COVID-19 Driven Adaptations in the Provision of School Meals in the Baltic Sea Region

The instability, rapid changes, and restrictions generated by the COVID-19 pandemic tested the provision of school meals in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). School meal services were affected by factors such as full or partial lockdowns, strict hygiene regimes, lay-offs or staff shortages, stressful working environments, supply shortages, and changes to storing, cooking, and serving models. However, the responses to the COVID-19 crisis were highlighted by innovation, new opportunities, and cooperation. This paper reviews several examples of COVID-19 crisis management at school canteens in five BSR countries [Estonia, Finland, Poland, Russia (Saint Petersburg), and Sweden] between March 2020 and March 2021. The paper reveals the significant operational, logistical, and systemic problems that appeared because of the pandemic; the solutions and adaptations that were developed are also identified. The preparatory processes, logistics, and services that were adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a new school meal provision model—a takeaway model; that includes similar features and unique characteristics across the different countries. Overall, the provision of school meals was carried out successfully in the BSR during the pandemic. Responsible, competent, and innovative professionals used their organizational skills, flexibility, and responsiveness to feed school pupils in a highly restricted and rapidly changing environment. It is expected that several of the COVID-19-driven innovations will remain in use following the pandemic.

The creative heritage of the folk storyteller N. I. Stepanov – Nooroy

Рассматривается творческое наследие якутского сказителя Николая Ивановича Степанова – Ноорой (1897–1975). Особое внимание уделяется его творческой разносторонности: его мастерству как выдающегося олонхосута, талантливого народного певца, самодеятельного режиссёра, одного из первых постановщиков олонхо на сцене, организатора первого драматического кружка «Олонхо». Новизной статьи являются новые факты из жизни и творчества сказителя, найденные из отдельных источников. Цель – воссоздание наиболее полной картины творческого наследия, выявление многогранного таланта Н. И. Степанова, как носителя традиционной культуры якутского народа и одного из зачинателей якутского советского фольклора. Для достижения цели были изучены библиография Н. И. Степанова, литература о его жизни и творчестве, все изданные его произведения, также некоторые рукописные материалы, статьи, труды фольклористов Г. У. Эргиса, И. В. Пухова, Н. В. Емельянова, В. В. Илларионова, композиторов, музыкальных деятелей Н. И. Пейко, И. А. Штейнман, М. Н. Жиркова, Г. М. Кривошапко и др. Произведён анализ поэтики олонхо «Кюн Эрили» с переводом отдельных фрагментов олонхо на русский язык, а также классифицируются песни-тойукиН. И. Степанова по темам. В работе использованы аналитический, типологический, историко-конкретный методы исследования. В результате исследования мы пришли к выводу, что Н. И. Степанов, будучи неграмотным, был особо одарённым, талантливым сказителем и народным певцом, и не менее талантливым режиссёром и сценаристом. Он был большим энтузиастом и новатором, владел организаторскими навыками и, будучи наделенным особой харизмой и прекрасными человеческими качествами, сумел организовать первый в истории Якутии драматический кружок, чем привлёк большое внимание к олонхо, особенно к якутскому музыкальному фольклору, ученых, профессиональных композиторов, которые в свою очередь оформили нотные записи песен персонажей олонхо. The creative heritage of the Yakut epicteller Nikolai Ivanovich Stepanov – Nooroy (1897–1975) is considered. Particular attention is paid to his creative versatility: his skills as an outstanding olonkho-teller, talented folk singer, amateur director, one of the first producers of olonkho on stage, the organizer of the first dramatic circle “Olonkho”. The novelty of the article is new facts about the life and work of the olonkho-teller, found from separate sources. The aim was to recreate the most complete picture of the creative heritage, to reveal the multifaceted talent of Nikolai Stepanov as a carrier of the traditional culture of the Yakut people and one of the founders of the Yakut Soviet folklore. The bibliography of Stepanov, literature on his life and work, all his published works, also some manuscript materials, articles, works of folklorists G. U. Ergis, I. V. Pukhov, N. V. Emelyanov, V. V. Illarionov, composers, musical figures N. I. Peiko, I. A. Steinman, M. N. Zhirkov, G. M. Krivoshapko and others were studied to achieve the goal. The analysis of the poetics of the oolonkho “Kyun Erili” with the translation of some fragments of the oolonkho into Russian was made, as well as the classification of the songs-toyukby Stepanov by themes. Analytical, typological, historical and specific methods of research were used in the work. As a result of the study, we came to the conclusion that Nikolai Stepanov, being illiterate, was a particularly gifted, talented storyteller and folk singer, and no less talented director and screenwriter. He was a great enthusiast and innovator, had organizational skills and, endowed with a special charisma and excellent human qualities, managed to organize the first drama circle in the history of Yakutia, which attracted great attention to the olonkho, especially to the Yakut musical folklore, scholars and professional composers, who in turn created musical records of the olonkho characters' songs.

