School and organizational learning

The concept of organizational learning refers to organizations that are in a constant learning process, that is, organizations that learn. In order to realize this concept and benefit from their synergies there are two questions we will try to respond. The first question is: can organizations learn to learn? Senge (1990) considers that, on the assumption that organizational learning includes the principles and practices that allow the absorption of knowledge in organizations, which stimulate the lifelong learning of its employees, aiming at the incorporation of new knowledge in the processes of work, it is necessary that organizations are aware of the evolutionary process. These principles lead organizations adopt strategies, procedures and practices of questioning their actions. This position leads to implementation of appropriate information management policies, performance evaluation, learning at work and attitudes that stimulate creativity and innovation. The concept of organizational learning arose from the need that organizations have to gain competitive advantages and to overcome the unfavorable moments and/or changes. This is possible through the adaptation, transformation and creation of processes and activities. However, the improved processes only arise through the acquisition, storage, processing and sharing of knowledge, and consequently new patterns of thinking. The expected result of this process is an organization that lives forever. And here the second issue: the schools, while specific organizational models, can be regarded as learning organizations? According to Senge learning organizations are institutions where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and high standards of reasoning, where collective aspiration is free and where people learn continuously learning collectively. "Organizations learn only through individuals who learn". (Senge, 1990, p. 11). That is, the individual learning is not sufficient to ensure the whole organizational learning, but without a set of individual learning organizational learning will not exist. The school is a space of encounter and of knowledge production meets all the conditions to be considered as an organization that learns. So that this objective is achieved it is necessary the existence of people who wish to and are able to "learn to learn". Senge (1990, p. 41 et seq.) seeks to organize the process of individual learning suggesting five "disciplines". He believes that "discipline" is a set of practices of learning, through which the person changes, acquiring new skills, knowledge, experience and levels of consciousness. The five disciplines of organizational learning are: personal mastery, mental models, building shared vision, team learning and systemic thinking, which are detailed below. The personal mastery puts the emphasis on individuals and implies continually clarifying and deepening our personal vision, focus our energies, develop patience and perceive reality objectively. As such, it is the cornerstone essential to the organization that learns-the will to believe. The ability and the commitment of an organization in learning must correspond to those of its members. This course is rooted in Jew-Christian humanist contriution. Mental models are composed of images, stories and precepts that the individual uses as a reference about what things are and how they work. Constitute true cognitive mind maps that influence the way each of us sees the world and its relations. The mental models of individuals are nourished by beliefs and values that systemizes since birth and that develop over the life of each one. Depending on the maturity people spend to reflect and continuously improve the image that they have of the world, thus leading to new models for their acts and decisions. The success of some teams is based on the existence of common beliefs and aspirations. People just come to strive together and willingly when they realize that each has an important role to achieve the common objective. From there they understand that the development of intelligence and collective skills are greater than the sum of individual abilities and intelligences. Senge believes that, as well as the views are personal pictures or images that people have in mind and in heart, also shared visions are images that belong to people who are part of an organization. Team learning is the perfect Alliance of collective thinking and skills with communication in the sense that the teams could develop intelligence and ability greater than the sum of individual talents. These people develop a sense of community that rewards the Organization and gives coherence to the various activities. The systemic thinking is the discipline that integrates the other, merging in a coherent body of theory and practice. According to Senge, if there is a systemic orientation, there is motivation to analyze the "interrelationship" between disciplines. It is vital that the five disciplines to develop as a set. This is challenging, because it is much more difficult to integrate new tools than simply apply them separately. Expanding each of the other disciplines, the systemic thought reminds us continually that the sum of the parts may exceed the whole. But the rewards are huge. Is this fifth discipline combined with a strategic perspective that will enable the school to mold your system more effectively and act more in line with the social and economic surroundings. Bibliographical Note: SENGE, Peter, 11. ed., A Quinta disciplina – arte, teoria e prática da organização de aprendizagem. São Paulo: Best Seller, 1990.

