| Abstract [eng] |
Relevance. The teachers professional development affects not only its practical activities, but it indirectly affects the achievements of the students. The institutions preparing teachers cannot provide ultimate skills, especially in the perception of the dynamic and evolution of these days. Therefore, the teachers have to develop professionally and their improvement must reflect the dynamic needs of students, society and the government. The relevance of the research is due to the importance and relevance to the development of self-directed learning in today's educational system as basic competences for lifelong learning and learning for life (Kazlauskienė, Gaučaitė, Masiliauskienė ir kt., 2013). Self-directed learning is associated with the learner who is able according his/her attitudes, enthusiasm and harmony of actions to connect the life and learning and is able to be responsible for the quality of his/her own learning and experience. (Gray, 2004). The research question. Teachers’ self-directed learning expression. Problem. The learning society creates to each member the conditions for lifelong learning. Nowadays the teachers must be able to plan their learning and improve their qualification, which is relevant to the self-directed learning. However, it is important not only to learn self-directly, but also to learn to act, i.e. to apply knowledge and experience in their practical work. Self-directed learning is the important part of teacher's daily professional activities, as well as in the context of education systems where activities are purposeful. The learning teachers must be the initiative themselves or with the help of others and take responsibility for their own learning. As a result, the research attempts to answer the question – how does the teachers' self-directed learning improve their qualifications? The aim. To analyse in a theoretical manner and investigate empirically the teachers self-directed learning expression to improve their qualification. Objectives: 1. Ascertain Lithuanian and foreign teachers’ theoretical aspects of the qualification improvement situation, experience and significance. 2. Define the significance of self-directed learning for the learner. 3. Develop a theoretical construct of self-directed learning in the context of professional development. 4. Reveal general education teachers’ self-directed learning expression by improving their qualifications. The results. • The research results reveal that teacher recognises himself/ herself as the learning person, knows his/ her strong personal qualities and use them in his/ her professional activities, but most teachers are dependent, i.e. they are not self-directed, they would like to be cared for, all the activities must be explained in detail. • Most teachers define their main aim to educate students. Teachers are focused on the role of the educator and do not identify themselves as a learner. • Most teachers claim they do not have enough time to develop their own professional skills, they are very busy in their direct work, to fill in various time-consuming documents on authority demands, it is difficult to reconcile the time of the lessons and professional development. • The teachers who are self-directed, reflect on their activities at each stage of their learning, they are reflected on the planning of their learning activities, learning environments, learning approaches, learning styles, the result of the activities achieved, so that in the prospect they could change something. However, the most teachers do not know themselves as a learner, i.e. they are not self-directed learners. They are dependent on others, they improve themselves only if headmasters, colleagues urge, do not choose the tools and ways of their professional development, it is difficult to accept feedback about themselves and their activities. |
