REFERENDARIAT AS A KEY STAGE OF TEACHER TRAINING IN GERMANY

Abstract

The article presents the results of analyzing the problem of teachers’ professional training in Germany, which consists of two main stages: university education, which ends with the first state exam, and post-university pedagogical training – referendariat. The article pays special attention to the process of pedagogical internship.

It is established that the content of teachers’ practical training covers two large areas: one of which is attendance of classes at the educational establishment where pedagogical internship takes place, the other is attendance and conducting lessons at school under the guidance of mentors. This internship is an intensive process lasting from 16 to 24 months depending on the federal state, and is aimed at developing the professional competences of future teachers. In their professional activities, teachers need a wide range of competences: they must be specialists in their subjects (professional knowledge), possess the skills of teaching their subjects (subject-methodological knowledge), as well as understand general issues of learning, teaching and upbringing (pedagogical knowledge). At the end of the referendariat, a second state certification is held, which, as a rule, consists of three or four main parts: a conclusion about the internship, a written work (if required), demonstration lessons and an oral exam.

It is revealed that, despite the positive aspects of pedagogical training, there has been more and more criticism of the practical stage of teacher training in Germany recently, including excessive stress and workload, an imbalance between theory and practice, insufficient support from mentors, and excessive emphasis on assessment.

A positive aspect of German experience is that controversial issues are openly discussed among scientists, teachers, school teachers and students in order to rationally optimize the process of pedagogical internship and thereby provide schools with young pedagogical staff, which is urgently needed today.