TEACHERS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Teachers professional development through "Active Teachers" Clubs in Bulgaria is part of the International Teacher Leadership Network founded by prof. David Frost, University of Cambridge, UK and adopted in Bulgaria by the Open Society Institute team. The pilot projects was launched in 2010 in Lyaskovets and Veliko Tarnovo. This article explores the quality of current professional qualification policy and the relevance of the teachers' in-service training courses to the genuine needs of teachers, schools and students. The first results and analyses showed that the teachers need to share and discuss the challenges they face in the everyday school life. They need guidelines and tools to structure the discussions for school improvements and individual and team's professional development. The improvements of teachers' work and results require higher level of trust, measures to enhance the internal communications within the pedagogical teams and enhanced involvement in professional research activities and development of teachers' portfolio.