http://www.erej.ua.es/rdd/article/view/25/22
The globalisation process and the social changes associated with it demand the introduction of permanent changes and reforms in the educational systems. The teacher’s new role is undisputable. It is the challenge of modern times and social needs. In their new role, teachers should support both the students and their parents. Teachers should act as guides for their students and direct them in their individual processes of development, taking into consideration the challenges of the globalisation process.
What kind of teacher does the modern society, and, in particular, the modern
school need? Does the system of teacher education really meet the needs of the school, the society and the challenges of the modern world? Issues like these are considered and analyzed permanently regardless of the time when they are put under discussion. The globalisation process is a process in which the markets and economies of individual countries become more and more dependent on one another as a result of the continuous increase in the dynamics of goods, services, capital and people exchange. In a very simplified way, the globalisation process can be described as the process of creating one economy and one market on our globe.
Integration within the framework of the European Union is one of the stages of globalization. However, it is worth noting that some processes, like for instance regionalisation, are contradictory to the globalization process. Similar reference can be made to the European economy which in a peculiar way ‘shuts itself’ away from the economies outside the European Union. As emphasized by Elizabeth Helen Essary, globalisation has become a component of social public dialogue (Essary, E.H. 2007). That is the reason why it has a direct influence on the tasks of school. The globalisation process requires the school to prepare students to play future social roles, and in particular for effective functioning in a modern democratic society, with special emphasis on effective functioning on the labour market. The point is to make them able to compete for a position with other potential candidates, not only from their own country, but from any country. According to Yang (2004) the school should equip students with suitable knowledge and skills that must
be perceived as understanding the reality through personal experience and
emotional reactions with the surrounding world of objects and specific situations. Such knowledge should be preceded by appropriately designed and organised learning process
– learning that brings about substantial
changes in the perspective of individual
vision and perception of the world.
