Model of Methods and Approaches for the Formation of School Readiness and Qualities of the XXI Century in 6-7 Year Old Children

: The authors share experience in the educational process with 6-7 year olds on a tested model with elements semiotic approach, competence approach, team approach, methods "mirror training", "mind map" and "design thinking" in 6-7 year olds. children in their educational and practical activities for acquiring creative thinking; solving problems; finding solutions in order to obtain a constructive result. The tested methods and approaches help to: tolerate the expression of the personal position; concentration and promotion of children's independence; team interaction; equality of the organization and self-organization in the training; to respect the experiences of children in pedagogical interaction; and others with which 6-7 year old children to acquire the necessary competencies for the new social role "student". Through the applied model the children mastered three main types of intelligence necessary for the transition kindergarten-school: abstract (or conceptual) intelligence, characterized by the ability to use verbal and symbolic material, practical intelligence with which children feel comfortable in the specific environment when they have to deal with objects, social intelligence, which implies communication with others and the ability to dialogue with them. The stability of the model is expressed in its universality - it can be applied by children, parents, teachers, in all regime moments and in the next age period - school age.


Introduction
Simultaneity, multicolor, multi-layered experiences are typical for the child of the XXI century, without being typical for the adults who determine the child's environment. In this regard, many of the communication channels used are inefficient, resource-intensive and can be demotivating the contact of children of the XXI century with the middle of the XX century (the environment of adults). The readiness for school of children, in addition to intellectual, motivational, physical, emotional-volitional and social-moral sphere, also includes the so-called "21st Century Competencies": Curiosity and Discovery; creativity and experimentation; confidence and will. Therefore, the focus of our activities was on stimulating them by applying methods and approaches that provoke a desire to acquire knowledge, skills and ideas that lead to children's competence for the new social role "student".
Naturally, the question arises about the difference between the concepts of "school preparation" and "school readiness". The problem of preparation for school involves two sides: the first consists in the formation of a general psychological readiness of the child for school, and the second -in special training related to mastering skills that will help the future first grader to learn reading, writing and arithmetic. These two sides should not oppose each other. Readiness as an effective side of preparation presupposes overall harmonious development of the child. As a personal phenomenon, it affects all aspects of the child's personality, which synchronously ensure the painless adaptation of the child to school, to the new way of life associated with the change in his social position. [13] In creating the complex model, we were guided by the characteristics made by David McConnell [6], based on literary research on the subject and personal experience as a teacher of modern children born after 2000, defined by him as "digital children by birth": 1. Digital people by birth reject the time-delayed satisfaction and want it immediately -they do not want to study for years and listen to theories, but want to quickly get real answers to specific questions from the real world. For them, it is not motivating first to master the theory and then the practical professional realization. Rather, the two processes overlap over time and complement each other; 2. Digital people by birth refuse to engage in meaningless routine activities, but want to engage in something creative and meaningful -the desire to live discovering and developing is characteristic of the digitally born. 3. Not so interested in material benefits and incentives, but prefer the achievement of universal values -human dignity, the right to life, the right to "inviolability of the person", freedom of expression and freedom of conscience, rejection of discrimination based on sex, race, ethnic origin, language, religion or belief and other characteristics'; 4. They are not so much oriented towards academic achievements, but towards personal realization; they do not like self-control, but seek self-expression; reject the competition and prefer a good psychological climate instead; they do not want to act in isolation, but are interested in social relations and interactions. 5. The child's readiness for school is a multifunctional and multi-component activity, strictly individual and characteristic of each child. His overall development, success and self-confidence as a student and as a person depend on this readiness. The formation of attitudes and the adaptation to the environment and the social role and position of a student depend on this. And it depends on us adults, everything said so far and much, much more to be passed on to the child.
[14] That is why in the pedagogical interaction we set ourselves the goal: Approbation of a model of methods and approaches helping: tolerating the expression of the personal position; concentration and promotion of children's independence; team interaction; equality of the organization and selforganization in the training; to respect the experiences of children in pedagogical interaction; and others. with which 6-7 year old children to acquire the necessary competencies for the new social role "student".
