Pedagogical sciences/2.
Problems of specialists’ training
Candidate of Philosophy
Cutsova E.L., Reader Belay V.I.
South-Russia State University of Economics and
Services
t. Shakhty, Russia
Educational Self-management as an
Effective Instrument for Shaping Competitive Personality of Modern Specialist
Modern
information society is characterized by a sharp increase in the volume of
scientific information and the rapid expansion of knowledge used to solve
practical problems. Globalization and computerization of all aspects of social
life have a significant impact not only on goals, objectives and technology of
education activities, but also on the requirements to a modern specialist – a
graduate of the university. As noted in the «Concept of Modernization of Russian
Education until 2010», … the developing society needs modern educated
enterprising people who are able to cooperate and make their own decisions.»
Changing
labor market conditions and problems faced by the modern society have
accelerated changes in vocational education. At the social level the desire for
greater autonomy and self-determination in the workplace increases.
Self-management in education and the workplace is becoming an important element
in self-promotion of an individual.
Traditional
teaching and methodological model no longer allows us to solve the problems
facing the entire education system in the 21-st century. Wide erudition and
well-developed skills of solving standard tasks cannot be a sufficient
criterion of education rights. If recently a university graduate has got quite
sufficient knowledge for the entire subsequent career, now everything is
changing so rapidly that a specialist has to study all his life long. To do
this he needs not only well-developed skills of self-learning but above all the
skills of research work, rapid selection of necessary information from the
constantly growing volume. The future specialist should possess the experience
in continuous replenishment of their professional knowledge, the experience in
finding and usage of knowledge necessary for solving specific problems, otherwise
he will not be able to cope with the pace of changes around.
The
above has led to the formation of a new concept «Education through life» in
society which, in its turn, requires changing the paradigm of education, the
development of new forms and methods of instruction corresponding the
conditions of the information society and economy based on knowledge. Training
and adaptation of a future specialist to life in market conditions in order to
realize themselves through adequate self-presentation and self-management are
important goals of the educational policy. The traditional authoritarian
teaching based on the transfer and reproduction of information is no longer
able to form skills, flexibility, autonomy, adaptability, etc. in students and
even, to some extent, prevents from forming them by maintaining and reinforcing
patterns of thought and blocking the creative search. To solve this goal
successfully it is necessary to provide the formation of the skills of
independent and team work in obtaining new knowledge, the critical evaluation
of the given and search for the new information, the experience in making
independent decisions if problem arises. To achieve professional success means
to develop self-management skills, so-called «management with their own
resources», i.e. the ability to acquire, preserve, develop and rationally
practise.
Self-management
is the science which deals with self-organization and self-governing of an
individual which is widely studied and practised abroad in managing staff
training. According to foreign studies (Ebelling and others), in contrast to
the traditional understanding of management which considers the subject as part
of the system, self-management deals with so-called self-organized or in terms
of natural sciences collapsing (shrinking, self-liquidating) in time and space
systems.
The
subject can be both inside and outside the system; with the observed or
controlled situation for the external entity being hidden by the event
horizons. In this case the essence of self-management is to account and apply
goals, methods and peculiarities of individual self-perfecting of everyone (M.
Woodcook, D. Francis). It is also manifested according to western scholars in
dealing with the phenomena generated by self-movement of the systems: self-privatization
of resources, their anti-catastrophic system forming behaviour (anastrophe) and
with self-organization as the result of the emergent character in the form of
self-privatization and horizontal structurization of dissipative temporary
character and origin. Thus, the essence of self-management is hidden in the
fundamental laws of society, bios and management in the aggregate.
Self-management is an effective method of accounting and implementation of the
new realities of the transition processes.
Speaking
about the genesis of the concept, it should be emphasized that self-management
in its essence is evidently based on numerous theories and technologies of
social management and has many of their advantages and disadvantages. Until
recently, its domain has been artificially narrowed to self-development of
individuals involved in management supposing that even in the conditions of the
transition economies concepts governing and management are absolutely identical.
However, work in the market conditions and further development of
democratization and decentralization techniques require in-depth analysis of
the causes and circumstances of the failure of many methods of command
governing, detection of methods for work in conditions of uncertainty that is
taking into account the essence of self-management.
But
domestic scientific papers do not contain system approach to this problem. Some
researchers (NLSU named after Dobrolyubov) developed their own concept called «Enriched
self-management». Its essence is that principles, concept and approaches used
in contemporary management are actively introduced into self-management. As the
result, the new discipline with its object, subject and methods of research has
come into being.
The
main purpose of self-management is to use their own opportunities, to manage
the process of self – learning and the course of their life consciously and to
overcome the external circumstances both in the educational and professional
space. This aim according to L. Zayfert is conditioned by the fact that every
person faces the necessity to be able to turn the situation with a disorder of
actions caused by external reasons into a situation of designed and achievable
objectives.
