Education and Teacher Training Agency INSET Strategy for Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) Final draft March 2014 European Union Investment in the future “Improving the Quality of In‐Service Teacher Training System” Main project partner : A project implemented by: in consortium with: Project co‐financed by the EU from the European Social fund. This project is implemented by a consortium led by SPAN Consultants in consortium with CIEP, WUS Austria and CINOP. It started on the 2nd of May 2012 and will be implemented until the end of April 2014. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of SPAN Consultants. Education and Teacher Training Agency (ETTA): Donje Svetice 38, 10000 Zagreb Tel: 01/2785 000, Fax: 01/2785 001 E‐mail: [email protected] Web: www.azoo.hr For more information about EU funds: www.strukturnifondovi.hr For more information: Education and Teacher Training Agency: E‐mail: [email protected]; www.azoo.hr Ministry of Science, Education and Sports: E‐mail: [email protected]; www.mzos.hr Agency for Vocational Education and Training and Adult Education: E‐mail: [email protected]; www.asoo.hr Ministry of Labour and Pension Systems: E‐mail: [email protected]; www.mrms.hr Education and Teacher Training Agency INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) Final draft, March 2014 Table of Contents List of Annexes ............................................................................................................................................ 3 Executive Summary..................................................................................................................................... 4 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 6 2. Strategic Basis of the Strategy ................................................................................................................. 7 2.1. Vision ................................................................................................................................................................ 7 2.2. Mission ............................................................................................................................................................. 7 2.3. Aim ................................................................................................................................................................... 7 2.4. Values ............................................................................................................................................................... 7 2.5. Critical success factors ...................................................................................................................................... 8 3. Strategic Objectives ................................................................................................................................ 9 4. Starting points of the Strategy ............................................................................................................... 10 4.1. Why a new Strategy? ..................................................................................................................................... 10 4.1.1. Accession to the EU ........................................................................................................................................ 10 4.1.2. Changes in the education system ................................................................................................................... 11 4.1.3. Initial teacher education ................................................................................................................................. 13 4.1.4. Change of paradigm ........................................................................................................................................ 13 4.1.5. Demographic trends ....................................................................................................................................... 14 4.1.6. Inclusion .......................................................................................................................................................... 14 4.1.7. Impact of Global economic crisis on Europe and Croatia ............................................................................... 15 4.1.8. Impacts of Global economic crisis on the Education and Teacher Training Agency ....................................... 15 4.2. Organization and implementation of in‐service training in the ETTA ............................................................ 16 4.2.1. Legislation ....................................................................................................................................................... 18 4.2.2. Policy documents ............................................................................................................................................ 19 4.2.3. In‐service teacher training Strategy (2009‐2013) ........................................................................................... 20 5. Directions of development .................................................................................................................... 21 5.1. Improving quality of the education process ................................................................................................... 21 5.1.1. High quality teacher ........................................................................................................................................ 21 5.1.2. High quality teaching ...................................................................................................................................... 21 5.1.3. High quality in‐service training ....................................................................................................................... 21 5.2. Developing competences of educational staff ............................................................................................... 22 5.2.1. Educational staff competences ....................................................................................................................... 22 5.2.2. Specific head teacher’s competences ............................................................................................................. 23 5.3. Increasing efficiency ....................................................................................................................................... 24 5.4. Promoting creativity and innovation .............................................................................................................. 24 5.5. Developing co‐operation and partnership ...................................................................................................... 25 5.6. Promoting and conducting research .............................................................................................................. 26 5.7. Promoting and strengthening visibility of INSETT activities ........................................................................... 26 6. Areas of INSETT development ............................................................................................................... 28 6.1. Development of quality INSETT ...................................................................................................................... 28 6.2. Quality assurance of INSETT ........................................................................................................................... 29 6.3. Development of human resources .................................................................................................................. 31 6.4. Contribution to the development of education system .................................................................................. 32 6.5. Development of material resources ............................................................................................................... 33 6.6. Development of ICT for INSETT purposes ....................................................................................................... 34 6.7. Co‐operation with INSETT stakeholders ......................................................................................................... 35 6.8. Continuous research and needs analysis for the purposes of development ................................................... 36 6.9. Public promotion and visibility of INSETT ....................................................................................................... 36 7. Challenges and risks .............................................................................................................................. 38 8. Result indicators and timelines .............................................................................................................. 40 INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 2 List of Annexes Annex 1: Annex 2: Annex 3: Annex 4: Annex 5: Long‐term implementation plan of the strategy; ETTA INSETT Training template; Evaluation questionnaire; Trainers' reflections; List of persons involved in the design of this document. INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 3 Executive Summary The Education and Teacher Training Agency is responsible for the professional in‐service training of educational staff at all levels of general education. ETTA defined the long‐term development of this activity by the INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff 2014‐2020, which identifies the directions of development and sets a framework for activities towards improving the quality of in‐service training aiming at the development of competences of educational staff and improving learning outcomes. The Strategy is an evolving document based on the Strategy of In‐service Teacher Training 2009‐2013 and the Analysis of the existing ETTA INSETT system and assessment of the needs for in‐service training of teachers within the project Improving the Quality of In‐
service Teacher Training, as part of a wider effort to strengthen and develop the educational system in the Republic of Croatia. The creation of the Strategy was motivated by the need to establish a competitive European – and Croatian – economic area that requires modernization of the education and training system to increase employability, growth and mobility of the workforce. The change of the learning paradigm, global economic crisis, negative demographic trends and the principles of inclusion call for INSETT system restructuring and improvement. Changes in the Croatian educational system such as amendments to the Primary and Secondary Education Act, passing of Croatian Qualifications Framework Act and the National Framework Curriculum for Pre‐school Education and General Compulsory and Secondary Education should also be mentioned. The basis of the ETTA INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff 2014‐2020 is quality and what the Agency sees as high quality teaching and in‐service training as one of its major institutional tasks. The Strategy includes the strategic basis, strategic objectives, starting points for developing the Strategy, directions of development, INSETT development areas, challenges and risks, result indicators and activity realisation timelines. The Strategy is founded on the values that are ETTA’s trademarks in INSETT activities. The critical success factors featuring quality, experience, expertise, efficiency, appropriateness and relevance are the hallmark of ETTA activities and its driving force for the implementation of the Strategy. Challenges that led to the creation of the new Strategy and the key success factors at the same time represent the risks for both its successful implementation and the quality of INSETT activities carried out by ETTA. The objectives set by the Strategy will be carried out in the period from 2014 to 2020 through a variety of activities in line with the directions of development in the areas defined by current challenges, comprehensive analysis of the INSETT system and the assessment of the needs for in‐service training of teaching staff. The directions of development stated in the Strategy are improving the quality of the education process, developing the educational staff competences, increasing the efficiency, promoting creativity and innovation, developing cooperation and partnership, promoting and implementing research as well as publicly promoting and strengthening the visibility of INSETT activities. Areas of INSETT development of educational staff Development of in‐service training quality – ETTA will direct its potentials to make INSETT available to all, to make it continuous and diverse, targeted at the acquisition of new knowledge, skills and attitudes INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 4 necessary for improving professional competences. Quality control mechanisms and procedures will be systematically developed based on the quality indicators defined by this Strategy. Development of human resources – Human resources are the most significant strength of the current INSETT system provided by ETTA. Its advisors provide subject‐based and interdisciplinary support to the educational staff. The network of county coordinators of teacher training and teachers‐mentors and teachers‐advisors is a strong potential of the current system. Their professional competences necessary for working with educational staff will be developed systematically through training of trainers’ programmes. Contribution to the development of the educational system – In line with its legal role to provide support to the educational system, the ETTA will continue cooperating with stakeholders in its development. It will assume a proactive role in the harmonization of the education system with EU recommendations and good practice with the emphasis on professional development of educational staff. To implement the goals set out in this Strategy and in other national strategic documents the ETTA will use EU funds and take part in preparing and implementing development projects together with other stakeholders in the education system. Development of material resources – Further development of the material resources and working conditions of the ETTA employees will be targeted at raising the quality, effectiveness and availability of in‐service training to all educational staff. Development of ICT for INSETT needs – In terms of ICT development for in‐service teacher training ETTA will direct its activities at two levels:  Development of software tools in accordance with the Digital Agenda for Europe initiative;  Development of a platform containing a wide range of e‐learning materials In the upcoming period the Agency will promote e‐learning more pronouncedly as a new form of in‐
