Methodology for the Self-development of Professional
Personality in the Information Era
by Svätopluk Michalčák
Key words: Formative aims, interaction, binary thinking, inner
standard.
Abstract
Rapid changes (by a constant decline of
developing countries) are the symptoms of the information age. They
create more competitive, wider and changing professional
environment with new requirements on professional qualities.
Management of change – adaptation is required. Many steps have been
done already on our way from Land Surveying (LS) to Geo-spatial
Engineering (GSE): restructuring of courses, CPE and also the theory
of geoinformation – intellectual core for geoinformation
management.
With the overflow and aging of information (I),
interaction with nontraditional partners, qualities of youth increases
the role of conceptual, basic principles of education (e. g. formative
role of I) enabling the orientation and evaluation of various type of
I. Even in professional subjects are needed the impulses for "non-administrative"
factors: change of inertia (binary thinking), motivation, analytical
thinking, etc.
All this can be more done effective when the
individual knows the basic methodology of management of his abilities.
Therefore we developed a simple methodological system – frame
for individual self-development according to educational level
of L.S.
Methodological frame is based on start
conditions like: Formative aims of education, feedback, impact of
professional and medial information (selection, distorsion, clichés,
brain qualities and limits). Main principles includes:
– it requires an
appropriate analysis
Priorities – sequence of importancy
Selfrealisation by selfcognition –
improvements of prof. qualities, joy of cognition and analytical
thinking
Interactivity of cognition, thinking
and communication – most important, it facilitates
a pragmatic self-development and the way of thinking
For adaptation, improvement of a process we
have to find out the factors creating the existing standing –
information (not just to register it) the most decisive ones
– to analyse the process or to estimate
the value of the I. According to the structure of L.S. courses
we developed a simple cognitive analysis which serves as
a theoretical core for further applications .
Decisive role for the objective cognition of
the outside world played the measurement with it specific
concepts of comparison and standards. Most general and simplest
mathematical presentation of outside processes gives the Hagen
theorem. According to it the quality Q of a phenomenon or
process is created by the interaction of elementary (secondary)
factors.
For estimation, evaluation of processes we use the
analysis in steps which include the identification, interaction,
classification and changing of elementary factors. Such gradual
analysis is simple and time saving. Its application was
widened also for psychological processes of education. It
serves also as a first step for overcoming of binary thinking.
As a orientation measure for the estimation of differences in
professional environment or professional qualities we introduced s.c. inner
standard.
We adapted the theoretical core for various task in
education and profession also outside of LS, often for s.c. integrated
approach to optimation, adaptation of tertiary education. It is
a complicated development of abilities – brain quality
in a system : teacher – student – environment. Decisive are
here the interaction of psychological factors. Even their
simplest application can be helpful, effective and motivative.
Methodological frame is presented as an orientation
tool and support for management of long-periodical practical activity.
Therefore it was completed by a series of hints for practical
training. The selection of hints depends on the target group, the
length and type of application.
Applications. The frame enables
a simple identification and evaluation of factors creating the
standing of processes incl. personal qualities and ways for their
change. It has been applied for various fields of education + industry
firstly for tailoring of standard subjects and professional studies
and the analysis of standing of profession.
Widest modification enables the core of our
methodology – the cognitive analyses. It serves for the training of
pragmatic thinking, communication (also outside of L.S.), for the attraction
of freshmen and establishment of new courses (e.g. UNIDO
project in Sri Lanka), as a part of Professional English or
special seminar. Most encouraging have been the reaction by top
professors and young colleagues in Europe as well as in Commonwealth
countries. They appreciated the orientation of selfmanagement toward
practical activity, cognition and improvement of their abilities,
utilisation of qualities of young brain, the influence of free
time industry and binary thinking, effect of motivation and
biorhythm. Especially impressive were the reactions of colleagues in
developing countries.
Assoc. Prof. Svätopluk Michalčák, PhD.
Department of Geodesy and Cartography
Faculty of Civil Engineering
Slovak University of Technology
Radlinského 11
813 68 Bratislava
SLOVAKIA
E-mail : michalcak@pobox.sk
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