Center for Professional Development (Cambridge Teaching Center)

Cambridge Teaching Center

The Cambridge Teaching Center is part of the Institute for Contemporary Education, which aims to improve the educational process by launching and organizing professional development programs for current and future education professionals, with the promotion and implementation of the latest educational technologies.

The Cambridge Teaching Center is accredited for professional development programs for education professionals in line with the highest international standards. It is designed for teachers who seek to achieve the best results in their teaching practice, and advancement of their students. Acquiring new knowledge and skills is a necessity for adapting to continuous changes in the world of education.

Whether you are a preschool educator, primary or secondary school teacher, a university teacher, or a principal in one of these institutions, our Center will provide you with the best professional development programs in line with your needs and interests.

What is professional development and training

Professional development and training of education professionals is regulated by the Rulebook on Continuous Professional Development and Career Advancement of School Teachers, Preschool Teachers and Expert Associates.

In Article 2 of the Rulebook, these terms are defined as follows:  

Professional development is a complex process that involves the continuous development of teachers’, preschool educators’ and expert associates’ competencies in order to perform their job as best as possible, and help children and students improve the level of their performance. Professional training is an integral part of professional development which involves the acquisition of new, and improvement of the existing competencies relevant for the improvement of one’s educational role, teaching practice, and child care.   

Professional development and training can take place both in a formal education setting organized by official educational institutions, faculties, etc. in a non-formal setting, implemented through seminars, conferences, training programs, professional meetings, workshops webinars, mentoring, etc. and in an informal setting, i.e. through monitoring and analysis of professional literature, Internet, educational TV formats, evaluation and research of both one’s own, and other people’s practice, as well as through writing scientific and professional papers, etc.   

Why is professional development important?

Professional development is a long-term process. It is not an isolated event, but a repeating process that lasts from the very first day of one’s teaching practice until retirement. In fact, it is the same as lifelong learning. Professional development is not just an obligation prescribed by the Law on the Fundamentals of the Education System, but also a personal need of every individual who is aware of their actions, and the importance of the work they do.

Teachers, same as everyone else who participates in the education process, have a significant role in the development of students as individuals, and can greatly contribute to the versatility of their development. It is not just students who will benefit from it, but society as a whole as well, because such students will become active members of society in the future, making the world a better place.  

To perform such a complex job, one needs to possess a number of competencies that include both professional knowledge and skills, knowledge of the teaching methods, excellent communication skills, and a highly developed system of moral values and principles.

Teacher competencies are generally defined as an individual’s capacity to perform complex activities in teaching, and additional information can be found in the official document on competency standards – Standards of Teacher Competencies and Their Professional Development.

A teacher has always been and will be a role model for students, and society as a whole, so it is important that they are aware of their ability to tackle changes, and their importance both for teachers themselves, and their students, school, and society in general.

Therefore, a teacher must foster a positive attitude toward their own personal development, and understand that an individual who does not learn or make progress can only regress. School cannot change for the better if a teacher as an individual and member of society does not change, learn or advance.  

The necessary and desirable teacher competencies are classified into four groups, as follows:

K1 – COMPETENCIES RELATED TO TEACHING AREA (CONTENT), SUBJECT AND TEACHING METHODS;

K2 – COMPETENCIES RELATED TO TEACHING AND LEARNING;

K3 – COMPETENCIES NEEDED TO SUPPORT STUDENT’S PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT;

K4 – COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION COMPETENCIES.

Objectives of the Cambridge Teaching Center 

• Organizing professional development activities for education professionals at local and regional level
• Cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Institute for Improvement of Education, other centers, and the network of professional development centers
• Organizing conferences, seminars, professional meetings, forums, and workshops related to current topics in the field of science and education
• Creating training programs and online courses in line with the specific requirements of other organizations
• Collaborating with schools and other educational institutions
• Organizing courses for children and adults in the field of information technologies
• Expanding the network of ICE members

Plans and activities of the Cambridge Teaching Center

The Center was established in April 2018, and has carried out a range of activities so far, organizing conferences, a professional meeting, several seminars, training programs, workshops and personal development training courses.

In the following period, the Cambridge Teaching Center is planning to organize:

• accredited professional development seminars for education professionals;
• training courses and workshops dedicated to educational innovations;
• international conferences on modern education;
• professional meetings on the application of new and emerging technologies in education;
• scientific research projects related to the improvement of the educational process;
• educational consulting;
• series of lectures aimed at presenting examples of good teaching practice;
• international teacher competition;
• educational TV shows;
• preparing additional didactic tools, teaching material and teacher handbooks;
• preparing programs of teaching and methodological practice for students of teacher education.

Cambridge program for educational leaders  

What we want for you is quite simple. We want to help you master the professional and personal skills that will allow you to do your job with more confidence and competence, thus ensuring a competitive advantage for yourself with regard to other teachers, and opening the doors for professional advancement or job change.   

After studying teachers’ wishes, we made a selection of international certificate programs, as well as programs that fit the needs of teachers both in the public and private education system, those who work in the country and abroad.

Choose a program that suits your interests and teaching practice

Choosing the right program to attend is crucial. Which programs of the Cambridge Teaching Center will be the most interesting or useful to you depends on where you teach, who you teach, what type of content you teach, and your personal affinities. Don’t worry, you can always continue your professional development, and enroll in a new program at preferential terms.