Contradictions and tensions in the employment of older persons in modern Russia

The article identifies the main contradictions and tensions in the work and employment of older people in the modern Russian economy. On the basis of current theoretical concepts and discussions, the definition of older workers is given and the key problems in their employment are identified on the basis of Federal State Statistic Servece and research results. The main contradictions are primarily related to doubts about the possibility of fully using the labour potential of older people in the modern economy and the recognition of the need for this. In addition, Russian society still continues to be dominated by stereotypes regarding older generations of workers and, in particular, the elderly. In the labour market, they are clearly manifested in the difficulties of employment after the age of 45 and in their segregation into the sector of low-paid and unattractive work. As the age increases, the position of a person in the labour market deteriorates, and the retirement age for many people who are still actually healthy and fully able-bodied becomes a marker of liberation from the compulsions and discrimination of the Russian labour and employment system. For the majority of people who retire, the main factor that keeps them at work is only income, which, in combination with a pension, allows them to lead a normal lifestyle. In this context, education focused on the needs of age-related workers is of particular importance. The situation is such that, on the one hand, it is necessary to implement programs of retraining and systematic professional development of employees at older ages, and, on the other hand, this goal is useless due to the lack of motivation on the part of the employees themselves.

Mediadidactics in on-line basic geometric and graphic training of students of technical universities

Актуальность статьи обусловлена необходимостью анализа эффективности применения медиатехнологий в базовой геометро-графической подготовке инженеров в формате on-line обучения. Целью статьи является анализ применения технологий медиадидактики в базовой геометро-графической подготовке в условиях on-line обучения. Представлен практический опыт ее применения в интеллектуально интерактивном дистанционном on-line формате. Показано, что результаты такого обучения сопоставимы с результатами, полученными ранее с применением когнитивных проектных методик. В перспективе, с целью повышения эффективности обучения в технических вузах и геометро-графической подготовке в частности, требуются дальнейшие исследования в плане использования более совершенных инструментальных средств, возможностей развития технического творчества с развитием базы творческих заданий, совершенствования технологий обучения графическим дисциплинам. В контексте этих исследований предлагается систематическое повышение квалификации преподавательского корпуса. Статья предназначена для обсуждения научно-педагогическим сообществом. The relevance of the article is due to the need to analyze the effectiveness of the use of media technologies in the basic geometric and graphic training of engineers in the on-line training format. The purpose of the article is to analyze the application of media didactics technologies in basic geometric and graphic training in the conditions of on-line training. The practical experience of its application in an intelligently interactive remote on-line format is presented. It is shown that the results of such training are comparable with the results obtained earlier with the use of cognitive design techniques. In the future, in order to improve the effeciency of training in technical universities and geometric and graphic training in particular, further research is required in terms of using more advanced tools, opportunities for the development of technical creativity with the development of the base of creative tasks, improving the technologies of teaching graphic disciplines. In the context of these studies, a systematic professional development of the teaching staff is proposed. The article is intended for discussion by the scientific and pedagogical community.

Portuguese Principals’ Professional Development Needs and Preferred Learning Methods

Due to the crucial role principals have on school outcomes, investing in their training is a cost-effective approach for schools’ improvement. Research shows that principals attribute pertinence to their ongoing professional development. However, little research has been conducted on principals’ training needs from their viewpoint, particularly in Portugal. Through individual interviews (n = 19) and a questionnaire (n = 117) to principals, we collected data that enable us to understand principals’ perceptions on their training needs, focusing on learning areas, skills to be developed and learning methods. Results show considerable variability, reinforcing the relevance of tailored and contextualised approaches to professional development. Globally, principals request management skills and training opportunities that enable them to develop leadership skills (e.g., personal, interpersonal/socioemotional). Moreover, principals need training on instructional and distributed leadership practices. Collaborative and reflective methods are the ones principals prefer. Practical implications for the design of systematic professional development practices, in a lifelong perspective, are also discussed.

Proficiency markers of the motivation- and value-related components of the professional competence to be acquired by the specialists in the field of processing and food production

The purpose of the research is to define the proficiency state of the motivation- and value-related components of the professional competence acquired by the specialists in the field of processing and food productions (based on the results of the experiment which involved the first-year students specialised in 181 "Food technologies"). To determine the proficiency of level of the motivation- and value-related components of the professional competence to be acquired by the future specialists in the field of processing and food productions we used the methodologies adapted to our research: the testing of person’s value-related reference points and the testing of person’s capacity for self-discovery. The experiment was aimed at revealing and comparing future specialists’ motivation to study, basic reasons for educational activity, grounds for choosing a profession, and value-related orientations of the students constituting experimental and control (general) groups. The experiment involved the students specialised in 181 "Food technologies" in Kharkiv State University for Food Technologies and Trade, Kharkiv Petro Vasylenko National Technical University of Agriculture and Kharkiv Cooperative Trade and Economic College. The experiment consisted of two stages. At the first stage, 237 future specialists participated in the continuous questioning specially elaborated by the author. On the second stage, the first-year (two groups) and the second-year students (two groups) were tested according to the methodology "Motivation for study": test 1 "Studying the reasons of students’ educational activity”, test 2 "The necessities to develop students’ self-evaluation". The future specialists in the field of processing and food production acquired the professional competencies during the pedagogical events facilitating the development of stable motivation for their professional activity. The experiment allowed us to affirm that the professional competence demonstrated by the future specialists in the field of processing and food productions consists of some components, the motivation- and value-related component being one of them. On the whole, the results of the questioning confirmed the insufficient (reproductive) proficiency level which the future specialists of processing and food production demonstrated within the professional competence. The results of the first stage of the experiment (continuous questioning) testify that it is important for most students rather to get an appraisal than acquire knowledge. Most students failed to give any reasons for self-perfection or systematic professional development.

Teachers' Views on Innovative Processes in Schools of Latvia

Teachers' Views on Innovative Processes in Schools of LatviaOrienting society toward sustainable development is impossible without the development of a teacher into a creative person with his/her individual style of activity and thinking. This cannot be achieved without a continuous and systematic professional development that promotes innovation. Great hopes are placed on innovations, they are considered to be a reliable driving force for development. The research emphasizes the importance of identifying what teachers think about innovations in education and their own position in relation to innovative activity. Evolutionary Model, Innovative Milieu Model, and Propulsion Model of Creative Contributions can be applied within a context of presented study. Eight teachers (four teachers with a student/learning-centred orientation towards teaching and four teachers with content-centred orientation towards teaching), who worked at different schools, were interviewed in October and November 2006. Ettlie and O'Keefe's scale of attitude to innovations was used as the basis during the interview. The research revealed the most important factors hampering teachers' motivation for innovative activity and pedagogical regularities and criteria for stimulating innovations.