Changes in Teacher Education at the Faculty of Education in Jagodina

1. Faculty of Education in Jagodina Prof Sretko Divljan Prof Violeta Jovanovic, PhD Suncica Macura, PhD Ilijana Cutura, MA Verica Milutinovic, MA Vladimir Stanojevic Vesna Petrovic, MA Vera Savic, MA Changes in Teacher Education at the Faculty of Education in Jagodina

2. 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 Faculty of Education in Jagodina

3. “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” “practical school orientation” Sreten Adžić, founder of Boys’ Teacher Training School in Jagodina, 1898

4. “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 “practical school orientation”

5. 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. When did the changes start?

6. 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 STEP Objectives

7. 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 How did the changes start?

8. 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 Why action research?

9. 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

10. 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 Team

11. 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 Focus

12. 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 Action Research Stakeholders agreed on the necessity of reform:

13. Curriculium of class-teacher education Intake examination Model, organisation and realisation of student teaching practice Curriculum of postgraduate studies New model of permanent critical evaluation should produce changes in:

14. 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 New Teams for Curriculum Reform

15. By learning! - Because they sincerely believed: • Changes were necessary and feasible • Because they sincerely: • Worked towards changes • And believed in success How did teaching staff of Faculty of Education acquire competences necessary for reform?

16. By working in teams to design development and research projects, contributing both to the reform of the Faculty and to their own professional development How did we learn?

17. 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 EcologyTeaching Projects supported by the Government of Finland and Embassy of Finland:

18. 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. TEMPUS Projects:

19. 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 International Conferences

20. 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 National Conferences

21. Development of competences in foreign languages and information technology • Foreign language courses for the Faculty teachers • ICT courses for the Faculty teachers

22. Study toursHelsinki, Athens, Koper, Ljubljana

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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 Steps and Results of Reform at the Faculty of Education in Jagodina

26. New concept of intake exam literate students able to teach basic literacy skills basic literacy test (grammar, orthography and punctuation) reading comprehension test ability to learn with understanding emotional literacy, response to children’s needs and feelings, empathy, acceptance and respect for diversity Interview for social competences

27. Theory-practice integration model Continuous practice throughout the academic year, well-planned and structured, supervised by academic mentors New model of student teaching practice

28. 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) Reformed class-teacher curriculum

29. Professional education in one primary school subject taught in upper primary grades Specialising in chosen subject methodology at master level Enhancement of class-teacher competences in subject teaching (primary grades 5 and 6)

30. Statistics of applying Bologna process at the Faculty of Education in Jagodina

31. Rise in average success of students ofclass-teaching at the Faculty of Education in Jagodina

32. 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 Permanent results of action research and curriculum reform:

33. Thank you for your attention! www.pefja.kg.ac.rs