On April 16, SSU held the Second Teaching Olympiad for high school students of Saratov Region, Step into the Teaching Profession.
The olympiad was attended by the students of the Pedagogical Classroom of Saratov State University and pedagogical classes of schools in the region – about 250 people in total, including 20 students from Luhansk – regular students of the SSU Pedagogical Classroom.
The participants completed the olympiad tasks for three hours and twenty minutes. The tasks were devoted to the history of pedagogical philosophy, the psychology of education, the basics of the educational digital environment, modern pedagogical concepts, analysis of pedagogical cases, the basics of teacher-student communication, and pedagogical support for talented children.
The results will be announced on April 17 at 4 p.m. on the page of the Regional Teaching Olympiad on the SSU website. On April 18, at 3.30 p.m., the olympiad tasks will be reviewed online.
The prize-winners of the olympiad will receive five additional points at the admission to the pedagogical courses at Saratov State University.
Last year, 24 students became prize-winners of the Olympiad, and 22 of them are students of the Pedagogical Classroom of SSU. All the eleventh graders who became prize-winners of the First Regional Pedagogical Olympiad entered Saratov State University and took the courses in the education and pedagogical sciences group.
Head of Priority Projects and Programmes Elena Yelina spoke about the role of the olympiad and the system of continuous teaching training at SSU.
‘The university has been doing a lot in training teachers for many years. We understand that teachers develop not only in the classroom, but also in an extracurricular environment. Recently, the Week of Teaching Training has been held for the eleventh time. For twenty years, the Step into the Profession pedagogical skills competition has been organised.’
An important impetus for the development of teaching training at Saratov State University was the implementation of the Teachers in the Educational Paradigm strategic project as part of the Priority 2030 programme. Due to the programme, the university has strengthened the training of teachers and continued the development of a continuous system of school teacher training. The Pedagogical Classroom has been opened at SSU, as well as the Consilium Support Centre for Young Teachers, where young teachers gather monthly at Gymnasium No. 7 to learn about effective pedagogical practices.
‘When we started working with students who were interested in teaching training, we realised that new forms of interaction with future applicants were needed. Together with the Ministry of Education of Saratov Region, we organised the teaching olympiad for children who are already studying in teaching classes in Saratov Region. For them, this is an opportunity to test themselves, to check what they have learned in the pedagogical classes,’ Elena Yelina said.
At the consultation on the olympiad, which was preceded by a meeting with Governor Roman Busargin, the Assembly Hall, SSU, was three-quarters full of schoolchildren who were determined to become teachers and start their professional career at the university.
‘This is extremely important for us. The more we introduce our children to the university, the better, first of all, for the university. We are all working to ensure that motivated schoolchildren enter SSU, who will receive high-quality teaching training and come to schools to bring up equally strong students. This cycle seems to be very justified. We graduate teachers, and they graduate our applicants, our future students,’ Elena Yelin emphasised.
Another important result of the university work, including on the olympiad, is closer cooperation with the heads of administrations of Saratov Region districts, with school principals, and with school teachers. Without such interaction and mutual understanding, it is impossible to develop high-quality teachers.
‘We are very grateful to our partner, the Ministry of Education of Saratov region, which took over the organisation of the stay of non-resident schoolchildren in Saratov,’ Elena Yelina moted.
To remind, on the eve of the olympiad, on April 15, its participants met with Governor of Saratov Region Roman Busargin, attended the consultation, and got acquainted with Saratov State University at master classes and excursions.