We focused the tasks on: 1. The role of the teacher -Conducting theoretical research, analysis and testing of a complex model for the functioning of methods and approaches in 6-7 year old children in terms of basic and additional forms of learning and follow-up. 2. The role of the child -active, knowledge-generating, partner, subject, thinking participant in the process of competence-oriented education to master the qualities of the XXI century. 3. Creating a positive educational environment that will form competencies and qualities in 6-7 year olds that stimulate motivation for the new social role "student". We suggested that if in the educational process with [6][7] year olds a complex model of methods and approaches is applicable -semiotic approach, competence approach, team approach, methods such as "mind map" and "design thinking", "mirror training" then the children of 6-7 years in their practical activity will acquire creative thinking for solving problems, finding solutions in order to obtain a constructive result.
Expected results: will be stimulated: creative skills for solving and dealing with complex problems; flexibility and adaptability to change; curiosity and curiosity; innovative attitudes towards learning, generating more ideas, skills and qualities necessary for the new social role "student".
We focused on ON "Mathematics", "Surrounding World" and "BEL" because they are the basis of school readiness and affect both cognitive processes and actions, as well as the overall development of the personality. The enrichment of cognitive skills is an optimal opportunity for children to master creative techniques in a system of creative tasks, which are given to children through games, intellectual cards, algorithms of situations and help to create the qualities: curiosity and discovery; creativity and experimentation; confidence and will; According to Tsv. Kamova, founder of Red Paper Planeeducation with a mission, the method "design thinking" is a combination of empathy for the person and the context of the problem, creative approach to the search for ideas and rationality in analysis, and selection of solutions. It is a broad-spectrum methodology and a radical approach that focuses on children's experiences and experiences. With it, they discover the world around them, plan, research, invent options, work in a team, implement and present their ideas. And most importantly -create their own solutions; to discover the world through a variety of topics; to be open to the new, the different and the unknown; have the confidence to create, deal with problems and create in a dynamic environment; to turn the key skills of the 21st century into a lifelong habit. [5] "Design thinking" is based on lateral thinking, which allows rearranging and rethinking rapidly changing information. So does 'design thinking' -it encourages us to use knowledge we don't even think we have, instincts and intuition that would be natural if we didn't suppress it and, of course, creativity, beyond our notions of our own creativity. [7] "Design thinking" is designed to solve through empathy, both everyday problems and "significant in the world", in 5 steps: Discovery -I face a new challenge. How to overcome it? Interpretation -What did I learn and how to interpret it? Ideation -I see an opportunity, how to shape it into an idea? Experimentation -I have an idea how to build it? Evolution -I tried something new, how to develop it?" [6] "Design thinking" is an act of turning new ideas into reality and is characterized by: the ability of children to perceive the world in new ways, to discover hidden patterns, to make connections between things that at first glance are not related to each other and as a result to create new solutions. Therefore, "design thinking" involves two processes of thinking and creating. [6] We stimulated children's "thinking" and "creating" by guiding them: 1. to think visually; 2. to have lateral thinking -skipping; 3. observe only deterministic restrictions; 4. set boundaries set by context.

Semiotics
Semiotics, as a science of sign and signal systems and their use for the transmission of messages among people, which studies signs both individually and grouped in sign systems, emerged in the early twentieth century. Formally, semiotics is divided into 3 parts: Semantics; Syntax; Pragmatics; The positive discoveries of semiotics (Thomas Hobbes, Charles Sanders Peirce, Ferdinand de Saussure, J. Addison, MS Kagan, etc.) are interpreted by various philosophical positions, methods, concepts that determine semiotics as an innovation of time, a paradigm of modern knowledge.
According to semiotics, the child understands what can be denoted, analyzes sign means by form, creates different codes through modeling. All information processes -from animal signaling to verbal languages or symbols in science, art and culture have symbolic means and functions. According to Peirce, every sign situation has a triadic character -a sign, an object and an interpreter. (Atanasova, J.