service training allowing greater accessibility to different forms of INSETT and an individualized approach. Cooperation with INSETT stakeholders – The ETTA as the main provider of INSETT will direct its efforts to establish stronger links with initial education. The cooperation between the ETTA and other institutions, associations, organizations and other INSETT providers is important for continuous improvement of the INSETT system for educational staff. Continuous research and needs analysis for the purposes of development – The ETTA will work on establishing cooperation with research institutions within research projects with a particular stress on the issues relevant to the professional development of educational staff and improvement of teaching and learning quality. Promotion of INSETT and its visibility – Beside systematic information given to the educational community, the ETTA will use an array of media to inform the wider public about this activity of the ETTA and thus raise the awareness of the importance of the professional development of educational staff for the quality of education. INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 5 1. Introduction The development of this Strategy is the response to the changes occurring in Croatia and in Europe. New challenges call for an intelligent, sustainable and inclusive growth, but also for new methods of teaching and learning. The Strategy is a support to educational staff in their lifelong professional learning, as, by quality teaching, competent educational staff can assist students in developing the competences which they need in the global labour market. The Strategy is developed respecting the history and tradition of Croatian education, relevant legislation and policy documents adopted by the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the analysis of relevant European documents. It is a “living document”, subject to change and revision in accordance with development of the Croatian education system. It is a policy document, evolved from the current ETTA In‐service Teacher Training Strategy, 2009‐2013, which sets a long‐term plan for further in‐service teacher training (INSETT) development and specifies activities to address the issues that need improvement. The Strategy is developed within the project ‘Improving the Quality of In‐Service Teacher Training System’ as a part of wider efforts to strengthen and improve the education system in Croatia. The purpose of the project is to raise the quality, effectiveness and relevance of INSETT system of the ETTA to be more supportive for the professional development of the educational staff and aim at improving the quality of teaching and developing students’ competences. The overall objective of the project is to improve the quality and effectiveness of the institutions responsible for the provision of education and training. Subsequently, the overall quality of the Croatian education system will also improve. The basis of the Strategy is quality and how the ETTA sees high‐quality teaching, teachers and in‐service training which is one of its major institutional tasks. The aim of the Strategy is to set a long‐term framework for the future development of the in‐service training system based on priorities and identified needs of the educational staff. INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 6 2. Strategic Basis of the Strategy 2.1. Vision Efficient and high quality in‐service training available to all educational staff, harmonized with their individual needs and the needs of the education system, which significantly improves the quality of teaching and learning outcomes. 2.2. Mission ETTA as a professional institution develops and ensures the quality and efficiency of in‐service training available to all educational staff, in accordance with their individual needs and the needs of the education system, focused on personal development and the development of professional competences, advancing the quality of teaching and improving the quality of learning outcomes. 2.3. Aim The aim of the strategy is to provide a framework of activities focused on improving the quality of the in‐service training system in order to further develop the quality of the education system in general through the development of competences of educational staff and enhanced learning outcomes. 2.4. Values The Strategy is based on the values that are the trademarks of ETTA’s INSETT activities in implementation of professional training for educational workers. These values are:  Excellence – a standard of performance paired with creativity and innovation is cultivated in all INSETT activities striving to excel in its provision and diversified support for the educational staff.  Trust – confidence in the educational staff that they are doing their best to improve their teaching practice through a variety of professional development activities. At the same time the confidence of all stakeholders that the ETTA knows what needs to be done, that it does it successfully, and that it can introduce improvements relying on its integrity, professionalism, potential and ability of its employees.  Responsibility – institutional and personal responsibility for the quality of activities aiming at the professional learning and development of educational staff.  Motivation – both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as a driving force for creativity and improvement which needs to be monitored and encouraged.  Flexibility – timely reaction to changes; capacity to adapt to new, different, or changing requirements of the system and educational staff and students’ needs.  Commitment – enthusiasm and commitment to the development of new in‐service training models aimed at the development of education staff competences.  Cooperation – at all levels with all institutions in the education sector to implement positive changes more effectively. INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 7 2.5. Critical success factors The critical success factors are the driving force of the Strategy and they reinforce its implementation.  Quality – the flagship of all present and future activities that the ETTA achieves with consistent provision of efficient in‐service training and support to educational staff in their professional development.  Experience – the Agency is the oldest omnipresent educational support and teacher training institution in the Croatian education system; the ETTA has the tradition, implicit and explicit knowledge and comprehensive practical understanding of the education system which is a critical factor in planning and implementing quality in‐service training programmes.  Availability – opportunities for all educational staff to participate in different types of professional learning making use of all available resources of knowledge and media.  Future orientation – identifying and interpreting changes at institutional level and triggering adequate responses and projections to ensure long‐term positive effects in the quality of teaching and learning through in‐service training of educational staff.  Global perspective – taking into account local and national needs in all the ETTA INSETT activities of educational staff with the inclusion of a global perspective which facilitates cooperation with all countries and cultures.  Competence approach – a shared understanding of the competences required to enter the teaching profession and their development throughout their professional careers.  Expertise – in‐service training programmes are based on relevant current subject knowledge from teaching methodology, developmental psychology and effective instructional practice.  Efficiency – in real time, addressing more INSETT participants with high quality programmes, achieve optimal impact on the quality of the teaching process and learning outcomes.  Appropriateness – suitability to the needs of the educational staff and to the specific individual needs of their pupils for optimizing their learning outcomes and personal growth in developing competences for lifelong learning and the labour market.  Relevance – the provision of relevant contemporary theories and practice enhances the educational process and education system as a whole assures progress and growth to keep abreast with the EU and wider and allow mobility of the educational staff and learners.  Visibility – recognisability of the Agency role in the education system and informing the educational stakeholders and wider community about the activities in the area of in‐service training.  Material resources – availability and sufficiency of resources to implement the Agency activities in in‐service training. INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 8 3. Strategic Objectives General Objectives •
•
•
•
Preserve national identity based on knowledge; Ensure the implementation of national priorities in the field of education policy; Improve the quality of teaching and learning; Monitor changes in the society and education system. Specific Objectives •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Develop a more efficient quality‐based in‐service training system; Harmonize in‐service training system with the recommendations of the EU; Develop ETTA human and material resources; Encourage the professional development of teaching and non‐teaching staff; Monitor training needs of teaching and non‐teaching staff for the development of competences; Organize in‐service training in line with the needs of the education system; Provide additional professional support to teaching and non‐teaching staff; Establish and maintain partnerships with national and international organizations; Utilize EU programmes and funds; Promote educational research for development purposes; Promote ETTA's activities. INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 9 4. Starting points of the Strategy The development context in the world has changed significantly in the last decade. External and internal changes call for re‐thinking of education strategies at national level. Economic, demographic, and technological changes are redefining the development challenge for all countries.1 4.1. Why a new Strategy? The Strategy drafted by the Education and Teacher Training Agency is a result of changes in Croatia and Europe. New challenges call for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth2 and “rethinking of education in line with new ways of learning and teaching”3. The Strategy provides support to the educational staff in their professional lifelong learning offering them modern in‐service training aimed at improving their professional competences. Trained educators and their high‐quality learning and teaching facilitate the development of pupils’ competences and ensure the achievement of expected learning outcomes. 4.1.1. Accession to the EU Croatia’s accession to the European Union on 1 July 2013 opens up new possibilities for the development of the educational system pursuant to the recommendations in the key documents4 and the European Union initiatives aimed at updating education and training systems to increase employability and growth. “Investment in education and training for skills development is essential to boost growth and competitiveness: skills determine Europe’s capacity to increase productivity.”5 As a part of a wider strategy for economic recovery the member states are invited to “make efforts...to improve the recruitment, professional development and overall status of school teachers6and headmasters, so as to increase the quality of teaching and of the learning environment”7. The construction of a competitive European and thus Croatian economic area requires mobility of the workforce. This implies recognition of their acquired competences for the benefit of not only workers but also of employers and the entire community. The European Qualification Framework (EQF) is a device for introduction of qualification reference levels to facilitate comparison and recognition of qualifications defined by diverse national qualification frameworks. The EQF promotes lifelong learning, renders competences and qualifications more transparent, which facilitates increasing mobility of workers and learners and easier recognition of their qualifications abroad. 1
Learning for All: Investing in People’s Knowledge and Skills to Promote Development; World Bank Education Strategy 2020; p.19 2
Europe 2020. 3
Rethinking Education, http://ec.europa.eu/education/news/rethinking_en.htm. 4
Europe 2020, Education and Training 2020, Rethinking Education, European Qualifications Framework, Common European Principles for Teacher Competences and Qualifications, EC Thematic Working Group ‘Teacher Professional Development’. 5
Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio‐economic outcomes, 2012, p. 2, http://ec.europa.eu/education/news/ rethinking_en.htm, COM (2012) 669 final/en. 6
The meaning of the term teacher in the document includes pre‐school teachers, primary and secondary school teachers. Terms such as teachers, associates, head teachers, coordinators of county professional councils (county coordinators) and senior advisors are used throughout the report as masculine nouns but also imply the female component of the educational staff. 7
Council conclusions of 26 November 2012 on education and training in Europe 2020, Official Journal of the EU, C 393/5, 19 December 2012, p. 6. INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 10 The Common European Principles for Teacher Competences and Qualifications underscores the key role of teachers in preparing pupils for EU citizenship and stresses the importance of recognizing teachers’ competences and qualifications between member states using the European Qualification Framework. Teachers’ key competences imply the ability to cooperate with others, to manage the knowledge, technology and information as well as to participate actively in society. “Teachers’ work in all these areas should be embedded in a professional continuum of lifelong learning which includes initial teacher education, induction and continuing professional development, as they cannot be expected to possess all the necessary competences on completing their initial teacher education”.8 In the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training9, the EU Council agrees that “in the period up to 2020, the primary goal of European cooperation should be to support the further development of education and training systems in the Member States”, stating that “there is a need to ensure high quality teaching, to provide adequate initial teacher education, continuous professional development for teachers and trainers, and to make teaching an attractive career choice.” Current changes confront teachers with rapidly changing demands and unprecedented challenges, which require a new set of competences. Successful development of teachers’ competences should be based on good strategies for the development of the initial teacher education and in‐service training systems. The European Commission called the member states to push forward the adoption of educational reforms to combat youth unemployment and to boost a variety of skills. One of the proposed activities is to “revise and strengthen the professional profile of all teaching professions (teachers at all levels, headmasters, teacher educators). Key actions are reviewing the effectiveness as well as the academic and pedagogical qualities of Initial Teacher Education, introducing coherent and adequately resourced selection systems, recruitment, induction and professional development of teaching staff based on clearly defined competences needed at each stage of a teaching career and increasing teacher digital competence”.10 4.1.2. Changes in the education system Changes in the Croatian education system occurred in the previous period affecting teaching and learning. Pursuant to the amendments to the Primary and Secondary Education Act that came into effect in August 2012, the National Education Council was established as a professional and strategic body which, among other things, monitors the quality of pre‐school, primary and secondary education and taking care of curriculum development. The provisions of the amendments to the Act terminated the grading of pupils at the end of the first semester. The Croatian Parliament passed the Croatian Qualification Framework Act (CROQF). The application of the CROQF will increase the mobility of workers and pupils by regulating the qualification system in the Republic of Croatia through clarifying the acquisition of qualifications, their permeability and quality. The CROQF is an essential means of linking qualification levels between the Republic of Croatia and the European Qualifications Framework. Therefore, CROQF incorporates provisions of the European 8
Common European Principles for Teacher Competences and Qualifications, p. 4. 9
Education and Training 2020, p.3&4; Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio‐economic outcomes, 2012, p. 15, http://ec.europa.eu/education/news/ rethinking_en.htm; COM (2012) 669 final/en. 10
INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 11 Qualification Framework, the European Union guidelines and international regulations. Furthermore, the CROQF is an important prerequisite for the regulation of the Croatian lifelong learning system and is the starting point of a society based on knowledge and social inclusion. Competences, as defined by the CROQF, are the “achieved employment of specific knowledge and skills, in line with given standards and the associated autonomy and responsibility”11. The National Curriculum Framework for Pre‐school Education and General Compulsory and Secondary Education drafted in 2010 which relies on the European Reference Framework – Key Competences for Lifelong Learning made a considerable step forward in the curriculum policy and planning by switching from knowledge transfer to the development of competences; this in turn led to changes in the approach and method of programming the education. The national framework introduced the principle of integrated, interdisciplinary and procedural planning of outcome‐oriented learning contents aimed at enabling learners to act competently in different areas of life. Experimental implementation of the Curriculum of Civic Education in 12 primary and secondary schools in the academic years 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 and introduction of a Curriculum of Health Education in all primary and secondary schools in the academic year 2012/2013 was based on the provisions of the national framework as a developmental document promoting learner‐oriented education. A curriculum oriented at child/learner requires adapting educational and teaching forms, work methods and means to the individual needs and abilities of learners to secure educational success of each individual. The introduction of a national school‐leaving exam provides greater impartiality in approaching pupils’ school achievements at a national level and improves the overall quality of school education. The Republic of Croatia joined the research projects in the field of education PISA, PIRLS, TIMSS and ESLC. In terms of systematic monitoring of the quality of the educational system, it is of national interest. In 2011 PIRLS reading testing Croatian pupils were ranked high, achieving the 8th place among 49 countries. This is way above the international average. In TIMMS 2011 science and maths testing the Croatian pupils were ranked a bit below the international average. Newly appointed head teachers, as managers and pedagogical leaders, meet a variety of new, challenging tasks for which they were not systematically trained. Skills and competences they acquired as educational staff are not sufficient for being a successful head teacher. Head teachers obtain competences necessary for leadership and management in educational institutions through professional training. This opens up a window of opportunity for new and different support for head teachers in educational institutions through various forms of professional training. School leadership incorporates “competences of staff, learners and parents to achieve common educational goals”. It also “determines the ethos of the school, the motivation of teachers, the depth of their continuing professional learning, and the quality of teaching and learning”. 12 It is important to provide tools enabling a head teacher in an educational institution to perform administrative duties as quickly as possible to give him/her more time to focus on the professional and pedagogical tasks in the institution. 11
Croatian Qualifications Framework, p. 16. Supporting the Teaching Professions for Better Learning Outcomes, p. 43, http://ec.europa.eu/education/news/rethinking_ en.htm/ EC SWD(2012) 374 final. 12
INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 12 4.1.3. Initial teacher education A high‐quality teacher is the critical factor to the quality of the educational system, whereas his/her education is the key guideline of his/her quality in any education system. The quality and synergy of all involved in the education of future teachers – including formal, non‐formal and/or informal learning – is very important. Apart from a significant number of modifications, the Bologna process impacts the updating of the initial teacher education curricula and harmonization with the European standards. The new curriculum emphasizes the student‐centred approach in which the children are its focal point leading to new approaches to forms, methods and principles of teaching, which includes development of teacher training models that will adequately equip teachers for the upcoming education reforms. Consequently, it is important to develop new models for lifelong learning of teachers aiming at equipping them for autonomous and proactive planning and teaching as well as for reflexive monitoring and improving of their own work. Teachers generally feel that upon graduation they lack practical teaching skills and the need for a better integration of theoretical and practical contents is generally recognized. As a consequence, a greater emphasis is placed on the practical aspect of initial education, on the horizontal permeability of the system (such as cooperation between universities), on cooperation with schools for teaching practice and on the relations between initial education and induction into the profession. According the authors of the Guidelines published in 2012, “Higher education needs to assure knowledge and competences for effective work…” and furthermore “In their missions the universities have to incorporate commitment to establish modern study programmes for educators and for their lifelong learning and continuing education, since first‐rate teacher education is the crucial foundation of the transformation of education.”13 4.1.4. Change of paradigm The paradigm shift is primarily reflected in new knowledge/theories of learning. Behaviourist learning theories dominant in the 1960’s were superseded by constructivism and other learning theories that opened new perspectives on learning. The idea that “we construct our understanding of our universe”14 is the premise of constructivism. Learning is no longer perceived as passive absorption and memorizing of pre‐defined facts and information one should reproduce. “Knowledge” cannot simply be “transferred” from teacher to student. Knowledge is “constructed’ in the learner’s mind, relying on previous experience, using active learning methods and reflecting on one’s own practice through constant enquiry and research. This learning paradigm shift is also known as the “child/student‐centred approach” (National Framework Curriculum) aimed at developing competences.15 It is in this respect that many experts advocate changes also in in‐service training, that is, in learning and professional development of teachers. Some of them pointed to inconsistencies such as “what everyone appears to want for pupils, a wide array of learning opportunities that engage pupils in experiencing, creating and solving problems, using their own experience and working with others is for some reason denied to the teachers when they are the learners”16. As a consequence of applying these findings the 13
Guidelines for Education, Science and Technology Strategy, 2012, p.44 &p. 24; Brooks, J., Brooks, M. (1993), The Case for Constructivist Classrooms. Alexandria, Va.: ASCD. 15
National Curriculum Framework for Pre‐school Education, General Compulsory and Secondary Education, Ministry of Science, Education and Sport of the Republic of Croatia, p. 17. 16
Lieberman, A. (1995.), Practices That Support Teacher Development. Phi Delta Kappan 76(8), pp. 591‐596. 14
INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 13 literature of Anglo‐Saxon countries stopped using the term training as transmission of knowledge. The term development is applied instead, compatible with contemporary understanding of teachers as active learners in charge of their own professional development. The change in the learning paradigm is a starting point to abandon traditional forms of in‐service training (such as theoretical lectures) and to embrace a variety of modern forms of professional development (for example, experiential learning). Teachers are assuming greater responsibility for their own learning and for a lifelong approach to the development of competences (key competences for lifelong learning and teacher competences). Also, it is a chance to establish a system in which all learning will be adequately validated (formal, non‐formal and informal education). Professional development is a statement of personal responsibility of each individual for growth and development based on the need to be successful for the pupils’ benefit. Broadly defined professional development covers initial education, induction programmes and continuous professional development in school settings.17 The TALIS survey also uses a very broad definition of professional development as “activities that develop an individual’s skills, knowledge, expertise and other characteristics as a teacher” (OECD, 2009, p. 49). Professional learning perspective “is inspired by adult learning and cognitive theories, according the paradigm of the teacher as a reflective practitioner, taking responsibility for learning to improve the quality of professional performance.”18 4.1.5. Demographic trends The recent 2011 census pointed to changes in the demographic structure in the Republic of Croatia revealed in the overall population decline and disproportionate age structure. The elderly population is on the rise while the child population – participants in the educational system – declines. The fact has a direct impact on the public school network, a decrease in teachers’ lesson norms within the educational institution he/she works for and the need for changes in the offer of adult education programmes. It also reveals a substantial number of foreigners and immigrants working and living in Croatia, whose mother tongue is not Croatian. At this point the educational system sees other‐language speaking children entering regular education without sufficient or non‐existing command of the Croatian language. This increases the number of children requiring additional assistance and attention. The accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union will open the labour market to European Union citizens and further boost the number of non‐native speakers participating in the educational system. Multiculturalism and multilingualism of the pupil population represents a challenge to the educational staff as they need to adapt their teaching to that diversity; all pupils need equal learning opportunities to accomplish social expectations. 4.1.6. Inclusion 17
TALIS (Teaching and Learning International Survey), Chapter 2 ‘Enhancing educational effectiveness through teachers’ professional development’, p. 19. 18
Caena, Francesca; Quality in Teachers’ continuing professional development, 2011, p.4; Education and Training 2020; TWG ‘Professional Development of Teachers’; INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 14 Every child has its own individual characteristics, interests, abilities and potential and the right to education aimed at achieving an adequate level of education. The education system needs to be created, and educational programmes implemented, in such a way as to take into consideration a broad spectrum of individual differences, needs and abilities of each child. This calls for new teacher competences. The UN Convention from 200619 commits governments to ensure inclusive education for all pupils. Inclusion is a systematic process (a step further from integration) of including children with special educational needs in regular programmes. The emphasis is on individualization, mutual interaction and focusing on opportunities and not disadvantages. The process of inclusion also involves changing of personal attitudes and creating new relations towards everything different and encourages mutual support. Inclusion is an essential component of good education and all changes have a positive impact on all pupils, including those with special educational needs. The diversity of pupils is a challenge to the educational staff as they need to adjust their teaching by removing barriers to participation, learning and achievements, and to promote inclusion and equality. Inclusion means that social expectations and aspects of the learning environment can be adapted in such a way that each student has equal possibilities to participate, achieve their potentials and learn. 4.1.7. Impact of Global economic crisis on Europe and Croatia "2012 has been another very bad year for Europe. After five years of economic crisis, recession has returned, unemployment has reached levels not experienced in nearly two decades and the social situation is also deteriorating. The effect of national automatic stabilizers, intended to keep up household expenditure and protect the most vulnerable, has weakened compared to the early years of the crisis"20. The Republic of Croatia is going through a difficult economic and financial period. The Croatian Bureau of Statistics reported a decline in economic growth throughout 2012. The country is facing economic and financial problems which reflect the global crisis and which, in great measure, also affected the European Union economy. The crisis reduced export and limited investment resulting in increasing unemployment of the work‐able population, increasing trade deficits and unbalanced regional development. The Government’s measures to tackle the crisis cut budgetary spending by larger users such as ministries and government agencies. Despite the general understanding that investment in education remains a priority, the crisis has also impacted that segment of the society. 4.1.8. Impacts of Global economic crisis on the Education and Teacher Training Agency As a consequence of the quoted measures, the Government cut funds available in the budget to the Education and Teacher Training Agency for in‐service training. Apart from this, due to the government measures to curb employment in public institutions funded from the budget, during the past several years the number of advisors employed in the Agency has also been reduced. At the same time the workload of the Agency’s advisors was increased. This and the instruction to organize in‐service training 19
United Nations International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006), Article 24, Section Education; 20
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId=en&pubId=7315 INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 15 for educational staff exclusively on non‐teaching days only diminishes the possibilities to arrange an adequate number of in‐service training events to cater for the needs of all system stakeholders. The analysis of the advisors’ duties showed their uneven scope and distribution of workload. In order to more efficiently use available resources and for the purposes of a higher efficiency of in‐service training, there is a need for introduction of changes in the organization of in‐service training and human and material resources management. The Agency’s activities are not visible enough as the communication and cooperation with educational staff are not sufficiently transparent. New measures should be implemented to improve the visibility of the Agency’s achievements, and to present to the public its events and projects. 4.2. Organization and implementation of in‐service training in the ETTA In‐service training is organised and implemented by 86 ETTA advisors21 from Zagreb, and Rijeka, Osijek and Split regional offices. Each advisor is a subject/subject area expert in charge of organizing in‐service training for about 800 to 1,200 educational staff of that subject/area in the whole Republic of Croatia, in one or more counties. Consequently, the in‐service training Strategy is not and cannot be uniform for all teaching and non‐teaching staff and all subject areas. At the county level an important role is given to the prominent educational staff appointed as county coordinators of teacher training. Their experience and expertise is used for educating others as each county coordinator arranges up to three in‐service training workshops per year for around 50 participants. With the Agency’s help, coordinators as experts forward important information and findings to the rest of the educational staff (the cascade model of in‐service training). The Agency’s Director appointed 1,461 county coordinators with funds for their work allocated from the State budget. The Agency organizes in‐service training events at the national, inter‐regional, regional and school levels. These events give all same subject/area teaching and non‐teaching staff an opportunity to obtain quick and efficient information, education and networking. Advisors plan training events at different levels according to the territorial division (regional/inter‐regional seminars) guided by the principle of work in small groups with less lecturing and a more workshop‐style approach. Training events at regional and county level are held in larger county centres but also in the smallest of towns in Croatia. All in‐service training events organized/co‐organized by the Agency are published on the Agency’s website www.azoo.hr. All the programmes of the training events define the objectives of in‐service training in terms of competence development. The choice of in‐service training depends on previously acquired knowledge and skills of participants, their experience, needs and preferences. In‐service training beneficiaries (target groups) are teaching and non‐teaching staff working in pre‐
