Turinys / Contents

COVER

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Cover page, Vol. 1, No. 3, 2009, SPVK/EPMQ

CONTENTS

Abstract

Contents, Vol. 1, No. 3, 2009, SPVK/EPMQ

THE EVALUATION OF SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION: SEARCH FOR ORIGINALITY OR SIMPLE COPYING

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The implementation of science and study reform in Lithuania reasonably rouses up some doubts. It would be incorrect to claim that the reform itself is unnecessary. Otherwise, any hasty and badly prepared reforms do not give expected results. One of the most important science evaluation spheres is scientific publications. During the whole period after 1990s more or less coherent and clear system was not settled in Lithuania. In the summer of 2009 Lithuanian higher educational institutions received the new methodic of evaluation scientific pro-duction. To be precisely, the new methodic was confirmed with the order 1321 in June 29, 2009 by the Minister of Education and Science of Lithuania. The new methodic rouses anxiety because it is not coherent and clear enough, especially speaking about social and humanitarian sciences. Firstly, it is closely connected with the publication of works of that sphere. As it is said, the majority of works of such sphere are published in the local market and do not gain access to a wider round of users. Another thing is that such publications are mainly in Lithuanian. Yes, that is also important developing science of Lithuania, especially humanitarian sciences. But here is a very simple rule in force – science is not national, it is and must be international. In the above mentioned methodic scientific works are separated into the first and second levels. According to the methodic, those experimental and scientific research works of the highest level, which are recognized by the institutions themselves and which are evaluated in quality approach by the experts of the Research Council of Lithuania, are attributed to the scientific works of the first level. Uniting of social and humanitarian sciences into one block rouses up some doubts, which means that the same regulations of methodic will be applied for the both spheres. The question is how to compare, let us say, the works of economics and linguistics according to the same methodic? However displeasing the evaluation of scientific production is, it is unavoidable and necessary. The state assigning though poor financial supplies for science, must know, if those supplies are used rationally. On the other hand, acknowledged standards (international standards) of evaluation, expertise, indexation, abstracting, usage and etc. exist internationally. It is natural, that every country has its peculiarities, which not necessarily directly refer to inter-national practice. However, Lithuanian science aspires to integrate into the space of international science. In order to do that, national practice of evaluation scientific works will have to be reasonably harmonized with the international one.

FROM A SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL TO SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

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The article follows the trends leading to the improvement of quality in education which is offered by edu-cational institutions. The key concepts of these trends become the concepts of successful school and school improvement. Literature introduced the concept of a successful school in the 70ies of the last century. In the 80ies literature finds out the concept of school improvement. The definition of a successful school itself is problematic. Many authors view successful school as a school where pupils reach very good results in elementary skills, measured by corresponding tests. The authors suggest criteria of a successful school on the basis of research. The concept of school improvement is more practically oriented on school. It includes the teacher as a researcher and the process of self-evaluation of a school and school evaluation. At the end of 90ies both concepts interconnect which leads to a lot of wider research. The research of worldwide successful school improvement point out to a range of key principles. These principles offer basic orientation leading to school improvement. It is needed to monitor the quality of offered education. Quality of school, its success and continuous improvement are basic challenge to quality of European education.

FOREIGN STUDENTS TRAINING IN THE CHANGED SOCIO-CULTURAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS: BELARUS EXPERIENCE

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It is known that the export of educational services is one of the promising direction in the de-velopment of the education system. On one hand the arrival of foreign students for education demonstrates the relevance of national education, on the other hand it makes possible to identify the most important areas of the system and the ways of its improvement. As a result, educational institutions are being increasingly included in the competition for at-tracting foreign students. Certainly, each country has its particularities in realization of the educational services export caused by national traditions and the modern state of society. In main aspects the Republic of Belarus conserves the traditions of the Soviet Union to provide not only the quality of professional training but also to form personality with certain world outlook. But now all over the world the export of educational services is associated with the possibility of expanding the cultural, economic and political influence on other countries. It is seems that in this conditions experience of the Republic of Belarus (of course, purified from ideology), can be useful for reproduction by other countries. As practice shows the providing of educational services just through training without the pur-poseful work aimed at the assimilation of a certain kind of knowledge and skills is ineffective. Certainly, living and studying in the country of language sooner or later leads to the fact that a foreign citizen will learn a language in some degree, will know the culture and traditions, but as it’s shown in the article the existence of barriers impeding this process must be taken into account. The increase of the quantity of visitors is accompanied by the formation of local diasporas which actually reproduce the socio-cultural atmosphere of native countries and their value attitudes. In these conditions we consider that the most important task is the modernization of the educational process to maximize the integration of the content of training and education with its socio-cultural aspect. To optimize the process of introducing of socio-cultural knowledge in this article we propose the model for the implementation of multicultural education of foreign students. According to the results of experimental and theoretical studies we produce a model of multicultural education including various measures aimed at improving of the quality of education and facilitating foreign students’ successful socialization in the Republic of Belarus. It should be emphasized that even having a good level of professional training the teachers know the culture of foreign students poorly and, as a consequence, the educational process is monocultural, without reliance on a scale of values of students, which badly influences the integration and cultural understanding of the country As it is known, the task of the formation of tolerance between bearers of different cultures is one of the most actual for modern civilization. It appears that the model proposed in the article will contribute to its solution. In conclusion we’d like to emphasize that the problem of training of foreign students is relevant for all countries. There is a necessity to introduce a system of training which could integrate the capabilities of its socio-cultural aspect with educational one to train the specialists capable to solve professional tasks for the benefit of their country and for "alma mater" country.

THE GEOMETRY OF SPACE-TIME: METHODOLOGICAL ASPECT

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One of the problems of present physics teaching at the initial stage is creation in pupils minds some artificial barriers and the stereotypes complicating the subsequent studying of modern concepts. The main idea of the approach developed - all the themes and topics of general physics course should be focused on modern physical knowledge. Major instructional techniques are illustrated by the formation of modern space-time representation in the study of kinematics. Emphasis is placed on the geometric interpretation of the Galilean transformations. Together with three rotations, which determined by Euler angles, and three spatial shifts and a shift in time, they define the four-dimensional non-Euclidean geometry of space-time mechanics of Galileo, Newton. We discuss the relative status of the length of the trajectory and the inability to determine the length of the moving body diagram (world line) in four-dimensional space-time of Galileo, Newton. On the simple examples are demonstrated the need for experimental verification of the "obvious" assumptions about the immutability of the readings of moving and fixed hours and rulers. It is emphasized that the hypothesis of the existence of absolute rigid bodies, Newton's third law and the law of velocities addition in Newtonian mechanics lead to physically paradoxical conclusion about the existence of infinite velocity of material bodies motion. The history and physical preconditions create special relativity by Lorentz, Poincaré and Einstein are described. We discuss the geometric interpretation of the observed dependence of the atomic clock rate on the change of the gravitational potential. The idea that conceptions of the physical space-time have an world outlook and cultural value run through the whole text. The material presented in the form of an essay with the necessary historical references and analogies that promote understanding of the issues involved a wide range of readers, in-cluding the humanities.

IN THE WORTEX OF NON – FORMAL ART EDUCATION

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Judita Stankutė, a member of the journal's editorial board, talks to Rita Urniežiene, the director of the Rietavas Art School and the leader of the Rietavas mixed choir Jūrava. The current Rietavas Art School started operating as a branch of the Plungė Children's Music School in 1967. In 1970 the Rietavas Children's Music School, which was still operating in the time of Duke Bogdan Oginskis, was restored.

END

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End page, Vol. 1, No. 3, 2009, SPVK/EPMQ