Teachers and Trainers in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning

Teachers and Trainers in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning Professional Development in Asia and Europe 29-30 June 2009 in Bergisch Gladbach/Germany Irina Maslo New-professionalism’s responsibility of learning in socio-cultural educational contexts Deutsches Institut für Erwachsenenbildung German Institute for Adult Education URL: http://www.die-bonn.de/asem/asem0916.pdf Published: 10.06.2009 State of information: June 2009 This document is published with the following creative commons licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/de/ Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 3 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Constructively system-view to life and labor-profession work in various cultural situations.............................................................................................................................. 4 3. Social-cultural model of educational work: Exploring of learner’s and educator’s sociocultural experience in the analysis process of their labor-professional working ..................... 7 4. Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................... 10 5. Discussion ........................................................................................................................................ 10 References............................................................................................................................................ 11 Online: http://www.die-bonn.de/asem/asem0916.pdf 2 Irina Maslo, University of Latvia [email protected] Abstract We can find the issues of effectiveness and choice as well as equal opportunities in education for each person in the burning point of discussions. Social and cultural progress gives the human a great responsibility to the ability to evaluate, analyze, choose and labor-professional work correspondingly in new and unknown situations.). Thus nowadays the educators, especially teachers educators and teacher trainers have to be well qualified in the wide meaning. The paper propose to present the concept to promotion of the development of critical competency in the context of lifelong social-cultural learning what will be carried out by educators as professionals to search an answer to these questions in several socio-cultural learning situations research in the education process. The paper conceptualizes the use of the post appropriate approaches to educational treatment as the construing of post appropriate social-cultural learning situation in professional working regarding diverse needs. 1. Introduction The paradigm of education has been shifting since certain changes were introduced to the education system in the last decade of the 20th century, and the educator’s labor-professional work has been influenced by the changes as well. The educator is transformed from an indisputable leader into a tutor- socializecontributor to the social-cultural learning process. Educational treatment of different educational needs proceeding from people diversity is one of the main important points of the European political Lifelong Learning strategy of education. The participation in various spheres of public life of people with diverse features is self–evident. It is closely tied to the rights for self– defined education in a multicultural society for people with diverse needs. The competent labor-professional work of educators is possible only in such a professional working process where all professionals at the working place are active participants. The most important dimensions of the professional work are the social dimension, value orientation, new professionalism’s understanding and every participant’s responsibility for learning in the analysis process (Jørgensen., 1999: 11, Maslo, E., 2003a, 2003b) of the social and cultural contexts. These are requirements to continue education, to be able to evaluate knowledge and to receive the necessary amount of information. It means to be open towards education and real mobility, ability to move – physically and spiritually. The human should be able to change one’s own knowledge, to master new ways of perception, to understand business knowledge and to see its usage perspective (Bruner, 1998, Maslo, I., Tiļļa & Maslo, E. 2006). The paper conceptualizes the use of the post appropriate approaches to educational treatment of people with diverse educational needs of in research Online: http://www.die-bonn.de/asem/asem0916.pdf 3 process of social and cultural professional situations in international and national context as kind of possibilities. It succeeds as the construing of post appropriate social-cultural learning situation of professional working regarding diverse needs in the research process. However, the question of educators work arises: why sometimes people’s sociocultural learning potential remains without full development and sometimes the development stops and, sometimes the person makes fundamental investigations and performs socially meaningful actions? To search for an answer to these questions in several socio-cultural learning situations research will be initiated in the education process. The promotion of the development of the critical competency in the context of lifelong social-cultural learning will be carried out by educators as professionals. 