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The Maastricht Treaty establishing the European Community in 1992: "The Community shall contribute to the development of quality education by encouraging cooperation between member states and, if necessary, by supporting and supplementing their action, while fully respecting the responsibility of the member states for the content of teaching and the organisation of education systems and their cultural and linguistic diversity." Lifelong learning: Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning (2006/962/Ec) 3.3. Teacher education and training No other in-school aspect influences student performance more than the quality of teacher education. Teachers and trainers are challenged by a growing heterogeneity of classes, a demand for new competences, and the need to pay close attention to individual learning needs. Increasing school autonomy brings further tasks.
Large cohorts of older teachers will have to be replaced in the near future. The profession must be made more attractive.
However, current systems of teacher education and training often fail to give teachers the training they need. This is particularly so for continuing teacher training and professional development. In-service training for teachers is compulsory in eleven Member States. Read More...
DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL concerning the European Year of Creativity and Innovation (2009)
Education and training systems should cater sufficiently and at all appropriate levels for the development of key competences to support creativity and innovation, with a view to finding innovative and original solutions in personal, occupational and social life.
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The Next Three European Presidencies Programme
The Presidencies' priorities in this respect [education and training] will derive from the three strategic objectives: quality, access and partnership. Cooperation within the Copenhagen process will be strengthened. At the same time, and in the wider context of this Copenhagen process, the three Presidencies will advance work within the EU by developing the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) [see also below under 'THE BORDEAUX COMMUNIQUE'] thus facilitating mobility, through the adoption of the corresponding recommendations in the VET area. The Presidencies will also ensure appropriate follow-up to the Council conclusions on adult learning.
Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs
Adopted in 2000 by Heads of State or Government, the Lisbon strategy set an ambitious objective. By 2010, the European Union was “to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth, with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion”[…]
Apart from sound macroeconomic conditions, knowledge was regarded as a crucial factor to guarantee Europe’s competitiveness (“learning economy”). Education and training also help to ensure that people have equal opportunities and can engage actively in society. Hence, education and training was identified as one of the policy levers to address Europe’s challenges. Investing more in people through better education and skills and improving the adaptability of workers’ has become one of its priorities.
COUNCIL OF EUROPE, COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS, Recommendation 15 (2001) of the Committee of Ministers to member states on history teaching in twenty-first-century Europe
7. Initial and in-service training for history teachers
Specialised initial and in-service training for history teachers should: - enable and encourage history teachers to work with complex, process-oriented and reflective methods of history teaching;
- inform future history teachers and those already practising the profession about all the latest products, instruments and methods, particularly where the use of information and communication technologies is concerned;
- make teachers aware of the use of teaching techniques which, going beyond, but taking account of factual information, are intended to enable pupils to interpret and analyse historical facts and their influence on the present, in different contexts, for example, social, geographical, economic contexts, etc.;
- help to enable teachers to make use of assessment techniques which take account, not just of the information memorised by pupils, but also of the activities they are capable of carrying out thanks to their knowledge of the information concerned, whether these involve research, discussion or the analysis of controversial issues;
- help to devise and create cross-disciplinary learning situations in their classes, in collaboration with their fellow teachers.
As information and communication technologies are leading to a transformation of history teachers’ role, it is important to: - create opportunities for exchanges, so that teachers may become aware of the great variety of learning situations involving the new roles concerned;
- support the setting up of discussion groups to look at the profession’s difficulties, hesitations and doubts about these new methods of teaching;
- develop resource banks which specify, not only the documents and sites available, but also the validity of the information derived from the said documents and sites.
In order to fulfil these objectives and to establish a specific profile for history teachers, it would be appropriate to: - provide training institutes for history teachers with the support needed to maintain and improve the quality of their training, and develop the professionalism and social status of history teachers in particular;
- accord particular attention to training for trainers of history teachers, based on the principles contained in this recommendation;
- promote comparative research on the objectives, structures and standards specific to initial and in-service training for history teachers and in so doing promote inter-institutional co-operation and the exchange of information needed for the reform of initial and in-service history teacher training and in-service training for trainers;
- seek out and foster partnerships between all of the institutions active in or concerned with history-teacher training (in particular the media), with a view to emphasising their particular mission and specific responsibilities.
Read More... (in over 10 languages THE BORDEAUX COMMUNIQUE on enhanced European cooperation in vocational education and training - Communiqué of the European Ministers for vocational education and training, the European social partners and the European Commission (Meeting in Bordeaux on 26 November 2008 to review the priorities and strategies of the Copenhagen process)
P. 6:
Make the concept of lifelong learning and mobility a reality
Bridges should be built between general education, vocational training and higher education; individualised pathways should be developed, connecting initial and continuing training, valuing all forms of learning: formal, non-formal and informal.
Workers, learners’ and teachers’ mobility, from one system to another, from one country to another should be promoted in VET systems. Citizens should be able to accumulate and transfer learning outcomes acquired in formal, non-formal or informal contexts so that those learning outcomes can be recognised thanks to the implementation of European tools for transparency and recognition of qualifications.
Quality assurance mechanisms could contribute to the modernisation of VET systems and mutual trust.
These mechanisms rely among other things on tailored and up-to-date initial and continuing training for trainers and teachers.
Social partners should be involved at all levels.
The principle of shared responsibility between the State, social partners, local actors and citizens requires the participation of all these stakeholders in VET policies.
Appropriate public and private resources should be mobilised, including European funds.
III – STAY FOCUSED AND GIVE A NEW IMPETUS In the light of the current challenges facing Europe and the results of the process so far, it is clear that the priorities and guidelines established since 2002 are still relevant, but renewed impetus is
needed.
This leads us to consider:
Four proposed priority areas for future action - Implementing the tools and schemes for promoting cooperation in the field of vocational education and training (VET) at national and European level
- Heightening the quality and attractiveness of vocational education and training systems
- Improving the links between VET and the labour market
- Strengthening European cooperation arrangement
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