The paper aims at overwieving the methodological aspects of improving the vocational teacher education curriculum by implementing the system for recognition of prior learning.
The importance of the chosen topic is highly concerned with the realization of key education reform strategic tasks, which are outlined in the Bologna declaration (1999), Lifelong learning memorandum (2001), EU guidelines for making lifelong learning a reality (2001), Copenhagen declaration (2002), National education strategy regulation for 2003-2012 (2003) and other strategic documents of EU. Currently vocational teachers do not have opportunities to choose the part of study programmes according to their learning needs, i.e. current formal vocational teacher education curriculum does not include the system for assessment vocational teachers’ didactical achievements, acquired during their prior learning.
The paper discusses the main concepts of vocational teacher education, learning outcomes based curriculum as well as the process of recognition of prior learning. It also overviews the tradition of vocational teacher education in several European countries as well as the neeis for recognition of prior learning. The systematization of the recognition of prior learning is based on the expert survey.
Scientific originality of the research is based on designed original system for assessment and recognition of vocational teacher achievements (acquired during their non-formal and informal learning), as well as parameters characterising this system which is new in the practice of vocational teacher education.
Methods used for summarizing the research data:
- Analysis of scientific literature and documents, seeking to reveal phenomena of assessment process of non-formal and informal learning achievements, interpretations of conceptions, disclose the topic of non-formal and informal learning as well as experience in national and international context, describe the factors influencing the development of system for assessment and recognition of vocational teachers’ achievements (acquired during their non-formal and informal learning) and distinguish the parameters of assessment system.
- Systematical analysis is used for analysing principles, goals, functions, structure, interrelations between structural elements of system for assessment and recognition of vocational teachers’ achievements.
- Expert survey. Survey-based questionnaire designed for experts representing the main groups being interested in improvement of vocational teacher education, namely vocational teachers, educators of vocational teachers and employers of vocational teachers (heads of vocational schools). The questionnaire refers to validation of assessment system parameters.