Standards of Psychological and Pedagogical Training of Teachers in Germany: Content and Discussions

Abstract

In the article, the standards of psychological and pedagogical training of teachers of general secondary education in Germany are considered. The following methods were used to achieve the goal of the study: general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, generalization), which were used to develop standards of psychological and pedagogical training of teachers; methods of structural and functional analysis, based on which insufficient reflection in the standards of all aspects of professional pedagogical activities were identified. The study found that the training of future teachers of general secondary education in German universities includes four blocks: 1) special-subject; 2) subject-didactic; 3) "Science of Education"; 4) professional and pedagogical practice. The special importance of the block "Science of Education" is emphasized, as it reflects the content of teachers’ psychological and pedagogical training. It was found that the standards of teacher training in the "Science of Education" block are formulated in view of the competencies that must be mastered by the future teacher for the effective implementation of professional and pedagogical activities. A number of conclusions have been reached: 1) implementation of the standards is the main tool for reforming professional pedagogical education in Germany at the beginning of the 21st century; 2) development of standards for the training of future teachers is carried out with a focus on results – the development of professional competencies, based on interdisciplinary knowledge and reflection on acquired experience; 3) the standards are a dynamic set of requirements for teacher training, which can be supplemented and changed depending on the socio-cultural conditions of professional pedagogical activity; 4) the standards are not aimed at the individual activities of a teacher, but at his holistic professional development, taking into account participation in school development; 5) the standards are a framework structure for further development of the curriculum and the formation of the content of modules of future teachers’ psychological and pedagogical training; 6) the key principles of structuring the content of psychological and pedagogical training of teachers of general secondary education in accordance with the above standards are the following: interdisciplinarity, modularity, reflectivity. We are convinced that the implementation of standards is positive for improving the quality of teacher training in Germany. At the same time, we believe that the approved standards do not reflect all aspects of professional pedagogical activity (civic and social competence, leadership skills).