TEACHER TRAINING - BASIC AND SPECIALIST TEACHER TRAINING

The Act on Educational Staff was approved by the Parliament of the Czech Republic in September 2004. The Act has come into force in January 1, 2005. The Act defines categories of educational staff and the general prerequisites for carrying out their professional work. It stipulates the requested educational background and regulates the further education of teachers.

Among others, the Act guarantees 12 days for further studies of teachers per school year, it also describes accreditation rules and approved bodies for providing relevant educational programmes of in-service teacher training.

Teacher training is predominantly at university educational level; upper secondary education for preschool teachers is accepted. Most programmes are at master’s level (ISCED 5A) and are taught at universities. The basic legislative framework for teacher training is provided by the Higher Education Act, which has handed over the responsibilities for the content and organisation of studies entirely to the individual universities.

Co-responsibility for the quality of education lies with the Accreditation Commission, which is one of the bodies that carries out comparative evaluation of the particular area of study at all faculties of education. Each of the nine faculties of education in the CR providing education for teachers has the right to determine the content and organisation of studies, including study programmes, study and assessment regulations, entrance examination requirements, the requirements for state final examinations, etc.

The study model for teachers at faculties of education is predominantly consisting both of the academic and the professional parts run simultaneously with elements of integration both the theoretical and practical parts of the training. In addition to traditional methods (lectures, seminars), the ''learning by doing'' approach is also used, as well as various theoretical methods, and experience learning through practical exercises, workshops etc. There is no unified compulsory curriculum for teacher training at higher educational institutions, but certain components are always present: general education, education in a specific field (education in the field of future teaching), pedagogical education (psychological, pedagogical, didactic) and pedagogical practical training.

The amount of teaching hours dedicated to these subjects can vary. The proportion of instruction depends on a teacher’s area of specialisation. Issues concerning management and administration are included in greater scope in the functional training curriculum for school heads.

Emphasis in training is placed on a continual increase of the student's professional development - from developing their personality, professional competency including the social skills to didactic skills and establishing their own teaching style with self-reflection skills. Practical training runs through the whole programme either in blocks of one to two weeks of teaching or in the form of long-term training consisting of 1 day a week spent at a school for a period of several terms. By the end of the studies a student has usually six weeks teaching practice. Emphasis is placed on the student's own attempts at teaching and their reflection on this practical experience. There is no transitional period between training and employment.

The Act on Educational Staff (563/2004) defines qualifications of teachers working with children with special needs. University teacher training in special education or additional university training in special education is requested.

All university teacher- training programmes include modules on education of pupils with special needs.

Teachers who want to work as SEN- Counsellors and/or special teachers of pupils with special needs have to follow the master 5-year university study programme in special education.

In-service training
Teachers are entitled to further education and in-service training. Ministry is providing the financial support to cover the part of expenditures connected with the in-service training and further education of teachers at courses that are approved by the ministerial decision.