Short overview of changes in educational reality, "Great 5" of contemporary problems and new challenges for CPD (educationalists, teachers).

1. Educators CPD –
Dilemmas and Challenges
Ene-Silvia Sarv, Viive-Riina
Ruus
Cadiz
18.-21.Sept. 2012

2. Schools once set the information agenda,
although that term was not used, while home
and church set the moral agenda.
Now the cultural agenda is set electronically.
Schools and even homes seem to have
become part of the counter-culture, the
resistance, fighting back with a declining
share of the action.
Barry O. Jones

3. Revolutionary (?) changes in
educational reality
E-learning/teaching, E-school
Tablets and e-books, personalized educational e-
environments
Life-long learning
for teachers
for students
Nonformal educational e-environment, incl
multilingual practices

4. 2004 (+ TALIS etc) => 2012/13
Some results on teacher CPD
gaps –
how teachers and students percieve their school
how teachers and leaders percieve and evaluate CPD
lack in knowledge and skills of
inquiry and reflection
cultural interests
professional learning
co-operative PL
Some changes 2004-2012
The induction year for novice teachers, mentoring
Rapid changes in e-environment, incl e-school
Growing role/power of principals …

5. The background
Transition from the industrial to the post-industrial state,
Education – integral part of culture => integral part of
economy.
Neoliberal approaches … (liberty without equality and
fraternity)
Globalisation (Europeanisation) – in economical and
cultural-technological areas. (NB Estonia as 10th
by
globalisation index)
Are the education, teacher education and CPD
20/21 a failure?
Was the post-modernist moment a fore-sign of neo-
liberal crises of 21st
?

6. “Great 5” of contemporary
problems
1. Society(s) are not aware of the need for fundamental re-
consideration of learning-teaching – nevertheless the
reorganization is done up=>down
2: school(s) do not develop harmonious coping human beings –
in educational laws (rapidly changing) we find other goals.
3: the structures and cultures of school-based learning-teaching
and those of real life are not sound –> culture and organised
thinking is needed to recognize real life-problems, to change
the teaching
4: the education in schools, teacher preparation and CPD live
separate, independent lives -> all attempts are just seeds … ,
5: school (and CPD via courses) is waste of time. (Cross (Internet
Time Group). Learning time In-school – 80%, outside – 20%; learned for
life – 20% at school, 80% outside).

7. WHY?
1. Lack of shared visions about the futures of education,
holistic and systematic (systems) approach to
education (incl teacher CPD and parents), societal
mobilisation for better education.
2. Responsibility for development of education as whole
is not legitimated and no one has taken the
responsibility.
3. The content of education (incl teacher and leaders
CPD) is formed mechanically, as quantitative widening
and out of immediate needs, not as qualitative re-
newal (in dynamic societies the educational models of
static societies are used).

8. Controversies
Rhetorics sounds “right” < deeds might be quite
opposite
E-environmental diversities, freedom, multi-sources <
organisation of knowledge into systems of knowledge
(need for new qualities of personal knowledge
management)
“Decentralised centralisation” in education, incl a great
part of CPD
Norming (official and hidden) – versus research and
knowledge based development, dynamic
Acnowledged need for research and monitoring of CPD
etc > increasing lack of finances

9. Models of CPD (Estonian case)
Late (up to end of 1980s)
Life-long learning: system of 5-year cycle + short
courses on actual themes. Ca < 90% involvement.
Contemporary
Chaotic - depends on trends, trainers abilities and
popularity, will of teacher/headmaster not of
educational/andragogical needs; training for state-
exams. ca 30% involvement.
Desired /needed CPD
Co-operation of life-long system and personal
interests and needs. Full involvement

10. New areas of CPD
Methods of e-learning (e-modulas for independent
or group learning)
Methods of collective/team knowledge creation and
knowledge management
Organisational bees (mysletoloki/mõttetalgud)
Rotators,
other methods of organisation of thinking processes with intense
reflection
Synthesised methods: different combinations of e-
environments + organisational bees (etc) +
pedagogical or educational-political knowledge
creation – simulations or practical outcomes;
widening of knowledge and skills.

11. Organized thinking activities rarely
used in teacher education and CPD
In Western countries
Brain-storming 1930
A.Osborne
Think tanks 1945
Open space - H.Owen 1985
Edward de Bono
“6 thinking-hats” 1986
Palo Alto Foresight Institute
1986
WorldCafe 1995 etc
Russia Estonia
 Organisational development bees
(ODB, OДИ )G.Štšedrovitski 1979
 Estonian form of ODB 1982
 Rotator and other short
forms 1982
 Longitudtional ODB
1979>1987-1989
 Tsyclotron 2005
 Internet-based ODB 2009
 Virtual Open Development
Space 2012
(EURA-experience 2009-2012
and onwards)

12. New dimension of CPD and education:
futures - as informed optimism
some approaches to implementation:
The introduction of discrete futures units and
modules into an existing curriculum program.
The introduction of futures as a dimension of
existing subjects and curriculum foci.
The re-conceptualisation of a school's modus
operandi according to a futures paradigm
Change of mental models towards futures
dimensions in life and learning (incl via group-
methods)

13. Some rarely touched challenges
Changing parentship and teacher-parent
relations
more pedagogically un-educated parents, break of
generations-traditions in parentship
teacher-parent alienation (e-school, pseudo-liberal
freedom, etc)
less rights for teacher (to influence family environment)
De-culturisation of teachers (marginality of
knowledge body, absence of cultural “must”)
Lack of futures views and aspirations

14. Research questions
Change of teacher perception and perspective needs
of CPD (longitud – 2004-2012/13)
 how teachers, schools and the local educational society were and are really
involved in CPD, especially research based teaching-learning and development
of a curriculum
 how CPD is organised and regulated on state level – both by content and by
financing (incl mentoring, research )
 educators’ involvement and cooperation in and between schools,
universities, NGOs, educational enterprises, governmental organs as well as
other stakeholders and interest groups.
Theoretical foundation: Bronfenbrenner (ecol.),
Nonaka&Takeuchi+Senge, Slaughter&Beare

15. Sources and perspectives of
research and action
Research project -
No project financing => alternative ways
Documents
Students (pedagogical field)
As source of information
As researchers - accomplishing co-operative mini-research as part of
learning process (science and philosophy of education)
 As researchers – master work
Main method-related problem – unified and strict
method and methodology in combination of
students initiative and degree of freedom