CHANGES IN TEACHER EDUCATION AT THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION IN JAGODINA

Faculty of Education in JagodinaProf Sretko Divljan

Prof Violeta Jovanovic, PhDSuncica Macura, PhD

Ilijana Cutura, MAVerica Milutinovic, MA

Vladimir StanojevicVesna Petrovic, MA

Vera Savic, MA

FACULTY OF EDUCATION IN JAGODINA

continues the tradition of the Boys’ Teacher Training School

founded in 1898 following the Scandinavian model of “practical school orientation”

transformed into the Faculty of Teacher Education in 1993

in 2006 became the Faculty of Education in Jagodina

“PRACTICAL SCHOOL ORIENTATION”

“Our schools have always suffered from two main drawbacks: avoiding practical orientation, being even ashamed of it, ignoring application of acquired knowledge in practice, in life”

“All our schools have always provided education that prepared young people for office work, instead of giving them skills to participate in civil life, i.e. entrepreneur skills for starting business and helping progress”

Sreten Adžić, founder of Boys’ Teacher Training School in JagodinaSreten Adžić, founder of Boys’ Teacher Training School in Jagodina, 1898, 1898

“PRACTICAL SCHOOL ORIENTATION”

“All teachers of this school will do their best to teach sciences clearly and with examples, so that graduate class teachers educated here will be able to model the same style of teaching in people’s schools throughout the country, liasing teaching with life and practical application of sciences.”

Sreten Adžić, founder of Boys’ Teacher Training School in Jagodina, 1898

WHEN DID THE CHANGES START?

in 2004, initiated by the teaching staff of the Faculty of Education in Jagodina

Through symbolic, but not accidental return to partnership with the Scandinavian system of education

In the framework of the Finnish-Serbian Teacher Education Project STEP, 2002-2006.

STEP OBJECTIVES

Promotion and development of class-teacher education Changing class-teacher attitudes to teaching and

practice

Promotion and development of university-teacher competences necessary for building new class-teacher competences

High-quality class-teacher education as a result of reforming faculties educating class-teachers

Development of professionalism

HOW DID THE CHANGES START?

Through action research

Upgrading Professional Competences of Teaching Staff at the Faculty of Education in Jagodina, 2004

In cooperation with the Institute for Pedagogical Research in Belgrade

WHY ACTION RESEARCH?

Reforming processes which had already been started at other teacher education faculties within the STEP Project were not successful

The need for introducing changes was regarded as imposed and not necessary

Continuation of reforming processes at Serbian class-teacher education faculties was endangered

ACTION RESEARCH It was the first time all faculty teachers gathered

around problems that did not concern daily academic life, but their own professional engagement and development

Common objective was to research current teaching practice and solve real and concrete problems together

Working meetings were held regularly during several weeks.

ACTION RESEARCH TEAM

Reflecting on own teaching practice, faculty teachers decided to involve other stakeholders into the discussions:

Faculty students School teachers Representatives of educational institutions:- Institute for Pedagogical Research- Institute for Educational Development- Teacher Education Centre of the Faculty of Philosophy in

Belgrade

ACTION RESEARCH FOCUS

Student workload Academic study courses Organisation of activities at the Faculty Theory – practice relationship Relationship with local practice schools Intake examination Development of values in class-teacher

education Evaluation system of student achievement

ACTION RESEARCH STAKEHOLDERS AGREED ON THE NECESSITY OF REFORM:

Because of obvious weaknesses found in existing system of class-teacher education

Because of incompatibility of system of class-teacher education with requirements of initial teacher education, which was undergoing dynamic changes

NEW MODEL OF PERMANENT CRITICAL EVALUATION SHOULD PRODUCE CHANGES IN:

Curriculium of class-teacher education Intake examination Model, organisation and realisation of

student teaching practice Curriculum of postgraduate studies

NEW TEAMS FOR CURRICULUM REFORM Open, mixed-status groups commited to

change Grouping according to affinities and wider

interests and understanding of problems (which became prominent in the course of action research)

Enthusiasm and initiative of young teaching staff, who got full professional and human freedom and support

HOW DID TEACHING STAFF OF FACULTY OF EDUCATION ACQUIRE COMPETENCES NECESSARY FOR REFORM?

By learning!

- Because they sincerely believed: Changes were necessary and feasible

- Because they sincerely:- Worked towards changes- And believed in success

HOW DID WE LEARN?

