19 апреля 2018г.
The process of improving the quality of education is one of the pressing problems for Russia and for the whole world community nowadays. Modernization of the education content, rethinking of the purpose and the result of education, as well as optimization of methods and technologies of the educational process are aimed at solving this problem.
Updating of national professional education in accordance with the realities of modern education is reflected in the new Federal state educational standard of higher education, which assumes the formation and development of General cultural competences in students as the results of their education.
J. Raven in his work "Competence in modern society" gives a detailed interpretation of the competence. This is the phenomenon that "consists of a large number of components, many of which are relatively independent of each other, , some components relate to the cognitive sphere rather than others to the emotional. These components can replace each other as effective behavior components" [3, p. 253]. Thus, as J. Raven stresses, "competencies" are "motivated abilities" [the same, p. 258].
According to the definition of Federal state educational standard of higher professional education and the Federal Institute of development, the General cultural competence is the ability to act successfully on the basis of practical experience, skills and knowledge in solving problems, regardless of the chosen professional sphere. [5]. It is extracurricular activities that act as a mechanism for the formation of General cultural competences of students.
Teacher Novikova E. V. considers extracurricular activities as "a process carried out outside school hours with the support of specially created units, each of which has its own specific purpose and operates using all material, human, technical, financial and other resources, which are an important part of the formation of person’s professionally important qualities, the development of his social activity, psychological support and assistance to the student in self-determination, self-realization, creativity, the desire for independence, personal responsibility [2, p.8]".
Therefore, to solve the problem on the formation of General cultural competences of the University graduate the following measures are:
• extracurricular activities of students;
• student self-government at the University [1].
Let’s consider the organization of extracurricular activities in the Vereshchagin State Dairy Farming
Academy of Vologda.
The cultural and leisure center (CLC) is a unique platform where as a single family various public associations are united: student's self-government bodies, public organizations, clubs on interests, sections and studios which provide opportunities for self-realization and self-development of students, for the organization of cultural rest and development of their abilities.
In the CLC, students and the staff of the Academy can fully discover and develop their creativity.
The development of student’s self-government body according to the FSES of HE is that the University is obliged to contribute to the development of social and educational component of the educational process, including the development of student self-government body, participation of students in public organizations, sports and creative clubs, scientific student societies.
The Vereshchagin State Dairy Farming Academy of Vologda fully meets the requirements of FSES of HE and creates the necessary conditions for the formation of General cultural competences of students in extracurricular activities.
One of the competencies that are formed in extracurricular activities, namely "the ability to analyze the main stages and regularities of society’s development for the formation of citizenship" [4, p. 8], implements motoagidprobeg "Victory" organized by the Academy. Every year from the 1st to 9th of May in honor of the Victory day of our people in the Great Patriotic War, participants of the run give concerts for veterans, residents of villages and cities of the Vologda region, lay wreaths at the obelisks and monuments.
Participation of students in various Olympiads and competitions of scientific projects contributes to the formation of "the ability to use the basics on economic knowledge in various fields of activity" [the same]. Students of the Academy take an active part in the annual international student Olympiad in statistics, conducted by the Federal state statistics service and the Plekhanov Russian Economic University, in the regional competition of scientific projects "My strategy is my future", conducted by the Department of strategic planning of the Vologda region in the following areas:" Demography"," Real Vologda Product"," Village – Soul of Russia"," agro-Product cluster", as well as in the regional stages of the all-Russian intellectual game "Farmer-beginner".
A number of activities are aimed at the formation the competence "ability to communicate orally and in writing in a foreign language to solve problems of interpersonal and intercultural interaction" [the same].
Courses for groups of students from different faculties, conducted by the foreign languages chair,
contribute to improving communication skills in foreign languages. In addition, on the initiative of the Vereshchagin State Dairy Farming Academy of Vologda together with AKKOR of the Vologda region a youth agricultural camp "Friendship" is organized. The camp is held in the form of labor teams and is aimed at developing the traditions of the student teams, the organization of leisure time, the study of culture, history and traditions of other countries, strengthening friendship, unity and cohesion of students from different countries. In addition to the students of the Academy, students from Sweden, Finland took part in this project at different times.
For the fourth year the Vereshchagin State Dairy Farming Academy of Vologda has been sending its students for internship to partner educational institution, Kainuu vocational College, Department of natural resources in Kajani (Finland). This internship, as practice shows, is a good opportunity to practice spoken English skills, increases motivation to learn foreign languages, confirming what a useful experience it can give. And every year the students come back from Finland with new knowledge, positive emotions and a lot of impressions.
The headquarters of student teamss organizes various student groups, which form the basis for the formation of "the ability to work in a team, tolerant perception of social, ethnic, religious and cultural differences", as well as - to "self-organization and self-education." These are the following:
- Students’ building teams (work in building and repair teams in various objects);
- Service student teams (work in boarding houses, hotels and children's camps of Krasnodar Krai as waiters, maids, dishwashers, cleaners);
- Student teams of conductors (work as conductors of passenger trains in the summer destinations: Anapa, Adler, Murmansk);
- Student teaching teams (work as counselors, educators, physical culture instructors, music workers in children's
health camps in the Krasnodar Krai and Vologda region).
Sports sections of the Academy implement the conditions for the formation of General cultural competence "ability to use methods and means of physical culture to ensure full social and professional activity" [the same]. The Academy has 14 sections of 12 sports. In recent years, sections of athletic and rhythmic gymnastics, swimming section, sections of volleyball, basketball, football, cross-country skiing, polyathlon, weightlifting, powerlifting have been very popular.
Thus, it seems necessary to continue developing the activity approach to the formation of the student's personality. The principle defines specific conditions that cause the activity of the student and through this activity their development. The significance of this is determined by the fact that a modern specialist should be not only technically competent, but also a socially competent employee: be able to resolve conflicts and make collective decisions, that is, have the quality of the individual, be able to apply knowledge and be able to work with people. Higher education faces the task of further preserving the conditions and providing mechanisms for the formation of General cultural competences.
References
1. Leonova E. V. Formation of General cultural competences of students of technical higher educational institutions. Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii [Higher education in Russia], 2010, no. 2, pp. 124-131 (in Russian).
2. Novikova E. V. Formirovanie issledovatel'skoj kompetencii budushhih bakalavrov-biotehnologov v processe vneuchebnoj dejatel'nosti Diss. Kand. [Formation of research competence of future bachelors- biotechnologists in the process of extracurricular activities. Diss. Cand]. Kazan, 2015. 24 p.
3. Raven J. Kompetentnost' v sovremennom obshhestve. Vyjavlenie, razvitie i realizacija [Competence in modern society. Identification, development and implementation]. M., 2002. (English. 1984).
4. Federal state educational standard of higher education. URL: https://molochnoe.ru/resources/files/sveden/eduStandarts/fgos_38.03.01.pdf (accessed 20.03.18).
5. Federal Institute Of Education Development. URL: http://www.firo.ru/?page_id=985 (accessed 05.03.18)
