Professional Training and Support of Student-Teachers at Schools: A View from Britain and Russia

The paper investigated urgent problems of modern educated society, which puts great expectations on school teachers - powerful formal guides of a new generation. Therefore it places a great emphasis on the proper training and support of student-teachers so that to determine their successful introduction into a challenging profession of a teacher. Demonstrating a considerable success in this field, Great Britain and Russia, however, face a number of challenges multiplied by the necessity to achieve a long-term goal of entering the European educational space. The aim of the research is to collect and analyze the most successful practices operated in the Russian and British teacher-training academic majors to enhance the future teacher’s training and support worldwide. To meet the goals of the research the author mostly applied the descriptive method for observation and processing the investigated material as well as collecting, analyzing and synthesizing the information on teacher-training education in Great Britain and Russia. The analytical material is supported with the illustrations from the author’s experience of a practice school teacher and a professor at Teacher-Training University for more than 20 years. This allowed the author to summarize the general state of the system of training student-teachers in Great Britain and Russia; to determine the modern society’ requirements for student-teacher training challenging the higher educational institutions of Great Britain and Russia; to thoroughly analyze exemplary practices to meet these challenges; to bridge the British and Russian systems of training student-teachers at schools to fast-track Russia’s joining the "European educational space". Equally appealing to general public the paper is of special interest for state and independent higher educational institutions and schools, organizations and individuals involved in training and supporting the student-teachers worldwide.