LEVELS OF AUTONOMY OF TEACHERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES Policies and Measures
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Transcript of LEVELS OF AUTONOMY OF TEACHERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES Policies and Measures
LEVELS OF AUTONOMY OF TEACHERS
AND RESPONSIBILITIES Policies and Measures
Promoting creativity and Innovation – Schools’ response to the Challenges of Future Societies
Slovenian Presidency of the European Union
9-10 april 2008, Bdro pri Kranju
Arlette Delhaxhe, European Unit of Eurydice
Nathalie Mons, Université de Grenoble II, France
COVERAGE
• 30 countries of the Eurydice network
• Data collection at central level
• ISCED 1 and ISCED 2
• Public sector
• School year 2006/2007
MAIN AREAS COVERED2006/07
• Historical overview of education policies
• Levels of autonomy in educational matters
• Working time and duties
• CPD : Requirements and opportunities
• Teacher participation in reforms
• Accountability and incentives
STRUCTURE
• Teachers’ new responsibilities and innovation, such as:– Pedagogical autonomy and personalisation of teaching
– Continuing Professional Development
– …
• What are the impact and means for these new responsibilities?
I. Teachers’ new responsibilities/duties and innovation
New responsibilities and search for quality
• Over the last 2 decades, more responsibilities assigned to teachers
• Many causes– Decentralization and school autonomy– New social missions entrusted to schools– The search for enhanced performances of
educational systems, triggered by national and international assessments (PISA)
4 pillars in this search for enhanced quality
– Pedagogical autonomy and personalisation of teaching
– Continuing Professional Development
– Teamwork and the sharing of experience and knowledge
– Teacher participation in reforms and educational innovation
New pedagogical autonomy
• Historically, centralized curriculum in most european countries
• Since 90’s, new pedagogical autonomy in developing school syllabi
• Benefits expected : - Better differentiated education provision- development of teachers’ creativity and ability to innovate (engagement and motivation)
Figure 1.1: Dates of major reforms that have increased the pedagogical autonomy of teachers (ISCED 1 and 2) between 1950 and 2007
Measures taken to increase educational autonomy
(:) BG and IE
Source: Eurydice.
New obligations for Continuing personal development
• CPD : an opportunity to enhance innovation
• CPD considered as a professional duty in 20 european countries
• Very few countries where CDP is optional and has no impact on career or individual level of salaries
Figure 4.1: Status of continuing professional development for teachers,ISCED 1 and 2, 2006/07
Professional duty
Optional, but necessary for promotion
Optional
Source: Eurydice.
Level of responsibility at central level
Figure 4.3: Establishment of a training plan for the continuing professional development of teachers, ISCED 1 and 2, 2006/07
Level of responsibility at school or local level
No explicit training plan
Data not available
Source: Eurydice.
Teamwork
• In most EU countries, teamwork promoted through legislation or guidelines
• A requirement in more and more countries
• Specially in school-wide curriculum planning
Teamwork on school-wide curriculum planning,ISCED 1 and 2, 2006/07
Required
Variable depending on the institution
Not applicable
Data not available
Source: Eurydice.
Teacher participation in reforms and educational innovation
• Grass-roots initiatives and suggestions for future reforms
• Teacher involvement through : – a) large-scale consultations
– b) pilot projects : • « Pedagogical Test gardens » in Belgium (nl)• Involvement of teachers in research in Finland• « Demonstration school system » in Norway
II. What are the impact and means for these new teachers’ responsibilities/duties?
Constraints to pedagogical autonomy
• Research : no strong evidence of relations between school autonomy and innovation
• In countries with historical pedagogical autonomy, movement towards more centralization (development of standards…) : effectiveness and equality at school
Figure 1.1: Dates of major reforms that have increased or decreased the autonomy of teachers (ISCED 1 and 2) between 1950 and 2007
Measures taken to increase educational autonomy
Measures taken to decrease educational autonomy
(:) BG and IE
Source: Eurydice.
Figure 2.1a: School autonomy regarding the content of the compulsory minimum curriculum, ISCED 1 and 2, 2006/07
Full autonomy
Limited autonomy
No autonomy
Source: Eurydice.
CPD
• What are the means for CPD ?
• What are the consequences of teacher engagement in CPD activities ?
Figure 4.2: Minimum annual time (in hours) that teachers have to spend on continuing professional development, ISCED 1 and 2, 2006/07
No time indications
Source: Eurydice.
ISCED 1 and 2
>= 30 hours
< 30 hours
No time indications
Not applicable
Figure 4.4: Incentives for participation by teachers in continuing professional development activities, ISCED 1 and 2, 2006/07
Promotions
Salary increases
No incentives
Source: Eurydice.
Means for teamwork
• In most countries, no statutory definition including TW in working time
• No special premises dedicated to TW
Teachers and educational reforms
• Involvement of teachers on individual basis as experts
• Pilot projects are very limited
• Large-scale consultations are limited
Figure 5.2: Teacher or trade union involvement in curricula reforms, ISCED 1 and 2, 2006/07
Large-scale consultation with teachers
Consultation with teacher trade unions
Low-level participation (individual experts)
Source: Eurydice.
ISCED 2
Conclusion
• By entrusting teachers with new responsibilities, it is hoped the quality of education will be improved, through innovation, amongst other things
• These policies have to be consolidated : – Cannot only be defined in terms of
professional duties– But also in terms of working conditions and
means to match these new responsibilities