school institutions, primary and secondary schools and pupils’ residence halls. For each target group in‐
service training is either subject‐based or interdisciplinary. To apply for an in‐service training event one must register online at the website www.ettaedu.eu. Upon completing the in‐service training participants receive an electronic certificate of participation. Probationary teachers are a particularly important target group and through in‐service trainings advisors prepare them for state exams and successful integration into teaching. All in‐service training events for teachers are normally planned for non‐teaching days, meaning 21
Data from the 2013 Education and Teacher Training Agency Report. INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 16 effectively they are carried out during spring, summer and winter school holidays for pupils. These one‐
day in‐service training events do not disturb the teaching process but in turn limit the time advisors have to implement the training. In‐service training events for other target groups (counsellors22, head teachers, pre‐school teachers and probationary teachers) – and exceptionally for teachers– can also be arranged on school days. The downside of this model is reflected in the fact that all advisors organise in‐
service training at the same time. In such a timeframe participants cannot attend more than one event and advisors have difficulties reaching the entire teacher population within their responsibility. County coordinators organize in‐service training events on school days, mostly in the afternoon. Despite being the leading institution of in‐service training for teaching and non‐teaching staff the Agency can, exceptionally, organize in‐service training events in its own premises. As a consequence, regional training events at inter‐county or county level take place in pre‐school institutions, primary and secondary schools, student halls of residence or campuses. At the national level, due to considerable interest of educational staff, in‐service training events can only be organised in hotel conference halls. In‐service training programmes and the topics they cover are based on the educational staff needs which stem from a variety of requirements which teaching and non‐teaching staff face, changes they experience in their environment, current educational policy needs and the competent Ministry, as well as the requirements for modernization of education based on the developments in the educational sciences. In‐service training programmes, therefore, have to satisfy initiatives coming from both the centre and the grassroots. Themes either pertain to subject‐specific sciences and development of strategies and skills or are of national importance. Lecturers are distinguished experts from institutions of higher education and institutions dedicated primarily to education, head teachers, counsellors from pre‐schools, primary and secondary schools as well as experienced teachers. The Agency cooperates with other institutions involved in creating and implementing the educational policy in the Republic of Croatia such as higher education institutions, ministries, centres and agencies and other stakeholders in the educational system. County coordinators of teacher training hire experts or successful practitioners as lecturers and workshop facilitators. Training is carried out in a variety of forms depending on the theme, the level at which in‐service training is implemented, the target group and the number of participants. At larger events the training is basically carried out in a combination of plenary lectures and small‐group workshop‐style activities. In smaller groups the training can be interdisciplinary, modular, project‐based, learning community, videoconference, experiential learning and independent work in line with new technologies. As a rule, all in‐service training events end with a discussion, proposals for future activities and a questionnaire for the evaluation of the quality of a training event. The programme, content and work methods at the training are evaluated. The analysis of information obtained by evaluation serves as the guidelines for the improvement of in‐service training provided by the Agency. The influence of in‐service training on raising the quality of the teaching process and learning outcomes can be observed through the work in the promotion procedures and the supervision of educational staff. Under certain conditions, the ETTA accepts the co‐organisation of large and important training events organized and implemented by other INSETT providers for teaching and non‐teaching staff in the system. An expert committee is in charge of the acceptance of each request for co‐organisation of a 22
School pedagogues, psychologists, librarians and special‐needs teachers INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 17 training event, according to given criteria, in line with the organizational, material and technical capacities of the Agency, and taking into account the importance of the topic, the quality of the lecturers, as well as the importance of the event itself as possibility for professional development of teaching and non‐teaching staff. The co‐organisation of in‐service training by external providers and the ETTA includes the publishing of INSETT programme tables on the website of the Agency www.azoo.hr in the In‐Service Training Catalogue (under General Training Events in co‐organisation with the ETTA), registration of the participants through the www.ettaedu.eu application and issuing certificates of participation. The electronic certificates are issued to those participants who registered through the mentioned application and for whom the external provider confirmed the participation. Participants of multi‐day conferences, symposiums and training events, where they can choose to participate only in some parts of the programme, receive the certificates without the number of hours specified. 4.2.1. Legislation The Education and Teacher Training Agency is defined under the law as a public institution responsible for organizing and providing in‐service training to the educational staff in the field of general education. However, other providers of in‐service training grow in number, especially in the publishing industry. Bearing in mind that there is no accreditation system for training programmes and their providers, that there is growing competition and dwindling funds, it remains a challenge to maintain the traditional role of the Agency as a high‐quality provider of in‐service training of teaching and non‐teaching staff. The legislation identifies legal grounds for in‐service training of teaching and non‐teaching staff and their promotion only in general terms. Induction, licensing, in‐service training, professional development and promotion of the educational staff are regulated by three acts: Primary and Secondary School Education Act, Pre‐school Education Act and Education and Teacher Training Agency Act. In‐service teacher training is defined as “individual, organized training in the main subject in the field of pedagogy, didactics, educational psychology, teaching methodology, information and communications technologies, counselling, management, educational policies and other areas relevant for efficient and high quality education in schools.” However, the provisions are very general, leaving the details and the procedures to the corresponding Bylaws/ordinances. The ordinances in turn should regulate procedures and requirements to facilitate the implementation but they haven’t yet been harmonized with the Laws. Each new teacher/counsellor that starts working in a school for the first time is a probationary teacher/counsellor. The first year of his employment is a period of his professional preparation for successful, expert and independent teaching in a primary or secondary school. At the end of the induction period a probationary teacher or counsellor has to pass the state exam to be able to go on teaching/working in a school. This first teaching license is a public certificate attesting the required levels of general and professional competences of teachers. The same applies to school counsellors. The general conclusion is that probationary teachers come to schools with very little practical skills. INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 18 4.2.2. Policy documents Current policy documents23 dealing with education cover professional development of educational staff and improvement of their professional competences as a very important segment of development of the system of quality in the education sphere. MoSES recognizes that the professional development of teachers is central to raising quality in schools, noting that “the quality of education is in principle guaranteed by a high standard of teacher training. It is therefore particularly important to pay attention to teachers’ education and continuing professional development”24 (MoSES, 2005: 3). The relevant Ministry in its current Strategic Plan states that it “will invest and develop INSETT programmes for educational staff”25, having recognised the crucial role that competent and well educated teaching staff have for the quality of education provided in schools. The Government in its Programme on strategic directions in preschool, primary and secondary education includes “improving teacher’ social and financial status” and “stimulating teacher promotion based on achievements and in‐
service training”26. The Guidelines for Education, Science and Technology Strategy recognizes the key role of teachers in education and that “real improvements to the education system can be achieved only with enhanced professionalization of the teaching profession and increased trust in teachers and schools”. It further states that “teacher education faculties need to upgrade their programmes so that teachers acquire the necessary competences during their regular pre‐service training”27, which is a clear recognition of the need for improvements. Croatian Qualifications Framework (CROQF) sets clear quality criteria for adoption of a set of competences that a learner should have upon finishing his/her education. It “implicitly incorporates Key Competences for Lifelong Learning in all qualifications and thus is an extremely important element of CROQF”28, which in turn provides foundations for putting in place a framework of teaching staff competences. National Framework Curriculum is based on the “curricular approach directed towards development of competences…through open didactical and methodological systems which provide opportunities both to pupils and teachers to choose content, method, types and conditions for achieving objectives”29 which clearly calls for new teaching competences. The National Pedagogical Standard for Primary Education gives some provisions related to professional development used as the norm in providing in‐service training for teaching and non‐teaching staff. It specifies that “head teachers, teachers and counsellors are obliged to take part in the continuous professional development, to participate at least once in two years in in‐service training at state level 23
Strategy of Governmental Programmes 2012‐14, p.179; MoESS Strategic Plan for 2013‐15, p.17; Programme of the Government of Republic of Croatia, 2011‐2015 Section VII, 2011; Guidelines for Education, Science and Technology Strategy, 2012; Croatian Qualifications Framework, 2012; National Framework Curriculum, 2010, p.9; State Pedagogical Standard for Primary Education and Upbringing, Section VIII, 2008; 24
Development Plan for Education System, 2005‐2010, p.3; 25
MoESS Strategic Plan for 2013‐15, p.17; 26
Programme of the Government of Republic of Croatia, 2011‐2015, p. 23; 27
Guidelines for Education, Science and Technology Strategy, 2012, p. XII; 28
Croatian Qualifications Framework, 2012, p. 18; 29
National Framework Curriculum, 2010, p.17; INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 19 and no less than three times a year at county level, to participate regularly in in‐service training in their schools and to engage in their own professional development in keeping with their professional duties and responsibilities”.30 The annual plan and programme for in‐service training for teaching and non‐
teaching school staff is an integral part of the annual school programme. 4.2.3. In‐service teacher training Strategy (2009‐2013) The current In‐Service Teacher Training Strategy 2009‐2013 clearly identified the difficulties the Agency confronts in the domain of in‐service training of educational staff. It also sets the directions and mid‐
term objectives, priorities and suggested changes in organization and execution of professional in‐
service training of teaching and non‐teaching staff in the Agency. The Strategy addresses the issues in the in‐service training of educational staff as one of the priority tasks of modern society, defines the problems of the quoted activities, but at the same time the rights and responsibilities of all involved in the process of education. It proposes guidelines and ways to organize in‐service training in the Agency context, and in the wider Croatian context, with available financial means from the national budget. At a time of rapid social changes, when education and in‐service training of educational staff becomes a priority in many European countries’ national reforms, the current Strategy highlights the need for continuous improvements in the initial education and lifelong learning of teaching and non‐teaching staff. In order to adequately address the recent challenges all pre‐school teachers, teachers and counsellors of all profiles need to develop entirely new competences. In line with the principles of lifelong learning the task of in‐service training at the institutional level is to improve educational staff continuously in a systematic way, to stimulate them to acquire new knowledge, skills and attitudes, since education does not end with graduation and a state license exam. 30
State Pedagogical Standard for Primary Education and Upbringing, 2008, article 18; INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 20 5. Directions of development Based on the analysis of the current challenges, comprehensive analysis of the INSETT system and the needs of the teaching staff31, having in mind the values and the critical success factors defined at the outset of the Strategy, the following directions of INSETT development are defined for the period of 2014 ‐2020: 5.1. Improving quality of the education process In our efforts to increase the quality we are striving towards excellence in teaching staff, teaching and in‐service training as defined in the following paragraphs. 5.1.1. High quality teacher High quality teacher provides a stimulating environment, recognizes pupils' needs and interests, adapts teaching, knows, wants, is able and does everything in order to improve pupils’ accomplishments. As a fully‐fledged expert, he/she has a developed professional identity and is the best learner. 5.1.2. High quality teaching High quality teaching is clear, logical and purposeful; it takes place in a stimulating environment and climate full of respect for different pupils’ needs and assures activities and independence of learners in achieving the defined objectives and positive learning outcomes. 5.1.3. High quality in‐service training High quality teacher training is diverse in terms of its content, available, continuous and organized series of activities and clearly defined goals that provide professional learning and development to different target groups in line with their needs and the needs of the education system. It is focused on the development of teacher competences, improvement of the quality of teaching and learning outcomes. Features of high quality in‐service training are:  Availability  Continuity  Expertise  Diversity High quality in‐service training:  contributes to the development of teacher competences;  contributes to the status of the profession and professional development;  is connected with the system of promotion;  improves the subject specific content and methodological didactic knowledge;  is focused on achieving the ultimate goal of in‐service training ‐ improving the quality of teaching and thereafter pupils’ learning outcomes;  is based on the analysis of the results of pupils’ learning outcomes (national exams, State Matura, PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS); 31
