How to educate teachers: What can we learn from research insights on teaching and teacher education in Serbia and from contemporary understandings of teaching?

Abstract

Inspired by the fact that teacher education is often seen as the cause of low quality of teaching, but also as a potential solution to this problem, in the paper we look for recommendations on how to educate teachers in Serbia. Starting from an analysis of research data on teacher education, professional development and teaching in Serbia, as well as from contemporary theoretical understandings of teaching, we derived implications for teacher education on two levels – systemic and curricular. As important system measures to be taken we point out: finishing establishment of the initial teacher education system; providing support to the programs of teacher education and induction; changing system of teachers’ professional development and taking special care for the status of teacher profession on the state level. The suggestions for the curriculum development and methodical aspects of teacher education are: focusing the curriculum on the teacher competence, basing teaching on dialogue, reflection, interdisciplinary approach and teamwork of teacers and providing context where students feel safe.