ATEE Annual Conference in Riga (Latvia) 'Teachers’ Life-cycle from Initial Teacher Education to Experienced Professional'

The conference programme focuses on teachers’ pre-diploma studies and post-diploma professional development until they reach the quality of an experienced professional in the context of lifelong learning and continuous professional development.

The choice of this conference theme was motivated by the awareness that between pre-service teacher education and their first years of professional work there still is a gap. Therefore one of the main questions are whether there are stages in teachers’ life cycle from their pre-diploma studies till the experienced professional, what qualities can be distinguished at each of the stages and what assistance they need to smoothly reach the quality of the experienced teachers.

Changes occurring in society impact a teacher’s life cycle and, concurrently, might affect the delicate balance between self-directed and assisted learning at each stage of their professional growth. In line with the conference’s general theme, several areas for debates are suggested.

1. What is the dynamic of the professional identity through stages of the life-cycle from the first year student through to experienced teacher? What are the essential qualitative changes at each stage that should underpin the best ways of support by educators, mentors etc.?
2. Learning strategies and competences at different stages of teachers’ pre-service and in-service development: supported and self-directed learning; values and perspectives of formal, in-formal, and non-formal learning in teachers’ life-cycle. Towards relevant curricula for teachers’ pre- and post-degree/diploma studies: models and programmes which open to the students and teachers the complexity of learning to teach and teaching-learning as a unique and creative process, make theories meaningful for practice and practices meaningful to acquire theories that make teachers effective for today’s learners.
3. What are the best experiences for preparing teachers for their life and work in an educational community, class, school etc.? What and how students and teachers can learn from their experienced and effective colleagues? Further learning in working places: challenges of university and school culture, collegiality and partnership in doing and learning; learning by leading and/or leading by learning. Are there or should there be particular stages of organized assistance of teachers’ and educators’ further learning at their working places?

The conference will be hosted by the University of Latvia.

For more information, please contact the Conference Secretariat: Linda Daniela