Analysis of the Existing ETTA INSETT System and Assessment of the Needs for In‐Service Training of Teachers, 2013 INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 21 








is based on identified needs of an individual and the needs of the education system; enables cooperation and exchange of experience; provides opportunities for understanding the practice from a scientific point of view; promotes equality and acceptance of diversity; promotes continuous reflection and research of one’s own practice; promotes ICT in one’s own work and in professional development; is available at an appropriate time to all participants; is provided through different types and models; and includes evaluation procedures. 5.2. Developing competences of educational staff Education and Teacher Training Agency activities in support of quality teaching and learning are centred on the development and upgrade of educational staff competences that need to be aligned with developing pupils’ key competences. It should be noted here that so far teacher competences are not defined at the national level in Croatia and there is no common understanding of teacher competences among the stakeholders. There are other concepts and sets of teacher competences discussed at different institutions involved in teacher education. The latest emanate from the EU initiative Rethinking Education, entitled “Competences required for effective teaching in the 21st century”32. Competences are arranged in three sets: Knowledge and understanding; Skills; and Dispositions: beliefs, attitudes, values and commitment. 5.2.1. Educational staff competences The Agency analysed the teachers’ training needs in the project “Improving the Quality of In‐Service Teacher Training System”, based on the concept of educational staff competences that incorporates key competences for lifelong learning, generic competences, basic teaching competences, subject specific competences, didactic and methodological competences, personal competences and research‐reflective competences.33 This set of competences seemingly differs from the one used in the above‐mentioned research due to the format used in the questionnaires. In the research they were listed in a user‐friendly way to ease the filling out of the questionnaire. The elements of the competences are listed below. Key competences for lifelong learning in eight areas:  Communication in the mother tongue;  Communication in foreign languages;  Mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology;  Digital competence;  Learning to learn;  Social and civic competences;  Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship;  Cultural awareness and expression. (European Commission, 2003b:11) 32
Supporting the Teaching Professions for Better Learning Outcomes, p.25,26&27; http://ec.europa.eu/education/news/rethinking_en.htm/ EC SWD(2012) 374 final 33
Analysis of the Existing ETTA INSETT System and Assessment of the Needs for In‐Service Training of Teachers, 2013 INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 22 Generic (transferrable) competences: key competences for lifelong learning, analysis, synthesis, organization, leadership and management of processes and people, general knowledge, communication, presentation, focus on the profession. Subject‐specific (academic) competences: knowledge of one’s subject area. Basic teaching competences ‐ efficient work with information, technology and knowledge; with people, in society and with society. • Facilitating learner‐centred innovative learning & work; • Assessing and monitoring learning processes and outcomes; • Designing and implementing programmes, schedules, training materials and didactic methods; • Providing learner guidance and counselling in acquiring the competence “learning to learn”; • Forming partnerships within and outside one’s own institution; • Creating own professional development and development of creativity. Didactic and methodological competences: theoretical methodological knowledge; knowledge of basic educational sciences (philosophy, psychology, sociology, pedagogy); special theoretical knowledge of specific methodology and practical methodological knowledge. Personal competences: empathy, self‐confidence, professionalism, reliability and trust at work, responsibility, flexibility, self‐development, focus on results, initiative, innovation and fair and ethical behaviour. Research‐reflexive competences: conduct research in educational practice and use the results to improve own teaching or to improve the work of the educational institution. 5.2.2. Specific head teacher’s competences Every year in the education system there are 12% to 15% of new head teachers appointed who do not have the necessary specific competences for leading and managing educational institutions. In the upcoming period, the Agency will focus on assisting them in developing and upgrading their competences (knowledge, skills and attitudes) in order to fulfil these roles effectively. The concept of the head‐teacher’s specific competences is based on the following core competences as defined by the EC (SWD (2012) 374 final: 46).34  Vision ‐ the ability to inspire staff and pupils;  Strategic thinking ‐ the ability to take a holistic view;  The ability to enhance learning environments and learning cultures;  The capacity to improve the quality of pupils’ learning and their learning outcomes;  The capacity to manage resources effectively;  A sound knowledge of the education system;  Strong communication skills and openness; as well as  Problem solving skills. 34
EC SWD (2012) 374 final/ Supporting the Teaching Professions for Better Learning Outcomes p. 46; Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio‐economic outcomes INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 23 Head teachers also need to systematically develop their personal competences, such as honesty, consistency, communication, approachability, confidence, courage, optimism, tolerance, emotional intelligence, self‐awareness, energy, ambition, dedication and a desire for to learn. 5.3. Increasing efficiency In these times of limited budgetary funds it is important to ensure the spending of resources for professional in‐service training of educational staff on activities with a positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning outcomes. To achieve more and maintain the quality with the funds available is a major challenge. Strategies aimed at increasing efficiency include improved organization, better use of available human resources (the Agency’s advisors, county coordinators, teacher mentors and advisors), and the increased application of the ICT in the in‐service training. Identified needs of educational staff and priorities of the educational system form the basis for creation of new in‐service training programmes. Planning and implementation of these programmes rely upon evaluations and feedback on the positive impacts of the training events at school level and teaching in the classroom. A better harmonization among Teachers’ individual needs for professional development, educational institutions’ needs and the system priorities can be achieved by more efficient planning of in‐service training through the Annual Plan and Programme at school level. Head teachers and school management should be trained for strategic planning that includes professional development of teaching and non‐teaching staff. In turn, educational staff should be trained to recognize their own needs and to plan their own professional development based on the understanding of necessary teaching competences and individual needs. E‐learning offers a good opportunity for greater efficiency in in‐service training and should be used more often. E‐learning platforms and Web 2.0 tools should be utilized to allow as many teachers as possible to participate in diverse programmes. This is particularly important for schools in remote areas. Additionally social media and networks together with other communication tools on the Internet can be used to exchange ideas, examples of good practice and professional discussions with the goal to improve teaching practice. Promoting digital learning and efficient use of new learning environments in combination with development of teachers’ digital competences become one of the priority areas in the in‐service training of teaching and non‐teaching staff. Pursuant to the flagship initiative Digital Agenda for Europe,35 in order to provide support to digital literacy and accessibility the EU member states have included digital competences of their teachers in their educational and training plans. Some countries, such as Scotland and Estonia, have developed different information and communications technologies for in‐service training as a part of the professional development of educational staff. One of the advantages of these programmes is the more efficient utilization of available resources – funds, staff and time – for professional development. 5.4. Promoting creativity and innovation Promoting creativity and innovation is one of the four strategic goals of the strategic framework for European cooperation Education and Training 2020. “Creativity and innovation are crucial to economic 35
Europa 2020, p. 15. INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 24 development and to Europe’s ability to compete internationally”, the first challenge being the development of generic competences and the second “to ensure a fully functioning knowledge triangle of education‐research‐innovation”.36 As one of the three constituents of the knowledge triangle37 conceived as a part of the Lisbon Strategy, innovation (together with creativity) is the unavoidable element for growth and improvement. In this context creativity is defined as a “process of reaching new ideas and innovation is the ability to make them true.”38 To help young people develop the skills necessary to live and work in the 21st century educational staff should adopt new teaching methods and design “more efficient professional learning”.39 In‐service training should prepare teachers to be reflective practitioners able to recognize how a certain teaching method or activity can trigger creativity in their pupils. The process calls for innovation to open up for more creativity, flexibility and a bigger contribution to personalized learning and acquiring new skills. Teachers should be encouraged to grow in such a way as to facilitate with their role the learning process and promote creativity. The Agency should incorporate elements of creativity and innovation into in‐service training programmes and encourage advisors and educational staff to further develop them, as both are important constituents of the educational process and training leading to the development and competitiveness of workers and the economy. 5.5. Developing co‐operation and partnership Partnerships and co‐operation are extremely important in education as no system can deal with all the challenges of the 21st century alone. Neither universities nor teacher training institutions or schools can function in isolation. Instead, they need to work in synergy with other stakeholders. Partnership and cooperation are based on trust, common perspective and commitment in achieving goals with clearly outlined duties and responsibilities of all parties involved. The European Commission defined partnership as one of the priorities in the field of education. Partnerships open opportunities to build common vision and values, to exchange ideas and experiences from practice, to develop professional discourse and to join efforts to improve the quality of education. All stakeholders in teacher education are potential partners. “What is important is that these stakeholders should achieve consensus on a shared vision with a common understanding of the importance of the quality of educating teachers and in consequence on the actions needed to support teacher educators”.40 Relations between the institutions for initial teacher education and in‐service teacher training should be strengthened on a partnership basis. They are two facets of the same picture and should complement each other. Establishing closer links between the initial education and in‐service teacher training 36
Council conclusions of 12 May 2009 on strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020); 2009/C 119/2, p. 4. 37
38
The Lisbon Strategy (European Council, 2010). Ferk, Martina, Quantum 21.net, October 2012, Creativity and Innovation in Teaching Students Entrepreneurship. 39
Caena, Francesca, Quality in Teachers’ Continuing Professional Development, 2011, p. 9, Education and Training 2020, Thematic Working Group ‘Professional Development of Teachers’. 40
Supporting the Teaching Professions for Better Learning Outcomes, p. 58, http://ec.europa.eu/education/news/rethinking_en.htm/ EC SWD (2012) 374 final. INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 25 represents an important opportunity to bring together universities as providers of initial teacher education (and some in‐service training) and the Agency as the central institution authorized to implement in‐service training in education. The cooperation between the Agency and other professional institutions at national and international levels is important to continuously improve the in‐service training system. This will open possibilities for new projects under a new generation of programmes Education Europe (Erasmus for All), for staff mobility, for exchanges and other forms of cooperation. 5.6. Promoting and conducting research Research is important for the development of all societies. The European Union strategic documents pinpoint research as one side of the “knowledge triangle”41, two other sides being education and innovation. Studies of teacher education in Croatia fall into two general categories: “research on teacher education and teacher practice” and “research in teacher education and teacher practice”42. According to the authors, the first category comprises research at macro level for defining policies and supporting decision making, research at intermediary level for curriculum development of pre‐service and in‐service teacher education and at micro level for evaluation of teaching practice in schools and in higher education. Research generating knowledge in the scientific field, explorations of teaching context, interdisciplinary studies relevant for the educational context of teaching and research on evaluation with which pupils/teachers can examine the efficiency of their teaching, fall into the second category of “research on teacher education and teaching practice”. In this sense the Education and Teacher Training Agency will continue using all the results of the “research on education” from investigations conducted both at the national and international levels to align its work with recent scientific findings and to allow its senior advisors to continue competently participating in a number of working groups at national level. The Agency shall also explore areas of direct interest for improving the work (such as analysing needs for in‐service training) giving its contribution to the overall body of research on education. The Agency shall also continue and improve its cooperation with research institutions in research projects according to the Agency’s role in the educational system. The Agency shall go on presenting the results of “research in education” in in‐
service training events to promote the research results and the importance of research for sustainable growth of educational work. In collaboration with institutions of higher education the Agency shall also design in‐service training programmes for professional development of educational staff to equip them with modern methodologies of research in education (like action research) and encourage conducting research of educational practice and using its results to improve one’s own teaching and work of the educational institution. 5.7. Promoting and strengthening visibility of INSETT activities One of the issues that Education and Teacher Training Agency is faced with is the insufficient visibility of its activities especially in the in‐service training area. In spite of the remarkable progress made in the last few years with the updated and very informative web site, the ettaedu system, the annual 41