Sofia 2008)
The semiotic approach is based on the operation of signsymbolic information in the educational field "Bulgarian Language and Literature", "Mathematics" and "Surrounding World" connecting speech tasks with the processes of coding and decoding to increase cognitive activity and preparation for social, language and mathematical literacy of children. In its semantics and purpose, it correlates with the reflexive approach in pedagogical technology. Dealing with signs and elements of sign systems even in preschool is an important part of building a communicative culture, which is the basis of successful schooling. [1] The semiotic approach helps to formulate the following thesis: building a unified theoretical model of knowledge and the global idea of the world around through the eyes of the child: the interests of the child (what he wants to know); practical skills; what image the child builds for himself as a knower (knowledge of himself, through the emotional empathy of others for him); [1] The stability of the semiotic approach is expressed in its universal applicability: in different regime moments of children's lives; integrates educational areas; can be used by teachers, parents and children; enriches the development of pedagogical practice; In 6-7-year-old children, the semiotic approach involves setting modeling tasks (a cognitive method in which at some point, instead of studying an object or phenomenon, other objects or phenomena are studied, some of the properties of which are in some respects comparable to the properties of the first). In 6-7 year olds in pedagogical terms this implies: tasks for oral description of familiar objects, phenomena and favorite characters, creating figurative models with constructor and drawings, essays on familiar topics (on key words, picture, series of pictures, experiences and etc.); essays on topics of human relationships, as a step in "intellectual modeling"; In psychological terms it implies: reproductive modeling -a product of experience; productive modeling -building a new model through independent creative activity.

Mapping
The method is a graphical representation of the process of general systematic thinking; a nonlinear way of structuring ideas; generating, processing, analyzing, storing and sharing information; stimulating logic and creativity. The product of the application of this educational technology is a "mind map" proposed by the British psychologist Tony Busan, which appeared in the late 60s of the 20th century. Dealing with signs and elements of sign systems even in preschool is an important part of motivation for school. [2] Mind maps are practically a visual representation of the thought process and are fast becoming popular as a creative, innovative and effective alternative to line notes. There are no right or wrong models in making intellectual (mind) maps. They can be visual images in the form of spider diagrams, spray diagrams, stylized artistic images such as herringbone, wood, plants and more. The choice of model is determined by the content of the information to be visualized, the imagination and the skills of the trainees for creative presentation of images through images " [4].
The main feature that distinguishes the mind map from most creative thinking technologies is the conscious management of the thought process. The goal is not just to stimulate creativity, but to teach children to understand the very process of finding a solution. The mind map is applicable in ON "Mathematics", "Surrounding World" and "Bulgarian Language and Literature" in the games "Objects of the geometric figure square (circle, triangle, rectangle)", "Transformation", "Hidden geometric figures", "Geometric figures in objects", "Rows and columns", "Tree life", "Seasons", "Rain -useful or dangerous", "Fruits or vegetables", "My time at home and at home", "Words starting with "the sound…", "Mom's care", etc. Mind maps are a method for the development of creativity, and is expressed in: development of logical thinking, creative imagination, mastering algorithms for solving problem situations and more. The model helps to express thought paths, pictures and associations that already exist in children's brains. When testing the model, we were guided by the universal guidelines and rules used in making a "mind map" by Tony Busan." In order for a child to be ready for school, he must be a thinker who, when confronted with new information, must analyze it, learn to compare it by contrasting facts, drawing conclusions and supporting his position with arguments.
The concept of competence comes from the Latin language (Latin competens, -entis -"capable" 1; from English the word competence translates as"Ability, gift" 2). Competences are defined as a dynamic set of knowledge, skills, attitudes and attitudes that are acquired in the learning process. They are mainly related to the behavior of the person -not in themselves knowledge or skills, and appropriate behaviors demonstrated in specific learning situations; and necessary to achieve results in a specific activity or ina certain professional role. Knowledge is related to answering questions -what, when, where, how much andetc., skills require the application of knowledge in practice, and under relationships are attitudes towards knowledge and are reflected in the behavior of students. Competence is most often associated with an ability understood as something can be done, ie. knowledge-based skill. Competences are abilities, but not innate, but "those that are developed through quality learning, in an appropriate pedagogical environment and by acquiring a serious practical experience".
