Професионални развој наставника и уважавање различитости

Abstract

The paper presents basic guidelines and the first steps in establishing the system of teacher professional development within the framework of educational reform in Serbia. Teacher professional development is perceived as a continuous process and consists of three stages: basic education, trainee period and in-service training. Incoherence of those three stages is one of the weaknesses of educational systems in most European countries. The paper presents a basic concept of teacher professional development and the already established components of the system as well as those that are being created. It is pointed out how the system of teacher professional development contributes to the recognition of diversity among schools, teachers and students. The establishment of regional centers for teacher development is an important factor of the decentralization and democratization process in education. Regional centers connect national and regional policy of professional development with teachers’ and students’ needs in the region. The education of future teachers, pre- and in-service training must be susceptible to differences among teachers as to previous knowledge, professional experience, attitudes and values, temperaments, learning styles, motivation for work in education, studying and occupational environment.