The Lisbon Strategy (Council of the European Union) 2010. Vizek Vidović, V., Domović, V., ‘Researching Teacher Education and Teacher Practice: the Croatian Perspective’. In: Hudson, B., Zgaga, P. (Eds.). Teacher Education Policy in Europe: a Voice of Higher Education Institutions, Umea, University of Umea, Faculty of Teacher Education, 2008, pp. 303–312. 42
INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 26 electronic catalogue of in‐service training events, this is still an area that can be improved. Visibility should include promoting lifelong learning (LLL) as an important mechanism for continuing capacity building for individuals and defining the place of educational staff INSETT in the process of LLL. It should include communication with the educational wider public through different media to inform about innovations and accomplishments in the education system. The promotion of INSETT activities includes awareness arising from the need for professional development of teaching and non‐teaching staff as one of the crucial segments of increasing the quality of education. Promotion of these activities improves the perception of the educational staff in the wider public. INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 27 6. Areas of INSETT development 6.1. Development of quality INSETT Striving to improve the quality of the INSETT ETTA will focus its activities to ensure that it is available to all teaching and non‐teaching staff and that it provides the expertise needed to improve their professional competences. The offer of INSETT will be diversified and will continue to meet the individual needs for professional development and advancement, as well as the needs emanating from the changes in the system. In the current system of educational staff in‐service training constituents and criteria of quality assurance are missing. A formal mechanism for quality assurance for both the programmes and the procedures will be developed in a systematic way using the quality indicators, as defined in this Strategy (section 5.1.3., High quality in‐service training). Accreditation of INSETT programmes provided by other providers is a priority task to ensure the quality of their offer in line with the agreed components and criteria. The Analysis43 conducted within the project44 revealed the need for the change of paradigm, from in‐
service training approach to professional development, i.e. understanding professional development as a personal need and responsibility of every educator. The INSETT programmes offered by ETTA will be competence based. They will be developed taking into account the previously acquired knowledge and skills, experience and inclination of the participants, i.e. on the training needs analysis. The questionnaire developed and used for the analysis of needs for in‐
service training in this project can be adapted and reused for this purpose. The learning goals and outcomes for the in‐service participants must be directly connected with the anticipated impact on improvement of their teaching practice. New and improved models of INSETT will be introduced using forms and methods of training preferred by the participants in the Analysis: workshops, projects, learning communities, experiential learning, examples of good practice and fieldwork. Different forms of modularly organized in‐service training, as described in the In‐Service Training Manual, (2013)45 will be also further developed. Special attention will be paid to e‐learning and school‐based trainings as very efficient and cost effective as seen in the other EU countries (e.g. Scotland). In that way the time frame limiting ETTA to deliver INSETT only on non‐teaching days will be broken. The impact of the INSETT activities on teaching and learning has to be an integral part of their evaluation with regular feedback of the teachers’ performance at the school level. A new system of evaluation of the impact of training events on teachers’ performance in schools will be introduced. The feedback on the results of in‐service training, its quality and relevance and the impact on the quality of teaching and learning outcomes will be the basis for planning future training activities. All available human resources 43
Analysis of the Existing ETTA INSETT System and Assessment of the Needs for In‐Service Training of Teachers, 2013 Improving the Quality of In‐Service Teacher Training System 45
Petljak Zekić,B.; Rukljač,I.; Sanja Urek,S. (2013) Modularno organizirano stručno usavršavanje učitelja razredne nastave grada Zagreba i Zagrebačke županije (zapad) i županijski voditelji grada Zagreba i Zagrebačke županije (zapad) 44
INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 28 at the school level, including head teachers, teacher mentors and teacher advisors will be utilized in the new system of evaluation and planning. The improved INSETT system requires protocols, guidelines and programme evaluation procedures, clear definition of work processes, with clear quality indicators and defined responsibility for implementation. They will be developed and defined in line with the principles of quality assurance established within the CROQF. ETTA will consider the possibility to develop a concept of validation of in‐service training programmes for teaching and non‐teaching staff for promotion purposes congruent with the bylaws that should be adopted, the Bylaw on promotion in ranks and the Bylaw on in‐service training of teaching and non‐
teaching staff. 6.2. Quality assurance of INSETT Quality assurance is an integral part of the development of the strategy of INSETT for educational staff. It has at least two functions: firstly, it ensures that the programmes are developed to cover the needs and expectations for training at different levels of the system, and secondly, it is a basis for further improvement of the programmes as well as for the development of the strategy itself. The most common evaluation of in‐service programmes is participant reaction which is already in place in Croatia. However, that alone provides too little indication of the real value of the training to participants and to the organizers. Current theoreticians on the subject of evaluation of in‐service training have suggested that more effort should be focused on student achievements attributable to teacher in‐service training. We are aware that this might be too ambitious as numerous factors influence teacher performance and student achievement. However, different evaluation purposes require different criteria for evaluation and different times for collecting the data. For QA of INSETT as proposed within the Strategy we suggest a three phase model: INPUT Input phase PROCESS
OUTPUT At the input phase (before the training) the following elements are important:  need identification (at the national, school and individual level);  setting objectives in accordance with the identified needs;  following the guidelines defined in the Strategy;  selection of lecturers and trainers to cover needs and expectations of different actors in the system. A common protocol for the development of INSETT programmes has been developed (see Annex 2). It is suggested that a committee representing different stakeholders (ETTA, universities, administrators, INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 29 practitioners) is established. It should be in charge of selecting INSETT programmes according to agreed criteria. Process phase Participants' reactions to the delivered programmes are the core of this phase. In order to enable comparison among the programmes a common evaluation questionnaire has been proposed (see Annex 3). It consists of:  a common part for all programmes;  a specific part evaluating how specific objectives of individual programmes have been achieved;  two common open questions. The results should be complemented by the trainers' own reflection on their experience in the programme they delivered. For this purpose 3 questions are suggested (see Annex 4). The next steps in the process phase of QA should be the following:  collecting data (e‐forms are suggested to make processing easier);  processing data;  preparing a report for each programme;  planning and implementing improvements. It is suggested that a group within the committee for selecting the INSETT programmes is in charge of evaluation and preparation of yearly reports. It is also important to consider the ways of communicating the report(s) to those who develop the programmes. Output phase As the final aim of INSETT is improving students' achievements, the output phase is especially sensitive and important for evaluation. The main question in this phase is: How will participants apply what they have learned? How will the programme(s) change their classroom practice? Research shows that evaluating the impact is a weak point in most educational systems, although we are all aware of its importance. The impact can be evaluated from various points of view, such as: improved knowledge and skills; changed practice; becoming more reflective; higher self‐confidence and the like. Although it is clear that such changes do not occur only due to participation in INSETT programmes, we believe that it is necessary to monitor and evaluate what happens in the classrooms and schools after teachers acquire and/or develop their competences in INSETT programmes. One of the challenges is who can evaluate the impact and the other refers to ways of evaluation. We believe that only head teachers can take over this role using observation, reflective notes and interviews. They also have to ensure dissemination to other teachers within the school. The following measures are advocated:  developers and trainers of INSETT programmes should already plan dissemination and application during training; 
INSETT programmes for head teachers should be developed in order to improve their competences for planning and evaluating staff development. INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 30 6.3. Development of human resources According the Analysis46 human resources are one of the most important strengths of the present INSETT system provided by ETTA. ETTA advisors and senior advisors provide the necessary support for training organised at various levels within their subject area or interdisciplinary. In cooperation with experts they organize and carry out seminars. All seminars are published in the Catalogue of in‐service training on the ETTA web site. The network of County Coordinators of Teacher Training (CCoTT) is a hidden potential in the existing system. CCoTTs, in close cooperation with ETTA advisors/senior advisors, organise actual training at the county level based on the needs of educational staff. The needs of the education system as a whole are coordinated at both levels of INSETT. However, there is no system in place for the professional development of ETTA advisors that would support them in developing their professional competences, which is very important having in mind their important role in supporting teachers to develop their professional competences. A strategy for in‐service training of ETTA advisors will be developed. It will include the key competences needed for their professional development, a system of needs assessment and a plan to cater for their needs, taking into account their numerous duties and responsibilities. The strategy will be based on the analysis of the current work organization in ETTA related to educational staff INSETT. In the upcoming period ETTA will encourage its advisors and educational staff to participate in international in‐service seminars, taking into account their role directed towards “clients” and the education system as a whole. It will consider the possibility to evaluate these in‐service seminars as a part of compulsory professional development of teaching and non‐teaching staff. The network of County Coordinators of Teacher Training (CCoTT) is a hidden potential in the existing system. They represent the link between the ETTA and the teaching and non‐teaching staff. The training events that they organize at county level are based on the needs of educational staff and aligned with the needs of the education system as a whole. Educational staff promoted into mentors and advisors are also participants in INSETT programmes. Their role in the system is not clearly defined and there is no system to address their training needs in order to make better use of their experience and expertise. Training for trainers programmes will be designed to develop and upgrade the professional competences as trainers for these two groups (CCoTTs and educators mentors and advisors), already recognized for their excellence in teaching and teacher training. These programmes will include practical training skills, mentoring skills and dissemination skills, with special focus on the dissemination of training in their own schools. ETTA will work with all stakeholders in teacher training towards developing common understanding and the framework of the competences needed for the teaching profession. A framework of teaching competences commonly accepted by both pre‐service and in‐service training institutions is a precondition to continuing professional development of educational staff. A competence based approach to professional development is an effective and efficient way towards quality teaching and learning. It is transparent and better serves individual teachers, their schools and the system in assessing the needs and planning the resources more efficiently. 46
Analysis of the Existing ETTA INSETT System and Assessment of the Needs for In‐Service Training of Teachers, 2013 INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 31 The assessment of the importance of the competences for teaching shows agreement among the respondents in the Analysis about the most important ones. “They address the development of independence in student learning, promotion of problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and creativity and facilitate independent and collaborative learning. Teachers are expected to have the competences to define and present the aim of a lesson clearly, direct pupils to different learning resources and educational programmes, to use appropriate communication strategies and to build a rapport with pupils so as to facilitate open communication. In the paradigm shift from teacher‐oriented to student‐
oriented teaching and learning, they have to adapt their work to the students’ individual needs and support them in their individual learning paths. They should share in the school team knowledge of educational initiatives and perspectives for better teaching, exchange professional experience, knowledge, understanding and skills and provide professional support to colleagues. They are responsible for their own professional development, identifying gaps in their own competences on the basis of a competence framework analysis.”47 The training needs of teachers as expressed in the Analysis will have priority in developing new INSETT programmes. The majority of respondents identified the following two competences as most important:  Teaching methods which facilitate learning promote problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry and creativity; and  Work with special needs children (both those with difficulties and gifted). The results of the analysis of the training needs of teachers show that there is a large difference in the assessment between the teachers and the CCoTT as compared to the ETTA SA working with them. ETTA SA concluded that the teachers need more improvement of their competences than they themselves believe, which clearly indicates that there is a need for a more detailed analysis of their needs. 6.4. Contribution to the development of education system Within its mandatory role of supporting the education system providing professional and advisory services in education ETTA will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, other agencies and education stakeholders on developing the education system and synchronizing it with EU recommendations and good practice. In its contributions to the development of the system ETTA will take a proactive role with the main focus in the area of professional development of educational staff as one of the very import segments of improving the overall quality of education. Creation and implementation of normative acts which regulate educational staff in‐service training are fundamental preconditions to quality execution of the said activity. ETTA will work closely with the Ministry in developing and upgrading the normative acts dealing with INSETT providing expertise for the professional background and assessments of the issues. It will work on the proposals and recommendations for the changes and amendments to administrative and normative acts giving expert opinions on the needs for changes and their consequences. ETTA will initiate and implement development projects in the area of its mandatory role in the system and participate in the work of the Ministry, other education agencies and stakeholders in developing and implementing projects towards improving the whole education system. For this purpose it will strengthen and reorganize its units for EU projects to work with projects funded by the EU and other 47
