PEDAGOGICAL ASPECTS OF FORMATION OF VALUABLE ATTITUDE TO HEALTH

Abstract

The article gives a reflective and analytical analysis of preschool education institutions` activities under social changes considering a number of aspects connected with management process development and effectiveness. The research emphasizes the fact that the strategic goal of the education system is qualitative changes brought about by social and informational demands that require an introduction of the competency-based approach to the management process both at the level of authorities and practitioners. Such changes encourage a head teacher in personal goal setting, creativity and critical thinking, self-organization and self-improvement in staff and institution management.
The paper defines the difficulties arising from differences between the latest management models and stereotypes that have developed over the decades and are a tradition. According to the traditional approach, the main goal of education is the formation of a harmoniously developed, community-minded personality characterized by spiritual wealth, moral purity and physical perfectness. The competency-based approach involves reorientation to the creation of conditions to meet citizens, society and the labor market`s needs for quality education in order to update the education structure and content and to form a continuing education or lifelong learning system.
We conducted a pilot study aimed at the quality assessment of educational institutions` activities according to the following criteria: sanitary and hygienic conditions; life protection; strategic planning of a preschool education institution`s activities; preschool teachers` professional growth and professional development; assistance provided to a preschool teaching staff by a head teacher and a counselor; methodological work, etc.
We claim addressing the following issues to require continuous monitoring by preschool institution authorities: facilities available in an institution and the strategic planning of its activities (since not always collegial decisions are made together with a preschool teaching staff); opportunities for preschool teachers` professional growth and continuing professional development, their scheduled and unscheduled qualification; providing assistance to them by a head teacher and a counselor.
The paper concludes that the preschool institution authorities` managerial activity relying on the competency-based approach requires the following: the creation of conditions for preschool teachers` continuous professional competence development, taking into account their personal needs, state requirements and societal demands; creation of a favorable psychological climate, an atmosphere of creative cooperation among a preschool teaching staff; discussions with educators on the need to develop and implement a quality management system at an institution starting from identifying components (requirements) according to which a continuous process of educational quality improvement will take place.