SOFT SKILLS DEVELOPMENT OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHER OF THE NEW UKRAINIAN SCHOOL: METHODOLOGICAL GUIDELINES

Abstract

The review article characterizes the priorities for primary school teachers’ soft skills development, taking into account the conditions of the New Ukrainian School. According to the results of the survey based on the method of ranking primary school teachers in Kyiv, who implement the concept of the NUS in modern conditions, we have found that practicing teachers unevenly ranked the main soft skills in terms of importance in their professional activities, which requires finding forms and methods of their improvement and development in the conditions of formal, non-formal and informal education. The main soft skills are defined as follows: sociability / contact / ability to listen / ability to communicate through different networks; ability to work in a team / ability to manage team work; critical thinking / ability to comprehensively approach problem solving; focus on lifelong learning / motivation to grow professionally through formal, non-formal, informal education / prognostic vision of one’s own development; the ability to emotional self-preservation / stress resistance / psychological flexibility; positive thinking / emotional intelligence; ability to empathize / reasonable limits of empathic attitude; creativity / innovativeness; rational time-management; self-presentation skills / portfolio creation algorithm / ambition. The basis for organizing the process of developing soft skills should be appropriate methodological guidelines, which include methodological approaches and principles. The introduction of activity, andragogical, axiological and systemic methodological approaches to the issue of primary school teacher’s soft skills development contributes to the relationship of his personal and professional growth, the introduction of partnership pedagogy, where the teacher is positioned as a mentor, tutor, coach, facilitator, a person, who inspires learning. Soft skills development based on the main defined principles (flexibility of activity, connection of theory and practice, creativity, dialogical interaction, reliance on experience, partnership, reflection) helps to realize the professional, pedagogical and personal potential of primary education specialists in conditions of the New Ukrainian School.