We can
define three stages in the self – management development.
The
first stage is connected with the experience of individuals who through trials
and errors checked the effectiveness of different methods in the organization
of personal activity. Having originated in ancient times it remains actual in
our days as well.
The
second stage is due to division of labour in this sphere. Specialization as its
consequence has led to the development of such abilities as memory training,
rational reading and so on. Today the divisions of labour in self-management go
on to deepen. In addition to the sections which have become traditional
(business phone talk, for instance) such developments as the management of
their emotions, the art of listening to the interlocutor and others are offered
by researchers. The advances in natural sciences and humanities have greatly
influenced this stage of self-management.
The
third stage is conditioned by systematization of knowledge in the technology of
personal activity (work). It consists in determining the obligatory sections of
the science and the construction of the interconnected united whole. Perhaps,
the book «Effective Manager» by Peter Drucker, the recognized classic of
management, is one of the first books devoted to this problem.
According
to V. Tokarev who investigated the theoretical basis of self-management the
opportunities of the third stage deserve more attention because they have been
disclosed insufficiently. He proposes to construct a conditional «model» of a
man. «Relying on the system approach it is necessary to single out major
subsystems which can explain their behavior (to reveal the main functions).
With this in mind the given (simplified) mode of a human being will include
five components: physical, moral, psychological, rational and creative. Self-management
is the ability to manage each of the five listed subsystems and their integral
– the personality» [Tokarev V. 2007].
From
the perspective of the situational approach it is possible to manage themselves
in many ways using different methods or, otherwise, control systems. Tokarev V.
names five system of self-management: self-control, analysis, adaptation,
rationalization and personal development.
The
practice shows that by using contemporary approaches self-management provides
significant progress towards mastering themselves and their actions but to some
extent facilitates the acquisition of the theory foundation. Thus, self –
management is management practices in their daily and education activities in
order to use their time optimally. It is often presented as a model consisting
of seven requirements to manager qualities:
- the ability to formulate and implement
life goals;
- personal good organization;
- self-discipline;
- knowledge of techniques of personal
work;
- the ability to make themselves
healthy;
- emotional and volitional control;
- self-control.
According
to the researchers (L. Zayfert, J. Morgenstern) making decisions on all sorts
of challenges and problems in the professional space can be represented in a
number of functions that are in a certain interdependence and are carried out
sequentially. In the process of educational self-management with taking into
account the sequence of specific functions we can point out six phases:
- goal setting that means the analysis
and the formation of personal goals;
- planning that is the development of
plans and alternative variants for their educational and professional activities;
- making decisions on specific issues;
- organization and implementation that
envisage preparation of the daily routine and organization of the personal
education (job) process in order to accomplish goals;
- monitoring that is self-control and
total control (if necessary correction of goals);
- information and communication is the
phase characteristic to some extent to all the functions because both the
communication and information exchanges are necessary at all phases of self-management.
Speaking
about the advantages of practising self-management technologies it should be
pointed out that a future specialist gets the possibility to perform learning
activity or solve professional goals in a shorter period of time with the better
organization of learning process, self-learning and work; less haste and
stress; more satisfaction from both training and self-education activities and
from work; active motivation of the learning process, increased skills;
reduction of performance errors; the achievement of professional and life goals
in the shortest possible way.
To put
things together, we may say that the above aspects of self-management contain
the rationalistic approach developing the abilities and strength of mind.
Mastering and practising self-management technology help achieve educational
and professional goals in the best possible way.
Thus, a
modern specialist, a graduate of the university, is considered to be the bearer
of the innovative organizational culture who explores self-management
technology that allows him to master professionalism, the important feature of
the modern specialist, and to remain competitive in the professional space and
in the labor market as a whole.
References
1.
Morgenstern, Julia. Time Management. The Art of
Planning and Managing their Time and their Lives. [Text] / Julia Morgenstern //
M.:PLC “Good Book”,2001. -264 p.
2.
Maslow, A. Motivation and Personality. [Text] / A. Maslow/
SPb.: Peter, 2003.-352 p.
3.
Velikanova,
A.V. and others. The Technology of Development of Critical Thinking through
Reading and Writing. Debates. Portfolio. [Text] / A.V. Velikanova and
others.//Series “The Competent and Oriented Approach to Education: Educational
Technology.” Issue2. - Samara, Publishing House “Profi”, 2002.-92 p.
4.
Poberezhny, A. Constructivism in Theory and Practice
of Education. [Text]/ A. Poberezhny// Higher Education in Russia, ¹5, 2007-142 ð.