Page 63 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Training Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
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Teachers’ Professional Development

Tina Vršnik Perše, Maša Vidmar and Tina Rutar Leban

Synopsis
The continuing professional development (CDP) of teachers is one of
the most important approaches for preventing ESL. Improving ed-
ucators’ competencies (e.g. communication, discipline management
and cooperation competencies) implies improving students’ educa-
tional experience and reducing their risk for ESL. CPD should in-
tertwine the different modes (e.g. study groups, self-reflection etc.)
taking teachers’ motivation, interests and their stage of professional
development into account.
Summary
Regardless of the quality of (future) teachers’ and other educators’
formal preservice education, it cannot be expected that it can pre-
pare them for all situations that will occur during their education
practice. Therefore, education systems are trying to provide oppor-
tunities for their continuing professional development so as to estab-
lish high education standards and well-qualified staff (OECD, 2009).
In order to examine the related issues on the international level,
the TALIS (Teaching and Learning International Survey; 2009) has
adopted a definition of professional development among teachers as
“activities that develop an individual’s skills, knowledge, expertise
and other characteristics as a teacher”. In the last few decades, several
professional development models have been developed accordingly

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