METHODOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF FORMATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL COMPETENCE OF SCHOOLCHILDREN

Abstract

The article substantiates the modern aspects of the formation of environmental competence of schoolchildren, represents its updated content and methods. The authors describe the definitions of «environmental competence of schoolchildren at the level of basic secondary education», «environmental values», «co-evolutionary values», «environmental culture of the individual».
The purpose of the study is to substantiate the methodological foundations of the formation of environmental competence of schoolchildren, creating its updated content and methods of its formation. The authors used general and special research methods: (analysis, synthesis, systematization, classification, comparison, and generalization) to establish the degree of problem development, clarify the conceptual and categorical apparatus of research, develop a model of environmental competence of schoolchildren. The article emphasizes the importance of forming schoolchildren’ environmental competence as a key competence. It involves understanding the ecological foundations of nature, the need to protect nature, compliance with the rules of nature, conservation of natural resources, understanding the context and relationship of economic activity, and the importance of nature conservation for sustainable development.
The model of the system with the realization of innovative forms and methods of the formation of ecological competence through value orientations of the person is developed and introduced. The model consists of three main blocks: target, semantic-axiological, operational-reflexive.
The authors highlight the pedagogical conditions for educating the formation of schoolchildren’s environmental competence of, namely: ensuring the integrity of the end-to-end educational process, which forms values and competencies; integration of opportunities for general secondary and out-of-school education in the formation of environmental competence of schoolchildren. The model provides the effective formation of environmental competence of schoolchildren at the following stages: diagnostic-motivational (determination of the state of formation of schoolchildren’ environmental competence); cognitive-gnostic (system-consistent formation of environmental competence of schoolchildren using interactive technologies – problem-based, educational design, simulation-game, case-method); activity-technological (formation of schoolchildren’s abilities to analyze, evaluate, correct and forecast the results of environmentally sound activities).