Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"

M.A. Digital Competences in Foreign Language Teaching

The Master's program "Digital Competences in Foreign Language Teaching" aims to improve the qualification of those who have acquired the professional qualification "Foreign Language Teacher - English / German / Russian" as a bachelor's degree by preparing highly qualified and competent English / German / Russian teachers for the needs of primary and secondary school education in the digital age.

The training in the program presupposes a high level of proficiency in English / German / Russian/Slovak and in-depth knowledge of the linguistic features of the foreign language, culture and literature. The training provides fundamental knowledge of the latest trends in the development of foreign language learning in the digital environment and online and the use of digital tools in the foreign language classroom based on building digital literacy in students and trainers.

The graduates of the program have a wide range of professional knowledge and technological skills, independence in decision making, responsibility, competencies for teamwork and application of information technology in learning in an electronic environment, as well as a desire for self-improvement and continuing professional development.

The master's program is open to graduates of English / German / Russian/Slovak Philology or Applied Linguistics with English and / or German and / or Russian, who have acquired pedagogical qualification in their bachelor's degree in at least one of the languages, as well as bachelor's programs from 1.3. Pedagogy of foreign language teaching (English, German, Russian) and Pedagogy of Bulgarian language and foreign language teaching (English, German, Russian) all of whom must be fluent in English at level C1.

The compulsory courses are taught in English, and the students choose a module in the respective language - English, German and Russian - according to their qualification. They can also choose disciplines from the other modules, as well as from courses offered in other master's programs from the participating universities at the discretion of the directors of the program.

The optional courses offer training in German or Russian in order to increase the level of the language proficiency of the students enrolled in the master's program and to help them achieve level C1/C2 as well as a course in Academic Writing.

The curriculum of the master's program provides the necessary balance between specialized theoretical training on current issues of foreign language learning in the context of digitalization and cultural and economic globalization and the acquiring of practical digital skills in the field of FLT. Within the overall curriculum, the teaching in the master's program is carried out in compulsory, elective and optional disciplines, aimed respectively at providing fundamental and additional knowledge and skills in the professional field.

The training is carried out by lecturers from three Bulgarian universities - Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Southwestern University "Neofit Rilski", Shumen University "Episkop Konstantin Preslavski" and the University of Trnava, Slovakia.

The students have also the opportunity to enrich their knowledge of the language and get acquainted with good practices in the field of foreign language learning through the application of digital technologies through specializations in Bulgarian and European universities under the Erasmus + program.

The graduates of the Master's program will have:

• an in-depth knowledge in the field of English, literature and culture, pedagogy, psychology, language acquisition and methodology of foreign language teaching;
• formed culture of communication and information mediation in compliance with universal human values and ethical norms;
• culture of teamwork - tolerance, compliance with other people's opinion, expressing one's own opinion on the issues under consideration, etc .;
• motivation for self-observation, self-initiative and self-criticism;
• digital competence;
• an in-depth knowledge in the field of psychological-didactic and methodological capabilities of digital information technologies, as well as the specifics of the use of communication technologies in foreign language teaching;
• an in-depth knowledge in the field of digital educational resources and their didactic possibilities, the tools of training based on ICT technologies for online and and asynchronous mode;
• knowledge in the field of web-based information resources with educational content: training platforms, electronic corpora, specialized sites, etc.
• ability to apply the acquired knowledge and skills in research activities in the field of learning and teaching a foreign language, including online.

