SCIENTIFIC AND METHODOLOGICAL CONTEXT OF THE ISSUE OF TUTORS’ PROFESSIONAL TRAINING IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM OF UKRAINE

The article reveals the problem of tutors' professional training in the higher education system of Ukraine. According to the plan of research work of scientific-pedagogical project “Tutor School of Excellence” on the basis of Melitopol Bohdan Khmelny- tskyi State Pedagogical University the diagnostics of scientific and pedagogical staff readiness for innovation was carried out. 186 people participated in the study who were divided into two experimental groups (EG 1.1 and EG 1.2) and two control groups (CG 1.1 and CG 1.2). The research work consisted of three stages: explorative-theoretical, experimental, and consolidating. In order to determine the readiness for innovative activity of the teaching staff the questionnaires and diagnostic techniques “The methods of determining the teacher's ability to self-development” (by I. Dychkivska), “The map of pedagogical evaluation (self- evaluation) of teacher's ability to innovate activity” (O. Marmaza) were used. The results of the research proved that the system of tutors' training should involve three interconnected blocks: the target, content-operational and resulting ones. The analysis of the results of the formative experiment has shown that in experimental groups, where the purposeful professional training of pedagogues for tutor activity was delivered, the overall index of the level of readiness for this type of activity increased from low to high. In the control groups it has increased from low to medium. In terms of higher education modernization in Ukraine, the creation of conditions for the organization of the innovation process is essential. This requires the training of tutors who will acquire the skills of facilitation and tutor excellence. Thus, in the process of transition of educational institutions into a new quali- tative state of functioning, the leading role belongs to the development and implementation of pedagogical innovations, by efforts of professionally competent, psychologically well-prepared, creative teaching staff in collaboration with scientists. Moreover, this process of practice and theory interconnection in pedagogy is inseparable.