Nikoleta Gutvajn

1Nikoleta Gutvajn, PhD
scientific associate

Director of the Institute for Educational Research
Belgrade, Serbia

 

 

 

Biography

Nikoleta Gutvajn holds a PhD from the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, Department of Pedagogy. The title of her doctoral thesis was “Constructivist Approach to Students’ Educational Achievement”. She authored a monograph entitled “ Self-efficacy belives and academic achievement”, as well as many papers dealing with students characterized as underachievers in the educational discourse and the possibilities of improving the quality of their education. Nikoleta Gutvajn is a researcher and project leader in the national projects coordinated by the Institute for Educational Research. She worked as a lecturer at the Preschool Teacher Training College in Belgrade where she taught the following subjects: Methodology of Speech Development, Preschool Pedagogy, and Family Pedagogy. She also taught the subject Pedagogy at the College of Health Studies in Ćuprija. She is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of the Institute for Educational Research and the journal Belgrade School of Special Education and Rehabilitation.

Five references:

  • Gutvajn, N. (2017). Upravljanje ličnim profesionalnim razvojem iz perspektive vaspitača. In: D. Malinić i D. Vesić (eds.), Book of abstracts of the 21st International Scientific Conference Pedagogical Research and Educational Practice – educational Changes in Serbia: Challenges and Perspectives (pp. 33-34). Belgrade: Institute for Educational Research, Faculty of Economics of the University of Belgrade, ZUOV and ZVKOV.
  • Gutvajn, N. & M. Vujačić (Ed.) (2016). Challenges and Perspectives of Inclusive Education. Belgrade: Institute for Educational Research; Volgograd: Volgograd State 11 Socio-Pedagogical University; Belgrade: Faculty of Teacher Education.
  • Gutvajn, N. (2015). Professional competences of preschool teachers for the work with gifted children, in: G. Gojkov and S. Prtaga (Ed.): Book of abstracts of the International scientific conference The gifted and didactic culture (p. 48-49), Vršac, June 5 th 2015. Vršac: Preschool Teacher Training College “Mihailo Palov”.
  • Gutvajn, N., R. Đević i V. Džinović (2015). Izazovi profesionalnog razvoja nastavnika i stručnih saradnika: saradnja škole i naučne zajednice, in: S. Ševkušić, J. Radišić i D. Malinić (eds.), Book of Proceedings from the 18th International Scientific Conference “Pedagogic Research and School Praxis” Challenges and dilemmas of Teachers’ and Educational Leaders’ Professional Development (pp.122-125; 282- 285). Belgrade: Institute for Educational Research and ZUOV; Segedin: Hungarian-Netherlands School of Educational Management, University of Szeged; Juvaskula: Institute of Educational Leadership, University of Jyvaskyla.
  • Gutvajn, N. (2014). Challenges of lifelong learning: professional competences of educators in inclusive environment (Introduction lecture), in N. Gutvajn, N. Lalić- Vučetić and D. Stokanić (Ed.), Book of abstracts of the 5th International scientific conference Inclusion in preschool and elementary school – Contemporary approaches to inclusive education (p.7-8; 91-92). Belgrade: Institute for Educational Research; Sremska Mitrovica: Preschool Teacher Training and Business Informatics Collage – Sirmium; Koper: Faculty of Education University of Primorska.

Description of the plenary lecture

Innovative approaches to professional development of preschool and primary school teachers

We present a growth model of preschool and primary school teachers’ professional development as a continuous transformational process in which changing teachers’ assumptions, implicit theories and beliefs is a pathway to changing their professional practice. The growth model is based on an integration of theories of learning and theories of change. In this model, the process of learning is a process of construing experience, closely connected to personal meaning making. The approach is rooted in Dewey’s views of education as reconstruction, as well as more contemporary perspectives of constructivist psychology and reflective practice. As an illustration of the growth model, we will present team coaching and a case of an accredited teacher development program. In conclusion, we will discuss the implications of growth model for improving the preschool and primary school teachers’.