Raising the young teachers’ level of psychological readiness for professional and pedagogical activity in the conditions of supplementary professional education

Introduction. The teacher’s profession is one of the most important in any state. The modern teacher, recognising that the human being is the main subject and beneficiary of development, must possess a broad range of professional competencies and be fully prepared to engage in pedagogical activities in the constantly changing conditions that require non-standard approaches and due psychological training. The purpose of the article is to describe the content and the pedagogical conditions of the young teacher’s psychological training in supplementary professional education. Methods. A total of 213 young teachers (aged 20-30) from Sevastopol and its surrounding administrative region, having work experience from 1 to 3 years, took part in the preliminary testing; 50 young professionals took part in the formative and final stages of the experimental work (25 in the experimental group and 25 in the control group). Research methods: testing, survey, questioning, mathematical statistics methods: Pearson's chi-squared test. Data calculation was made using SPSS software, version 13.0. Results. The incoming testing showed that most young teachers are characterised by insufficient knowledge of the main issues of age-specific and pedagogical psychology, and the inability to apply psychological skills in practical pedagogical activity; novice specialists show unstable interests, an average level of communicative activity, down-toearth aspirations, anxiety, particularity of thinking. A specialised course “Psychological training of a young teacher as a condition for the realisation of new educational standards in training and education of children” was developed on the basis of the obtained data. The practical implementation of this form of learning provided for a sequence of training activities aimed at a change from the minimal reproductive level to an utmostly creative, highly productive level of mastering psychological knowledge, skills and abilities. Positive dynamics were noted in the components of young teachers’ psychological readiness for professional activity: cognitive (p<0.01), operational (p<0.01), motivational (p<0.01), communicative (p<0.01), emotional and volitional (p<0.01). Young teachers extended their knowledge of psychology, mastered new skills and abilities in practical professional activity, as concerns interaction with learners, especially with “troubled” children; developed communicative properties and features of interpersonal interaction with colleagues and students, showed increased positive motivation and alleviated emotional strain. Conclusion. The obtained results confirm the expediency of introducing psychological training for young teachers into the system of supplementary professional education, which involves the use of active forms and methods of training.