Organizational and pedagogical aspects of the development of elementary school in European countries

The article deals with the problems of the development of European primary education at the beginning of the 21st century. The aim of the article: to reveal the tendencies of the development of primary education in the European countries at the beginning of the XXI century. The main aspects of modernization and new didactics of elementary schools are highlighted, focusing on the main directions and organizational principles of the activity of primary schools in European countries. The tendencies of the development of primary education in the European educational space are systematized: the orientation of the content and forms of education to the individual abilities and capabilities of each student, filling the content of the courses in accordance with the socio-economic conditions and requirements of modern European and international society; formation of the modern integrated educational environment of the elementary school on the basis of qualitative material, technical, methodological and software of the school in conjunction with the competence approach; expanded autonomy and architectural modularity, emphasis on quality of knowledge and modernization of student assessment systems. It was found out that the purpose of professional activity of a teacher of a new Ukrainian school is the formation in the person of key competencies for success in life, the establishment of a competitive graduate in a society. The emphasis is placed on the fact that there are the following components of the content of elementary education in European countries: human values and the culture of their country; protection of the environment, preservation of peace, human rights; serious changes in the culture of reading technology; extension of educational programs at the expense of new material (study of traffic rules, sexual upbringing). It is emphasized the importance of separation of elementary school in European countries from secondary school even in location, that is, it can be entirely separate educational institutions or separate buildings of the educational complex of the school where children study for three to five years. It is concluded that in the beginning of the XXI century. the European elementary school faces the problem of a balance between a traditionalist model that focuses on the standardization of the curriculum, the control, inspection of schools and the ideas of child-centered philosophy that is considered by modern European scholars as particularly important in a multicultural Europe.