Pedagogical reflection development in the course of prospective elementary school teachers’ training for professional activity

The paper deals with features of pedagogical reflection development of prospective elementary school teachers during their training at a higher education institution. The authors analyze modern requirements to personal and professional qualities of a teacher, his or her social value and worthiness caused by radical modernization and cardinal transformations of Russian system of pedagogical education. The authors show that at a high school it is important for students to change position from a consumer of information to a creator of knowledge, to develop personal features, to understand the results of his or her pedagogical activity. The paper contains advantages of such an approach of ensuring systemacy of higher pedagogical education updates. Professional activity of each teacher has to be adapted to these changes. Each teacher has to understand the environment surrounding him; s/he has to be ready for continuous self-education to increase the efficiency of the daily practical activities. In this regard the authors suppose that reflection is a necessary and a major component of pedagogical activity structure. Reflection is supposed to be teacher’s personal analysis of his or her activity. The authors of the paper think that pedagogical activity has a reflexive character as a teacher who organizes pupils’ activity is obliged to correct his or her actions from a pupil’s position, it is obligatory to take their views into account, to see their inner world and their emotional state. On the basis of the given arguments the authors come to the conclusion that a teacher’s significant professional quality is his or her ability to reflect.