Learning in Later Life: The Perspective of Successful Ageing

The integrated approach to the development of educational theory of later life learning should be informed by comprehensive knowledge of ageing as a social construct. Establishment of the role of later life learning in the context of successful ageing paradigm encompasses both sociological and educational perspectives taking into consideration the complexity of older people’s engagement in society and participation in education with regard to social use for the learning outcomes and personal growth. In the context of successful ageing, it should provide the answers to the questions related to the meaning and role of learning in later life. The present research aims to explore the role of learning in the construct of successful ageing and to analyze the characteristic features of non-formal later life learning in Lithuania in the perspective of successful ageing based on the review some recent literature on psychological and social aspects of successful ageing and older adult education and research in the fields of educational and psychosocial gerontology. It pursues answers to the questions as to “How can learning in later life contribute to successful ageing? What are the implications for the role of learning in the models of successful ageing? How is the role of third-age learning conceptualized in the perspective of successful ageing?” The answers to these questions provide better insight into the conceptual background of older adult education and suggests prospective research on the issue of the role of learning in older age. The multidimensional nature of the concept of successful ageing revealed by the literature review suggests that the role of learning in the construct of successful ageing is analyzable in relationship with health, psychological and social domains. The role of learning in later life is manifested through its impact on maintenance of cognitive function, psychological resources and social functioning. The positive impact of learning in later life on mental health through maintenance of cognitive function and the utilization of psychological resources through stimulation of personal growth and self-efficacy of older adult learners has been supported by findings of many recent studies. Education has been identified as one of the predictors of active engagement with life as an essential component of successful ageing.

Factors Which Motivate Music Teachers’ Training in Their Working Environment

Aim of the study was to identify the factors that motivate teachers‘ learning in their work environment Participatory photography method is the kind of method where the participants of the research reply to the questions of the researcher by taking photographs. Later, the photographs are defined, explained and analyzed, while sharing the insights with the researcher. Every participant of the research was contacted prior to the research by telephone or e-mail. They were asked to take photographs of the factors that motivate them to study in their workplace; the time of the interview was arranged also. Some participants of the research invited the researchers to their schools because they wanted to take the pictures right before the interview. Others came to the interview with pictures they have already taken. 10 music teachers, who work at their institution for not less than three years, were chosen for the research. After the teachers submitted their photographs, they were asked a few main questions: Why did you take a photograph of this particular phenomenon? Why does it motivate you to learn in your work environment? How do you learn? Why do you learn in your workplace? Every research participant was personally introduced to the goal of the research and got their questions answered. Participation was voluntary. To endure the confidentiality of the participants, they were not asked to provide any personal or other kind of information that would help to identify them. The research was limited by the fact that the teachers represented different institutions and worked with students of different age, that is why only common tendencies were distinguished, no comparison or evaluation was performed. Findings: three groups of factors that encourage learning in a workplace were identified: evaluation (taking part in projects, competitions, received awards); functional (information technology use, workplace, tools (course books, traditional and untraditional instruments); structural (colleagues, students, going to concerts, trips, taking part in master classes). Conclusion: Teachers do not link "workplace", only with their work in class. Going to concerts, taking part in seminars, projects, student preparation for competitions, trips were also mentioned as learning factors. Teachers' learning in their workplace is encouraged by their desire to improve in their professional work, confidence in themselves and their opportunities, desire to feel good in their work environment.

Students’ Attitude Towards Self-Study: A Case of College Study Programmes in Social Sciences

In recent years, the significance of quality in higher education has been emphasised, with special emphasis placed on the opinion of students. The present paper analyses the attitude of college students towards self-study assignments as a factor essential for the development of generic competences, presently related to the widely discussed educational paradigms, such as student-oriented learning, metacognitive study strategies, and holistic personality development. The changes in the educational paradigms and recent fundamental and applied research reveal the importance of student independent work in the study process and the development of abilities necessary for learning, the enhancing of motivation, and the promotion of reflection and critical thinking. A new attitude towards the development of student thinking and the enhancing of their activity has been formed. Students‘ generic abilities necessary for independent work and relevant for the solution of the problems arising in their professional activity in the future (monitoring, organisation, communication, work in a team, etc.), as well as their learning motivation, are different. Student selfstudy activity is a major integral part of college studies, and it has to be appropriately organised, monitored, assessed, and provided with the most important sources of information and technologies. The research aim is to identify the views of college students on self-study assignments in the process of implementation of study programmes in social sciences. The analysis of the outcomes of the student survey and of the research of other authors is expected to lead to the identification of the weaknesses in the organisation of self-study activities and to contribute to the forecasting of the improvement trends and the development of generic competences that integrate individual knowledge, abilities, and attitudes into a whole and and consciously channel them in the chosen direction.

The Facebook Phenomenon for Collaborative Learning for University Studies

This article defines the shift in the concept and conditions of collaborative learning for university studies using the social networking tool Facebook and discusses the collaborative learning effect in terms of using Open Educational Resources (OER), creating learning artefacts and new generic competence development. In order to evaluate students’ learning through collaboration in Facebook, qualitative research method and survey of generic competencies based on the Tuning project framework (2003) were used. The data was collected through focus group interviews and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The qualitative research method was chosen because it provides information of how students collaborate and what experience they gained during the activities. First, Facebook online groups have been identified at three different levels at VMU. The Facebook first level group was the social networking of Vytautas Magnus University’s students and academic staff. The second level group was created for the department dealing with social sciences, and is called “Department of Social Science”. The third level group is “Education Service Management” within the Department of Education. The research was done at the third level group with the students of the “Education Service Management” study programme. As research results show, Facebook as a social network has been changing communication between students, by facilitating the exchange of information and knowledge. The research analyses Facebook in the context of undergraduate university studies, based upon the experience of Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) for using Facebook for university studies. It could be concluded that learning is about developing capabilities to think and to act. Learners using social networking tools for collaborative learning, act, provide feedback and peer-review, asses and rate information. Openness is based on the idea that knowledge is disseminated and shared freely for the benefit of society as a whole. University students collaborate online and learn by using and exchanging OER, as well as developing them as the artefacts of online collaborative learning. They influence task design by creating “educational resources” themselves.

Social Worker’s Help in Restoring Human Dignity

In this article are presented situations in which the feeling of dignity of a person is lost or decreases and cannot be restored without professional intervention. This loss is one of the reasons of social exclusion in communities. A person with social issues has no abilities to emphasize her/his own uniqueness and authenticity, s/he stops to progress physically, intellectually and spiritually. In this way these persons enter the field of social worker’s help. In this field of help, one of the main factors in the restoration of human dignity is the social worker her/himself: her/his personality can have a huge influence on his client. The main research question in this study is the following: How should a social worker construct the helping process to help the client to restore her/his human dignity? Research object was the social worker’s help in the process of the restoration of human dignity. Research aim was to reveal the elements of the social worker’s support process that help to restore human dignity. Analysis of the reseach-based conceptual literature was the core method to explore and reveal the answers to research questions. The findings of the analysis highlighted that in situations, when people loose their feeling of dignity within social exclusion then they experience the self-deprecating. In the process of social help a main role is played by social worker’s professional communication with the client: the social worker stimulates the maintenance and restoration of client’s dignity by applying the principle of acting together. This principle is based on moral values, reciprocal responsibility, mutual respect, sincerity, confidentiality and empathy. These components create a trustful environment where, by sustaining client’s free choice and a right of decision, the possibility to achieve client’s openness emerges.