Page 127 - Ana Mlekuž in Igor Ž. Žagar, ur. • Raziskovanje v vzgoji in izobraževanju: Digitalizacija vzgoje in izobraževanja – priložnosti in pasti. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut, 2023. Digitalna knjižnica, Dissertationes 46
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enhancing knowledge and skills in autism spectrum disorders ...
sary to earn an additional salary. Similarly, in the EU, fewer than half of the
countries mandate CPD and even fewer require it for staff working with
younger children (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2019). CPD
has the potential to yield supplementary qualifications in certain countries
(ibid.), such as Italy. The required minimum hours of CPD per year for pre-
school teachers vary widely across countries, from no legal requirement in
Sweden to 10 in Cyprus and 50 hours in Italy, which roughly covers the av-
erage range in the EU (min: 5 hours, max: 90 hours; European Commis-
sion/EACEA/Eurydice, 2019). Likewise, it is very rare (only three countries)
for assistants to be subjected to the same rules, as is the case in Slovenia,
where assistants working in ECEC have the same hourly obligation as pre-
school teachers due to the Collective agreement for education in the Repub-
lic of Slovenia.
Similar to the duality seen in authorities responsible for ECEC (see Ta-
ble 5), this is also the case for CPD with some being approved at the nation-
al level (i.e., Ministry of Education) and others by regional governments
(see Table 7), which is also reported elsewhere (e.g., OECD, 2001; Vonta &
Jager, 2017; Bove & Cescato, 2017; Oberhuemer & Schreyer, 2017). The deci-
sion to choose a CPD program is generally left to the individual preschool
teacher, with various private and public institutions proposing, develop-
ing and implementing CPD programs. The types of training offered vary
by country, but they include professional training programs, online cours-
es, webinars, collegial learning through study circles, conferences, training
projects in institutions and many others (same or similar as stated by Euro-
pean Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2019). Although the majority of the
CPD still seems to be using frontal teaching format (e.g., seminars) some
seem to follow more innovative approaches (Baumeister & Grieser, 2011;
Urban et al., 2011; Vonta & Jager, 2017; Zaslow et al., 2010), such as e-learn-
ing, co-learning, research-based initiatives. CPD courses can be tailored to
meet specific municipal needs and can range from short-term courses to
comprehensive preschool teachers' training programs. The CPD in select-
ed countries appears to be aligned with the research on effective CPD (e.g.,
Mitchell & Cubey, 2003; Molinuevo & Ahrendt, 2015); by tailoring CPD to
local needs, offering educators the opportunity to select relevant courses,
providing mentoring or coaching, etc. The content of CPD is diverse (and
may include training on working with children with special educational
needs, including those with autism spectrum disorders).
127
sary to earn an additional salary. Similarly, in the EU, fewer than half of the
countries mandate CPD and even fewer require it for staff working with
younger children (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2019). CPD
has the potential to yield supplementary qualifications in certain countries
(ibid.), such as Italy. The required minimum hours of CPD per year for pre-
school teachers vary widely across countries, from no legal requirement in
Sweden to 10 in Cyprus and 50 hours in Italy, which roughly covers the av-
erage range in the EU (min: 5 hours, max: 90 hours; European Commis-
sion/EACEA/Eurydice, 2019). Likewise, it is very rare (only three countries)
for assistants to be subjected to the same rules, as is the case in Slovenia,
where assistants working in ECEC have the same hourly obligation as pre-
school teachers due to the Collective agreement for education in the Repub-
lic of Slovenia.
Similar to the duality seen in authorities responsible for ECEC (see Ta-
ble 5), this is also the case for CPD with some being approved at the nation-
al level (i.e., Ministry of Education) and others by regional governments
(see Table 7), which is also reported elsewhere (e.g., OECD, 2001; Vonta &
Jager, 2017; Bove & Cescato, 2017; Oberhuemer & Schreyer, 2017). The deci-
sion to choose a CPD program is generally left to the individual preschool
teacher, with various private and public institutions proposing, develop-
ing and implementing CPD programs. The types of training offered vary
by country, but they include professional training programs, online cours-
es, webinars, collegial learning through study circles, conferences, training
projects in institutions and many others (same or similar as stated by Euro-
pean Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2019). Although the majority of the
CPD still seems to be using frontal teaching format (e.g., seminars) some
seem to follow more innovative approaches (Baumeister & Grieser, 2011;
Urban et al., 2011; Vonta & Jager, 2017; Zaslow et al., 2010), such as e-learn-
ing, co-learning, research-based initiatives. CPD courses can be tailored to
meet specific municipal needs and can range from short-term courses to
comprehensive preschool teachers' training programs. The CPD in select-
ed countries appears to be aligned with the research on effective CPD (e.g.,
Mitchell & Cubey, 2003; Molinuevo & Ahrendt, 2015); by tailoring CPD to
local needs, offering educators the opportunity to select relevant courses,
providing mentoring or coaching, etc. The content of CPD is diverse (and
may include training on working with children with special educational
needs, including those with autism spectrum disorders).
127
