THE FEATURES OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF IRISH PEDAGOGICAL STAFF OF SCHOOL INSTITUTIONS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25128/2415-3605.18.1.16Keywords:
post-graduate teacher education, continuous professional development, in-service developmentAbstract
The features of Irish post-graduate teacher education system have been revealed and participation of school teachers in continuous professional development has been highlighted. The strategy papers of Teaching Council, defining professional development of Irish teachers, – «Policy on the Continuum of Teacher Education» and Cosán Framework for Teachers’ Learning have been analyzed. The Department of Education of Ireland plays the leading part in the provision of school teachers with professional and in-service development programmes of appropriate quality level. Teacher Education Section (TES) is responsible for the implementation of this urgent task. TES was founded in 2004 to reflect the Department’s point of view on teacher education as a continuum. TES embraces direction and management of wide range teacher education services. Moreover, it provides quality control, enabling the supply of education support for teachers and school leaders. In 2010 the Department of Education re-conceptualized its provision of school support and teacher professional development. As a result, in September 2010 it founded the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST). The PDST is a modern integrated cross-sectoral teacher professional development assistance service. It operates on the regional and national levels. Multi-disciplinary regional teams of mentors, trainers and facilitators give their assistance to school teachers according to their needs. They work in close cooperation with the Education Centre Network. On the national level, the Service provides teacher professional development assistance in a wide range of education areas. The national network of Education Centres comprises 21 full-time and 9 part-time teacher training centres. They are considered to be the main partners of the Department of Education in the provision of continuous professional development for teachers. Irish school teachers are active participators of professional development programmes and events. The strongest motivations for their engagement in continuous professional development are advancement of their career, meeting professional needs, improvement of their teaching and learning, mastering innovative teaching technologies. According to the primary teachers’ points of view, the most effective forms of continuous professional development are face-to-face programmes, courses and events; school-based collaborative professional discussions, informal dialogues with colleagues, peer observation, mentoring newly-qualified teachers. Nowadays in Ireland there are going on the consultation processes dealing with the ascertaining the amount of continuous professional development (in credits) teachers will have to take in order to renew their registration in the Teaching Council.
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