Педагогика / 5. Современные методы преподавания

Nechipor S.V., Lezina A.S.

Ukrainian Engineering and Pedagogical Academy, Ukraine

Experimental research on the implementation of the competency approach in Vocational Schools of Ukraine

Competence approach in training specialists has been being promoted in Europe and Russia since last century. During the last decade Ukrainian scientists have been actively making researches on the training of competent professionals in schools.

Other researches by N. Bozhko, R. Gurevich, AL Korotkov, S. Lyulchak, Radkevich reveal that vocational schools graduates having sufficient theoretical knowledge are not always able to realize them in their professional activities.

Introducing of the competency approach requires a thorough examination of its usage in vocational educational institutions of Ukraine. In order to develop methods of the subject competence formation of tailors we interviewed teachers of the subject.

The questionnaire included questions about personal relationship to the competency approach in education. The results of the survey showed that attitudes towards the implementation of the competency approach are different.

The next question was: "Do you agree with the statement that the introduction of the competency approach will positively impact on the efficiency of vocational education?". 58 % of teachers said “Yes”, 21 % said "No", and the rest 21 % have their own opinion about the matter. Above all it has the following meaning: "A new trend that will end soon."

To the question "What, in your opinion, means the competency approach in education?" 33 % of respondents answered: "trends in the education." 21 % of respondents indicate that this issue is significant because of the governing bodies requirements, 46 % believe that the competency approach introduction is forced by enterprises demands of the workforce. 4% of respondents had their own opinion and decided not to share it.

Only 29 % of respondents affirmatively answered to the question "Is the competence approach used in teaching technology of clothes?". 4 % of teachers do not use it in their teaching activities. 67 % of respondents reported that they use this approach partially for different reasons.

Next question was: "Are you interested in employing the competency approach in education?" 55 % of teachers responded that they were following the publications. 8 % of respondents indicated that the question did not interest them. The same number of teachers indicated that they were interested in this point only due to the demands of university. 29 % of respondents noted (generalized response) that are interested in this question, but at this stage have not yet figured out how to use the competency approach in teaching.

To the question "Do you master enough theoretical foundations of forming competency in future tailors?" only 8% of respondents answered "Yes." 59 % of teachers answered "No", 33 % denoted having this matter partially, not perfectly.

The question number 6 was: "Do you have skills in developing and running lessons for future tailors with the competency approach?" 21 % of respondents answered that they can independently develop lessons with a focus on the formation of subject competency. 75 % of teachers were waiting for a Methodist help, 4 % of respondents did not consider it necessary to answer this question.

The following question was: "Do you think that those manuals or tutorials that you apply for teaching of clothes making technology is sufficiently focused on the competence approach in education?" 25 % of teachers responded affirmatively. 29 % believe that the academic literature on the subject is partially focused on the competence approach, 17 % of teachers were fully satisfied with educational literature and were constantly using it in the classroom. 29 % (general response) noticed such defects of existing literature: low illustration, discrepancy of the content with the Government Standard for Vocational Schools, absence of problematic tasks designed to test the formation of sufficient and high academic achievements of students.

The succeeding question was: "What methods do you use in teaching technology of making clothes?". 4 % of teachers denoted usage of traditional methods. 21 % of teachers constantly use innovative methods in teaching process. 71 % of respondents combine traditional and innovative methods in teaching.

The next question was: "What are the means of education you often use in our practice?" 46 % of respondents confessed using traditional means. 33 % of teachers used modern electronic means. 21 % of teachers combined traditional and modern teaching means.

The results of the questionnaire showed that the question of competence approach in teaching the technology of making clothes in Vocational Schools of Ukraine is still not focused on the formation of competency. Teachers do not orient the aim of teaching to form meaningful competency or orient not systematically, if necessary. Printed literature on the subject can not provide the formation of subject competency in full, because one can create through it only a basic reproductive level of subject competence - knowledge. Formation of the other elementary components depends on a teacher skill: the ability to set lesson goals properly, to choose methods, forms, means, and to combine them successfully.