Keyword: «foreign language teacher»

This article is devoted to the formation of professional competence of a foreign language teacher.

The article examines the requirements for teacher training presented in the works of scientists and philologists published in the second half of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century in Germany and the USSR. The purpose of the study is to identify the distinctive features of a highly qualified specialist who worked at schools more than a century ago, and compare them with modern ideas about the competence of a foreign language teacher. The answer to the question which of the analyzed criteria can be considered outdated and which should be recognized as relevant in the 21st century is going to be the conclusion.

In communication it is important to take into account non-verbal signals: voice, gestures, facial expressions. The article examines why it is important for a foreign language teacher to use non-verbal communication correctly, provided that non-verbal signals are responsible for the greatest part of communication and affect the students’ emotions. Cultural differences in the meanings of gestures play a special role in foreign language teaching. Correct usage of nonverbal means and taking into consideration the indicators of students' behavior and state of mind make the lesson more efficient and interesting.

This article examines the issue of the development of functional literacy among schoolchildren by foreign language teachers using supra-professional competences. The relevance of the research is due to the need to implement the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard for General Education concerning digitalization and individualization of education, which creates a need for new competences of teachers. The development of functional literacy among schoolchildren requires foreign language teachers to have supra-professional competences that ensure the integration of digital technologies and an individual approach in educational practice. Supra-professional competences, which have a metasubject character, consisting in a combination of these processes, meet the requirements of modern educational needs. The aim of the article is to theoretically substantiate and analyze the potential of supra-professional competences of foreign language teachers in the development of functional literacy among schoolchildren in the context of digital transformation of education. The main approaches to studying the problem of functional literacy development in the context of applying supra-professional skills are activity-based, systematic, and meta-disciplinary approaches. The activity-based approach sets the benchmark for research in the professional activity of a foreign language teacher, the systematic approach focuses on the educational process as a single interconnected system, the meta-disciplinary approach allows us to competently combine knowledge from different fields and disciplines, as well as coordinate the processes of digitalization and individualization. The research results include a terminological analysis of the concepts of «supra-professional competences» and «functional literacy», a description of the meta-disciplinary nature of supra-professional competences, a description of the implementation of digitalization and individualization processes in the professional activity of teachers, and the identification of the potential of supra-professional competences to solve the problems of functional literacy development. The theoretical significance of the article lies in the terminological analysis of the concepts of «supra-professional competences» and «functional literacy of schoolchildren». The practical significance lies in determining the prospects for the application of supra-professional competences to solve the professional tasks of foreign language teachers in the field of functional literacy of schoolchildren.

This study investigates the specifics of organizing bilingual education for foreign language specialists to prepare them for teaching agency. The relevance of the research is driven by the need to integrate systematic training for educators in bilingual teaching into modern higher education practices, fostering student development through their initiation into the values of different cultures. This necessitates a foundational study of the methodological principles for creating professionally oriented bilingual training systems. The aim of the research is to identify and substantiate the methodological foundations for constructing a linguodidactic system of bilingual foreign language training for preservice foreign language teachers, which determine the conceptual framework for its understanding and the practical aspects of its implementation. The research is based on contemporary scientific studies in the fields of philosophy, psychology, linguistics, pedagogy, and linguodidactics, enabling an interdisciplinary characterization of the bilingualism essence and the specific features of bilingual education within the system of pedagogical education. The scientific inquiry was carried out relying on the systemic, anthropological, and poly-subjective approaches. The research methods employed included: interdisciplinary analysis and synthesis, logical-methodological analysis, mental modeling, abstraction, systematization, idealization, and explanation. An original interpretation of the concept "system of bilingual training for preservice foreign language teachers" is proposed, defined as a logically structured and orderly functioning pedagogical integrity. This system ensures the readiness of future specialists for simultaneous command of two foreign languages, to an equal or varying degree of proficiency, and their use in teaching activities and intercultural communication. The undertaken research allowed for the generalization of scientific and theoretical prerequisites and the development of an integral structural system of methodological tools for designing a linguodidactic system of bilingual foreign language training for preservice foreign language teachers. This system includes methodological approaches, principles, regularities, and methods. The obtained results can be used in further scientific studies of bilingual training systems and in the practical professional education of foreign language teachers. The prospects for implementing the developed methodological provisions and their application for designing a linguodidactic system of bilingual foreign language training for preservice foreign language teachers are outlined.