Progressive teacher training:

Is it possible today?

The interest in Progressive as a community of like-minded people, which gives the opportunity to develop professionally and implement their own creative ideas, has long gone beyond higher education. For some time now, the NGO Progressive and Strong has been developing vocational education, training teachers and masters in trainings and advanced training courses. And recently, when analysing the activity of joining the NGO Progressive and Strong, we noticed that the number of representatives of secondary education institutions is increasing. The number of teachers and representatives of school administrations who have become members of the NGO has increased. The requests from representatives of secondary education are dominated by requests for professional development and advanced training. Teachers say that they understand the importance and integrity of continuous development and professional learning. This is not only a requirement for a teacher, but also the realities of today, which require constant learning of new skills and knowledge of both professional and soft skills. Therefore, Progressive decided not to stand aside and find out the problems, needs and requests of teachers regarding professional development. Symbolically, they decided to start in the summer and from the South of Ukraine.

In July 2024, the NGO Progressive and Strong and the Progressive Island, which functions at the National University "Odesa Law Academy", held a roundtable discussion on "Progressive Teacher Training" at the Faculty of Judicial and International Law. The event gathered representatives of schools in Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, representatives of pedagogical colleges (Odesa Teacher’s Training Professional College, Balta Teacher’s Training Professional College) and higher education institutions that provide professional training for future teachers as part of their educational programmes. The purpose of the Roundtable is to identify and discuss topical issues and problems that arise in the process of organising and completing teacher training. In addition, the exchange of experience and learning about the opportunities of higher education will contribute to the development and training of teachers, and make the in-service training process modern and interesting.

Among the speakers of the event was Oksana Levchyshena, Vice-Rector for Scientific, Pedagogical and Methodological Activities of the Odesa Academy of Continuing Education of the Odesa Regional Council, who in her speech focused on the specifics of professional support for teachers in times of crisis, spoke about the features of organising teacher training at the Odesa Academy of Continuing Education, the challenges and current requests that teachers face today in the process of professional development. Oksana Levchyshena spoke about the specifics of developing and forming the topics of in-service training courses, new teaching methods, etc.

The next speaker was Yulia Shmalenko, Associate Professor of Psychology at the Odesa Law Academy, a mediator. During her speech, she spoke about the peculiarities of mediation in general secondary education institutions. The participants of the event were particularly interested in the cases and practical advice, as well as the algorithm for applying mediation within school educational institutions. The participants of the Roundtable emphasised their interest in the topic of mediation and understanding of the importance of its implementation. At the same time, they emphasised that the topic of mediation requires additional coverage, including in the context of in-service training courses. The speaker emphasised that mediation can have several features of application, in particular: 1) development of communication and conflict resolution skills: students can learn to communicate effectively and resolve conflicts without violence; 2) increasing or restoring cooperation between students: mediation can help students resolve conflicts and improve relationships between them; 3) increasing self-awareness and emotional intelligence: mediation can help students better understand their feelings and emotions, which will contribute to their psychological well-being; 4) creating a peaceful school atmosphere: the use of mediation can reduce the number of conflicts in schools.

Bohdan Fasii, Dean of the Faculty of Judicial and International Law of the National University of Odesa Law Academy, expressed his gratitude to teachers for their invaluable work and contribution to the education of our children, the future of Ukraine. He emphasised his openness to cooperation, readiness to provide material resources, legal and psychological assistance in the process of teacher training. The material and technical base and highly qualified scientific and pedagogical staff can be involved in the process of organising in-service training. Joint scientific events, conferences and trainings can be great opportunities for teachers not only in the South, but throughout Ukraine.

Bohdan Ferens, founder of the NGO Progressive and Strong, noted that the priority for Progressive in the development and professional development of teachers is the teachers of general secondary education. He emphasised the importance of responding to requests, problematic issues in organising and conducting in-service training for the audience of school teachers. He also said that it is important to keep in mind the subject matter of the courses, the appropriate time and the modern approach to presenting the material.

An important stage of the event was the constructive dialogue, as well as the exchange of experience and a survey of teachers. The results of the survey allowed us to better understand the needs and expectations of teachers regarding in-service training, to understand the real problems and to better address them. In particular, when asked whether they are satisfied with the current policies and procedures for teacher training, 67% of respondents said that the current policies need to be improved and reformed.

Teachers' desire for learning and self-development is impressive, as when asked about the main purpose of in-service training, 75% said that it was to gain new knowledge on the topic and improve skills. Only a few responses mentioned the need to fulfil the requirements for mandatory in-service training.

When asked what needs to be changed in the system of in-service teacher training, 41% of respondents noted the need to update topics, and 33% noted the need to change the learning process and presentation of material.

Participants also had the opportunity to suggest their own topics for in-service training. The most popular topics were: modern and up-to-date teaching methods at school; psychological support and counselling; inclusion in school education; mediation, mentoring at school; digital tools in education; SMM and branding.

The most acute challenges of the modern teacher are war, stress, lack of motivation, lack of prestige of the profession, salary, and the organisation of blended learning, the participants noted.

What helps and inspires teachers in such difficult times? The answers are as follows: seeing the result of their own efforts; actions that bring the Victory closer; motivation of family and students; their own ambitions; and the desire to be useful. This confirms that our teachers are the best and most resilient.

Face-to-face events always create a magical atmosphere through communication, exchange of views and experiences, new acquaintances and opportunities. And Progressive events have a special atmosphere! The event ended with a joint photo of the participants and joint plans for the future.

So, it is worth noting that the Progressive Teacher Training Roundtable only confirmed that teachers need Progressives! We need new ideas, modern formats and methods of in-service training, as well as new topics of study. We need to understand and realise that the place of the teacher in our lives and the lives of our children is extremely important. Schools educate and shape generations, the future of the country, and teachers shape schools. We must help shape the future together!