Lifelong learning as a condition for professional success of teachers in the 21st

The article presents the results of the authors' experimental study, which was conducted to find out the attitude of modern teachers to continuous professional pedagogical education, its importance for personal and professional success and to study the function of continuous education in the formation of key competencies of the 21st century in teachers. To conduct the study, the authors' questionnaire was developed, which allows obtaining general information about 70 survey participants, assessing the attitude to continuous education and the «4C» model in professional activity. The survey results show that the vast majority of teachers understand the importance of continuous professional development, and this conscious need does not depend on the professional status, place of work and teaching experience of the respondents. The authors note the existing balance in the assessments and requests of teachers for formal, informal and informal formats of continuous education. The authors state that, despite the introduction of digital tools into educational practice, most teachers consider face-to-face events to be the most effective, and blended learning is also in demand. The authors suggest that the ambiguity in the assessments of online learning is associated with the low quality of digital educational content and didactic support when using it. The authors analyzed the information received about the presence of obstacles and ways to stimulate the motivation of teachers to implement the principle of continuity for professional development. The survey results allowed the authors to assess the awareness of teachers about the «4C» model in education, diagnose the current level of mastering and applying the «4C» competencies by teachers, and determine the subjective significance of each competency for professional pedagogical activity. The study confirmed that continuous education plays a key role in the professional development of teachers who unanimously recognize the importance of developing communication, critical thinking, creativity and cooperation for a teacher of the 21st century. The authors believe that the results of the study can be used in the development of activities and promising strategies for the development of continuous pedagogical education.