THE WORD ABOUT THE RESEARCHER, TEACHER AND ORGANIZER OF SCIENCE: TO THE ANNIVERSARY OF RIMMA DMITRIEVNA GOLDINA

The article is devoted to the anniversary of Rimma Dmitrievna Goldina. Dr. R. D. Goldina is the prominent archeologist and Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Department of the Udmurt History, Archeology and Ethnology, Director of the Research Institute of the Urals Peoples History and Culture (since 1993), and Dean of the Faculty of History (1980-1991) in the Udmurt State University, “Honored Scientist of the Udmurt Republic” (1991), “Laureate of the State Prize of the Udmurt Republic” (2001), “Honored Worker of the Higher Education of the Russian Federation” (2002), Honorary Citizen of the Udmurt Republic (2021), the founder and head/leader of the archaeological collective of the Udmurt State University. During the period of the scientific research Dr. R.D. Goldina published more than twenty single author and multi-author monographs, as well as more than three hundred articles on the ancient and medieval history and culture of the Permian peoples. Here is the main aspects of the life and work of R. D. Goldina, and her public and academic activity describes in a brief form. Through her scientific achievements and organizational skills, she made the significant / important contribution to the development of archaeological thought in the Kama-Vyatka region and to the treasury of Russian science.

The State, Civilization, and Extreme Inequality

Agriculture set the preconditions for metallurgy and sophisticated military organization, facilitating the rise of the state and civilization about 5,500 years ago. Whereas earlier stone weapons, available to all, served to preclude the formation of elites and inequality, expensive metal weapons, superior organizational skills, and ideology enabled elites to subjugate all others and extract their surplus, leaving the latter with bare subsistence. This elite formed the state, that social agency with a comparative advantage in violence. Social hierarchy became hereditary and increasingly rigid, and inequality became extreme. Elites gained highly disproportionate sexual access to women, often enclosed in harems. Understandably, rulers would strive to appease potential internal usurpers by protecting their property rights and ability to extract surplus from their subordinates. Until the rise of capitalism and a bourgeoisie in Western Europe, this appeasement of potential usurpers and elites generally precluded robust and sustainable economic dynamism.

MANAGEMENT COMPETENCE OF THE FUTURE SERVICE MANAGER: ORGANIZATIONAL AND METHODMETHODICAL COMPONENTS

The article presents an analysis of the process of formation of managerial competence of future specialists in the field of service (on the example of hotel and restaurant business) in the course of professional training in institutions of higher and higher education. Based on the research of scientists on the training of future specialists in the field, a number of organizational and methodological competencies have been identified; the definition of "managerial competence of future service managers" is interpreted as a multicomponent dynamic combination of management knowledge, organizational skills, skills to train staff, ways of thinking, views, values, relevant personal qualities, implemented at the level of higher education 24 "Service Area 24" "Hotel and restaurant business. It is proved that structurally such competence is an integrated set of integrated, general ("soft" skills) and special ("hard" professional, subject, managerial and professional skills) competencies and determines the ability of the future manager to successfully conduct professional activities, purposefully improve professional the level of management and leadership in his subordinate staff of the hotel and restaurant company, build a career and create your own concept of success in life. The organizational competencies include the following: knowledge of the theoretical foundations of the organization of the process of providing services, forms, tools, methods and techniques of organizing the cognitive activities of staff; structure, psychological and pedagogical aspects of communication in the enterprise or the entrusted team; types of formal, semi-formal and informal methods of decision-making and implementation; ability to analyze organizational environments, prepare strategic and operational plans, appropriate measures and procedures; implement tasks based on the positive aspects of each employee. To methodical competences - mobility of knowledge (constant updating of the information for the successful decision of problems in concrete conditions); flexibility of methods (application of methods depending on conditions), critical thinking (creativity, non-standard, originality of design), responsibility for actions and decisions.

