THE ESSENCE OF CONSUMER EDUCATION IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Social changes associated with joining the European Union, opening Latvia’s borders, accession to international organizations, exchange of intellectual and material values challenge the targeted improvement of education system for creation and consumption of values. This process is focused on development of a personality who is capable of self-deter-mination, therefore, able to choose independently own strategy of develop-ment and self-realization in the market economy relations, especially in terms of today's changing circumstances of global economic crisis. The 21st century comes with modernization of equipment, increasing amount of information, new opportunities for mobility and growth of globalization processes; as a result, people's attitudes change, respected values and goals of life transform, which, in turn, puts forward new requirements for education in connection with basic principles of humanistic pedagogy.