Teaching EU at school: the case study of “European dimension of language teaching in secondary school” in service training

January 12, 2014

Author: Dilyana Pavlova
This paper aims to present the one year in-service training course titled “European dimensions of language teaching in secondary school” offered by the Department of European studies of Sofia university. The methodology includes document analysis as regards to the references to knowledge related to European union in legislative acts in the sphere of education and the legal base and provisions for the qualification of teachers in Bulgaria. Furthermore, the paper employs a case study based approach on the design, curriculum, implementation and short term results of the in-service training course. Data was primarily collected through document analysis, insights and feedback offered by department members who participated in the creation of the course and observations on the learning products developed by the teachers in the course of their training. There has been little research aimed at analyzing results of formal qualification of teachers on European issues outside of different project results. The present paper addresses this issue and presents the practical considerations of the implementation of this initiative. The paper has practical implications for university staff, teachers and public administration involved in promoting European studies at school.

Keywords: Bulgarian educational system; EU studies; EU teaching/learning; school education; teacher training;