PhD, Associate Professor L.P. Shustova¹
PhD, Associate Professor S.V. Danilov^1
1Ulyanovsk State Pedagogical University named after I.N. Ulyanov, Ulyanovsk

Keywords: gender approach, preschool physical education service, gender competency, physical education instructor, physical education in kindergarten, supplementary education system.

Background. Modern gender-sensitive education models are in special priority in the national educational system, and their mission is to make the teachers knowledgeable and skillful in the gender-specific services. The national supplementary educational system takes special efforts to update its curricula and implement special training modules to emphasize the gender-sensitive training aspects in the theoretical and practical education services.

Since the individual socializing process is naturally gender-specific since a child is born, modern preschool educational institutions shall customize their training service with due respect to the individual gender specifics and roles. As provided by A.V. Mudrik, gender-sensitive training models shall encourage the positive gender socializing process so as to facilitate progress in the individual androgynous, feminine and masculine personality traits [5].

In the efforts to reform the traditional educational programs on the gender-sensitive basis, the national educational community is expected to update the training and upbringing models, tools, methods and contents so as to create comfortable training environments for both genders and the whole range of the individual gender specifics [1]. Educational establishments including preschool educational institutions shall effectively remove contradictions between the latest social gender policies, attitudes and practices on the one hand and the femininity and masculinity standards and traditions still cultivated by inertia in the educational system on the other hand; and the need to advance new gender-sensitive models on the one hand and the traditional asexual education methods on the other hand.

We believe that the above contradictions may be removed or mitigated by the relevant training courses/ modules in the preschool personnel advancement training curricula, including the physical education instructor’s ones; special theoretical and practical support materials for such courses; relevant scientific and practical events (workshops, conferences, exhibitions etc.) to analyze and advance the gender-sensitive aspects; relevant visual databanks on university websites; and practical instruction manuals and teaching aids for the preschool education specialists.

Objective of the study was to analyze benefits of gender-sensitive training models in the supplementary educational system for the preschool physical educators.

Methods and structure of the study. Ulyanovsk State Pedagogical University has made progress in finding solutions to the above challenges by new advanced training modules geared to develop gender-sensitive knowledge and competences in many education specialists including psychologists, Physical Education teachers etc. [2, 6].

Results and discussion. As required by the purposes of the study, we first defined the meaning of ‘teacher’s gender sensitivity’ based on the E.N. Kamenskaya’s interpretation – as “the ability to harmonize the gender-sensitive psychological and pedagogical knowledge in the training service to efficiently solve every practical training/ upbringing issue based on professional gender-sensitive service standards’ [3]. To facilitate the physical education instructor’s gender-sensitive competency building in the modern gender-sensitive pedagogy and psychology, it may be beneficial to introduce the new ‘Gender sensitive preschool physical education service’ module in the traditional physical education instructor training curriculum. The module shall be designed to give basics of gender-sensitive training competences to the students and help them further excel these competences in extracurricular periods. Upon completion of the gender-sensitive trainings, the students’ gender stereotypes will be corrected and neutralized, with their competences enriched with special knowledge and skills in the new gender-sensitive pedagogy and psychology for a high quality education service to trainees with different gender identities.

This gender-sensitive training course is supported by the relevant theoretical and practical learning materials with progress tests for preschool educational institutions including the test/ survey cards; observation logs; family questionnaire survey forms; gender stereotypes analyzing guidelines; gender domination surveys for the preschool service personnel; gender situation examination and preschool education institutions gender-sensitive climate survey cards etc. [7, 8].

Practical experience of the Innovative Processes Development Program implemented in the Ulyanovsk Oblast with its gender-sensitive education modules has been beneficial for the gender-sensitive training of preschool physical education specialists. Thus, the service personnel of Kindergarten No. 52 "Rosinka" in Dimitrovgrad has made progress in implementing the gender-sensitive training modules, with the relevant benefits for the children’s gender identity formation process. And the service staff of Kindergarten "Skazka" in New Malykla village of the Ulyanovsk Oblast has implemented innovative gender-sensitive training methods and tools of special benefits both for the gender-sensitive socialization of preschoolers and gender sensitivity of their families [4].

Gender-sensitive trainings of the preschool physical education personnel on an extracurricular basis are facilitated by the virtual practical database on the university website that offers sample gender-sensitive training sessions; theoretical and practical workshops and conferences to analyze gender sensitivity issues; practical guidelines and instructions published by the university faculty; and the teaching aids and learning materials available on a few gender-sensitive websites including ‘Physical education, ‘I'm going to physical education class’ etc.

Having outlined the supplementary educational system resources for the modern gender-sensitive trainings of physical education specialists, we would underline the issues in need of further solutions. First of all, the system needs modern test tools to rate and analyze progress and deficiencies in the physical education specialist knowledge and competences in modern gender-sensitive pedagogy and psychology. And second, the preschool system shall be equipped with modern material and technical assets for the gender-sensitive physical education service.

Conclusion. The theoretical and practical provisions outlined herein plus special scientific and practical events in the supplementary educational system for preschool physical education specialists will facilitate progress in the gender-sensitive trainings of the preschool physical education personnel.

References

1. Dyuldina Zh.N., Shustova L.P. Gender issue in pedagogical research. Sovremennye naukoemkie tekhnologii. 2016. No. 5-3. pp. 629-633.
2. Zarubina V.V., Lukyanova M.I., Fakhretdinova M.A. Acmeological stand shaping service to physical education specialists in advanced education system. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury. 2018, no. 2. pp. 24-26.
3. Kamenskaya E.N. Pedagogy: Lecture notes. Rostov-on-Don: Fenix publ., 2005. P. 365.
4. Klyuchnikova E.A. World of childhood: boys and girls (formation of gender identity in 3-8 year-olds based on individually differentiated approach in conditions of preschool education). Ulyanovsk: A.V. Kachalin publ., 2018. 240 p.
5. Mudrik A.V. Gender-role (gender) approach in social education. Vospitatelnaya rabota v shkole. 2003. No. 5. pp. 9-15.
6. Shustova L.P., Danilov S.V. Competency of physical education teachers in gender approach in education: development potential in career development system. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury. 2020. No. 7. p. 32.
7. Shustova L.P. Gender research in education. Teaching aid. Ulyanovsk: UIPKPRO publ.. 2011. 156 p.
8. Shustova L.P., Anokhina I.A. Gender approach in preschool education. Teaching aid. Ulyanovsk: UIPKPRO publ., 2010. 111 p.

Corresponding author: lp_shustova@mail.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to analyze benefits of gender-sensitive training models in the supplementary educational system for the preschool physical educators.

Methods and structure of the study. Ulyanovsk State Pedagogical University has made progress in finding solutions to the above challenges by new advanced training modules geared to develop gender-sensitive knowledge and competences in many education specialists including psychologists, Physical Education teachers etc.

Results and conclusions. The article underlines the need to adjust the programs of advanced training of physical education instructors in view of the introduction of the gender approach in preschool education. The potentials of the system of supplementary education of adults in the formation of the gender competency of preschool physical education instructors were examined. We identified a set of methodological and scientific-practical measures carried out during the advanced training courses and extracurricular activities, including: implementation of the training module "Gender approach in the academic physical education of preschoolers" and development of the training package; training at the Ulyanovsk experimental sites for innovative activities aimed to implement the gender approach in preschool education; holding conferences, seminars, and creative meetings on gender issues; creation of a virtual methodical piggy bank and publication of teaching aids and recommendations for preschool teachers.