CREATIVE SELF-REALIZATION OF THE FUTURE TEACHER

CREATIVE SELF-REALIZATION OF THE FUTURE TEACHER

The article analyzes the scientific approaches to understanding the concept of “creative self-realization of the individual”. It is noted that creativity is a derivative feature of creative self-realization of both teachers and students. The competencies necessary for the formation of creative self-realization and methods of their development are specified. The barriers to creative self-realization are considered and a list of pedagogical means of overcoming them is given.
Keywords: self-realization of personality, creativity, future teachers, students, competence, pedagogical barriers, acmeological trainings.

Rybalko L. S.
Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor,
H. S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University, Kharkiv, Ukraine

Kutsenko T. V.
Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor,
Institute of Advanced Training of Pedagogical Workers and Education Management, H. S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University, Kharkiv, Ukraine

10.34142//2708-4809.SIUTY.2022.126

The current situation of martial law in Ukraine requires teachers to find innovative approaches to educational activities. Interacting with children who are stressed and have problems with attention and memorization, who have moved to European countries and combine studies in two different educational institutions, requires a teacher to be flexible, non-standard and independent in solving pedagogical situations, focused on obtaining the maximum result. All of these requirements cannot be met by a specialist for whom professional activity is not a sphere of creative self-realization. On the contrary, these circumstances only cause dissatisfaction and internal resistance to change, and the teacher performs pedagogical activities reflexively, without filling them with personal meanings. Creative teachers are trained by higher pedagogical education institutions, which create conditions for the full self-realization of future specialists in all types of activities. They are convinced that professional activity should be considered as a process of translating one’s own creative resource into reality.

The purpose of the article is to analyze different scientific approaches to studying the essence of future teachers’ creative self-realization in the educational process of higher education institutions, mechanisms of prevention and overcoming pedagogical barriers.

The concept of “self-realization” and its derivative “creative self-realization” are widely used in the scientific thought of domestic scientists.

Let’s turn to the views of V. Zarytska [2], who considers self-realization as a process and result of the use of acquired competencies by a person in everyday life and work and their continuous improvement, accompanied by obtaining benefits and satisfaction from it. We share the scientist’s opinion that self-realization should have a concrete embodiment in human life – career growth, increased income, respect from colleagues, gratitude from parents and students. We believe that it is necessary to emphasize the specific benefits of creative self-realization of a future specialist both in further professional activities and while studying at a higher education institution. For a higher education student, these will be good grades, an accumulated pedagogical portfolio of creative solutions to professional situations, and self-confidence.

The creative self-realization of the future teacher is presented as a purposeful disclosure of his or her creative abilities in the scientific work of Li Qing [4]. It should be noted that nowadays teachers can use a whole arsenal of educational tools that are interesting for both students and themselves and show their creativity. For example, creating visuals in Genialy and Canva is simple and fun. When a user starts browsing through the ready-made templates and tools, he or she gets excited and creates not only a meaningful but also aesthetically pleasing educational product. The creation of gamified learning tools, such as web quests, interactive learning cards, and test tasks, in particular in the kahoot program, also become a field for teachers to show their creativity and make lesson preparation interesting and enjoyable. However, it is important to understand that the ultimate goal of such activities is to create a high-quality and effective educational product.

Important for the development of future teachers’ creative self-realization in higher education institutions is a synchronous movement in two directions, namely, the development of the necessary competencies and overcoming barriers to creative self-realization. Turning to the list of necessary competencies, let us consider the classification of V. Zarytska [2], which defines a set of six key competencies, the development of which makes possible the self-realization of the individual, such as motivational (interest in self-realization), emotional and volitional (stress resistance, purposeful self-realization activities), communication (regulation and compliance of behavior in communication), personal (self-respect, adequate self-esteem), cognitive (development of thinking, formation of learning actions, mental performance), activity (developed professional interests, skills, professional planning, organizational skills). We consider this classification to be somewhat complicated, since the motivational, emotional and volitional, communication, and personal components can be combined.

Scientist Li Yan [5] makes the following list of basic competencies of the future teacher, namely: the desire for a creative level of professional activity, interest in continuous self-development, professional knowledge and skills, as well as those that will help in creative self-realization, independence and originality in activity. It should be noted that in general, the list of competencies necessary for successful creative self-realization is similar, but the methods that researchers propose to use differ. V. Zarytska emphasizes the methods of self-analysis and analysis of activity products, creation of favorable educational conditions, realization of success situations, and individual consultations. Li Yan identifies the following methods as effective: projects, master classes, synthesis of different activities, trainings, and consideration of professional situations.