2. Constructively system-view to life and labor-profession work in various cultural situations In view to constructive system- to life and labor-profession work in various cultural situations of informative society human individual critical competency could be named as social-cultural competency that is characterized by the interaction between the opportunities of obtaining the experience of culture dialogue, the person’s abilities and the individual experience of learning, collaboration and communication (Figur 1). Communication processes Abilities Learning processes Opportunities Collaboration processes Figur 1 Obtaining the experience of culture dialogue The integrative process of self- development, socialization and culture acquisition characterizes the development of social-cultural competency proceeds in the process of social-cultural learning (Tiļļa, 2003) that. Facilitating construing of self-organized own systems of socio-cultural learning according to learners’ life-activity forms at certain age one should realize the principles of choice, culture dialogue, integration of learning, communication and collaboration in various diverse interaction situations for mutual and social enrichment. It is offered to apply the generally approved pedagogical principles of construing to real-life labor-professional working in educational situations, thereby closing a gap between theory and practice and proving that general principles of construing and Online: http://www.die-bonn.de/asem/asem0916.pdf 4 principles of social-cultural approach to educational treatment are observable in a educational situations. For realization of these principles one has to refuse from the traditional view to education where learning is a receptive, linear, systematical process which aim is externally detected and oriented at acquisition of concrete content. From the constructive system-view (Reich 2002) everyone his/her own self construe learning, collaboration and communication as an intra- and inter-individual (Roth 1997) and introspective multidimensional system-construing process of social-cultural learning (Maslo 2006). One of present basic tasks of improvement of social-cultural learning is to give learners multidimensional (Bronfenbrenner 1981) opportunities to form an each one ability to be social-cultural competent in society will be of high value (Table 1): Table 1 Multidimensional opportunities to changes on professional working places (Develops connected to Rubene 2003, 2004, 2006) Multidimensionality Opportunities To present diverse cultural contents. To broaden personal socio-cultural experience To explore further development of the present diverse of cultures To collaborate in various diverse cultural interaction situations SOCIAL DIMENSION To solve problems in multicultural contexts To create new social perspectives To communicate using diverse information and communication technologies LEARNING DIMENSION To participate creatively To contribute to learners' autonomy (choice, independence, responsibility) CULTURAL DIMENSION The provision of these opportunities in educational institutions would facilitate the improvement of competent labor-professional work. Online: http://www.die-bonn.de/asem/asem0916.pdf 5 2. A multidimensional system-construing process of social-cultural learning The constructive system of social-cultural learning organization is directed to establish new learning opportunities to improve own abilities and experience. Learning, interaction and axiological culture (Kron 2001, Nuenning, A.&Nuenning, W. 2005) become the social-cultural learning content that is open and comes from the individual social and cultural context. Learning, collaborating and communicating has special meaning for media – various information springs, new technologies and languages (Figure 2). Construing of learning processes Construing of communication processes Critical thinking Construing of collaboration processes Figure5. Construing system of social-cultural experience Social-cultural learning experience is the subjectively reflected attitudes, skills and knowledge, created in the social-cultural learning process through re-construing, de-construing and new -construing. The educational treatment follows the three phases of system construing: The learners and educators as learners re-construe their own knowledge of educational treatment to cultural diversity in own educational situation in own national country, institution, post work and individual contexts, and international context. This phase deals with the individually used supplementary materials in distance modality. The learners de-construe their own knowledge of educational treatment to cultural diversity in own educational situation in diverse national country, institution, post work and individual contexts, and international context. This phase concerns virtual or real small working groups using materials worked out by the participants in interactive e-learning and contact learning modality. New construing of knowledge and approaches of educational treatment with cultural diversity with new understanding of specifically national country, institution, post work and individual, and international contents and intervention A systemically-construing approach to the educational treatment with cultural diversity can prepare the learners for handling difficulties; sometimes even the cultural shock, which is a very important part of the construing-processes: deconstruing means always the refusal of the prior position to the educational treatment. Online: http://www.die-bonn.de/asem/asem0916.pdf 6 Another difficulty prepares the transfer of new knowledge to individual post work situation. Discrepancies must be assessed and de-construed from participants self. Thereby one comes to new construing of understanding of specialty cultural contents: declarative knowledge (over the cognitive, emotional and social aspects of collaboration and communication processes in multicultural situations) and procedural knowledge to use of media (information source, processes and methods, and procedure or strategies and technologies). Mentally re-construing own previous social-cultural learning experience alongside present view on concrete content appear new perspectives, changes the attitude to what was mastered and experienced. De-construing begins in experience exchange with other people. Introducing with various combinations attitudes, skills and knowledge, is searched common and different, acceptable and unacceptable. New construing is new construing of experiences of social-cultural learning As the result of evaluation other social-cultural perspectives detection, creating of new knowledge and inheritance of other knowledge happens. Created and in memory saved is only this, which seems new and individually important. The social-cultural learning organization thus showing in the unity of subjective and objective aspects (Leontjew 1981, Čehlova 2003, Čehlova, Z.