The model for developing future teachers’ innovative competence through non-formal education

Abstract

The article presents a theoretical substantiation of a structural-functional model for developing future teachers’ innovative competence through non-formal education. The study is based on the need to identify new mechanisms for the professional training of future teachers who are capable of working in the context of dynamic educational change, critically evaluating contemporary pedagogical practices, and generating, designing, testing, and implementing innovative educational solutions. The significance of non-formal education is substantiated as a resource that expands the opportunities provided by formal professional training, ensures access to current pedagogical practices and technologies, and contributes to building an individual trajectory of future teachers’ professional development. The purpose of the article is to theoretically substantiate a model for developing future teachers’ innovative competence through non-formal education. To achieve this purpose, the methods of analysis, synthesis, systematization, generalization, and pedagogical modelling were employed. The structure of the proposed model is defined as comprising target, conceptual, content-related, processual, technological, and result-oriented components. The methodological framework of the model is based on systemic, competence-based, subject-subject, environmental, activity-based, and technological approaches. A distinctive feature of the content-related component is the two-level integration of formal and non-formal education. The first level involves the purposeful incorporation of non-formal education resources into the process of mastering educational components with the organisational and methodological support of the teacher; the second is based on students’ independent participation in non-formal education in accordance with their professional needs, interests, and individual educational trajectories. The processual component is implemented through four stages: preparatory-organisational, motivational, cognitive-integrative, and activity-creative, which ensure the gradual development of future teachers as active subjects of innovative activity. The technological component encompasses project-based learning, case-study, training, and start-up technologies, the application of which is aimed at providing future teachers with experience in analysing professional problems, generating ideas, and designing, testing, and evaluating innovative educational solutions. The expected outcome of the model implementation is positive dynamics in the development of innovative competence and future teachers’ readiness to independently use the potential of non-formal education for continuous professional development.