Aim. The concept of Good School was formed in 2015, however, the implementation of it has been rather slow. Therefore, the research aim of this article is to identify the educational experts’ viewpoints on the concept. The following questions have been raised to specify the aim: if the concept of the school of general education, presented as Good School, is adequately understood, what features should a teacher have in order to implement the concept of Good School? Methods. To answer the research questions a qualitative research by using structured interviews was carried out, i.e. experts’ written surveys were analyzed. The study revealed three positions that are discussed in this article: the concept of Good School, the mission and teachers’ features, which are interpreted in the context of the concept of Good School, albeit in a particular way. Results. The analysis of the empirical research data revealed that insufficient emphasis is placed on the value aspect, modelling of community-based school activities and their reflection. The research findings also showed that there has been a considerable lack of attention paid to some of the teacher's competences – there has been a lack of experts’ focus on the personalization of the educational content, its construction in the interaction with the elements of the pedagogical system, the reflection of pedagogical activities, and others. Conclusions. The concept of Good School is understood by the experts as a map, a conceptual idea, a guideline unfolding the schools’ specificity. The implementation of the concept of Good School should be based on the ideas of constructionism that open the pathways of common development, realization, and improvement of Good School.
klaipėdos universiteto doktorantė s. neries g. 5, klaipėda tel. (8 46) 39 86 34 vilniaus universiteto užsienio kalbų instituto lektorė universiteto g. 5, lt-01513 vilnius tel.
The article presents an analysis of viewpoints on the development of intercultural competence in the English language teaching/learning classroom. Intercultural competence, acknowledged as the key component of foreign language studies, increases the need to adapt teaching methods and materials to raise learners' cultural awareness. The following research problem is formulated: how schoolchildren's intercultural competence is developed at schools during English language classes and what the preconditions of its improvement are. Based on the survey carried out at secondary schools and gymnasiums, the article presents the findings on the ninth and tenth formers' viewpoints regarding the extent to which cultural activities are incorporated into their English language classroom. The respondents' answers indicated that the present practices for the development of intercultural competence in the English language classroom are not sufficient. A conclusion is made that the English language teaching/ learning process should be more purposefully aimed at developing all the dimensions of learners' intercultural competence.
Literature highlights a lack of Higher Education curricula that promotes graduates' soft skills. Critical Thinking (CT) is considered one of the soft skills associated with higher employment levels. The European-funded project "Critical Thinking for Successful Jobs" (Think4Jobs), currently in progress, aims at strengthening the collaboration between Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Labor Market Organizations (LMOs) to design, develop, implement and evaluate CT blended apprenticeships curricula in five disciplines (i.e., Veterinary Medicine, Teacher Education, Business and Economics, Business Informatics, English as a Foreign Language). The curricula are implemented for apprenticeships. We aim to summarize the findings and milestones achieved so far in the project. First, a focus group approach, document analysis, and observation of CT instruction in HEI and LMOs were conducted to assess the state of the art of CT teaching in HEI and the needs of the stakeholders (i.e., HE and LMO) regarding the instruction of CT in HEI apprenticeships and LMO internships. Our results revealed that there is not necessarily a "gap" between HEIs and LMOs concerning CT instruction but rather a difference in understanding and a need to develop a common language between stakeholders. Therefore, as the next step, intensive training for HE instructors and LMO tutors was conducted to establish a common understanding of CT. The results showed no statistical differences in participants' conceptual understanding of CT, but still drew attention to several misconceptions. Finally, the CT blended apprenticeships curricula were designed as a byproduct of the University-Business Collaboration. Currently, the implementation and evaluation of the effectiveness of the CT blended apprenticeships curricula are carried out.Research Contribution: Our research within the project is deemed a relative interface that links HEIs and LMOs to establish a sustainable collaboration for developing graduates' CT.
Intercultural sensitivity, being defined as an attitude reflecting the degree of willingness to interact with people from different cultures, is considered to be crucial to promote dialogue between cultures and social cohesion in today's diverse and globalised world. Based on the qualitative research carried out at Vilnius University, the article presents the findings of students' viewpoints on the place of values in decision making process in an intercultural workplace environment. The respondents' answers revealed their emotional empathy as well as readiness to solve conflicting situations in a constructive way, in the form of dialogue and negotiations, with reference to values as the criteria of evaluation. A conclusion is made that the demonstrated level of students' emotional empathy and their reliance on values could have a positive impact on their intercultural sensitivity.KEY WORDS: intercultural communication, intercultural sensitivity, intercultural competence, values, intercultural workplace environment.
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