By working in teams to design development and research projects, contributing both to the reform of the Faculty and to their own professional development

PROJECTS SUPPORTED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF FINLAND AND EMBASSY OF FINLAND:

2004-2006 Serbian Teacher Education Project STEP

2007-2008 Curriculum Development Reform: Improvement of practice teaching and research

2009-2010 Increased Responsibility in Human Rights and Ecology Teaching

TEMPUS PROJECTS:

2007-2009 Curriculum Reform in Teacher Education (JEP-41074) TEMPUS III - Coordinator: Faculty of Education in Jagodina; partners: universities of Helsinki, Athens, Koper, Belgrade, Niš.

2010-2013 Education Policy Study Programme in Serbia and Montenegro (E.P.S.P) TEMPUS IV - (159074-JPCR); partners: universities of Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac, Montenegro, Ljubljana, Denmark)

2010-2013 Modernising Teacher Education in a

European Perspective, TEMPUS IV – (159048 – JPCR); partners: universities of Munster, Novi Sad and Kragujevac.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES 2009 Promoting Teacher Education – from Intake to

Teaching Practice - Mentorship in Student Teaching Practice - Multidisciplinary Approach in Primary Education - Intake System at Teacher Education Faculties - Criteria and Methodology of Evaluation in Teacher

Education

2005 Developing Communicative Competences of Students and Teachers

2005 Contemporary Teacher Education in Europe: Experiences and Tendencies

NATIONAL CONFERENCES

2007 Childern’s Literature in Theory and Teaching Practice

2008 Ethical Dimension of Education

2008 Art in Teaching Methodology

2008 Responding to Diversity in Teaching English to Young Learners

2008 Methodology Aspects of Teaching Mathematics

Participation of more than 150 experts from the country and abroad

DEVELOPMENT OF COMPETENCES IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Foreign language courses for the Faculty teachers

ICT courses for the Faculty teachers

STUDY TOURSHELSINKI, ATHENS, KOPER, LJUBLJANA

PERMANENT UPDATING OF THE FACULTY LIBRARY HOLDINGS- from 2005 to 2009 total number of 5912 copies of books purchased, 3097 new titles- on average 1182 books purchased per year, i.e. 653 new titles a year

PERMANENT UPDATING OF EQUIPMENT AND TEACHING AIDS ICT Center and Learning

Center comprising 20 computers each, with permanent Internet access

Classrooms and lecture halls equipped with electronic boards, video projectors, computers, document cameras and other modern teaching aids

STEPS AND RESULTS OF REFORM AT THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION IN JAGODINA

2005 – University of Kragujevac accredited new curriculum of class-teacher education, bachelor and master levels

2009 – new reformed curriculum adapted to national accreditation requirements, weaknesses of 2005 curriculum recognized and improved

2006 – new model of student teaching practice approved

2009 – new concept of intake exam approved

NEW CONCEPT OF INTAKE EXAM

basic literacy test(grammar, orthography and

punctuation)

reading comprehensiontest

Interview forsocial competences

emotional literacy, response to children’s needs and feelings, empathy, acceptance and respect for diversity

ability to learn with understanding

literate students able to teach basic literacy skills

NEW MODEL OF STUDENT TEACHING PRACTICE

Theory-practice integration model

Continuous practice throughout the academic year, well-planned and structured, supervised by academic mentors

REFORMED CLASS-TEACHER CURRICULUM

Higher number of academic subjects that develop interpersonal and civic competences: Interaction and Communication Non-Violent Communication Children’s Rights Children with Special Educational Needs Inercultural Education Education for Sustainable Development

Higher number of academic subjects related to communication in foreign languages (Foreign Language as a compulsory, elective and modular subject)

ENHANCEMENT OF CLASS-TEACHER COMPETENCES IN SUBJECT TEACHING (PRIMARY GRADES 5 AND 6)

Professional education in one primary school subject taught in upper primary grades

Specialising in chosen subject methodology at master level

STATISTICS OF APPLYING BOLOGNA PROCESS AT THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION IN JAGODINA

Percentages of students not passing to the new academic year

First academic

year

Second academic year

Third academic year

Fourth academic year

generation 2005 23,57% 8,33% 9,1% /

generation 2006 11,53% 4,34 / /

generation 2007 6,15% / / /

Percentages of students passing to the new academic year

2008/09 academic year

2009/10 academic year

Class teacher 91,42% 92,31%

RISE IN AVERAGE SUCCESS OF STUDENTS OF CLASS-TEACHING AT THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION IN JAGODINA

PERMANENT RESULTS OF ACTION RESEARCH AND CURRICULUM REFORM: Democratisation of management and decision

making at the Faculty Positive and creative atmosphere among Faculty

teachers Sense of ownership and team-work

competences Permanent openness to new ideas and

initiatives Accepted model of permanent evaluation, self-

evaluation and change Active engagement of students in a variety of

Faculty activities

Thank you for your attention!

www.pefja.kg.ac.rs