«NO RIGHT FOR MISTAKES»: FUTURE EDUCATORS SHINE IN "TRUSTING CHILDHOOD" COMPETITION
Senior students from various faculties of the TSPU recently showcased their teaching skills in thematic lessons for schoolchildren as part of the «We are trusted with childhood» professional competition.
Over three days, more than 90 students from the 4th and 5th years participated in the second university stage of the contest, where the main focus was conducting engaging lessons for school students.
According to project leaders, this phase is crucial and challenging, potentially determining participants' readiness for becoming teachers. Alla Anatolyevna Lyba, the director of the Career Guidance and Youth Work Center at the TSPU and the head of the competition, emphasized the significance of teaching interaction::
«The competition challenge related to lesson delivery is the most crucial. Only through interaction with students can one truly understand their readiness to become a teacher. While the ability to create lesson plans and understand teaching methodologies may develop with time and experience, the skill of connecting with students and responding to their questions is fundamental to becoming a great teacher», — said Lyba.
Students were tasked with selecting lesson topics, preparing plans, and designing tasks to assess and reinforce new concepts. They conducted 17 lessons covering various subjects for students in lower, middle, and upper grades at local schools.
Each lesson was evaluated by experts, focusing on pedagogical competencies such as the ability to plan and conduct lessons, as well as effective communication with the class..
«The experts paid attention to the lesson structure, goal achievement, productive use of educational technologies, diversity in organizational methods, and the student's mastery of the subject matter», — Larisa Vladimirovna Zhdanova-Bembel, a jury member and deputy director for educational work, highlighted the importance of assessing communication with students.
For the student-teachers, the process was not just about showcasing subject knowledge but also demonstrating their ability to navigate unforeseen situations during interactions with students, including those in 10th and 11th grades. The students viewd their lessons as real professional exams, emphasizing the high stakes with no right for errors.
«Tatyana Gerasimova, a participant and student at the Faculty of Prescool and primary education, said, «This project stage provides an opportunity for additional practice in teaching real students. There's no room for mistakes here; everything happens here and now».
Despite the complexity of the challenge, students successfully navigated it. The next stage is the semifinal (November 22–24), where 12 teams will engage in workshops, business games, and a significant test – conducting a parent-teacher meeting on the theme «How to Foster a Child's Interest in School Subjects».