Europäische Hauptstadt der Ideen

In Situationen von Misstrauen und Bestürzung, Phantasie und Kreativität werden Komplizen im Prozess, den die Menschen erwarten. Wir müssen die Zukunft in Basen voraussehen, die noch definiert werden sollen. Wir müssen lang genug anhalten um eine Idee zu teilen, um eine Welt zu entwerfen in der wir uns gut miteinander fühlen. Es ist möglich glückliche Menschen mit wenigen Mitteln zu finden. Wir sind Menschen die in einer “haben” Zeit leben. Materielle Güter sind Schulden auf unserem Konto. Bis jetzt haben wir gewünscht was es unerreichbar ist und was die andere haben. Weiterhin bleibt das Gleichgewicht in der Natur. Seit langher haben wir sie als Quelle der Weisheit aufgegeben. Wir haben uns zur unseren kleinen persönlichen Dimension Egotica gewendet und wir halten uns gut mit dem eingeschlafenen Überlebensinstinkt. Die Zweifel sind immer weniger. Wir müssen Leben, Staats-und Regierungschef und Bewusstsein ändern. Was man braucht, muss es zusammen gedacht werden. Man braucht an die echte Demokratie zu denken, die jeder in sich selbst hat, um die anderen respektieren zu können. Die europäische Hauptstadt der Ideen kommt nie spät und sie ist da zur Verfügung.

The vision

In the book "The Fifth Discipline", Peter Senge (1990, p. 231) writes:" the vision paints the picture of what we want to create. The Systemic Thinking reveals how we create what we have today ". Later on the same page, writes something not common with Portuguese people living in Portugal: "the vision becomes a life force only when people truly believe that they can shape their future. The simple fact is that most managers do not experience what they are contributing to the creation of their current reality. Thus, they do not see how they can contribute to change this reality. Their problems are created by someone "out there" or by the "system". The responsible are "the others" and never I or we. Is this "Ai Portugal, Portugal! What is you're waiting? You have one foot in a galley and another at the bottom of the sea! Ai Portugal, Portugal "(Jorge Palma- Acto Contínuo -1982), in which we must seek the best that exists, which must be refunded and, above all, led with vision and systemic thinking.

