given

economic and professional reality in the region. On

the other, it is adaptable to the changing socio-

economic conditions, development of public and

individual needs with respect to existing pedagogical

values, social order to teacher’s training, the

education organization and content of prospective

teachers, market needs for teachers and job

requirements to a teacher. Academic performance

requirements in preparing students for teaching

foreign languages should be readjusted so as to

correspond to the prospective job functions

associated with the profession of a teacher. The

application of the proposed model will assist to train

students who are ready to enter the professional field

as confident beginning teachers capable of

participating in the sustainable development of a

particular region. The suggested approach can be

applied in different professional context training.

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