Spring 2020: Toward a Digital Transformation of Education

Abstract

"We will remember this spring as a time of digital transformation in education," these words of Valery Falkov at the opening of 2020 International Moscow Salon of Education convey an atmosphere of change that has filled the entire educational sphere. Today's disputes on need for measuring teachers` professional deficits grow fast. Deficiency approach focused on revealing certain mismatch of teacher and his professional activity prevails in most studies that identify and assess the level of professional competences. Of course, this one of important tools for determining qualification gaps will be presented in research works, but in combination with activity-based approach which has proved its effectiveness. Action research is one that identifies and professional difficulties and need of teacher and logically determines routes of his professional development through the system of continuing professional education. It should be noticed that pandemic and transition to distant and online learning revealed lack of very simple skills in teachers such as proper organization of learning process in remote or online mode. Many teachers, students and their parents were not psychologically prepared for complete transition to digital education. In this regard, it is quite reasonable to highlight such challenge in education in digitalization process and need for overcoming it. The paper includes analysis of current satiation in school education in terms of digitalization and transition to online learning. The study brings together various views on methodology and mechanisms of digitalizing school education, and criteria of valid identification of teachers` digital competencies. The present study attempts to compile a passport of teacher's digital competencies and approve a pilot program called "Cognitive models and algorithms for formation of teacher's digital competence in context of digital transformation of general education".