ANALYSIS OF FOREIGN AND UKRAINIAN EXPERIENCE OF FORMING PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS’ SOFT SKILLS

Abstract

The article deals with the topical issue of pupils’ soft skills formation, in particular in primary school. The purpose of the study is to analyze foreign and Ukrainian experience in forming pupils’ soft skills in students and to study implementing the best techniques in soft skills formation in the pedagogical practice of Ukrainian scientists. The results of the researching foreign and Ukrainian scientists demonstrate the need to take into account the soft skills development in the process of acquiring subject knowledge and key competencies. The analysis of scientific and methodical sources showed that all together extracurricular competencies form a single complex and provide fruitful learning and solving joint problems. They have received several synonymous names in Ukrainian and foreign scientific literature: soft skills, flexible skills, cross-curricular competencies or cross-cutting skills. The reflection of scientific sources on the mentioned problem, in particular the analyzed scientific achievements of great foreign scientists, as well as normative educational documents of European countries, give grounds to say that the issue of developing pupils’ soft skills is relevant, that is why educational institutions around the world are trying to solve this problem at the stage of creating curriculum. The analysis of legislative educational documents of Ukraine showed that modern educational reforms in Ukraine pay due attention to the forming pupils’ cross-cutting skills, especially after the transition of primary school to educational activities under the Concept of “New Ukrainian School”. The article also highlights the views of Ukrainian scientists on the problem of forming primary school pupils’ soft skills. Among the priorities in the context of forming the primary school pupils’ cross-cutting skills, researchers include: sociability, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, creativity, the ability to learn throughout life.