Ochirova E.V., Candidate of Pedagogical Science,

Associate Professor of Kalmyk State University

Pedagogical education

in the context of the Bologna process

(based on the Kalmyk State University experience)

Improving the quality of students’ teaching at higher educational institutions is one of the most actual and urgent problems of the modern Russian society. In this connection much is being done in the way of modernization of education content, in the search of more productive technologies concerning the organization of the educational process, in the reinterpretation of the goals and results of education. All these certainly help reconsider traditional orientation of higher education and lead to a new understanding of quality education.

Currently, Kalmyk State University as the head higher educational institution in the Republic of Kalmykia is the most essential component and indicator of the quality of social-economic development in the region.

Today Kalmyk State University plays a leading part in the system of training and retraining specialists for various spheres of national economy in the integration of high school and academic science. The University consists of 8 faculties and the Institute of the Kalmyk Philology and Oriental Studies. The students are doing in 22 specialties of higher education, 20 programmes for bachelor’s degree, 13 programmes for master’s academic degrees, 18 specialties of secondary professional education, and several programmes of supplementary education. Academic, educational and research work is carried out by a highly qualified teaching staff  which consists of 500 tutors including 70 PhD (Full Professors), 285 Candidates of Science, 12 Academicians  and Corresponding Members of The Russian Academies of Science.

Having a certain positive experience in training undergraduate students, specialists, masters and candidates of science according to two-level system of higher professional education, Kalmyk State University  purposefully prepares mass transfer Therefore, in the variant presented by the Faculty of Pedagogical Education and Biology of Kalmyk State University the breaking and the destruction of established pedagogical traditions are excluded.

It is proposed to move to a strictly structured multilevel system of higher education, in which on the basis of traditional preparation of elementary school teachers it is offered to train specialists of higher qualification with the help of continuing education at the further postgraduate degrees.

In general, the process of preparation of future elementary school teachers can be illustrated by the duration of periods of study characterized by the following minimal terms:

- a Bachelor’s degree (basic education);

- a Master’s degree – supplementary 2 years;

- a degree of Candidate of Science – 3-4 years more.

So, it takes 9-10 years altogether to complete the whole process. In this case, the receiving of appropriate professional degree but not an academic one is certified with the diplomas given after getting the first two degrees.

Multilevel pedagogical education is implemented by different in content and terms of study successive educational-professional programmes. Such education provides a solution of the following tasks: for a personality (a student) – to make an individual choice of the content and level of required education and professional training which correspond with intellectual, social and economic his or her demands; for a society (system of education) – to acquire a specialist with necessary qualification options in a shorter time; for a teaching staff (of a faculty and University) – to realize the scientific and professional-pedagogical potential more fully.

Thus, multilevel system of education in Kalmyk State University gives a student all the possibilities to receive education at different levels, to choose the terms and rate of training, its content, forms and methods. These features are directly connected with the development of individual styles of students’ educational (professional) work which is in its turn a main means of realization

With the inclusion of the Russian Federation into the Bologna process, this system seems to be very flexible. It gives a student a possibility to choose a level of training, a discipline, a higher educational institution, faculties, and navigate in the process of study in the spectrum of proposed specialties and directions choosing the one that best serves their interests, wishes and individual needs.

References:

1. Mityaeva A.M. The peculiarities of multilevel system of training in a modern higher educational institution// Pedagogics. – 2005. ¹8. – P.69-73.

2. Tokmovtseva M.V. Multilevel professional education in Russia// The Law:  journal for busy people. – 2006. - ¹ 4. – P.34-39.