Diapozitiv 1

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Enhancing Professional Development of Education
Practitioners and Teaching/Learning
practices Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 17-18
November 2006 The role of teachers in the
regional cross-border cooperation Pavel
Zgaga University of Ljubljana


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1. International cooperation in education

• International cooperation in education is on
  increase
• - between individual countries (bilateral
  agreements)
• - between close neighbours
• - between institutions (universities, schools)
• - between EU member countries (e.g. Socrates)
• - supported by international organisations,
  associations etc. (e.g. ASP Unesco).
• Why is it supported? There are numerous
  /dis/advantages of such cooperation
• - intercultural understanding, etc.
• - higher critical mass (joint projects,
  institutions, etc.)
• - open minds
• - support to quality teacher education
• - but also dilemmas about educational trade,
  etc.

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2. Findings from our survey

• Is the international and in particular
  cross-border cooperation in education in SEE in
  increase? Some figures from universities /
  colleges show that there is an increase in
  student ( future teachers) mobility.
• However, there are many obstacles financial
  constraints, visa policies, political tensions,
  language barriers
• An enhanced cross-border cooperation in education
  could offer a number of advantages institutions
  find international cooperation very important.
• International and cross-border cooperation in
  education could be an instrument to strengthen a
  process of professional development of teachers.
  A case of good practice the EU Socrates
  Commenius programme.

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A 3.17 Has the international mobility of students and teaching staff increased at your institution over the last three years? A 3.17 Has the international mobility of students and teaching staff increased at your institution over the last three years? A 3.17 Has the international mobility of students and teaching staff increased at your institution over the last three years?
Students f f
Yes, significantly. 12 18,2
Yes, but only slightly. 31 47,0
Not at all. 16 24,2
No, on the contrary it decreased. 1 1,5
No information available. 6 9,1
total 66 100,0
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A 3.17 Has the international mobility of students and teaching staff increased at your institution over the last three years? A 3.17 Has the international mobility of students and teaching staff increased at your institution over the last three years? A 3.17 Has the international mobility of students and teaching staff increased at your institution over the last three years?
Teachers f f
Yes, significantly. 19 28,4
Yes, but only slightly. 31 46,3
Not at all. 11 16,4
No, on the contrary it decreased. 2 3,0
No information available. 4 6,0
total 67 100,0
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A 3.18 Do you consider international mobility of students and staff important for enhancing pre-service teacher education and training at your institution? A 3.18 Do you consider international mobility of students and staff important for enhancing pre-service teacher education and training at your institution? A 3.18 Do you consider international mobility of students and staff important for enhancing pre-service teacher education and training at your institution?
f f
Yes, it is very important. 41 61,2
It is important but not the decisive factor. 25 37,3
No, it is not important. 1 1,5
No, it is waste of time / brain drain. 0 0,0
total 67 100,0
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B 2.13 Would you be willing to work with teachers and pupils from schools in other countries? T MIN MAX
Yes, from any country of the world. 38.5 13.6 AL 62.4 HR
Yes, from EU countries. 27.1 14.5 MO 57.4 KO
Yes, from all neighbouring countries. 10.7 2.0 HR 25.1 KO
Yes, from one or some of the neighbouring countries. 19.3 1.0 HR 40.6 MO
Yes, I already have good experience. 8.8 0.5 HR 29.0 AT
No, I am not interested. 8.7 2.1 KO 25.2 SI
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3. Some questions for a discussion

• 1. What experiences do we have in this area?
• 2. What is the main motivation for teachers to
  join international programmes?
• 3. What interpretation of results from Q-B 2.13?
• 4. What are main obstacles to cross-border
  cooperation in education in my environment?
• 5. What could be advantages of an enhanced
  cross-border cooperation in education in my
  environment?
• 6. How could schools and other institutions
  contribute to an enhanced cross-border
  cooperation?
• 7. How could international organisations, NGOs
  etc. contribute to cross-border cooperation?
• 8. Is the international and cross-border
  cooperation also an instrument to strengthen a
  process of professional development of teachers?