Li Qing’s opinion [4] on the development of personality traits necessary for creative self-realization in the educational process is interesting: independence, openness to new things, developed cognitive processes, reflection, ability to work together and communicate.

An important condition for preparing future teachers for creative self-realization is overcoming pedagogical barriers. Researcher I. Hlazkova [1] defines a pedagogical barrier as a complex phenomenon that both reduces the effectiveness of the educational process on students and stimulates them to find new means of activity.

Pedagogical barriers are divided into external ones, which include the discrepancy between the content, form, methods of the educational process and the personality of the future specialist, and internal ones – psychophysiological and emotional characteristics that reduce the effectiveness of educational activities. It should be noted that the researcher does not include the conditions of the educational process and general social barriers, which narrows the understanding of external influence on the course of the educational process and the formation of the necessary new formations.

To work with barriers, the scientist proposes two equivalent strategies of action: prevention and overcoming. The prevention strategy is a way of acting that reduces the likelihood of pedagogical barriers. The researcher includes such exercises as: advance planning; “Success Chair”; direct suggestion; encouragement; and creating a situation of success. The strategy is economical and convenient, as it does not require much time and effort. A coping strategy is a way of acting that adapts a person to new conditions of reality. The techniques used are: reducing psychological distance; “Mirror of Relationships”; “Golden Words”; modeling; training. In a general sense, the researcher considers the following methods of overcoming pedagogical barriers to be the most effective: business games, staging, brainstorming, training, defense of innovative mini-projects, pedagogical practice, discussion and problematic lectures, analysis of specific pedagogical situations, solving pedagogical problems, designing professional pedagogical tasks.

Scientists O. Ionova and V. Partola [3] present their classification of learning barriers in thinking, feelings, and volitional regulation. Thinking barriers can be described as stereotypes in planning, behavior, means of solving professional problems, as well as the use of the same strategies and methods of activity; feeling barriers – as expressions of sympathy and antipathy, prejudice against the new, lack of reflection on one’s own professional path; will barriers – as the inability to put “must” over “want”, to force oneself to start acting actively. It should be noted that the described barriers are internal, so a future specialist can only receive indirect help in overcoming them.

To help overcome these barriers, the researchers suggest the following methods: non-judgmental judgment, ecological communication, individual conversations, art therapy, mini-groups and group learning, and project activities. Although scientists provide a wide variety of techniques, we propose to expand it with educational, acmeological, and personal growth trainings, the construction of acmeograms and profiograms, and the introduction of elective courses of relevant content.

Thus, the analysis of scientific approaches has shown that the concept of “creative self-realization of the individual” is interpreted in different ways. The study is based on the opinion of scientists who consider creativity to be a derivative of the creative self-realization of both teachers and students. The list of competencies provides an opportunity to expand the understanding of creative self-realization and methods of their development. Preventing and overcoming barriers to creative self-realization by pedagogical means is projected.

Further research on the directions of activating the creative self-realization of future teachers in project activities is promising.

List of references

1. Strategies for preventing and overcoming pedagogical barriers. Psychological and pedagogical bases of introduction of modern information technologies and innovative methods of teaching and upbringing of students of higher educational institutions. 2014. № 40. С. 205-210.
2. Zarytska V.V. Psychology of self-realization of personality: monograph: Helvetica Publishing House, 2019. 242 с.
3. Overcoming barriers in adult education: an anthroposophically oriented approach. Pedagogy and psychology: a collection of scientific articles / edited by I. F. Prokopenko, S. T. Zolotukhina. Kharkiv: KNPU, 2019. Issue 61. С. 60-69.
4. Li Qing. Theoretical substantiation of the model of formation of readiness for professional and creative self-realization of future art teachers. Psychological and pedagogical problems of the modern school: a collection of scientific articles. 2021. Issue 2 (6). С. 7-12.
5. Li Yan. The issue of readiness of students of artistic and pedagogical specialties for creative self-realization. Pedagogy and Psychology of the Present: Theory and Practice: a collection of scientific papers of the participants of the international scientific and practical conference, Odesa, January 18-19. 2019 Odesa, 2019. С. 48-50.