Developing the Professional Competencies in Preservice Teachers by Means of Pedagogical Cases

Abstract

The article reveals some aspects of the scientific and methodological support of the application of case technology in the learning process of teacher education to develop professional (gnostic, communicative, design and constructive, managerial) teacher competencies. Based on the analysis of foreign and national scientific views, approaches to the classification of cases are considered; a typology of cases is presented from the stand point of case study as analytical strategy and of that as pedagogical technology. In reliance on the content analysis of authentic scientific and pedagogical sources, the authors propose an integrative typology of pedagogical cases to define the specific features of case designing and the areas of effective case application in the training of preservice teachers. It is evidenced in the article that at present in pedagogical science there is no single complete classification of pedagogical cases for several reasons which are herein qualified. That absence significantly narrows the scope of case effective application in learning pedagogical disciplines. To enable scientific based full-fledged case design and implementation in practices, example integration facet patterns of the general and pedagogical classifications of cases are provided in the aspect of pedagogical goal setting. The authors propose original case varieties, as projecting, diagnosis and planning cases to be studied in the teacher preparation course. The educational potential of the case technology is testifyed to in the context of presser vice teachers gaining experience in solving known, partially similar or unprecedented (non-typical) educational and professional problems in the course of multipurpose pedagogical case studies.