Modernization of the general secondary education content as the basis of reforming the Ukrainian school

Abstract

The article covers the peculiarities of the general secondary education content modernisation, which is taken place in the Ukrainian school. The current update of the content of education is a continuation of the processes initiated in the first years of the Ukrainian independence. At the beginning of the 21st century a mechanism for the standardization of education as a factor of preserving a single educational space was introduced. Due to it two generations of the educational standards in the Ukrainian school were implemented (2001-2004; 2011). The current education content modernisation is a competence-oriented one. It is based on the key competences proposed by EU and have been properly reflected in the Ukrainian legislation. The changes in the content of general secondary education are driven by the essence of the modern education paradigm, which integrates personality-oriented, activity and competence-based approaches to learning. Education content should be aimed at the individual development of a child as a personality and his/her successful socialization. The methodology for improving education content considers models of educational activity, the recognition of each student’s uniqueness and the possibility of having a personalized educational trajectory in accordance with life needs. The new Educational Standard (2018) outlines the content of education according to the competence potential of each educational field to form relevant core competencies. Each of them is characterized by specific learning outcomes that each student should achieve upon completion of an education level (or cycle). The content of each educational field is structured along content lines that reflect their epistemological essence. Key competences can be subject-specific (for example, mathematical) or cross-cutting, referring to no specific subject and acquired through studying different subjects in the course of studying (e.g., ability to learn). In addition, it should be borne in mind that compulsory learning outcomes can be achieved either by “traditional” teaching of individual subjects, or by integrating the content of different subjects into a single course, as well as by other integrated forms of educational activity. This is determined by the curriculum, which is developed by an educational institution in accordance with their students’ learning needs and interests. This approach implies that learning outcomes are characterized not by the amount of specific knowledge or skills, but by the dynamics of cognitive processes regarding their application. Therefore, subject division of education content, which is inherent in the knowledge-oriented paradigm, is transforming into the sectoral one, which is inherent in the competence-based (activity) paradigm.