Teacher training and professional development
UWC believes that education is a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future and a key ingredient is passionate, committed and professional teachers.
The impact of UWC is greatly increased through a number of teaching training and professional development programmes run by our schools and colleges.
Case Study: UWC in Mostar
UWC Mostar is the only truly integrated school in Bosnia Herzegovina
(BiH) educating students from all ethnic groups together offering one
curriculum and providing joint boarding accommodation. The college is the
core part of the foundation Education in Action which aims to become a
strong reference point for educational reform in the country and
actively works on capacity building of high school teachers from
across the country.
The Centre for the
Professional Development of Teachers in BiH was established in 2006 and offers a rare
opportunity for BiH teachers to come together to share and discuss
ideas for the reform. The head of the centre is Ivan Lorenčič,
Headmaster of II Gymnasium Maribor and the former Director of The
National Education Institute of the Republic of Slovenia. More than 300
teachers and education experts have attended the educational programmes
organised over the last two years. The long-term professional support
of teachers from across the UWC movement and from the International
Baccalaureate is central to the project. The success of UWC in Mostar
is serving as an important model of what integrated education can
achieve in a post-conflict environment.
The centre plays an important role in
improving education in BiH through workshops, conferences and study
visits to Slovenia. The aim of these activities is to inform ministers,
teachers and directors and representatives of pedagogical Institutes
from across BiH with examples of good practice from the IB and the
potential influence of the IB on national education systems, using the
example of Slovenia.
Ivan Lorenčič, head of the Centre for Professional Development of Teachers in BiH.
Other UWC teacher training projects
UWCAdriatic created the PACE (Peace) Project to harness the power of education in the process of rebuilding post-conflict societies through teacher training and workshops for teachers from across Central and Eastern Europe. The college then set up the Agency for Cooperation in Secondary Education to build on this and offer a coherent approach to professional development of teachers from across the region. The PACE project has also supported the work of the Initiative in Bosnia Herzegovina.
We want to harness the enormous power of education as a force for peace and stability in the region and bring together the best educational aspects from each country.’ Sandy Thomas, Education Director, PACE Project.
UWC-USA hosts a series of teacher training workshops for IB Diploma teachers every year. They are committed to providing practical and inspiring instruction from highly skilled workshop leaders, including senior examiners and experienced classroom teachers.