Problems of Education in the 21st Century

9-17

Authors: Boris Aberšek

School educational systems on the threshold of millennium all over the Europe are experiencing radical changes. Deliberation, which generates these changes, is mostly oriented into balancing which competences (capabilities) should educational system develop with the students, so they can successfully perform roles, that can be expected during their life, and therefore to create their own prosperity. In this context, it is exceedingly important to see curriculum aims  as global (and not as it happened at previous renovation; subjects dispersion). We have to think about a correlation of knowledge between the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and technical fields and also their role (dimension) at forming entire personality for future grown. It is not possible to deny, that humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and their application: techniques are inseparable connected, because things are getting their practicability value (become logical) only in the field of application. (Foreign language, when or if we meet foreigner, mathematics, when we want to calculate something…). Natural science knowledge gets its meaning in application (techniques), and therefore gets its market value – that can lead up to raise social welfare (prosperity). That, however reflexively generates a new impetus of society: art, culture, humanism…The circle is joined or even better, a vertical spiral is released (Picture 1).  it is highly important to use in this process methods, that's support such curriculum aims. In our research, we proposed Problem-Based Learning (PBS). PBS was first established as part of the education of physicians in medical school over 40 years ago. Developed by Howard Barrows, this strategy has grown into an instructional approach which is finding success in elementary through high school. PBL is now a prominent strategy in many elementary schools through high schools.

27-37

Authors: Soňa Čeretková, Ondrej Šedivý, Josef Molnár, Dalibor Petr

Authors of the article are experienced authors of mathematics textbooks for upper primary schools (Slovaks) and lower and upper primary schools (Czechs). Both textbooks are used in everyday school practice and are very popular in their countries. The article presents general ideas and authors experience about: • School curriculum and standards and their influence on math textbook content, • Competencies of pupils and their teachers in mathematics and the place of competencies in textbooks, • Problem solving and maths text books • Concept maps in mathematics and mathematics textbooks, • Main principles and examples of maths textbook assessment, • Textbook research, • Requirements set upon mathematics textbooks, • Different conceptions of creation maths textbooks. Some ideas how to prepare math textbooks and supplemental materials innovation using ICT and the internet is also mentioned in the article.

55-59

Authors: Pavel Doulík, Jiří Škoda

Pregradual preparation of teachers for the 2nd grade of elementary school and high school in Czech Republic is being intensively changed at this time and this change brings a lot of problem. It is about necessity of structuration of teacher‘s preparation. The contribution is engaged in main aspects of structuration process and discussed reasons for and against structuration. It pointed out negatives which can be explored in connection with structuration.

71-77

Authors: Andrejs Geske, Antra Ozola

The objective of this paper is to find out the reasons behind the low level of reading literacy among primary school students. The data from IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2001 are analysed. And the main conclusions are drawn that the socioeconomic situation of the family has a great impact on students' reading literacy as well as parents’ education and reading aloud to a child at the preschool age. Students high achievers in reading literacy usually like reading for their own enjoyment and come from families where parents spend a lot of time on reading.

86-95

Authors: Mona Holmqvist, Gunilla Lindgren, Jane Mattisson, Teresa Svarvell

This chapter discusses teaching based upon pupils’ previous knowledge. As the world becomes more and more globalised, it is harder and harder for a teacher to form a picture of the pupils’ knowledge when planning instruction. However, without this information about pupils, it is impossible to know if the created learning situations are conducive to learning or if the pupils had already acquired knowledge about the learning object before the learning situation. In this study pupils’ previous knowledge is investigated in relation to how English as a Second Language is learnt when pupils have different mother tongues. In a phenomenographic study, we found that pupils with three different mother tongues, when placed in the same learning situation, made errors which could be traced back to the structure of their mother tongue. This observation led to a learning study, in which variation theory was the theoretical point of departure, and in which three different research lessons with three different groups of pupils were carried out. The learning object was dependent possessives, and the pupils’ mother tongue was Swedish. As there is no differentiation between independent and dependent possessives in Swedish, the pupils could not discern the difference between these two forms. As Swedish has a differentiation between t- and n-gender, the pupils wrongly assumed that the difference between my and mine was not connected to dependent and independent possessives but to gender. The results of our study show how teachers who are familiar with the pupils’ previous knowledge (mother tongue) can become aware of what mistakes they might make as ESL learners; this knowledge has a profound effect on instruction. In this way, teachers can also predict and plan what information is needed to develop learning situations which provide maximum opportunity to learn. They also understand what kinds of critical aspects are necessary to enable pupils to discern. As a result, teachers are more effective, which is reflected in better pupil results in the classroom.