Utjecaj Narodne knjižnice na kvalitetu života nezaposlenih građana = Influence of the Public Library on Unemployed Citizens’ Quality of Life

Cilj je rada predstaviti rezultate istraživanja o potrebama nezaposlenih građana Osječko-baranjske županije u svrhu unapređenja spoznaja o poboljšanju službi, usluga, programa i aktivnosti narodnih knjižnica te utjecaja na kvalitetu života nezaposlenih građana. Istraživanje je provedeno kvantitativnom metodom slučajnog uzorka (N = 250). U članku je prikazana slika stanja prije globalne zdravstvene pandemije COVID-19, krize koja je utjecala na cijeli svijet. Prikupljeni podaci statistički su obrađeni u Statističkom paketu za društvene znanosti primjenom opisne i korelacijske analize između dvije skupine varijabli te su izraženi u postotcima. Najvažniji rezultati istraživanja pokazali su da ispitani građani imaju potrebu za učenjem u sastavu cjeloživotnog obrazovanja, ali da su se, s druge strane, u najvećem ukupnom postotku na ponuđene potrebe u knjižničnom prostoru, izjasnili da nemaju potrebe. Najizraženije potrebe ispitanih građana su potrebe za učenjem engleskoga i njemačkoga jezika; računalnim i tehničkim vještinama, potreba za usavršavanjem komunikacijskih vještina; usavršavanjem dodatnih socijalnih vještina kroz timski rad, upoznavanjem pravila poslovnog bontona, stjecanjem organizacijskih vještina, promocijskih vještina, učenjem neverbalne komunikacije ili govora tijela. Rezultat istraživanja pokazao je da, unatoč tomu što je dio ispitanika (41,6 %) član narodne knjižnice, i dalje ima različite potrebe u sastavu cjeloživotnog obrazovanja, a njihova im narodna knjižnica ne pruža mogućnost ispunjavanja. Pokazao je i to da nisu sve narodne knjižnice u Osječko-baranjskoj županiji otvorene za sve korisnike. Nezaposleni, društveno isključeni građani mišljenja su da narodna knjižnica može pomoći u razvoju zajednice, ali ne i nezaposlenima. = The aim of this paper is to present the results of the research on the needs of unemployed citizens in the Osijek-Baranja County with the purpose of improving the knowledge of advancing the services, programs, and activities of public libraries, as well as the quality of life of unemployed citizens. Research was conducted using the random sampling method (N=250). The article presents a picture of the situation before the global COVID-19 health pandemic, the crisis that affected the whole world. The collected data was statistically analyzed in SPSS, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, using correlation and descriptive analysis on two groups and was thereafter expressed in percentages. The most important results of the research showed that the selected citizens have a need for lifelong learning, but that at the same time the largest percentage of them do not have the need to fulfill the named needs in a library space. Most pronounced needs of tested citizens are the needs to learn English and German; computer and technical skills, the need to perfect communication skills; perfecting additional social skills through teamwork, familiarizing oneself with workspace etiquette, gaining organizational skills, promotional skills, learning nonverbal communication or body language. The results show that public libraries do not allow a portion of the subjects (41.6%) to fulfill their needs, despite them having a membership to the public library and having different needs for lifelong learning. Likewise, results show that not all public libraries within the Osijek-Baranja County are open to all users. Socially excluded unemployed citizens believe that the public library can help develop communities and unemployed citizens alike.