In the process of pedagogical interaction we applied the competence approach, which encourages the independence, creative pursuits and emotional experiences of the children. The competence approach in education is defined as a set of general principles: defining the goals of education, selection of the content of education, organization of the educational process and evaluation of educational outcomes. It is process-oriented and the results that children need to achieve. The emphasis of the competence approach is on the use of the formed knowledge and their practical application. Competence should be understood as the set of the following elements: a) knowledge -theoretical and practical; b) habits -intellectual and practical; c) relations -value orientations and attitudes; [3] The two main pillars of competence training are the functionality and importance of training. To achieve these two goals while imparting knowledge, students work on their values, skills and abilities. In the educational context, a competence is defined as "the development of complex abilities that allow students to think and act in different areas" (Cecilia Braslawski). The most important progress in competence training is the abandonment of the memorization of theoretical data as the only measure of knowledge. [15] An essential part of the competence approach is the ability to make observations. The period of preschool education is the most suitable for the purpose. At this age, when the child discovers the world, the observations can only be qualitative (description of data using the senses) (smell, taste, touch, sound, light.), And their registration (recording, drawing, imaging) is good to do with drawing or verbal, in which, when placed in a problematic situation, the child develops a sense of applying research approaches and makes assumptions and hypotheses using integrated means, thus preschool education lays the foundations of problem-based and result-oriented learning." [8] "We could summarize that the concept of competence means the ability to effectively apply the combination of specific knowledge, skills, experience, evaluative attitudes and attitudes and to adaptively manifest key personal qualities and abilities in a particular situation or in a particular situation effective problem solving in real time." [9]

Teamwork
Another approach, which is directly related to the form of implementation of educational and practical activities with children is teamwork. Group work and team interaction are not identical and their importance for achieving the learning objectives is specific. From an early age, children need to know that there are certain rules in society that they need to follow and learn why they need to follow the rules. By following the rules, the child will build good connections and relationships with others, which is always the best position a person can be in. Children should never be compared to others on the team. Every child is unique, special and different. It has its strengths and the teacher should strive to develop them. Each child has a place in the team with an activity that is stronger for him and corresponds to his cognitive and practical abilities. All children should not be required to be able to do everything, at the same time competition between children from one team should not be required, despite the competitive nature of the learning and practical activities of different teams. This innovative approach implies not only competition but also cooperation. Awareness of the benefits of collaboration and mutual assistance must precede the awareness of competition as a driver of progress. The ability to work in a team, analyzed in axeological and socio-personal terms is more important for the stage of development of children than the pursuit of success at any cost.
"Awareness of the benefits of cooperation and mutual assistance must precede awareness of competition as a driver of progress. The ability to work in a team, analyzed in axeological and socio-personal terms is more important for the stage of development of children than the pursuit of success at any cost. Why is it important to develop the ability to work in a team?
Each organization (school, class of students, company, football team, etc.) is associated with teamwork -teamwork. The team consists of people who work together to achieve a common goal by performing certain tasks. Each member of the team must be motivated to give their best in solving the group task. Creating successful teams requires time and patience on the part of the teacher and the realization that in this way a community of like-minded people with common rules and common goals is built in the classroom. This is important because in a protected environment, children learn patience and tolerance, respect and mutual assistance, and prepare for the future when they will have to work with other people for a set goal. Teamwork helps students learn not only from the teacher, but also from each other, to gather different ideas and to enrich themselves intellectually from their interaction with others. When working in a team, children learn to share responsibility -to hold on to their success and the success of others, to help and receive help. On the other hand, when the teacher gives group tasks for implementation, it saves time and optimizes all processes." [10]

Mirror Learning
Mirror learning is a well-functioning method in which children look at new educational content before they have received educational ideas in the traditional way. The children get acquainted with the learning content from several sources -videos, practical activities, presentations, books, observations, encyclopedias, real environment, etc. selected by the teacher.
