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ARCHITECHTONICS OF LIFELONG EDUCATION IN A VIRTUAL AGE
L. P. Tsylenko
The intensity of the innovation processes in the fields of science and technology accelerates loss of functionality of existing knowledge, generating in a specialist of any sphere a need for the latest information and its adaption for operational use. In the age of virtuality, the mainstream of information processes is not confined to the space of high-tech and knowledge-intensive industries, and it spreads its influence on the whole socio-economic system in all spheres of public life. Nowadays, the concept of “lifelong education” is determined more and more as a way of socio-economic development for creating a modern society, i.e. a society based on knowledge. The system-architectonics of “lifelong education” identifies the features of interaction of structural and functional components, compulsory vocational training for relevant skills and improving and the updating of archaic knowledge skills, teaching not only professional skills but also other vital and necessary interesting competences.
Participation in society is almost impossible without a successful professional career, as it is the foundation of personal independence, self-esteem and well-being as it determines the quality of human existence and therefore the quality of the society as a whole. In this context, the scientific community and educational community faces the task of a timely and accurate flexible reorientation of the regulatory parametric establishment, of a specialist and or technical industries as well as from the humanities. The interdependent personal and vocational development of man as a subject of activity and communication throughout life is more and more becoming the priority trend of the educational strategy. There is a need for a specialist who would have the “outrunning vision” of a rapidly changing global processes, but at the same time would be a highly competitive and erudite expert in his professional activities.
The whole integrity of the professional-pragmatist functions as a specialist of a new generation and is inherently linked to pragmatic-communicative competence - the knowledge of language is of geolinguistic importance i.e. English and globalization is a new game with new rules. That is why today like never before the importance of English is paramount. As English is of the planetary importance and is in close interaction with all spheres of human life, be it social, economic, or political. English is the language of high technology, business, the Internet, Humanities and Arts and is a measure of intelligence of modern man and his academic mobility. With knowledge of English a specialist of any profile is a free, active and full participant in the social and economic life of the society. Following this logic, in the vector of the synergetic concept, we need to naturally integrate into a program of educational institutions learning English language in a new destination, dominant in the regulatory parametric characteristics of a competitive specialist of any profile. A specialist of the next generation has a unique imperativeness to master the language of interlinguistic importance. Consequently, in the strategy of lifelong education of a specialist of a new generation, the constructive capacity is the capacity on a receptive as well as creative level in the
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figurative, graphical and audio-visual format to actualize these ideas, meanings, algorithms, and concepts in English.
Education in the modern world is becoming more and more functional in its nature and its development of abilities to process and analyze information, to perceive hidden relations between different phenomena, to be capable of integrated assessment of various points of view for taking non-standard breakthrough solutions, and not focusing on the patterns becomes essential for a productive lifelong education. At the same time, a lot of other metacompetances necessary for professional, intellectual, emotional, and volitional activities of the specialist are formed. For example, the information and analytical ability provides an engineer with an ability to search, differentiate and generate new knowledge in the most promising areas of science and technology, as well as to create fundamentally new materials and devices that implement new physical or physicochemical principles for their operation.
There is no limit to perfection as a modern specialist of any sphere continues to constantly learn. As we see today, many highly profitable companies conduct a targeted policy of development and staff training by developing high-tech projects together with foreign partners. Internships in reputable world-renowned companies are becoming the norm in professional activities of a specialist of the next generation. In the world market economy representatives of Corps of Engineers should have a high potential for commercialization to be able to modify existing things and design something new. Thus it is necessary to take into account the real cost of high performance materials and components, the cost of packaging and delivery, cost and performance of equipment purchased on credit, and, most importantly, that this something could be sold on the international market, a task that baffles many engineers with great experience who do not speak English. Therefore, one of the priority components of an integrated system of lifelong education of a modern specialist is the ability for pragmatic-communicative activities in the formation of which English courses play a leading role.
Meanwhile, the global problem of a secular society, which if not resolved, will make it impossible for a positive result and its cultivation for an integral individual. In a rapidly changing world, there is something common to all generations, that is, the traditional core values which make possible the survival for us in the turbulent stream of life. These are the values we should address and search for the meaning of ouir existence in the world of globalisation. Therefore, for each individual lifelong education should be not only the process of formation and meeting his professional needs, but spiritual needs as well. Unfortunately, economic, technological and scientific progress is far ahead of spiritual development of the society. Today, however, an expert should be, above all, a harmonious personality, and thus consciously confront the moral relativism in a dialogue that exists on a global scale.
In this regard, the teaching logic in the formation of a specialist of a new generation must be capable of self-reflection, self-presentation and lifelong education as is expressed in the architectonics of content, objectives and procedural components in the educational process, the basis of which is a highly ethical, moral, and spiritually guided. Through a foreign language one can achieve a harmonious unity of purpose in studying subjects in the field, goals and objectives in teaching a language and goals of a personal formation whilst also being capable of achieving lifelong education for a sustainable development to occur.
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