APPLICATION OF THE "LIFE SKILLS" STRATEGY IN THE BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY EDUCATION IN PENITENTIARY CONDITIONS

An innovation has appeared in the educational world recently – Life Skills. Its status is not defined – it is encountered as an approach and programmes, but no doubt this is a strategy aimed at achieving self-oriented education within a lengthy period of time. Influential international organizations like UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), Lions Clubs International, Quest International [4], Utah State Board of Education [12], Washington State University [11], Programs for International Student Assessment /PISA/ [10], etc. reorganize their views in this direction, reflecting the community views on overcoming the informational approach in education [8]. The core of Life Skills envisages such characteristics as lifelong learning, decision making, Effective Communication and Collaboration, Healthy Lifestyle Choices, Accepting Differences etc., necessary for successful adaptation to the ever changing world. The students in the various schools (professional, evening, etc.) at the penitentiaries are a specific group of society. They are faced with the problem of their re-socialization after doing their time. Their education requires providing them with such knowledge and skills as they would need for social integration in the period after their release. A large part of the prisoner students are deficient as regards literacy, general knowledge, systematic education, experience. There are incompatibilities between their personal qualities, life skills and behaviour patterns, which are contrary to community norms, and society requirements. Our preliminary studies of the problem found out that the effectiveness of school education in penitentiary 1 conditions is to a large extent impeded by the fact that school as an institution with a definite organisation, programmes, plans, curriculum and forms of work is primarily aimed at educating certain age groups in civil society. 1 Penitentiary a place for imprisonment, reformatory discipline, or punishment, esp. a prison maintained in the U.S. by a state or the federal government for serious offenders. Term accepted worldwide.