The approbation of a complex model of methods and approaches in the main and additional forms for organization of the educational-practical activity provide: А) Equality of the organization and self-organization in the training; The education of cognitive and practical independence is a long process in which the needs and opportunities of children, their interests, their interaction with teachers, parents, peers are intertwined. Once this quality is built, it helps them to set goals and take adequate action for their implementation, to evaluate themselves and, if necessary, to take corrective action. Our task is to create conditions for children to get to know themselves, their strengths, interests and needs and on their basis to independently organize their activities and time. В) Respect for children's experiences in education; experience of joy of success and calm acceptance of loss in activities of a competitive nature, is directly related to the new orientation of technology and entrepreneurship education -building an entrepreneurial culture. In pedagogical interaction it is especially important to create conditions for children to discover the connection between the qualities possessed by a successful entrepreneur and the qualities necessary for achieving one's success in the educational-practical activity. An entrepreneur accepts both success and loss of risk with equal ease. Building such skills in children is a complex process -children are quickly discouraged by their failure. Applying this approach determines the possibility for them to learn how to accept both success and failure, how to treat both winners and those who fail. This approach is born with the approach of achieving a transition to autonomy in the management of cognitive activity of the individual. At the same time, this approach tolerates the experience of empathy, empathy, understanding and support. The way children relate to victories and losses shapes their self-esteem and determines their relationship with others. Children need to know that there are victories in life, but there are also losses. Children need to be able to face the challenges of life. In this way, the strengths of their character develop. To know that the loss is not a failure -in every loss there is an opportunity for a new victory.
C) Independent coping with the educational-practical task (striving for the child to rely on himself); The earlier children learn to do things on their own, the more confident they will be. It will be easier for them to overcome the cognitive and practical difficulties both in the kindergarten and outside it. These approaches require that the learning content be differentiated according to the degree of difficulty. This means on the one hand -with illustrations to show the technology for making products, on the other -to show samples of creativity, and on the third -opportunities for expression of children with learning problems. These approaches require the understanding that it is not necessary for the teacher to give the children everything ready. For them, the independent reliance on the technology for making a product based on technical drawings and the different end result is a kind of challenge. It can be successfully handled by children with normal development for their age, as well as children with advanced development and those with learning difficulties. D) Conditions of concentration; Like any skill, concentration as a skill can be successfully formed by providing the opportunity for each student to work at his own pace, to show the focus he needs to achieve his success (different from the success of other students). Discussing ideas, seeking solutions based on analogy, consulting with other children, with the teacher are not the antithesis of the conditions for concentration. It is not achieved by disciplinary measures and ultimatums. Concentrated and focused in their work are only those children who do things that are interesting to them, have the ambition to express themselves best, strive for their own success or the success of the team to which they belong. The realized goal is the basis for the concentration in the education and this was one of the main reasons in the development of the educational content for achieving the state standards in the preparation of the children for the first grade. E) Tolerating the expression of a personal position; By providing conditions for expressing the personal position of each child, expressing his opinion, opinion, decision, children learn not only to make independent decisions, but also to listen differently from their opinion, to show patience and tolerance to decisions and activities. to others. Children are encouraged to search, to check, to offer ideas and at the same time to show understanding of the different, the nontraditional, the interesting, the useful.
The applied model of the tested approaches and methods for forming school readiness are an expression of the idea of a modern form of education and new methods of communication in a preparatory group of 6-7 year olds and includes: 1. The organization of a positive educational environment; 2. Application of IT in training; 3. Non-traditional methods and approaches of teaching and pedagogical impact; 4. A new way of managing the kindergarten; And helps to achieve the main goal of preschool education and upbringing -children to be motivated, to master knowledge with pleasure, to be interesting and enjoyable in educational and practical activities, to improve their results.