Innovations in the training of educational psychologists in the Republic of Belarus

Abstract

The article presents the rationale for the using of innovative teaching methods, including future educational psychologists. The high rate of information aging makes their application actual. The author presents the experience of the Department of Social and Pedagogical Psychology of the Francisk Skorina Gomel State University and reveals the essence of creative-project activity through the activity of the laboratory of applied psychology and the student research laboratory «Alliance». Scientific, educational, methodical, social and volunteer projects that are implemented at the university both in academic groups and in dormitories, in other organizations and institutions of the city and region allow organizing additional professional training and expanding the range of formed professional competencies of future educational psychologists, prepare them for future professional activities. In the course of participation in projects, students get the opportunity to master psychotechnology, various forms of work with various social groups, including with vulnerable groups of the population in psychoeducation, prevention, diagnosis, counseling, correction of various psychological problems of the individual, to carry out psychological and pedagogical support for the target requests. Future psychologists, as representatives of the helping profession, have the opportunity, at the stage of primary professional development, to be involved in direct social contacts with wards, to learn and develop through direct contact, despite the active using of electronic learning tools, which allows maintaining an optimal balance of the social and digital environment. Through work in preventive, adaptation, volunteer and scientific and methodical projects, opportunities arise for startups and entrepreneurial initiatives, close ties are formed with various institutions and organizations, which in turn makes it possible to strengthen practice-oriented learning. The effectiveness of projects by the student research laboratory «Alliance» through the using of innovative methods of teaching future educational psychologists contributes to the transformation of the models «University 2.0», «University 3.0» into the model «University 4.0», in which the projective and creative activity of the university forms and defines the socio-cultural environment region.