Memories - New level of leadership in the Portuguese educational system

Over the last decades, Portugal has made a significant effort to qualify the general population, but continues to have low qualification levels generally involving older generations and young people. Since 2006 till 2012, the National Qualifications Agency (NQA), under the joint superintendence of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity, develop the national System for Recognizing, Validating and Certifying Competences (RVCC) and Adult Education and Training (AET) Courses. Main attributions of NQA: *To coordinate, promote and manage the provision of the dual certification in vocational education and training. *To define the guidelines for funding models and for allocating resources required to provide qualifications. *To define mechanisms that promotes integrated assessment and quality assurance of the vocational education and training provision. *To develop and manage the RVCC, both academic and professional, and ensure the New Opportunities Centers (NOC) Network coordination and the system monitoring and assessment. The New Opportunities Initiative (NOI) was established as a national strategy within the scope of the National Employment Plan and the Technological Plan. The strategy of the New Opportunities Initiative builds on two central pillars: *The first one -More than 650 thousand young people were to be involved in technical and vocational courses both regular and professional qualification the objective defined in the Government Programme is to have half of the upper secondary students enrolled in professional or technological education by 2010. *The second -Provide all adults who entered active life with low levels of education with a new opportunity, enabling them to recover, complete and progress in their studies; -Qualify 1,000,000 active workers by 2010, through the national RVCC, as well as through the AET Courses, and the new possibility through Modular Certified Training (MCT). Achieving these objectives implies: (i) The profound and consistent development of the RVCC; (ii) The availability of suitable complementary adult education and training provision; and (iii) The implementation of a system of quality certification for the training entities that will ensure the highest standards of exigency and, most importantly, the strong commitment and involvement of both workers and companies. The RVCC is particularly important for the NOC’s. *Core “business” RVCC aims: -reinforce individual self-esteem and social justice; -promote adults’ integration in new processes of formal learning; -recognize individual ability to learn. The RVCC process and the AET courses are grounded on one National Qualification Catalogue and a double Key Competences Frame of Reference: -one to obtain a formal certificate of 4, 6 and 9 years of schooling and on the specific Occupational Standards to get a level I and II of professional qualification, and -other to acquire a formal certificate of 12 years of schooling and/or a professional level III. During a formal and social event, the adult presents, in a public meeting, mostly in a media presentation, his/her dossier or reflection portfolio. There is an out sourced certified evaluator together with the adult personal counsellor and the process ongoing trainers. To monitorize all this work, ANQ creates a central control instrument called SIGO – (Integrated System for Management of the double certification training supplies). SIGO MAIN OBJECTIVES: -to be a monitoring device; -to support central decision making; -to strengthen the training supply legibility. A wide information and awareness-raising Campaign was carried out via the media in 2007, also in 2008 and lately in 2010 with the objective of promoting the social valuing of investment in adult education and training from a lifelong perspective “It pays to learn” is the moto. This initiative, needs critical mass (socio dynamic) and, most of all, it needs time… A specialized Training Programme addressed to the pedagogical teams of the New Opportunities Centers is annually developed at national and regional level. In 2008, a set of public universities with advanced knowledge in the field of Adult Learning and Education (ALE) is developing training for the New Opportunities Centers’ teams, within the framework of a cooperation agreement with the National Qualifications Agency. There were 269 New Opportunities Centers at the beginning of 2007, the number stands in 2010 at 454 centers functioning, which implies that the technical and pedagogic teams involve 12996 direct members. The NOC activities integrate three dimensions guide lined for a Quality Chart: -the adult’s enrolment phase; -the diagnosis phase; -the adult’s decision-making phase (RVCC or another qualification/training path). To accomplish the functions referred, each center has a technical pedagogical team. 1. The Director, a member of the public schools board, who: -Represents the center and ratifies the validation jury decisions; -Can also be the pedagogical coordinator. 2. The pedagogical Coordinator, who: -Assures the pedagogical and organic management of the Center; -Is responsible for the Strategic Intervention Plan of the center and the activities report; -Increases and coordinates the center’s activity in order to serve the local community; -Promotes the ongoing training; -Guarantees permanent self-evaluation of the center; -Makes information available; -Has a higher education degree. 3. The diagnosis and “pathfinder” Counselor, who advises the adult regarding the best pathway to achieve a certification according to his/her own profile and life experience. 4. The recognizing and validating competences Counselors , who: -Inform, counsel and guide the adult; -Monitor the RVCC process; -Are closely linked with the trainers; -Support and coach the adult; -Identify complementary training needs during the RVCC process; -Must have a higher education degree under these main conditions- *the knowledge of competence balance between life story methodologies and The Key Competences Frame of Reference; *the occupational experience working with adults and *the concrete connection with the local reality where the center operates. 5. The Trainers, who: -Support the recognition process and validate the candidate’s competences; -Keep closely in touch with the RVC counselor and the other trainers; -Assess the residual complementary training adult’s need to comply with a certification; -Must have, in general and according to the laws in force- (i) Qualification as a teacher in the specific Key Competences Area of each Frame of Reference and (ii) Certification as a qualified trainer. REFERENCES COTRIM, A. (2010), The Impact of New Opportunities Centers (NOC) on school organization and on teachers’ work, Lisbon University, Institute of Education. (english) GOMES, M. & SIMÕES, F. (2007). NOC quality chart. Lisbon. NQA. (portuguese) EDUCATION AT A GLANCE (OCDE), (2010) (english) THE DEVELOPMENT AND STATE OF THE ART OF ADULT LEARNING AND EDUCATION(ALE) (2008) National report of Portugal at CONFINTEA by Agência Nacional para a Qualificação (National Qualifications Agency) (english)