SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS' TRAINING IN UKRAINE AND ABROAD IN THE CONDITIONS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION EMERGENCE IMPLEMENTATION

The article outlines a comparative analysis of the peculiarities of pre-service special education teachers' preparation in Ukraine and abroad in the conditions of distance learning, extremely relevant due to the coronavirus pandemic. To clarify the objective difficulties associated with the use of distance learning technologies for training special education teachers in higher education institutions an online survey of the students and their university teachers was conducted with the use of the questionnaire specially drawn up by the authors (webanketa.com). 135 teachers and 435 students participated in the survey. The study has proved the impossibility of professional practical skills and competences to be formed effectively for pre-service special education teachers with the use of the existing educational platforms in the practical direction courses In addition, the article also casts doubt on the possibility of adequate assessment of learning outcomes and their quality. The results of the study suggest that most respondents in both categories experience various types of difficulties related to the technical shortcomings of available distance learning systems, services, video and audio communication technologies in the Internet environment; to the insufficient level of preparation to use information and communication technologies and lack of effectively organized systems for providing consulting services on the use of distance learning services; to the psychological rejection of the situation when studying is organized via online contacts only by the educational process participants. According to the results of the study the Ukrainian education system appeared not to be prepared to the situational challenge of distance learning immediate implementation at all levels. In particular, the technical characteristics of the domestic distance learning systems, Internet services, organizational and operational support for online education were not sufficient for the emergency of its implementation.