Educators’ qualification training efficiency from the aspect of the coordinating andragogue’s practice.

Mokslinės literatūros, LR teisės aktų ir atliktų tyrimų Lietuvoje analizė atskleidė, kad pedagogų kvalifikacijos tobulinimas, susijęs su suaugusiųjų švietimu ir mokymo / mokymosi organizavimu, yra aktualus kaip mokytojų ne tik pedagoginės, bet ir andragoginės veiklos tobulinimo bei naujų kompetencijų įgijimo šaltinis. Tačiau šis procesas yra sudėtingas, susidedantis iš profesinės veiklos į(si)vertinimo, planavimo, tobulinimo(si), praktinio pritaikymo, refleksijos, o kokybės užtikrinimo aspektu tai besikartojančių kokybės tobulinimo veiksmų ciklas. Suvokiant, kad šio proceso sėkmingam ir kokybiškam įgyvendinimui andragogo organizatoriaus profesionalumas yra viena svarbiausių sąlygų, straipsnyje keliamas probleminis klausimas, koks yra andragogo organizatoriaus profesionalumo vaidmuo, siekiant pedagogų kvalifikacijos tobulinimo efektyvumo? Atliktas tyrimas patvirtino andragogo organizatoriaus profesionalumo reikšmę šio proceso efektyvumui. Nustatyta, jei pedagogų kvalifikacijos tobulinimo procesą andragogas organizatorius realizuos profesionaliai, pradedant pedagogų mokymosi poreikių tyrimu ir baigiant įgytų kompetencijų praktiniu pritaikymu, bus pasiektas pagrindinis pedagogų kvalifikacijos tobulinimo tikslas – jų profesinės veiklos bei naujų kompetencijų įgijimo kokybė. Praktiniu požiūriu šiame straipsnyje pateikti empiriniai duomenys gali būti reikšmingi: 1) siekiant atskleisti Klaipėdos rajono švietimo centro, teikiančio pedagogų kvalifikacijos tobulinimo paslaugas, veiklos efektyvumą; 2) gerinant ir užtikrinant šio proceso kokybę; 3) siekiant andragogo organizatoriaus profesionalizacijos (vidaus profesionalizacijos – profesinių kompetencijų tobulinimo, gilinantis į tyrimo duomenų analizę; išorės profesionalizacijos – andragogo organizatoriaus profesionalumo, siekiant pedagogų kvalifikacijos tobulinimo efektyvumo, pagrindimo).Modern knowledge society and educational system’s processes of change raise new requirements for teachers’ qualification and encourage them to improve. LR Law on Education (2011) article 2 (20) stipulates that teachers’ qualification in accordance with the procedures laid down in LR legal acts is recognised as a whole of a person’s possessed competences or professional experience and possessed competences necessary for student education. Since to complete a job that is regulated by law a certain qualification (or competence) is needed, from the 2 paragraph it follows that in seeking higher quality of education and training, qualification development is one of the first necessary conditions to achieve it. However, the question is, whether the teacher can deal with these processes by developing his pedagogical activities, or does he need competent assistance, in particular assistance of the andragogue? After the analysis of interaction between the teacher and the andragogue, and the spheres of andragogue’s activities, it appears that the andragogue organiser is the one who helps the teacher to self-assess his activity, identify successes of pedagogical activities and areas for improvement and foresee the direction of qualification development. In Lithuania these functions are performed by schools’ deputy principals, specialists of education departments monitoring and assessing teachers’ activities, specialists of teachers’ education centre closely cooperating with educational institutions. However, in the aspect of ensuring the quality of teachers’ qualification development andragogue organiser plays the main role in the teachers’ qualification development process while acting in the professional spheres of education, management and research activity. [...] The number of documents regulating professional activity of andragogues taking part in teachers’ qualification development process is low, contrary to the number of documents regulating teachers’ professional activity: Description of Andragogues Professional Activity 2013, LR Non-formal Adult Education Act 2014, Strategy of Lifelong Learning Assurance 2008, State’s Education Strategies 2013–2022, provisions of 2013 and other. With the growing recognition of importance of the andragogue professional various document drafts are prepared. Many researchers [...] who analysed the andragogue’s activity spheres, functions, competences and roles that they play, have determined their diversity. Today, as regards teachers’ qualification development, training, teaching and the lecturer’s role is not as stressed as the technologies of andragogy and andragogical activity, support, helping the adult learner, management, reflection, other activity spheres and the roles played by andragogues analysts (researchers), organisers, consultants, counselors, managers, mentors. [...] Object: the role of the coordinating andragogue in the educators’ qualification training efficiency in Klaipėda district. Aim: to reveal and substantiate the role of the coordinating andragogue’s professionalism in the educators’ qualification training efficiency. Methods. Analysis of scientific literature and documents, in order to emphasize the positive and negative aspects of the coherence between the educators’ qualification training and the coordinating andragogue’s practice. Questionnaire of Klaipėda district educational institutions’ pedagogues, in order to examine their attitude towards the practice and functions of the coordinating andragogue, in charge of the educators’ qualification training process. The main conclusions of the “educators’ qualification training efficiency from the aspect of the coordinating andragogue’s practice” survey: The andragogue, who is involved in educators’ qualification training, has a wide range of activities. Those activities should be performed by a group of professionals: a manager, a coordinator, an analyst, etc. However, in the professional reality, the same andragogue has to possess educational, managerial, and analytical competences, and to organise his work according to both – the professional situation and the context. The educators’ qualification training quality depends on the coordinating andragogue’s professionalism. Such high requirements emphasise both – the inner and outer – importance of the coordinating andragogue’s professionalization. [...] The analysis of empirical documents revealed different aspects of educators’ approaches towards the work of the coordinating andragogue. From the aspect of educational service quality, it is important for the coordinating andragogue to act professional in the managerial, analytical and educational areas, ensuring qualitative realization of educational programs, beginning with their planning and ending with the measurement of their practical application efficiency. In order to motivate learners, the coordinating andragogue should quite frequently become a participant of the educational process, moderate lectures, and create an open and approachable to all learners service provider’s image. The aspect of providing assistance raises a term for the coordinating andragogue to master the area of consulting. Such a versatility and multifunctionality of the coordinating andragogue’s practice emphasizes the necessity of being a professional in the field of educators’ qualification training services. [...]