CONFERRAL OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS UPON FUTURE TEACHERS IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: A COMPETENCE-BASED APPROACH, IMPLEMENTATION EXPERIENCE, AND CHALLENGES

Abstract

The article analyzes contemporary approaches to the conferral of professional qualifications upon future teachers in the higher education institutions of Ukraine. It examines the regulatory and legal framework, models for assessing learning outcomes, and key components of the certification of graduates in pedagogical specialties. The challenges faced by higher education institutions in the context of modernizing higher education standards in the field of Secondary Education, implementing a competence-based approach, and meeting the growing labor market demand for the training of a new generation of proactive teachers are outlined. The paper proposes directions for improving conferral procedures with due regard to international trends and the needs of educational practice. It also presents the experience of developing a procedure for the conferral of a professional qualification upon graduates of the educational-professional program Secondary Education (Mathematics and Informatics) within the specialty Secondary Education (Mathematics) at Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University. It is proposed to assess the level of formation of professional competencies in higher education applicants using the following tools: portfolio of achievements, self-presentation, interview with simulation of practical work situations. The requirements for the design of a portfolio of achievements are described and the structure of self-presentation is determined. A methodology for assessing the stages of the procedure for assigning professional qualifications to future teachers of mathematics and computer science is developed and criteria for assessing the level of formation of the necessary competencies in higher education applicants to perform the labor functions of a teacher of mathematics and computer science are determined. When determining the tools for assessing competencies, our experience of expert activity in the certification procedures for mathematics teachers and the results of discussions on this issue with various groups of stakeholders were taken into account.