103-112

Authors: Noor Azina Ismail

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of factors related to schools and teachers on the mathematics achievement of Malaysian students in the Trend International Mathematics and Science Study conducted in 2003. A total of 150 schools were involved in the study and these schools were selected at random using simple random sampling from all secondary schools in Malaysia. This study employed a uni-variate analysis, such as t-test or ANOVA to investigate the differences in mathematics achievement among groups. It was found that students taught by female teachers, participating in developing mathematics contents and mathematics curriculum, having few or no limitation on instruction, spent less time in reviewing homework and more on working problem on their own, students coming from economically less disadvantaged homes, good perception on the school climate and good class attendance had significantly higher mathematics achievement.

124-135

Authors: Airi Kukk, Leida Talts, Helle Sikka

The present paper deals with social skills of Estonian preschool and primary school children. The aim is to analyse how teachers evaluate students` social development and what substantial differences occur in the level of social skills at preschool and at the end of third grade. In order to develop children’s perception of themselves as citizens, it is important to emphasize those goals of the curriculum, which promote the main qualities of citizenship: identify, belonging and participation. Assessment of social skills based on the questionnaire „Transition from Preschool to School”. The study was carried out in four stages- the same children were evaluated by their teachers at the end of pre-school and at the end of first-, second and third grade. At each stage of the study, teachers were asked to evaluate children`s individual achievements in nine target areas relying on curriculum aims: learning skills; social skills; language; mathematics; ethics; health; physical development; art and culture. The nine areas were rated on a scale from one to five. The results showed a very high reliability for the teacher rating (Alpha=.95). The mean assessments of teachers demonstrate that social skills as well as appreciating different attitudes and altruism and accepting diversity have received weaker assessments from the teachers than other objectives.

145-158

Authors: Raffaele Pisano, Ada Guerriero

In the past the gap between humanistic and scientific culture was much more evident than it is nowadays. After centuries of prejudice about scientific learning and discoveries, when science was underestimated as a kind of pseudo-culture; after generations of scientists considered extravagant people, or worst, outsiders, as regards such rules imposed by religious and moral beliefs and code, the primary function performed by scientific education has now become unquestionable. In this paper we shall try to deal with the issue of scientific education from a historical-foundational perspective. We shall try to show the importance of introducing the history of science as an integrated part of the culture of scientific education to the extent of considering history of science either an indissoluble pedagogical element of culture or the basis of inter-discipline. This project-research is not finished, so we only present the outline of the problem, some hypothesis and applications. Beyond, it is based upon use of historical categories to investigate the foundations. For this reason the latter is not analysed by means of a traditional approach. Of course, the content of this study could appear potentially factious, since it cannot be the unique possible perspective.

169-183

Authors: Dan Soen, Nitza Davidovitch

Higher education underwent a huge massification process since the 2nd half of the 20th century. What used to be a reserve for the elite opened its gates to the middle, lower middle and the working classes. Consequently, students’ profile changed dramatically. Integrity, honesty, discipline and violence became a major problem on campus. It is taken for granted that the prevalence of misconduct is the outcome of students’ characteristics, institutional culture and environment, and faculty attitudes and behaviour. Mainly, it reflects society at large. The problem is bound to deepen in the 21st century. The article tries to outline the problem and its emergence, both in the world as well as in Israel. It then analyzes in detail an Israeli case study. It is based on minutes of two Israeli Disciplinary Committees on two different campuses: One university, the other- a public college. It tries to answer several questions: What is the volume of misconduct cases brought before the committees? Is it stable? Does it change over time? What is the breakdown of misconduct cases brought up before the committees? Does it change over time? Is there a difference between a university and college in this respect? What are the penalties imposed by the committees on the guilty students?

