Professional Competences of Preschool Teachers in Montenegro

The most recent findings concerning human development, opportunities in early childhood and nature of learning, transition from behavioral to constructive model reflect the anticipation of modern preschool educational model and changed role of preschool teacher. The profession of preschool teacher has vastly changed in the last few decades, especially concerning competences they have to possess new skills and they are supposed to develop so the same would be encouraged and developed at children. Additional to having the expertise in the area and knowledge of the modern didactic methods, preschool staff has to know basic strategies of creating curriculums and their execution as well as an evaluation of their efficiency. Due to changes that have been happening in the modern pre/education, the position and needed competences of preschool teachers are becoming more complex and they include: professional competences, pedagogic skills of managing the process of learning and didactic-methodical transformation of educational contents, communicative competence, advisory capacity, evaluative competences and readiness for changes. In accordance with new requirements of the overall changes in the educational system in our country, as well as the recently defined needs of all participants in the educational process and in the light of the current changes in practice, the need for improvement of pre-service teachers was naturally imposed. In our country, initial education is improved, but a practical dimension is still in the shadow of the theoretical, academic approach, as it is evident that this model still lacks the research and developmental dimension. Apparently, professional development, which is predominantly responsibility of the Bureau for Education Services of Montenegro, occupies an increasingly important place in the context of the overall professional development in a unique educational system in Montenegro which is confirmed by the analysis of the Catalogue of professional development (there was a move from 4 to 19 programs aimed at the professional development of preschool teachers). Despite the slow changes and the promotion of the didactically small and school-like planning of all the activities, the current pre-school context in Montenegro is getting more and more prominent features of an open, flexible learning environment, consistent with the authentic experiences and needs of children, the participants and the surroundings and promotes preschool teachers as researchers of their own practice and creators of the unique educational context.