Tutorship practice as a mechanism for support of professional development of educational tutors

Abstract

Introduction. The problem of teachers’ professional development at general education institutions is considered in various aspects. Tutorship takes a special place in this process. The need for tutorship is especially acute today since the modern teacher must immediately respond to all changes taking place in the educational system. And not just react but change the content of education, introduce new teaching methods and technologies, and respond to metamorphoses in organisational processes and educational environment. Tutorship makes it possible to organically combine professional development, its personalisation, and at the same time guarantees a comprehensive approach to any educator. The purpose of this article is to present an analysis of the substantive aspect of tutorship in the situation of tutors’ professional development in the system of general education. Materials and methods. A total of approximately 200 teachers from general education organisations of Krasnodar Region (Russian Federation) took part in the survey. The survey took into account the respondents’ social characteristics, including service record, nature of support and content of tutorship. The used methods included modelling, analysis of relevant regulatory documentation, teaching practice, etc. Results. The research exploring the substantive content of tutorship in the situation of tutors’ professional development in the system of general education showed that quite a large number of respondents highlighted the following points: the need to include tutors in the educational system (about 90% of the sample), the need for systemic support of learners with special needs in the educational system by tutors (supported by more than 80% of the teachers), insufficient knowledge of the possibilities of tutors’ work in supporting gifted children, etc. The presented opinions are nowadays actively discussed in the professional pedagogical environment. Conclusion. According to the present research results with respect to pedagogues’ work, the challenging aspects of tutor support in the sphere of general education were identified and the possibilities for substantive content of tutors’ professional development were specified.