Abstract:

In today's rapidly changing world, functional literacy is becoming one of the basic factors that facilitate the active participation of people in social, cultural, political and economic activities, as well as lifelong learning.

International comparative studies returned the concept of “functional literacy” to its almost lost popularity, concretized its content: literacy in reading as understanding of written texts and their interpretation; literacy in mathematics as the ability to express mathematical judgments and use mathematics to meet one's needs; literacy in the field of natural science as the ability to use natural scientific knowledge in life, the ability to observe, explore, draw conclusions.

The quality of the education system cannot be higher than the quality of the teachers working in it. Accordingly, the problems of identifying and filling the professional deficits of teachers are among the widespread in modern scientific and methodological research.

In the course of the study, based on the analysis of filling out diagnostic cards and conducting a survey, four groups of deficits were identified among primary school teachers that arise in the process of forming the functional literacy of students: management of the educational process in order to form functional literacy; selection of the content of the subject in the context of the formation of functional literacy and the design of learning tasks; using the potential of the subject area, reflecting the formation of the functional literacy of students; diagnostics of the results of the formation of functional literacy and evaluation of the activities of students during the lessons.

In accordance with the identified professional difficulties, an additional professional advanced training program "Methodological support for teachers in the process of developing the functional literacy of younger students" was developed. Its tasks are specified in four directions. The first direction, informational and methodological, is connected with the solution of the problem of mastering the key concepts and meanings of the problem of the quality of education, knowledge of the foundations of the state educational policy, the requirements of the new Federal State Educational Standards of primary education for educational results and their relationship with the functional literacy of students. As part of the next, consulting area, individual support is organized. The third, analytical, direction is connected with the implementation of the reflection of the process and results of professional development and overcoming difficulties, as well as with the organization of control over the educational achievements of students. And, finally, the fourth, practical, direction is aimed at testing the means and technologies for organizing educational activities in order to form functional literacy.

Keywords:

Functional literacy, interpretation, mathematical judgments, scientific knowledge, primary school teachers.