Abstract
The article concerns the problems connected with the use of such non- standard creative method of professional training of the future teacher as an argumentative essay, having high potential of independent scientific study of the problem that has clearly expressed personality-oriented priorities. Both the concept and the methodology of preparing and writing an essay on social and pedagogical topics by the student are based on the determined theoretical positions that reflect the essence of the argumentative essay, the logic of its formation, indicating a fundamental difference in relation to functional and content-procedural features of writing a discursive essay.