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STUDENTS’ ARTICLES
THE IDEA OF CONTINUOUS LEARNING IN POLAND
A. Zalesna
Historical origin of definition “continuous learning”. That’s how Faure’s report points it out: ’’During the past ten years, the idea of constant education has finally attained the specific state. However, it would be an illusion to think it is our discovery. The meaning of continuity of educational process is not new”.
Authors state, for example, that education was multiple and constant by nature as early as in primitive societies. Constancy also characterized an education in ancient Persia, as “the whole human’s being activity till the beginning of the old age”. Similar meaning was given in an Islamic education: ”in accordance to the faith, a human being can improve by learning. Islam as one of the first few appreciated the idea of constant education and encouraged Muslims to learn from the cradle till they die. Islam ordered all men, women and children to learn, so they would be able to teach others voluntary”. This educational Islamic approach is close to J. Lowe’s opinion, that many world religions induced believers to deepen their knowledge as the condition of humans existence. Many educational authorities indicated that the lifelong education term is as old as the human’s history. So mentioned above J. Lowe claims, adding at the same time, that the “learning to be” concept was anticipated over 2,5 thousands years ago by Hezjod who claimed that “an education is helping humans being to learn to be who they are able to become”. J.R. Kidd, who represents similar view, begins his answer for the international questionnaire “Continuous learning - theory and practice” as follows: “This term is not new. It is as old as human being but was never before treated seriously”. J.A. Komenski is generally considered to be one of the main precursor of lifelong education. In his analysing thesis we can find not only reflection of educational process continuity term and beliefs in adult’s education and self-development ability but also - strongly emphasized by contemporary continuous’ learning specialists - conviction of after school education. It is possible to meet with an opinion that J. A. Komenski has even developed the idea of continuous learning - expressed by ancient philosophers.
All opinions mentioned above prove that we should look for origins of continuous education in the oldest historical ages, beginning from the ancient Greek and Chinese philosophers to the Enlightenment representatives.
To make demands of lifelong education, given by philosophers, politicians, teachers for many centuries, real, a proper social and economical condition should have arise. This was possible in XIX century - time of industrial revolution, public common education, and wide development of adults education as a dynamic changes in science, technology, social and economical relation. So the beginning of the contemporary concept of continuous learning is coming from XIX century and it is inseparable from adult’s education development.
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International continuous learning traditions. From old, shy propositions, the theoretical system has developed and it is getting more popular in educational field. Many pedagogical centers and institutions try to practice this interesting idea. Some countries turn into continuous learning dissemination even more and enacted bills which rule continuous professional education and constant citizens’ development. One of the first authors connected to continuous education problems was Robert J. Kidd. He was the chairman of the II International Conference on Adult Education at Montreal in 1960. As a result of the meeting a rule of continuous adult education was formulated. Kidd was the author of interesting view on continuous learning: Perpendicular, Horizontal and Interior or Depth.
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has actively joined in continuous learning problem by organizing conferences, seminars, researches and publications in this area. Currently the most important OECD proposition for the continuous learning is published in 1996 volume “Lifelong Learning for All”, including materials from the 4th Ministers of Educations Conference all members countries. European’s Union authorities announced 1996 The Year of European Continuous Learning, by creating basis of both - general and detailed presentations in different countries. This decision is conductive to continuous learning problems’ stimulation and was included in so called “The White Book” - “Teaching and learning. On the way to learning society.” There are five original educational goals formed in it, and the key education problems resulting from them, among which request to introduce to schools and vocational(technical) schools the lifelong education rule as well as education in institutions and other work places distinction. The “Teaching and learning” volume has not pointed out yet the issues of continuous learning but it’s developed “On the way to learning society” proves that the main purpose of undertaken analyses is the realisation of continuous learning. It comes from 3 factors which changed today’s word - trade internalisation, beginning of informative society, unstopped science and technological progress.
Development tendencies and lifelong education conditions in Poland.
Sociological, psychological and political research show people’s weak preparation to big social change - system (regime) transformation. That is why preparation for the present and the future, for a long-term thinking is so important for continuous learning. Education for the future, the concept of continuous learning and the idea of “knowledge society” make desirable vision of today’s and future education.
Prepared for The Ministry of Education and Sport report: “Continuous learning and adult education modernisation in Poland as integral part of lifelong learning” presents analysis and evaluation of international ways of political and national practice. “Continuous learning strategy up to 2012” prepared by The Ministry of Education and Sport presents continuous learning conditions, strategic goals, 6 priorities and financial possibilities. Continuous’ learning priorities in a perspective are: (1) making continuous learning more available, (2) increasing its quality, (3) cooperation and partnership, (4) more investments in human resources, (5) creating continuous learning information, (6) enlightenment the role and the importance of the continuous learning. All goals listed above undoubtedly should lead towards building society based on knowledge. The authors of United Nations Development Programme report - “Poland on the way to global information
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society” pay attention to self-thinking but institutional education system is unable to fill in the gaps satisfactory. So, to be able to create economy based on knowledge, society be innovative, an open-minded, should understand the rules of today’s competition and new government’s part as well as organization of effective education system and continuous lifelong learning. Human capital is a key factor of development and wealth of nations.
Today’s continuous learning problems and suggestions for changing directions. One of the main accusations of continuous learning concept is not fitting up to clear and consistent system’s definition, which can be used to explain and develop its theoretical thesis. Some researchers state that the term of education should be given a definition. Unclear and unacceptable seems to distinguish education from the others ways of learning and this weakness is at the same time the weak base of the theory, which should, from the definition, connect all ways of learning on all aspects of human life. The gist of the matter will not be a differentiation of various types of learning, but analyses how to use all learning possibilities not only for one human being development but for all society purpose as well. However, this theoretical approach needs not deepening education definition but society developing theory. Lack of separation between different types and learning fields, leads towards too much concentration on an individual education process without placing ones in clear social contest.
Danger to effective continuous learning can be institutionalization - as education becomes a mass phenomenon it is necessary to create a structure to teach its activists, to create an information structure, to take in and get promote people who are using it, the controlling structure. Unavoidable in this case becomes a gradual institutionalization which contrasts raising inertia to permanent education dynamics. There is, beside that, a dander that institutions will be more useful to those people and social groups whose educational needs are on high level, so they will deeper already existing differences. This problem is raised by many researchers and thesis about “increasing gap knowledge” danger is still to solve.
Bibliography of materials
1. Banach Czestaw, Edukacja ustawiczna wobec transformacji ustrojowej i prognozy rozwoju Polski, [w:] Magdalena Pakuta, Anna Dudak (red.), Edukacja ustawiczna dorostych w europejskiej przestrzeni ksztatcenia z perspektywy polskich doswiadczen, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie- Sktodowskiej , Lublin 2009.
2. Cieslak Andrzej, Rozwoj teorii ipraktyki ksztatcenia ustawicznego, WSiP, Warszawa 1981.
3. Koptas Grazyna, Edukacja ustawiczna. Koncepcje i rozwoj, PWN, Warszawa- Lodz 1990.
4. Krawcewicz Stanistaw, Ksztatcenie ustawiczne nauczycieli, Nasza Ksi^garnia, Warszawa 1979.
5. Potturzycki Jozef, Edukacja ustawiczna w ujgciu Roberta Kidda, Jacquesa Delorsa i polskiej strategii z 2003 roku, [w:] Stefan M. Kwiatkowski (red.), Edukacja ustawiczna. Wymiar teoretyczny ipraktyczny, IBE i ITE, Warszawa-Radom 2008.
The work written under the direction of Ewa Kula PhD.
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