CONTENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL FEATURES OF THE PROGRAM OF PROFESSIONAL TRAINING OF BACHELORS OF ARTS FOR TEACHING ENGLISH IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS OF SINGAPORE

Abstract

The article deals with the structural, content features and organizational peculiarities of the educational process under the Programme of professional training of Bachelors of Education (English) for primary schools in Singapore. According to Singapore's language policy, English is the official language of the country, the language of instruction. It is compulsory for learning beginning with the primary school. It is established that the Programme of professional training of Bachelors of Education (English) for primary schools, which is introduced in the only institution of higher pedagogical education in Singapore - the National Institute of Education, lasts 4 years, has full-time form of study and is implemented under the Graduand Teacher Competencies Framework. In addition to mastering the necessary professional knowledge and skills, it is important to form a value base in the worldview of future teachers, which will allow them to educate successful Singaporeans in the 21st century. The training of English teachers for primary schools under the bachelor's degree programme takes place within the general training track, that involves specialization in two subjects: English and mathematics or natural or social sciences. It is defined that the main content areas of the programme of professional training of Bachelors of Education (English) at the primary level of education are the study of pedagogical, subject, curriculum disciplines, improvement of English competence, acquaintance with academic (theoretical) aspects of English, pedagogical practice, study of the essential course, which reveals peculiarities of successful functioning in a multicultural environment, as well as elective courses aimed at expanding the general knowledge horizons of students. In order to develop students’ personal qualities necessary for an effective 21st century educator and their ability to impart the basic moral and ethical values to the future generation, students of the National Institute of Education of Singapore study online course of ethics and morality and participate in the Meranti project, which is a part of Singaporean civic education. The author also analyzes the wide range of opportunities for international practice for students of the National Institute of Education of Singapore.