Project-based activities in teacher training: from theory to professional competencies

The article substantiates the relevance of projectbased learning in modern education in accordance with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard (FSES). The authors emphasise that the project method is an effective tool for developing students’ independence, critical thinking, communication skills, and the ability to apply knowledge in practice. Special attention is paid to the problem of insufficient preparedness of future philology teachers to organise projectbased activities for schoolchildren. Based on an analysis of the curricula at Samara State Social and Pedagogical University (SSSPU), a gap in the training of prospective language and literature teachers has been identified, which leads to difficulties in implementing projects at school. To address this issue, the authors have developed and proposed for implementation a discipline titled ProjectBased Learning in Literature Teaching Methodology. This course is characterised by its practiceoriented approach, compliance with FSES requirements, and detailed methodological support. The practical part of the article describes the experience of organising educational psychological and pedagogical practice for fourthyear students. Within this framework, they designed and implemented group literary projects with pupils in grades 8–11. The article presents the topics of the implemented projects, research methods, as well as an analysis of the challenges encountered and the types of support students received from both the school and the university. The results of the work demonstrated the high effectiveness of the proposed approach: all projects were completed and publicly defended; an increase in students’ motivation was noted, and the trainee teachers expressed satisfaction with the outcomes of the practice. Based on the study, recommendations are formulated for modernising teacher training at universities. These aim to foster sustainable competencies in organising projectbased activities by synchronising the requirements of FSES, school curricula, and university courses.