The professional development of teachers and trainers: a European perspective

There is general consensus among European Community countries on trying to identify ways to improve the links between initial teacher training (ITE), induction and continuing professional development (CPD), encourage schools and teachers to take greater ownership of their own CPD and develop schools as institutions which support and encourage lifelong learning for their staff and students.

Even Malta, as a member state, has decided to become involved in this initiative because of the specific issues and policy concerns raised. Some of these practical and policy issues include:

¤ How to improve the quality of initial teacher education;

¤ What policy options exist for the reform of teachers' continuing professional development (CPD);

¤ How to encourage schools and training providers to work together on CPD and induction;

¤ How to encourage teachers' to take responsibility for their own CPD and lifelong learning;

¤ How to create a genuine continuum through ITE, induction and CPD.

Through the discussions held by member states one could see that the issues which surfaced revolved round how one views challenge and support. Arising from these twin themes of challenge and support; the importance of centralised policy making in education systems; the importance of placing learners central to the process of CPD; and ensuring that all pupils benefited from a high quality education system, were central to the discourse. Locally, we are witnessing a strong wave of educational reforms, driven by the belief that we need to decentralise greater responsibilities to the school site as this will improve the quality of education provided. This in turn implies accountability to those who are taking the decisions and the need for stronger support and monitoring services at the centre.

Within such a context the themes of challenge and support become critical. Michael Barber argues that these choices can be represented on the accompanying diagram where the level of challenge indicates how satisfied a ministry of education is with the current system and how much it expects the system to improve. In this model, a country's national system can be identified as belonging to one of the four quadrants.

For a national education system to succeed, Prof. Barber argues that challenge has to be combined with support. Challenge without support leads to demoralised staff and conflict between schools, the education ministry and wider society. Support without challenge leads to an unclear national vision and a complacent approach where only some schools make steady progress. In many situations the task for policy makers is to help their system move from its current position to one where there is high challenge and support based on a clear vision.

Where we fall or place ourselves very much depends on our experiences; the institution we form part of; and how close we are to the policy makers. It is evidently clear that there are a wide range of ways to challenge a national system to improve practice. The ministry, schools and teachers could each challenge the system to improve. Within our context, in-service education and training (INSET) and school-based development initiatives could be used to challenge and support teachers and schools to identify ways to improve pupils' experiences so that they could gain more from their education. The ministry through its literacy and numeracy projects and the introduction of school development planning, are just a few examples of how central authorities challenge staff within their own education system.

Prof. Barber's quadrant offers us one way of locating our education system with regard to challenge and support. Our country's context and traditions are important in deciding who offers the support and challenge. What is important is that we need to challenge complacency, stagnation and demoralisation by creating, nurturing, personal and collective motivation. Often we find that personal motivation may be high but this is often abused or ridiculed in a context that does not believe in the value that each one of us brings to the educational discourse and platform. Alternatively, we may encounter situations where the overall motivation is high but some individuals may lack the motivation, the drive or commitment to contribute.

A number of policy issues are emerging within the EC group which are definitely worth tackling. What is imperative to realise is that we are being challenged to "think outside the box" and that means that different stakeholders need to come together and engage in a deliberate and critical discourse. These key questions relate to:

¤ Teachers' motivation and their rewards for participation;

¤ How much of the content of any CPD programme should be determined by the central authorities;

¤ How to improve the schools knowledge of human resource practices;

¤ Which aspects of school life are most valued;

¤ How best to organise induction for those new to the profession.

Teachers' motivation and reward
This is an area that requires quite a lot of thought and debate. This needs to centre round the type of incentives (e.g. promotion, status, additional pay, credit towards further degrees) and the levels of expectations set by the system (e.g. part of the performance management and appraisal system (PMPs in State schools), a statutory part of a new teachers' induction and/or probation).

The role of central authorities
The discussions emphasised the need to ensure that an appropriate balance between a centrally determined and controlled training provision and a decentralised system which gives power, finance and responsibility to individual schools. As we move towards a more decentralised system where schools/networks are more responsible for self-evaluation and improvement it becomes imperative that the school's priorities are aligned with the vision associated with the national system.

Human resource issues
As policy makers consider ways of empowering schools so that they can be expected to become more responsible for improving teachers' performance and pupils' achievements, one needs to focus on human resource issues. Within this context, schools will need to be supported in order to maintain teachers' interest and motivation throughout their careers in order that schools can become learning communities which support lifelong learning.

Discourse focused on the importance behind concepts like distributed leadership and school leadership as heads of school will need to develop new skills in order to support the training and development of their staff and their involvement in school-based decision making.

What is valued?
What is most valued by a national system often determines the focus of attention in schools. What is valued is determined by our vision and mission statements, by national and school priorities. What philosophy determines the CPD opportunities that are provided at a national and school level?

Induction
The issue related to the value and importance of a period of induction for teachers entering the profession. European countries express widespread support for requiring that new teachers embark on training programmes which support their induction into a specific school. Induction can also provide support for teachers returning to the profession after a break in their career, teachers moving from one school to another, moving from one sector to another, and for newly-promoted school leaders. Mentors from within the school can offer a valuable resource which could aid mutual learning and assist a large range of staff within the school. There is a general trend to develop a continuum for teachers covering their pre-service, induction and CPD. Definitely a key area for development within the local context.

Next steps
Within this context a lot of work awaits the Maltese authorities. The points shared here can serve as a platform for the relevant stakeholders to start a critical discourse that will view the area of teachers' professional development within the knowledge society.

Dr Bezzina, from the Faculty of Education, University of Malta, represents Malta in the Teachers and Trainers Cluster group within the European Commission.