WHAT IS THE PROFESSIONAL FLEXIBILITY OF FUTURE TEACHERS

WHAT IS THE PROFESSIONAL FLEXIBILITY OF FUTURE TEACHERS

Anna Cherepanova

Lecturer of the Department of State and Foreign Languages, Almaty Technological University,

Kazakhstan, Almaty

ABSTRACT

The article considers the problem of developing professional flexibility of future teachers in the conditions of a pedagogical university. The article also presents a theoretical analysis of the terms "professional stability" and "professional flexibility," proved the interdependence of these concepts and their significance for the pedagogical activities of teachers.

АННОТАЦИЯ

В статье рассматривается проблема становления профессиональной гибкости будущих педагогов в условиях педагогического вуза. Также в статье представлен теоретический анализ терминов «профессиональная устойчивость» и «профессиональная гибкость», доказана взаимообусловленность данных понятий и их значимость для педагогической деятельности педагогов.

Keywords: future teacher; occupational sustainability; professional flexibility; motivation of pedagogical activity.

Ключевые слова: будущий педагог; профессиональная устойчивость; профессиональная гибкость; мотивация педагогической деятельности.

Pedagogical activity can be attributed to a number of professions that are most emotionally and intellectually strained, in recent years it is increasingly associated with various extreme situations, conditions of uncertainty and variability, which requires teachers to combine their professional-important personality qualities, among which professional flexibility is the dominant role. This article reflects the approaches of domestic and foreign scientists to the term "professional flexibility" and its formation

In domestic pedagogical and psychological science attention is practically not paid to a problem of professional flexibility of future teachers. The professional flexibility of teachers is considered only in researches of L.M. Mitina [1], the author understands set of intellectual, behavioural and emotional flexibility as required quality. The professional flexibility of the teacher allows him to refuse easily ways of behavior inappropriate to a professional task, to develop new and original receptions and ways of behavior and emotional reaction, to refuse behavioural rigidity and stereotypic ways of behavior.

Scientific search allowed us to reveal a number of the researches devoted to professional flexibility of experts of various spheres. So, T.V. Kornilov considers [2] that the professional flexibility of experts of the spheres connected with risk and extreme situations is connected readily to the professional choice in difficult professional situations and to accepting liability for him. T.Yu. Todysheva [3] connects professional flexibility with dynamics of personal self-organization and self-control in professional activity, respectively, the she is higher, the level of formation of professional flexibility of the personality is higher.

T.A. Dombrovskaya [4] in the research devoted to professional flexibility of workers of the library sphere considers that it is a necessary condition of readiness of the personality for innovative changes and allows to get rid of the qualities blocking professional development (conservatism, rigidity, stagnancy of beliefs).

We will pass to characteristic of foreign researches of the teachers devoted to professional flexibility. M. Mohammadi and others [5] connect professional flexibility of the teacher with ability to adapt easily to changes in pedagogical activity, with ability to adapt the style of teaching for personal qualities of students, they are interested in the solution of new innovative tasks, show patience in difficult professional situations.

A number of foreign researchers consider that the term the professional flexibility is a synonym of cognitive flexibility. According to M. M. Martin and R. B. Rubin [6], the cognitive flexibility is defined as understanding by the individual of options of communication, his readiness to adapt to a new situation and its self-efficiency. J. P. Dennis and J. S. Vander Wall [7] define cognitive flexibility as ability of the person to build the strategy of information processing to resist to the new and unexpected situations arising in his environment at the same time indicating that it is the skill which is formed in the course of training that is he can be got with experience.

The cognitive flexibility is connected with ability to keep balance and harmony, alternativeness of behavioural reactions. The teachers having professional flexibility have higher level of competence and skills of a self-reflection, are ready to unexpected professional situations and adaptation of their behavior to these situations [8]. The cognitive flexibility becomes necessary only when the professional situation changes i.e. when her routine course unexpectedly comes to an end and there is an uncertainty situation. In other words, when the person faces a problem, he at first considers the experience and thinks of the possible reasons and possible decisions for each reason [9].

At the same time, according to Z. Certel [9], etc., increase in professional experience of teachers leads to decrease in professional flexibility. Professional activity of teachers is automated over time, and they become less inclined to change the strategy of behavior therefore the tendency to decrease in professional flexibility is a negative factor. People with the high level of formation of cognitive flexibility are inclined to manifestation of positive emotions (communication, openness to improvement, adaptation, ability to solve problems, communicative flexibility, attention, self-efficiency, understanding, readiness, happiness, social and emotional competence, critical, creative thinking, etc.) and to healthy personal development in general, and aren't inclined to show negative emotions (anger, alarm, a stress, aggression, etc.) which disturb professional development [9].

Generalizing the aforesaid, we will note the main distinctive features of professional flexibility of teachers:

− the majority of researches consider this phenomenon as set of intellectual, behavioural and emotional flexibility;

− she is connected with elaboration of new and original behavioural and emotional reactions in professional situations, refusal of behavioural rigidity and stereotypic behavior;

− the professional flexibility is formed with a support on ability to self-organization and self-control;

− foreign researchers connect professional flexibility with adaptive abilities, variable behavior;

− most of foreign researchers consider her as a synonym of cognitive flexibility which, in turn, is connected with self-efficiency, harmony and balance of behavioural reactions.

Thus, based on the research of domestic and foreign scientists, we understand by the professional flexibility of future educators the totality of emotional, professional and behavioral flexibility, which provide a value attitude to pedagogical activity, regulation and stability of professional behavior, a willingness to respond quickly to changing conditions and challenges of the professional environment, through finding original ways to solve professional problems.

References:

1. Mitina L. M. Psychology of personal and professional development of subjects of education: monograph. SPb., 2014, 376 p. (In Russian) URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=26764907
2. Kornilova T. V. The principle of uncertainty in psychology of choice and risk. Psychological Research, 2015, vol. 8 (40), pp. 3. (In Russian) URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=23593080
3. Todysheva T. Y. Personal flexibility in professional activity. Bulletin of the Buryat state University, 2010, no. 5, pp. 84–88. (In Russian) URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=15165284
4. Dombrovskaya I. V. Professional flexibility of the library staff as a necessary condition for the promotion of books and reading in contemporary society. Bulletin of the far Eastern Scientific Library, 2007, no. 2, pp. 164–173. (In Russian) URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=23916993
5. Mohammadi M., Ahmadipour N., Kouhdasht R. N., Bordbar N. Flexibility of Iranian teachers teaching methods and high school students’ gains. Modern Applied  Science, 2016, vol. 10 (10), pp. 48–54. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/mas.v10n10p48
6. Martin M. M., Rubin R. B. A new measure of cognitive flexibility. Psychological Reports, 1995, vol. 76 (2), pp. 623–626. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1995.76.2.623
7. Dennis J. P., Vander Wall J. S. The cognitive flexibility inventory: Instrument development and estimates of reliability and validity. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 2010, vol. 34 (3), pp. 241–253. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10608-009-9276-4
8. Martin M. M., Anderson C. M., Thweatt K. S. Aggressive communication traits and their relationship with the cognitive flexibility scale and the communication flexibility scale // Journal of Social Behavior and Personality. – 1998. – Vol. 13 (3). – P. 34–45.
9. Certel Z., Bahadır Z., Kabaca E., Seraki S. Professional experience, tolerance, empathy and reading interests as variables predicting cognitive flexibilities of physical education teachers // International Journal on New Trends in Education and Their Implications. – 2018. – Vol. 9 (3). – P. 41–51.