The article presents the results of a study dedicated to examining the teacher workload in Russia and abroad with the aim of identifying conditions for optimizing this process. As part of the research conducted at Moscow City University of Pedagogy (MGPU), a webinar was held, featuring experts who address the issues of optimizing the distribution of teacher workloads in Russia and foreign countries, as well as school administrators and educational staff. Webinar participants were invited to complete an anonymous survey, with questions related to various aspects of teacher workload (number of lesson hours, volume of administrative work, participation in methodological and educational activities), as well as opportunities for further training and professional development, and the impact of these factors on the quality of teaching and the psychological well-being of educators. Experts presented the results of their analysis of approaches to defining the concept of “teacher workload” across different countries, depending on factors such as the structure and definition of workload, cultural and social contexts, funding and resources, levels of teacher training and opportunities for professional development, and the use of technology. The webinar served as an important platform for professional exchange of views, allowing for the identification of priority areas for further research and practical changes not only in the Russian education system but also abroad. The review of the experience gained enabled the identification of quantitative, qualitative, organizational, technological, and psychological conditions for optimizing the teacher workload.
Keyword(s) : comparative analysis
Comparative Approach: The Essence and Prospects
The article is devoted to the consideration of an approach, the relevance of which is due to modern linguodidactic research aimed at comparing various linguodidactic phenomena or studying various methods, technologies and techniques characteristic of foreign language education systems both at the international level and within the framework of a single linguistic culture. The purpose of the article was to substantiate the essence of the comparative approach by considering the development of linguodidactics, both from the point of view of retrospective analysis and the content side, as well as the analysis of the successive leading paradigms of the foreign language education system. Due to the specifics of the comparative approach, namely, as the main approach used for conducting scientific work through comparison, it is necessary to study and analyze the specifics of using the comparative approach for linguodidactic research. As a result of the analysis of works on comparative studies and intercultural communication, the need for a comparative approach as an element of scientific knowledge, acquisition and enrichment of methodological science in the field of foreign languages was described. It was also shown that the comparative approach under consideration not only does not exclude the existence of previously developed approaches, but complements them and takes linguodidactics to a new stage of development.