&Špona 2004, Akopova 2005) in a united system: the socio-cultural learning organization, as well as the construing processes of the experience (the subjective aspect) and the opportunities for their provision, preparation of activities; mentoring of activities and evaluation of activities, as well as the construing processes of each phase are realized (the objective aspect). 3. Social-cultural model of educational work: Exploring of learner’s and educator’s socio-cultural experience in the analysis process of their labor-professional working The educator’s aim is raising the learner’s and facilitating their learning. Due to the development of educational treatment, approaches are beginning to interpret the pedagogical process as a social-cultural integrated- combination of governess and facilitating of learning (Špona& Maslo, I. 1991: 18). New governess is more and more an interplay between the educator and the learner, taking into account the learner's initial socio-cultural experience. The labor-professional working is interpreted as both a social and cultural process - the educational work as technology, art and culture (Medina& Mata 2003). Educator's socially and cultural integrating educational working in this context means ensuring possibilities for social communication between the educators and the learners (Medina& Mata 2003), which results in a new socio-cultural experience for the both. Using the idea from humanistic pedagogy about the potential of values in educational situations and emphasis on cultivating attitudes and the constructivist ideas of developing skills and knowledge in working, the educator is working as a catalyst in the education process. The educator him-/herself is representing the present cultural content, while consciously and/ or unconsciously including own cultural experience in the Online: http://www.die-bonn.de/asem/asem0916.pdf 7 organization of the education process together with the cultural potential already integrated in the curriculum. The professional must facilitate the autonomy and responsibility of the learner and include the experience in the educational process as of equivalent value. The present cultural content, expressed both by the educator through his experience and the contents of the syllabus in the social interaction in the educational situation, develops in regard to important cultural symbols and values in the future (Figur 3). Exploring of existing opportunities of transformative social -cultural learning environment Creating of new opportunities of transformative social cultural learning environment Figur 3 Exploring of learners’ and educators’ socio-cultural experience in the self-analysis process of own capacity and contribución Creating of learners’ and educators’ socio-cultural experience in the self-analysis process of own capacity and contribution Support to following of sociocultural competency of learners’ Challenges in socio-cultural learning organization Social-cultural model of educational work Learners through a dialogue with the educator as a mentor provide their evaluation on which part of the present culture is valuable and which part should be left behind. Summarizing the described components, it becomes possible to formulate an integrative definition of labor-professional working, interpreting this work as social interactions experience of the participants in educational situation (learner and educator), which results in new experience. The educator's socially and culturally integrative labor-professional work in this context means ensuring opportunities for integration of diverse social learning cultures, which open up for the establishment of new socio-cultural experience. If learner's and educator’s socio-cultural experience fills the present culture niche in labor-professional working as culture (Medina& Mata 2003), then a crosscultural dialogue is realized, when the following conditions are present: The labor-professional work must by all means encourage social communication. Shaping a positive environment, promoting learners’ self-realization and mutual understanding with the educator and learner is vital in the educational situation. The new-professional refuses power monopoly and builds relationship to learners as a communication partner on the basis of equality. The learners are urged to think, Online: http://www.die-bonn.de/asem/asem0916.pdf 8 using their existing experience as a basis (Glaserfeld 1989, 1995; Medina& Mata 2003, Ose 2006a). The learners are given an opportunity to build democratic and mutually enriching relations and be responsible for building them. There is shown the respect for learner's motivation and involvement in the learning process that is important and meaningful from the learner’s social-cultural perspective. The educator activates the imagination or the innovative context the learners are encouraged to acquire the world and change it within the limits in correspondence with their own will and rules. The educator involves own socio-cultural experience in the labor-professional work, preceded by a reflective evaluation and constructively system of fragments, that should be included in the educational situation and communicated to the learners, as well as encourages the learners to share their experience (social-cultural integrative criteria). If the educator abides to the conditions of improvement implied by the crosscultural education social-cultural model of educational treatment, cultural dialogue is realized: the social-cultural experiences of the educators’ and the learners’ mutual relations fulfill the niche of transformed, enriched present culture in the laborprofessional work as culture (Medina& Mata 2003, Ose 2006b). In order to facilitate the culture dialogue a new view on the educator as a subject of the educational situation is necessary, interpreting the labor-professional work as a social and cultural acting with the following