Švietimas: politika, vadyba, kokybė /Education Policy, Management and Quality

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Authors: Editorial Board

ŠVIETIMAS: POLITIKA, VADYBA, KOKYBĖ 2023, Vol.15 No.1 *** EDUCATION POLICY, MANAGEMENT AND QUALITY 2023,Vol.15, No.1

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Authors: Vincentas Lamanauskas

Informatization /technologization of society (information and technology boom) causes fundamental changes not only in the field of communication, but also conditions deep culture changes – culture balance is damaged. "Lower" (mass) culture begins to dominate over "higher" (elite) culture. Does this manifest itself in education? Will really the concepts of deconstructivism and postmodernism determine the future of education? Probably so. It is obvious and inevitable that the transformation of education takes place under the influence of new technologies and human practice, which changes the entire social order. Can you imagine the school of the future? Is it possible to provide equal education to all students? Does this not contradict the general systemic logic (e.g., educated, but illiterate)? Education for the future is a complex construct that includes physical, intellectual, personal, technological education, etc. It is a multifaceted process that combines different approaches, different (sometimes contradictory) methodologies, systems, forms, etc. First, the education of the future will be clearly stratified and will be determined by access possibilities. Thus, the educational system will have to distinguish itself by two essential characteristics – mobility (ability to change quickly) and reactivity (ability to react to changes). What if a teacher is not able to cope with the competitive struggle in the education market today? What is the point of announcing that teaching is and will be a prestigious profession? There are many questions, but there is a lack of answers as usual. Here emerges the same classical balance problem. It seems that we all strive to create an efficient, safe, healthy, etc. teaching/learning environment. However, we should not forget that there is a balance in everything. It is a balance between individual and collective (group) teaching/learning, theory and practice, assessment and feedback, automated (machine) teaching/learning and “live” education, and so on. Subject balance can be mentioned as an example. Curricula should be designed to emphasise general education rather than focusing only on certain areas such as exams (e.g., STEM). The most important thing remains (should remain) the development of students’ abilities in various fields, including creative, critical thinking, problem-solving, and adequate communication.

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Authors: Tine Pajk, Boris Aberšek, Metka Kordigel Aberšek, Dursun Ucan, Helena Fošnjar

Conflicts are encountered on a daily basis and are a common, inevitable part of life and part of human nature. Conflicts occur between people of all ages, i.e., between adults, between adults and children, and between children. The very realization of their existence, and the fact that we are thinking and talking about conflicts is an important way of providing strategies to resolve them. There are many ways to resolve conflicts; some prove to be successful, and others not; however, there is no single, correct or universal recipe for conflict resolution. There are just different paths, which we keep rediscovering over and over again. The same goes for resolving conflicts in school, which is why it is very important that an appropriate climate is created in the school, which promotes positive values. At the same time, it is important that both teachers and students are trained in (potential) conflict resolution. This research focuses mainly on the perception of real and potential conflicts and indicates possible solutions, which were created as part of the international Erasmus + project Mediators and Peacemakers Against Peer Victimization – MEPEV .

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Authors: Zhamilya T. Makhambetova, Akmaral S. Magauova

The main stages of the implementation of a scientific project on the formation of professional self-determination of students with special educational needs are discussed in the article. The project "Formation of professional self-determination of students with special educational needs (SEN) as a national strategy for inclusive education in the Republic of Kazakhstan" was launched in 2022. The purpose of the project: scientific substantiation and practical implementation of the program-methodical support of psychological and pedagogical accompaniment for the process of forming the readiness of students with special educational needs for professional self-determination, taking into account the strategy of inclusive education in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The project involves lecturers of the Department of Pedagogy and Educational Management and the Department of General and Applied Psychology of the Faculty of Philosophy and Political Science of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. The article was prepared as a part of the funding of the Project: ИРН АР 14872130 "Formation of professional self-determination of students with special educational needs (SEN) as a national strategy in the field of inclusive education in the Republic of Kazakhstan", which won the Grant following the results of the Competition of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan for grant funding of scientific and ( or) scientific and technical projects for 2022-2024, as well as the goal of the sustainable development goals (“Sustainable Development Goals”, 2023), i.e. education, where among the indicators is ensuring access to inclusive education, within the framework of the concept of lifelong education.

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Authors: Vincentas Lamanauskas

The fifth BalticSTE2023 Symposium took place in Šiauliai on 12-15 June this year. Time passes inexorably, which is why this symposium can be called an anniversary symposium. It was also important that the symposium was held in the usual / regular format, i.e. face-to-face. It is worth remembering that this is a biennial scientific event of importance not only in the Baltic region but certainly internationally. Due to the Covid19 pandemic, the fourth symposium was held remotely. A review of this symposium has also been published (Lamanauskas, 2021). By the way, reviews of previous symposia have also been published (Lamanauskas, 2015; 2017; 2019). The symposium's fundamental aim is to promote science and technology education. Moreover, it is an excellent tool to disseminate research findings as well as to build collaboration and cooperation network. Another important aim is to show that Baltic region countries also actively participate in natural science and technology education research, especially in the STEAM context. In addition, Baltic countries, as well as other small regions of the world, need corresponding, close communication, and cooperation. During this symposium, all these essential ideas were developed and supported.