195-202

Authors: Daniel Topinka, Juraj Ševčík, Michal Smolka

The text yields the results of research which was concentrated on the perception of natural sciences by pupils of basic schools and students at secondary schools in one of the regions of the Czech Republic. The first part of the research focused on basic school pupils’ and secondary school students’ attitudes towards natural sciences, while the second focused on the understanding of social reality by students of grammar schools who are in the process of selecting their future fields of study at universities. We addressed the issue of how they take decisions and the factors that influence the decision-making process. To identify basic school pupils’ and secondary school students’ attitudes we utilized the statistics-quantitative method. In the second phase we built on the previous findings and utilized the quantitative method (focus group). The quantitative part of the research demonstrated that pupils consider natural sciences interesting but very challenging. Having taken into account the risks involved when studying natural sciences, most of them rated natural sciences positively. Also, the interest to study nat. sciences is not negligible, however, the occupation of a scientist is little attractive. The interpretation of social participants in science, stereotyping and popularization, the differentiation of three kinds of science – they all have an impact on the decision-making process whose result is university studies. The so-called “school science” influences the decision to study general science. Popularization should aim to bridge the enormous gap between the reality of a scientist and the reality of everyday life. School is the place where the popularization of general science ought to begin. School science should present not only the results of scientific research but also scientists with regard to their everyday life. In pupils’ eyes the most important people popularizing science are the teacher and the scientist. It is their approach to science that determines how they present and make science look attractive. The popularization of science should become more systematic and a part of curriculum. It should also be included in the university study programme of future teachers. Pupils need to gain awareness of how they can apply such skills in real/professional life.

211-216

Authors: Kristine Martinsone, Ivans Janis Mihailovs, Maija Zakrizevska

Nowadays, supervision gradually becomes as an integral, or even obligatory part of the professional operation, especially in areas, in which a human is placed in the middle – in the environment of health, or social care. Problems that concern both the client / patient, and relationships between the specialist, and client / patient, and about possibilities of the specialist to observe professional demands, ethics, as well as hardship with a client / patient at work are reflected in the supervision, where the supervisor and supervisee participates. Supervision in Latvia has become as an obligatory demand during the training both of specialists (psychologists, psychotherapists, art therapists, social employees, pedagogues, health persons) during studies, and the further professional operation. Right the supervisor must undertake the responsibility for the client / patient and specialist, if the supervision happens in the framework of study praxes. It means that determined general knowledge, skills and attitudes are required from the supervisor, as well as professional knowledge, skills, attitudes, qualities of personality, morally ethical maturity. In addition, the context must be taken into consideration where the supervision, focus of organization, profession, social, economic and work factor happens. The target of article is to actualise the issue on training problems of supervisors in Latvia, analysing the existing situation and regulation that is a pre-condition for the qualitative development of supervision system in the state. The analysis of experience of scientific literature and supervision education is in the basis of article. In 2006, a following definition of the term supervision was included in the Law on Social Services and Social Assistance that respectively determines the operation of social work system in Latvia: the “a consulting support for the specialist of social work (supervision) is the total of methods provided for the operation of social employee to improve his professional competence and to provide him a psychological support to increase the quality of work”. Therefore, the issue of the lack of supervisors is actual for the development of profession, and their potential training. Therefore, at the moment a new conception in the training of supervisors is developed in Latvia: to develop and license the program of professional improvement (presupervisor), in which professionals of different areas with Master Degree in a respective specialty and at least with the experience of 2 years would start studies in the area (specialty). This program should provide the possibility to obtain general knowledge, skills and attitudes, necessary for the supervisor, understanding the specifics of supervision in different work environments. For example, any supervisor must acquire different forms, kinds, focuses, dimensions of supervision, must acknowledge functions of supervision, must orient in his rights and duties, must conform to standards of ethics, etc. In turns, the development of specific knowledge, skills and attitudes of the sphere of professional operation is the task of professional associations. Thus, with the help of interaction of formal and non-formal education it is possible to solve an essential problem – the lack of supervisors and to warrant the development of new specialists in the future. Simultaneously, one of the strategic tasks of higher education systems of Latvia – to develop a cooperation of higher education and professionals (professional associations) – will be solved.