The graduates of the Master's program:

• can carry out independent training on topics related to the acquisition and teaching of a foreign language in a digital environment;
• can carry out long-term or short-term planning of learning activities in a digital environment;
• have the skills to search for, select and adapt teaching materials for teaching purposes, both in physical and in digital and online environments;
• have practical training to deal with various problems and unforeseen situations arising in the process of teaching in a digital environment;
• are able to assess students' knowledge and skills through digital means and in an online environment;
• have mastered the basic tools for constructing didactic units, for editing and broadcasting media content;
• are able to assess the knowledge and skills of students by applying traditional and innovative information and communication technologies;
• have mastered the basics of working with text editors, spreadsheets, e-mail and browsers, multimedia equipment;
• are able to adapt their teaching to the level and needs of students of the digital generation in order to individualize the teaching process;
• are able to effectively use various software educational applications in the learning process
• are able to adapt their teaching in a digital environment to the level and needs of students. Competences

The graduates of the Master's program will have:

Personal competences

• attitude to maintain a wide awareness of innovations in the field of foreign language learning in the digital age;
• developed skills for further self-education and professional development in the field of pedagogy, psychology and methodology of teaching English, German and Russian through the use of digital tools;
• formed professional motivation in relation to the future profession and realization in the digital age;
• developed analytical thinking and critical evaluation, quick orientation in a situation of over-information and multidirectionality of information sources; formed culture of communication and information mediation in compliance with universal human values and ethical norms;
• culture of teamwork - tolerance, compliance with other people's opinion, expressing one's own opinion on the issues under consideration, etc .;
• motivation for self-observation, self-initiative and self-criticism.
• digital competence.

Professional competences

• apply the acquired theoretical knowledge in the planning and implementation of foreign language teaching at school;
• organize and conduct the educational process by using effective teaching methods and modern information and communication technologies;
• create and maintain a stimulating and supportive educational environment and positive discipline that promotes the acquisition of English / German / Russian,
• encourage the development of correct relationships, constructive communication and cooperation both between the teacher and the students and between the students themselves and between the teacher and the parents;
• assess the progress of students and the degree of acquisition of knowledge and competencies;
• encourages achievements and provides the necessary support and assistance for the full integration of students in the educational and social environment according to their specific needs;
• apply in practice the knowledge acquired during the training in a specific professional environment;
• observes the normative, professional and ethical standards;
• adequately adapt their professional competence in connection with the changing working conditions.

The graduates of the Master's program will have the following qualifications:

• teachers of English / German / Russian in primary (primary and lower secondary stage) and secondary (first and second secondary stage) school education;
• foreign language experts in educational institutions such as the structures of the Ministry of Education and Science, regional inspectors in the country;
• experts on the problems of education and socio-pedagogical activities, as well as consultants in various state, non-governmental and private organizations;
• leaders of methodological associations in a foreign language education; teachers in the field of professionally oriented foreign language teaching and teachers of subjects taught in English / German / Russian;
• foreign language teachers in non-formal education organizations;
• team members and leaders of projects in the field of education.

About Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"

Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" is the first higher educational institution in Bulgaria founded in 1888. Its history is an embodiment and a continuation of centuries of cultural and educational tradition in this country.

Public teaching activities in Bulgaria date back to the second half of the 9th century. During the Bulgarian Renaissance, a new idea for opening a School of Higher Education was conceived. The prestige of the School of Higher Education grew rapidly with the cultural and educational mission it acquired after the Liberation in 1878.

Year by year the Sofia University has developed into an important academic and scientific centre on the Balkans, a well developed academic institution with European dimensions. Today Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" is the largest and most prestigious educational and scientific centre in the country. It has 16 faculties with 119 special subjects being taught.

Within the structure of Sofia University the following main structures are included: the Faculty of Slavonic Philology, the Faculty of Classical and Contemporary Philology, the Faculty of History, the Faculty of Philosophy, the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Educational Studies and the Arts, the Faculty of Geology and Geography, the Faculty of Physics, the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, the Faculty of Biology, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, the Faculty of Theology, the Faculty of Medicine, the Department of Information and Training of Teachers, the Department for Language Teaching and the Department of Sports.

Sofia University offers BA, MA and PhD programmes, and conducts research in the field of the natural, social sciences and the humanities.

With the signing of the Erasmus Сharter in 2007 and Bulgaria being a full-fledged member-state of the EU the University continues its active participation in the implementation of the updated with new educational possibilities Learning for Life European program.