Analysis of the Existing ETTA INSETT System and Assessment of the Needs for In‐Service Training of Teachers, 2013 p.68; INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 32 bilateral funders. The trainings for ETTA staff to work on projects in all project cycles will continue in line with the given circumstances. After signing the Stabilization and Association Agreement, when Croatia became a candidate country for EU membership, from October 2001 till its accession to the EU, a range of assistance programmes were available to Croatia (CARDS, PHARE, ISPA, SAPARD and IPA). These programmes are intended for institutional capacity building to implement efficiently the acquis communautaire (the rights and obligations the EU countries share) and to assist in preparing for managing structural funds. A part of the funds from pre‐accession assistance programmes was intended for modernisation of the education system. With accession to the EU the amount of funds available through European Structural and Investment funds (ESI) will increase. The document Position of the Commission Services on the development of Partnership Agreement and programmes in the Republic of Croatia for the period 2004‐202048 says that “ESI Funds will be one of the most important instruments to tackle the main development challenges for Croatia and to implement the Europe 2020 strategy.” In regard to the field of education, the document says, “ESI Funds should invest in improving the quality, efficiency and openness of the education system. (...) ESI funds should support the development and implementation of strategic education reform measures, in particular with regard to increasing teaching standards, the quality of teaching methods, and modernising curricula.” Furthermore, in 2011 the European Commission adopted a draft legislative package framing EU cohesion policy for 2014‐2020. Fundamental regulations were set out for EU funds including ESF. “While contributing to economic, social and territorial cohesion, the European Social Fund (ESF) is the European Union’s main financial instrument for investing in people. It increases the employment opportunities of European citizens, promotes better education, and improves the situation of the most vulnerable people at risk of poverty. The regulation proposes to target the ESF on four thematic objectives throughout the Union: … (iii) investing in education, skills and lifelong learning; ...”49 In line with the above, the ETTA will use EU funds to implement the goals of this Strategy, and other national strategic documents, and will take part in preparing and implementing development projects, together with other stakeholders in the education system. 6.5. Development of material resources The institution that has continually operated in Croatia since 1874, and takes care of more than 60,000 educational staff, needs to align its future path with other similar institutions across the world. The vast majority of the educational staff recognize the ETTA advisors as the main strength of the existing system of in‐service training of educational staff. ETTA will continue to be the leading institution in INSETT only when the development of its human resources is accompanied by suitable material resources and work conditions. 48
Position of the Commission Services on the development of Partnership Agreement and programmes in the Republic of CROATIA for the period 2014‐2020, pp.. 9, 12 49
Cohesion Policy 2014‐2020, p.9; COM(2011) 500; http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/what/future/proposals_2014_2020_en.cfm INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 33 6.6. Development of ICT for INSETT purposes Information technologies have transformed how people live and communicate, how they do business, for which they need new skills. “These technological changes can improve the quality of service provision, but … the new technology must be accompanied by profound changes in pedagogical methods. The ability of education systems to develop “new economy skills” can help countries become more competitive. This implies changing the way educators are trained, increasing the supply of qualified educators and improving the relevance of education curricula.”50 One of ETTA’s aims is to ensure long‐term availability of in‐service training regardless of material, spatial or temporal restraints. An important step in the development of ICT for the provision of in‐service training was the design of interdisciplinary e‐learning programmes that resulted from the project Improving the Quality of In‐service Teacher Training System. The themes of the programmes were selected on the basis of the findings of the assessment of the needs for professional in‐service training: The assessment of learning outcomes, Individualisation in the teaching and learning process, Teaching and learning strategies, The challenges of mentoring and The pathway to professional development. Great interest and readiness of users of the ETTA programme of professional in‐service training was shown for this form of learning.51 In the area of the development of ICT for INSETT purposes ETTA will focus its activities on two levels: 
Developing software tools in accordance with Digital Agenda for Europe initiative through:  Upgrading and maintaining the existing application ettaedu;  Upgrading of educational staff database;  Creation of database of INSETT lecturers;  Further development of e‐learning programmes for the in‐service training of educational staff;  E‐newsletters.  Developing a platform containing a variety of e‐learning materials. E‐learning, as a new way of organising INSETT with a considerable number of advantages, appears with ICT development. E‐learning incurs lower costs compared to other forms of INSETT and it is available to teachers in remote areas in Croatia. It allows high quality INSETT provision and individualized approach, giving individuals the possibility to select the time for training, set their own pace of learning, and choose the level of difficulty appropriate to their competences. Currently, according the Analysis results52, one tenth of the training events are actually carried out using ICT. In the upcoming period ETTA will more pronouncedly promote e‐learning and provide a range of web‐based learning opportunities to users. E‐learning applications and processes include web‐based learning, computer‐based learning, virtual education opportunities and digital collaboration. Content is delivered via the internet, internal networks, satellite TV, and/or CD/DVD‐ROM. It can be self‐paced or instructor‐led and includes media in the form of texts, images, animations, streaming video and audio materials sent via internet. E‐learning 50
Learning for All: Investing in People’s Knowledge and Skills to Promote Development; World Bank Education Strategy 2020; p.22 51
Evaluation of the pilot implementation of the five new e‐programmes for INSETT 52
Analysis of the Existing ETTA INSETT System and Assessment of the Needs for In‐Service Training of Teachers, 2013 INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 34 is already applied in INSETT in several countries. The most widely used software is Moodle, an e‐learning platform and course development system. Other forms of distance learning used in current INSETT are so called webinars (web‐based seminars) and teleconferencing. Webinars are live online educational presentations during which participating viewers use video, audio and/or texting to submit and comment on information which allows for interaction between the lecturer and the participants. Teleconferencing is the real‐time two‐way exchange of information between people who are at different and distant physical space. Web conferences, using Internet, are the most sophisticated INSETT form, with a broad range of communication options available beyond just speech. These forms of INSETT, in the offer of materials which accompany lectures, can also include multimedia contents, ppt slides, screen sharing and live question‐and‐answer sessions. E‐learning is interesting for users in most remote areas of Croatia as they are able to follow lectures from their homes, by which the cost of travel to the place where the INSETT is organised and the travelling time to and from the training venue are saved. This form of INSETT can be used for both group and individual face‐to‐face forms of learning. Computer‐supported collaborative learning (CSCL), also called e‐learning 2.0 is one of the most promising innovations to improve teaching and learning with the help of modern information and communication technology. E‐learning 2.0 is a specific approach to learning with a specially established work methodology. Learning takes place through conversations about content and grounded interaction about problems and actions. Moodle is a software system built in the open‐code system and intended for preparation of e‐learning, electronic educational contents and its maintenance. Since 2012 it is adapted to the e‐learning 2.0 principles and includes also options for webinars and teleconferencing. It can run on the most prevalent operating systems (Windows, Mac, Linux). A network of official Moodle partners can assist in the creation and application of the software. Being a member of CARNet, an official Moodle partner in Croatia, ETTA can make use of the CARNet infrastructure for any Moodle application. ETTA will establish close cooperation with the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes for more efficient accessibility to international projects established through ICT and implemented with a range of Web 2.0 tools, projects on the e‐Twinning portal relevant to INSETT of teaching and non‐teaching staff, and good INSETT practices throughout Europe. 6.7. Co‐operation with INSETT stakeholders All stakeholders in teacher initial education are possible partners in providing in‐service training and professional development of teachers. Co‐operation between ETTA and other professional institutions, associations and organisations and other providers of in‐service training is important for continuous improvement of the system of educational staff INSETT. Partnerships offer opportunities for developing shared vision, exchange of ideas, developing professional discourse and shared efforts for improving the quality of education. The majority of training events offered by other providers are not registered in the ettaedu system. While participation in INSETT is a pre‐requisite for promotion, training courses outside ETTA, even though they may be relevant to teachers, do not have the same status. This is not in the best interest of either the educational staff or the system as it is deprived of good programmes that might significantly INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 35 improve the quality of the INSETT offer. A system of teacher professional development will be designed in such a way that it recognizes the co‐
existence of different training providers provided that adequate criteria and a system for quality assurance of training courses are in place. Different options will be considered to assure the quality of these training courses including a set of required quality criteria based on the quality indicators defined in this Strategy (section 5.1.3.). A closer link between pre‐service and in‐service teacher training will be established bringing together universities and ETTA as the main official provider of in‐service teacher training. This process is currently based on individual contacts between the ETTA advisors and faculties and is segmented in different ETTA activities. On the institutional basis a Memorandum of Understanding is signed with Rijeka University and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing at the University in Zagreb, to establish partnership and co‐operation between the two institutions. In the upcoming period ETTA will continue with its efforts to establish co‐operation with new partners in INSETT and improve and intensify already established partnerships using the existent individual contacts and developing more institutional connections. 6.8. Continuous research and needs analysis for the purposes of development The utilization of “research on education” results used for professional development of senior advisors and in their daily work will continue. ETTA will seek collaboration and partnership with research institutions and organizations active in research projects in line with its role in the education system with specific focus on issues relevant to professional development of educational staff and improving the quality of the education process and the system as a whole. Questionnaires developed within this project will be adapted and reused to conduct research about the needs for in‐service training of different target groups of educational staff. Further analysis of the findings of the survey conducted within the project will be done to get more accurate information on the different aspects of INSETT addressed by around 10,000 respondents. These analyses will provide the basis for further improvements of the educational staff INSETT system. The Education and Teacher Training Agency, as a professional institution with legal powers to provide support to the education system and educational staff, will support and promote the results of the “research in education” by continuing to include research results in INSETT programmes and by promoting the importance of research for sustainable improvement of teaching and learning. In cooperation with institutions of higher education, ETTA will create INSETT programmes to train educational staff in modern methodologies of research in education (i.e. action research). It will promote research of teaching practice and use the results to improve teaching and the work of the educational institution. ETTA’s senior advisors will provide support to teachers as reflexive practitioners in researching their own teaching practice and assist them in using the results to improve their own teaching and the work of the educational institution. 6.9. Public promotion and visibility of INSETT Visibility of all ETTA activities in the INSETT area is an issue to be addressed with greater attention in the INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 36 upcoming period. New activities will build upon the progress made to the system of visibility in the previous period, with the updated and informative web site, the ettaedu system and the INSETT catalogue. Besides the current system of informing the educational community, the wider general public will be targeted through different media to broaden awareness of the importance of professional development of teaching and non‐teaching staff for the quality of education. Different communication tools and channels of information will be used to promote ETTA and INSETT activities to make the wider audience aware of the good work of ETTA, its role in the system and in INSETT, activities, goals and achievements. They will include press conferences, public events, profession‐related conferences, leaflets, posters and other promotional materials and innovative and educational contents. A public event, ETTA days, will be annually organized to inform the wider public about its activities, current projects, providing a number of possibilities for interaction. ETTA days will have working and promotional character carrying a different message every year. Activities will include round tables, open forums, panel discussions, workshops, promotion of books and materials published by ETTA, press conferences, presentations of new teaching methods and examples of good teaching practice. Communication and visibility strategy will be drafted to define the promotional and visibility activities and guide their implementation. The Strategy for visibility and communication of the project developed within the project will be used as one of the models in developing this strategy. INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 37 7. Challenges and risks The challenges which contributed to the creation of the new Strategy and the key success factors are at the same time risks for its successful implementation and the quality of the Agency’s activities in in‐
