The aim of the article is to characterize students’ autonomous behavior and pro­pose the ways of its formation by the way of stimulating the growth of structural components of social intelligence of students. The following theoretical methods of the research were used to solve the tasks formulated in the article: a categorical method, structural and functional methods, the methods of the analysis, systematization, modeling, generalization. Also in our research we used empirical methods, such as statement study and molding experiment. The results of the research. We emphasize that the social intelligence of the teacher contains cognitive, empathic and mnemonic aspects. Elements (or scripts, frames, concepts) of the empathic aspect of social intelligence are the content of specific educated perceptions of the images of reality, which can be perceived directly, and those that arise in the memories and the imagination of the person. The specific function of the empathic aspect of social intelligence is that empathic frames, scripts and concepts which give emotional products of the intellectual activity, a peculiar picture of the world that is formed as a result of the activity of social intelligence, which causes the world to appear to the subject as existing in metacognitive sphere. It is substantiated that it makes no sense to talk about the existence of emotional intelligence, because that meaning, which is invested by many researchers in this concept, is fixed precisely in the empathic aspect of social intelligence. Although the empathic aspect of social intelligence is not perceived by the teacher, and in the opinion of the authors of this article it provides awareness of the emotionally-expressive and empathic sides of objects and subjects in the process of interpersonal interaction. We believe that social intelligence, clearly, includes declarative and operational (procedural) knowledge that the individual uses in a real life to interpret events, to create plans and predict both the actions of everyday life and pro­fessional situations. These ideas, personal memories and rules of interpretation constitute the cognitive aspect of social intelligence. In turn, the mnemonic aspect fills the experience gained by a person, while the empathic capabilities of the subject have the aim actualizing the mechanisms of anticipation in solving various problems of social life. Conclusions. Thus, the cognitive aspect of social intelligence includes a set of fairly stable knowledge, assessments, rules for interpreting events, people’s behavior, their relationships, etc., based on the formed system of interpreta­tions at the microstructural and macrostructural levels. The microstructure of the cognitive aspect of social intelligence is determined by the functions of the latter, such as the cognitive-evaluative one, on which the competent pro­cessing is depended and the evaluation of information perceived by the sub­ject; prognostic function, on the basis of which the planning and forecasting of the development of interpersonal interactions are carried out; communicative functions, which ensure the effectiveness of the actual communicative process (this function is associated with adequate perception and understanding of the partner in communication); reflexive function, which is reflected directly by the person’s self-knowledge. In turn, the macrostructure of the cognitive aspect of social intelligence is manifested in the individual’s attitude to himself / herself as a value, value-semantic position to interpersonal relationships, as well as by the actualization of motivational and value orientations of the individual, axiological attitude by him / her to professional and other activities. By the way of the developing of learner’s autonomy we stimulated the development of the cognitive aspect of social intelligence.