New Format for Improving the Digital Competence of Older Teachers in Primary General Education

Most teachers in the Russian Federation are people at the age of 45 and over. They have good pedagogical competences, but unfortunately, their digital literacy is not as good, and their digital competence requires development. At the same time, these teachers have to continue their professional activities in the conditions of digital education implementing the Federal project "Digital Educational Environment". The System of Advanced Training has resources for the formation and development of digital competence of older teachers. Following the Order of the RF Government, the Union "Young Professionals (WorldSkills Russia)" launched a special Federal Program for Vocational Training and Additional Vocational Education for persons aged 50 and over, as well as persons of the pre-retirement age. This program started in March, 2019, with the support of the Federal Labour and Employment Service within the framework of the Federal Project "Senior Generation" of the National Project "Demography." 120 WorldSkills Russia competencies have joined this program, including the competence Primary School Teaching (R21).The purpose of this study is the development and testing of content and technologies for improving the digital competence of primary teachers aged 50 years and over, as well as persons of pre-retirement age, through the implementation of relevant practical-oriented training programs and methodological set for their support.In the course of the study, both theoretical and empirical methods of research were used. As the result of the study, three training programs have been developed based on the WorldSkills standard for the competence Primary School Teaching.The results of the study may be interesting to teachers, methodologists, researchers in the field of advanced training of teaching staff in the conditions of digital education