service teacher training. Obstacles should be removed by clear legal and strategic provisions as well as by organizing the system in such a way to facilitate the high‐quality continuous professional development aligned with contemporary European and global guidelines. The challenges and risks that affect the implementation of the Strategy are as follows: 










Lack of wider perspective confine the activities at local and national levels and impedes cooperation and exchange of knowledge and experience; Lack of funds related to the global economic crisis impact the Agency’s budget and its in‐service training; Limited conditions for efficient in‐service training as presented in the In‐Service Teacher Training Strategy 2009‐2013 at several levels:  Insufficient number of advisors as compared to the number of educational staff;  High level of resources and energy spent on one‐time in‐service training programmes;  Impossibility of unified approach to in‐service training across the regions and subject areas;  Limited number of (non‐teaching) days allocated for in‐service training;  Deficient number of available external experts for in‐service training;  Unclear status of county coordinators, their inconsistent preparation, work possibility and funding;  Lack of adequate premises for diverse modalities of in‐service training events;  Inability to satisfy all individual needs for in‐service training;  Insufficient equipment and level of digital competences of the Agency’s advisors to apply e‐
learning in in‐service training;  Low level of digital competences of educational staff;  Insufficient functionality of the ettaedu system and possibilities to update the data;  Lack of in‐service training research and data analysis. Lack of common competence framework for the teaching profession hindering the conceptualization of in‐service training and professional development; Initial education programmes have not prepared teaching and non‐teaching staff suitably for efficient work in the system; Non‐existence of quality assurance system with accreditation of in‐service training providers and programmes; Insufficient understanding of in‐service training as an individual need, responsibility and a part of the professional development aligned with the needs of the system; Laws and bylaws are not harmonized and there are no ordinances regulating in‐service training and licensing; Tight deadlines and insufficient preparation in introducing new curricula and high quality in‐service training; Negative demographic trends due to the birth‐rate decrease and emigration of young professionals; Lack of high quality professionals at all educational levels and their transfer to work in other economic domains; INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 38 
Insufficient visibility and promotion of the Agency’s activities in public have a negative impact on the recognition of its critically important role in the in‐service training and educational system in the Republic of Croatia. INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 39 8. Result indicators and timelines 8.1. Development of quality INSETT Activities 1.1 Define components, criteria, and quality assurance procedures for in‐service training programmes. 1.2 Develop and maintain an improved INSETT system that is available, continuous, diverse and aligned with individual and the system's needs. 1.3 Develop competence‐based programmes. Result indicators Identified elements and criteria of a high quality in‐service training Number of participants Participants’ evaluations of in‐
service training events Programmes’ objectives expressed through participants’ competences 1.4 Improve the existing in‐service training models. Number of new and improved in‐service training models 1.5 Develop interdisciplinary e‐learning programmes. Five interdisciplinary e‐
learning programmes 1.6 Develop protocols, guidelines and procedures to Protocols, guidelines and evaluate the programme. procedures for programme evaluation 8.2. Human resources development Activities Result indicators Number of programmes 2.1 Design and update a programme for Number of participants development of professional competences of CCoTTs and teaching and non‐teaching staff promoted to a higher professional level. 2.2 Design and update a strategy for in‐service Strategy completed training of Agency’s advisors. Programmes stimulating the professional development of advisors 8.3. Contribution to the development of educational system Activities Result indicators 3.1 Cooperate with MoSES in developing and Number of proposals, expert improving the normative acts and the system. opinions and recommendations 3.2 Participate in the Erasmus+ programme. Number of the Agency’s senior advisors involved 3.3 Achieve national strategic priorities using Number of projects Structural Funds. 8.4. Development of ICT for INSETT purposes Activities Result indicators 4.1 Update the database of teaching and non‐
Database of educational staff teaching staff. 4.2 Create the database of in‐service training Database of in‐service training lecturers. lecturers 4.3 Develop a platform containing various e‐learning Platform with e‐learning materials. materials available 4.4 Further development of e‐learning programmes. Number of e‐learning programmes available Timeline 2014 and continuous Continuous Continuous Continuous 2014 and continuous 2014 and continuous Timeline 2015 and continuous 2015 and continuous Timeline Continuous Continuous Continuous Timeline continuous 2015 2020 Continuous INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 40 8.5. Cooperation with INSETT stakeholders Activities 5.1 Cooperation with other in‐service training providers. Result indicators Number of in‐service training programmes organized in cooperation with other providers 5.2 Cooperation with initial teacher training Number of cooperation institutions. agreements/Memoranda of understanding 8.6. Continuous research and need analysis for the purposes of development Activities Result indicators 6.1 Strengthen cooperation in the area of Number of cooperation educational research. agreements 6.2 Cooperate in research projects. Number of research projects 6.3 Promote research. Number of events where research results are presented 6.4 Carry out periodical TNA for INSETT of Number of implemented TNA educational staff and ETTA SA. 8.7. Promotion of INSETT and its visibility Activities 7.1 Draft ETTA’s Communication Strategy for education. 7.2 Design e‐newsletter on the implemented INSETT activities. 7.3 Organise the “ETTA Days” events by invitation. Result indicators The Agency’s Communications Strategy Number of e‐newsletters issued Number of activities in the Agency’s Open Days the Agency’s Open Days organized once a year Timeline Continuous Continuous Timeline Continuous Continuous Continuous Every 2 years, continuous Timeline 2015 Annually, continuous Annually, continuous INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 41  = Milestones
ANNEX 1.
INSETT Strategy for Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐
2020) ‐ Long‐term implementation plan
1. Development of quality INSETT
1.1 Define components, criteria, and quality assurance procedures for in‐service training programmes
Develop and maintain an improved INSETT system that is available, continuous, diverse and aligned with individual and the system's needs
1.3 Develop competence‐based programmes
1.4 Improve the existing in‐service training models
Criteria and procedures introduced in 2014 and updates as needed
Milestones
Activities
1.2
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
Quarter: 1 2 33 44 51 62 73 84 91 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
1 2
1.5 Develop interdisciplinary e‐learning programs
1.6 Develop protocols, guidelines and procedures to evaluate the programme

5 programmes created/updated and implemented each year























Continuous
E‐learning as modality of INSETT introduced in 2014
5 Interdisciplinary e‐learning programmes implemented in 2014
Training programme template and evaluation instruments implemented in 2014



2.1
Design and update a programme for development of professional competences of CCoTTs and teaching and non‐teaching staff promoted to a higher professional level 2.2 Design and update the Strategy for in‐service training of Agency’s advisors
Milestones
Activities
2. Human resources development
Programme for CPD developed in 2015 and updated each subsequent year
Programme for CPD developed in 2015 and updated each subsequent year
Activities
3.1 Cooperate with MoSES in developing and improving the normative acts and the system
3.2 Participate in the Erasmus+ programme
3.3 Achieve national strategic priorities using Structural Funds Milestones
3. Contribution to the development of the education system
Continuous
Continuous
Continuous
4. Development of ICT for INSETT purposes
4.2 Create the data base of in‐service training lecturers
4.3 Develop a platform containing various e‐learning materials
Continuous
Milestones
Activities
4.1 Update the data base of teaching and non‐teaching staff

Database created and in use by 2015
Continuous
3 new e‐learning programmes developed each year, starting in 2015
4.4 Further development of e‐learning programmes




5.1 Cooperate with other in‐service training providers
5.2 Cooperate with initial teacher training institutions
Milestones
Activities
5. Cooperation with INSETT stakeholders
Continuous
Continuous
6. Continuous research and need analysis for the purposes of development of INSETT
6.2 Cooperate in research projects
6.3 Promote research
Continuous
Milestones
Activities
6.1 Strengthen cooperation in the area of educational research Continuous
Continuous
Biennial implementation of a nation‐wide TNA starting in 2015
6.4 Carry out periodical TNA among teachers, school directors, CCoTTs and ETTA SA



Activities
7.1
Draft a Communications Strategy to define the Agency’s promotional and visibility activities
7.2 Design e‐newsletter on the implemented INSETT activities 7.3 Organise the Agency’s Days events by invitation
Milestones
7. Promotion of INSETT and its visibility
ETTA communication strategy developed and implemented in 2015
E‐newsletter issued yearly, starting in 2014
ETTA days organised each year in February
INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 



Page 42 







ANNEX 2: ETTA INSETT Training template Category Drop‐down options 1.
Subject / area 2.
Programme manager (name, institution, phone, email) 3.
Topic of the training 4.
Level of the training 5.
Period of the training (possibility of entering multiple dates) 6.
Duration of the training in hours 7.
Aim of the programme (target group 










Teaching and non‐teaching staff Novice teachers School directors School counsellors Educators in student dormitories Secondary school teachers Primary school teachers Educators Mentors and advisors CCoTTs Other____________________________ 8.
Target group by the years of experience 



Novice teachers ‐5 years 6‐15 years More than 15 years 




International State Inter‐county County School INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 43 Category 9.
Drop‐down options Place of the event: 1. County 2. City 3. Elementary, secondary school, kindergarten, student dormitory, some other institution_________ 4. Hotel_______________ 5. Abroad; country and city_________ 6. Other __________________ 10.
Date and time of the event Day, month, year, start and end hour of the event 11.
Application deadline From _______ to ____________ Mandatory online application at www.ettaedu.eu 12.
Lecturers 13.
Training objectives expressed in participants’ competences 14.
Forms of work 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Lecture Workshop Field work Discussion Examples from practice Webinar Video conference E‐learning 15.
Evaluation Form for the evaluation of the programme topic and holder 16.
Number of participants _____ 17.
Note (information specific to the organization of in‐service training) INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 44 ANNEX 3: EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE Dear participant, After having participated in this training/workshop, we kindly ask you to complete the entire questionnaire, because that way you will provide us with valuable information to improve the quality of the training/workshop. Part one 1. THE PROGRAMME Agree Totally disagree Totally agree Disagree Please indicate the level of your agreement in the categories below by ticking the appropriate box. 1.1. Generally met my expectations 1.2. Met my training needs 1.3. Achieved the defined objectives 1.4. Was useful for my professional development 1.5. Was run effectively 1.6. Was well organised 2. 2.1. Was up to date 2.2. Was consistent with the programme objectives 2.3. Is relevant for my work 2.4. Can be applied in practice 3. 3.1. Were consistent with the programme objectives 3.2. Enabled active participation 3.3. Facilitated collaboration among participants 3.4. Can be applied in practice 3.5. Took my needs and expectations into consideration THE CONTENT PROVIDED BY THE TRAINERS THE METHODS USED BY THE TRAINERS INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 45 Part two Totally disagree Disagree Agree Totally agree [This part is meant to be specific for each programme.] Please indicate the level of your agreement in the categories below by ticking the appropriate box. Due to my participation in this training/course/workshop ....... 1. I know more about ……. 2. I can ……. 3. I am more aware of ……. 4. I feel motivated to ……. 5. 6. [NOTE FOR THE TRAINER/ORGANISER: It is useful to think about knowledge, skills and attitudes when evaluating the specific objectives. Example: I know more about evaluation. I can evaluate a training course. I am more aware of the importance of evaluation. I am motivated to analyse the evaluation data of my own training.] Part three Please list up to 3 elements from this training/course/workshop that you will apply into your own practice. Please list up to 3 elements you would change if this training/course/workshop is repeated. Thank you for taking the time to complete this sheet! INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 46 ANNEX 4: TRAINERS' REFLECTIONS 1.
What did you like most about your training/course/workshop? 2.
What were the challenges you faced about this training/course/workshop? 3.
What will you change next time? INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 47 ANNEX 5: List of persons involved in the design of this document. Mr. sc. Divna Šipovik, Ključna stručnjakinja odgovorna za drugu komponentu projekta Mr. Sanja Urek, Voditeljica druge komponente iz Agencije za odgoj i obrazovanje Prof. Dr. Paul Roeders, voditelj tima Mr. sc. Justina Erčulj, Projektna stručnjakinja za osiguranje kvalitete Component 2 Working Group Members: Sanja Milović, MA Renata Ozorlić Dominić, MA Marijana Toljan, BA Tihana Radojčić, BA Oleg Đaković, PhD Vlade Matas, BA Ivana Biljan, BA Igor Rukljač, BA Sandra Višković, BA Ivana Petanjek, BA Ivana Jurjević Jovanović, MA Ante Srzić, BA INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 48 INSET Strategy for the Professional Development of Teaching and Non‐teaching Staff (2014‐2020) – February 2014 Page 49