The ETF studies on teacher preparation in the Western Balkans are going to be presented at the European Conference on Educational Research (ECER 2010) to be held in Helsinki on 23-27 August.

ETF expert Keith Holmes will chair the round table “Preparing Teachers for Inclusive Education in Contexts of Social and Cultural Diversity in the Western Balkans” in a dedicated session of the conference on 27 August.

As part of its support to enhance the evidence gathering and research capacities in the Western Balkans and Turkey, the ETF has guided and supported the Western Balkans researchers to participate and present papers in this European Conference. In order to disseminate the findings from these country studies, and to contribute to the international literature the local researchers will also submit their papers for publication in refereed academic journals such as the European Journal of Education.

The papers in this Round Table present the findings of a set of country case studies on the preparation of teachers for inclusive education in the Western Balkans. Current changes in education in this region (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo (as defined by UNSCR 1244), Montenegro, and Serbia) are strongly influenced by their aspirations to join the European Union. In this perspective, increased attention by policy-makers, planners and teacher educators to all learners in these contexts of diversity is considered essential for inclusive education and social justice.

The researchers from the Western Balkans will reflect on how teachers may best be prepared to promote inclusive education in these contexts. They will consider how their work might contribute towards social justice and social cohesion. They will also reflect on their experiences of conducting the studies and the challenge of research capacity development in the region. Prof Pavel Zgaga from the University of Ljubljana and Alison Closs, Honorary Fellow from the University of Edinburgh, who acted as mentors of the study, have kindly agreed to participate as discussants in this Round Table. This is a valuable contribution to the session considering the mentors’ extensive knowledge and experience of both the topic and the region.


Find out more:
The European Conference on Educational Research 2010
Round table on Preparing Teachers for Inclusive Education in Contexts of Social and Cultural Diversity in the Western Balkans