The use of online technologies in the process of training future music teachers

Modern graduates of higher educational institutions should be able to independently process information and be ready to acquire and use knowledge throughout their professional life. The actual task of education in the conditions that have formed in the world is the development of new educational technologies, which are added almost every year. The virtual world is becoming more and more diverse. The use of digital platforms is a pressing issue at a time when almost all information and activities are moving into the virtual world. The article substantiates the use of digital platforms Zoom and Padlet, which are new in teaching technology. The issues of implementation of educational technologies in the process of training future teachers of musical art are considered. The capabilities of the web interface, which is the Padlet interactive whiteboard, which makes it quite popular in the education system, are analyzed. Using the capabilities of a virtual online whiteboard refers to new educational technologies. In-depth capabilities of work on the Zoom platform are shown. It has been shown, that the use of a multifunctional service affects the development of communicative and organizational skills of students. The process of connecting digital platforms Zoom and Padlet with music computer technologies is shown with specific examples. The organizational issues of conducting a practical lesson on arranging musical works using digital platforms are considered. The stages of preparation for arrangement are presented. An algorithm for creating a phonogram of a school song using Zoom and Padlet technologies, individual work and work in groups, which is one of the main issues of modern education, is shown. At the same time, the development of an integrated approach to the organization of effective educational activities in the conditions of an information and educational environment is relevant at the present time

Training the Trainers in Language Assessment via Mentoring: Building Expertise to Promote Language Assessment Literacy of Ukrainian University Teachers

This mixed-methods study described a case of group-based informal mentoring, a conceptual model of which was aligned with an effective mentoring program found in the literature. The research questions that were addressed in the study included: (1) Will mentoring training, conducted within a short (1-month) period, enable inexperienced presenters to develop and conduct an effective workshop in LTA? (2) In what way(s) has mentoring training impacted the mentees as prospective trainers in LTA? The training was implemented by one mentor and two mentees, with the immediate purpose to organize a platform to disseminate the results of an Erasmus+ staff mobility program. The data were collected via a questionnaire, a self-efficacy scale and reflection logs about the mentoring procedure, as well as the workshop in LTA conducted by the mentees with the purpose to enhance Ukrainian university teachers’ LAL. The outcome of the training reported a high success level of the workshop among 37 attendees. In addition, the participants of the mentoring training (n = 2) demonstrated improvement in their organizational skills and professional growth. The mentoring framework proved to be an effective strategy for implementing study objectives and can be recognized as a successful model for the promotion of language assessment literacy.

Increasing university students' organizational skills during practical application of event management technologies in organizing events

Socio-cultural events are currently gaining increasing relevance and the problem of their organization is becoming urgent both for commercial companies and professionals in this sphere. Today, event management is becoming the leading technology for the organization of events and, notwithstanding the importance of the mastery of theoretical knowledge, only the practical implementation of event management technologies in event organization serves as a prerequisite for the development of organizational skills in professionals in the socio-cultural sphere. The conducted experimental work reveals a major discrepancy in the level of university students’ mastery of organizational skills in the process of theoretical and practical training and proves the effectiveness of the latter in the development of professional mastery of socio-cultural workers. The reasons underlying the development of socio-cultural workers’ organizational skills specifically in the course of practical mastery of event management technologies are identified and comprise contingency on multiple factors, the variability of the socio-cultural situation, and high competition in the market of socio-cultural services.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN CHARACTERISTICS SEEN IN SUPERVISED VERSUS NON SUPERVISED EMPLOYEES

Supervised and unsupervised employees are assumed to be quite different. A supervised employee can always fall back to the supervisor in times of need as compared to an unsupervised employee who has to fend for himself in most times. Wishing to find out as to what keeps supervised as well as unsupervised employees going in an organization, I drew up a questionnaire to be filled up by the employees. The questionnaire had six variables which had to be ranked from 1 to 6, with 1 being the most important and 6 being the least important. The variables were Discipline, Growth, Desire to learn, Organizational skills, Dedication, and Motivation. A total of 100 employees were interviewed, 50 who were supervised and 50 who were not supervised. A personal interview was conducted wherein the questionnaire was direct and structured. The results were such among the supervised employees growth was ranked first followed by discipline and desire to learn whereas among the unsupervised employees growth was ranked first followed by desire to learn and motivation.