conditions (Ose, 2006a): social interplay, present cultural contents, contribution to learners' autonomy, further development of the present culture, providing possibilities for the learners to broaden their socio-cultural experience. Thus the ability to foster the social and cultural learning processes is regarded as the most important structural component of competency of educators stressing subjective feature in education. The present pedagogy admits that it is impossible to instruct a learner and the educator, a person is learning by himself. In learning, in the process of education and further education the biggest attention is paid to the learning processes in social and cultural contexts instead of the content. So it is the base to speak about a universal capability – the capability to develop and to create the critical competency to labor-professional work in a multifaceted environment – a socialcultural competency. To provide the conditions of promoting the critical competency of specialized professionals to work on the education of people with diverse social learning cultures as researchers in multifaceted environments, educators have: To improve learner’s competencies to evaluate critically the theoretical and practical knowledge of understanding the social learning culture and the competent* action in multicultural environments in order to clarify contents involved in the socio-cultural approach to educational treatment with diversity, and to enquire critically tendencies of development of such. To improve the use of the post appropriate approaches to educate people with special social and cultural learning needs in the multifaceted context for promoting self knowledge and self esteem, highest autonomy and personal development in people with diverse educational needs. Online: http://www.die-bonn.de/asem/asem0916.pdf 9 4. Conclusions To promote the establishment of the social learning culture the professionals have to have a good command on their own working places. This makes the opportunity to work competently not only in own profession but also to have to orientate well in other content branches, to be able to use various languages and new technologies, to learn know the necessities, interests and abilities others have, what collaboration forms are effective in a certain situation and how to organize the collaboration in order to promote the improvement of the social-cultural experience. 1. The most important task of competent labor-professional work could be to propose interesting learning possibilities, kinds of transformative learning environment, where, on the one hand, each person could have a possibility to find his own interesting learning content and a way of learning that fits him the best, and, on the other hand, learning environment that could change where participants of the learning process actively work by analyzing, researching, improving their own learning, thus improving personal social-cultural competency. 2. In order to facilitate the cultural dialogue it is necessary to have a new view on labor-professional working, interpreting those as social and cultural active social interaction presenting the content diversity of culture, promoting learning autonomy and responsibility and new opportunities for today and the future of the society. Taking the generally accepted system of construing principles on a real professional working place, it is possible to overcome the appearing gap between the integration theory and alignment in practice. 3. A critical thinking ability to judge based on reasonable argumentation is an integral part of democratic education. Its task is not only to show mistakes destructively or negatively but through this integral cognition to explore and to suggest opportunities for changes in learning as communication and collaboration process. The provision of these opportunities would facilitate learners and instructors in their own social-cultural competent labor -professional work on own working place. 4. During educational reforms the developed Educational law stipulates the direction to the individual social-cultural competency in lifelong education that characterizes the present day society. To promote establishment of the social learning culture, it is necessary to have a good command not only in own professional subject but also to have to orientate well in other social-cultural contents, to be able to use different languages and new technologies themselves, to know the necessities, interests and abilities the others have, what collaboration forms are effective in a certain situation and how to organize the collaboration in order to promote the improvement of the social and cultural experience. 5. Discussion We can find the issues of effectiveness and choice as well as equal opportunities in education for each people in the burning point of discussions. Social and cultural progress gives the human a great responsibility to the ability to evaluate, to analyze, to choose and to work labor-professional correspondingly in new and unknown situations. Online: http://www.die-bonn.de/asem/asem0916.pdf 10 That is why the human ability to develop owns competency becomes the most important issue. The social-cultural competency gives the human an opportunity to work in a self-organized way in social and cultural variation. Thus nowadays the educators, a specially teachers and teacher’s trainers, have to be well qualified in the wide meaning. References AKOPOVA, Ţ. (2005). Metora palīdzība klases skolotāju komandai bilingvālās izglītības ieviešanā. Disertācija. Rīga: Latvijas Universitāte. BRONFENBRENNER, U. (1981). Die Ökologie der Menschlichen Entwicklung. Stuttgart. BRUNER, J.S. (1998). Uddannelseskulturen. København: Hans Reitzel. Čehlova, Z. (2003) Izziņas aktivitāte mācībās. R.:Raka. Čehlova, Z.&Špona A. (2004) Pētniecība pedagoģijā. R.:RaKa. GLASERFELD, E. (1989). “Cognition, construction of knowledge, and teaching”. Synthese, 80: 121-140. GLASERFELD, E. (1995). Radical Constructivism: A Way of Knowing and Learning. 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