Why is in-service training important?
In-service training is a lasting process. It is not an isolated event, but rather a recurrent process extending from the very first day in the classroom as a teacher until retirement. It is actually lifelong learning. In-service training is not just an obligation specified under the Law on the Education System Foundations, but a personal need of every individual who possess awareness of their own actions and the importance of their chosen profession.
The teacher, together with all other employees in education has a significant role in the development of their pupils’ personality, and can greatly contribute to the versatility of pupil development, to the benefit of the pupils themselves, but also to the benefit of society as a whole whose active member the pupils will become, making the world a better place.
To be able to adequately perform complex activities the teaching job requires, one must possess a range of competencies, including professional knowledge and skills, knowledge of teaching methodology, but also excellent communication skills and a highly developed system of moral values and principles.
Teacher competencies are generally defined as a “capacity of an individual demonstrated through the execution of complex activities in educational work”, whereas additional information can be found in the official document about competency standards: Bylaw on Standards of Competencies in Teachers’ Profession and Their Professional Development.
The teacher has always been and will always be a role model for his pupils, but also a role model in society, so it is important that he or she becomes aware of that fact that they, as individuals, are able to initiate significant changes, for themselves, their pupils, schools, but also for society as a whole.
Because of this, the teacher must have a positive attitude toward personal advancement and growth, and understand that if he doesn’t learn and move forward as an individual, he can only regress. School cannot change if the teacher doesn’t learn, change and progress, both as an individual, and as part of a team.
Recommended and desirable teacher competencies have been classified into four groups as follows:
- C1 – Competencies for teaching area, subject and teaching methodology
- C2 – Competencies for teaching and learning
- C3 – Competencies for providing support to personality development of pupils
- C4 – Competencies for communication and cooperation