1400 Teachers Participated in Masterclasses: What Happened at the "Inspiring Teachers" Forum?

Nearly 1400 teachers participated in master classes this year. Under the National Program of the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) “Qualification of Pedagogical Specialists” a total of 76 such trainings have been organized, in which teachers share and practically pass on their experience and skills to their colleagues. This was announced by the MES press center.

The master classes were presented during the National Forum “Inspiring Teachers”, which brought together in Burgas pedagogues, representatives of different institutions and experts from all over the country.

“The role of teachers is no longer just that of teachers, but of inspirers, motivators, ‘provocateurs’, leaders. One teacher can change one life, but one great teacher can change the whole world”, said Deputy Minister of Education and Science Natalia Mihalevska at the opening of the forum. She pointed out that the challenges facing teachers are growing, and children spend more time in the virtual space. “There are only two ways to cope. The first is to constantly develop and learn. The second is to support each other, to pass on the experience we have sincerely, in detail, with professional involvement and empathy. That is why master classes are important - because teachers are trained together by doing - the way they should teach their students”, said Natalia Mihalevska.

According to her, as a result of the work of the teachers, each master class combines in the most appropriate way social-emotional learning, formative assessment, inclusive education, project- and problem-based learning, learning through play and experience, flexible models of blended learning, metacognition and skills to learn, critical thinking, media and digital literacy, collaborative learning and an interdisciplinary pedagogical approach. 

Deputy Minister Mihalevska noted that master classes are important not only for quality education in schools, but also for parents, who can be more confident about the preparation of their children. Therefore, the message of the forum is “Give time, chance, professionalism, patience, care and understanding to every child, to seek the path to knowledge, to develop, to make mistakes, to have a choice and to form themselves as worthy personalities”, she said. 

The forum is organized by the Ministry of Education and Science, and the host is the Department for Qualification and Professional Development of Pedagogical Specialists at the Burgas State University “Prof. Dr. Asen Zlatarov”. The video “76 master classes - 23 regions, one mission” was also presented at the forum. Its purpose is to motivate more pedagogical specialists and representatives of the scientific community to participate in the activities of the National Program “Qualification of Pedagogical Specialists” next year.

“Teachers are the people who change the future of our children every day, and the exchange of experience and good practices is key to the development of a quality and modern educational environment. Our university has always supported initiatives that put the teacher at the center of change”, said the rector of Burgas State University, Prof. Dr. Sotir Sotirov at the opening of the forum. The director of the Department for Qualification and Professional Development of Pedagogical Specialists at the higher education institution, Assoc. Prof. Krasimira Dimitrova, said that the most pedagogical specialists participated in the master classes in the Burgas region.  

The participants were greeted by the chairman of the Union of Bulgarian Teachers, Dr. of Economic Sciences Yanka Takeva, by the deputy mayor of Burgas Municipality Mihail Nenov and by the head of the Regional Education Management in Burgas, Valentina Kamalieva. 

Within the framework of the forum, the results of the master classes organized during the year are presented, with an emphasis on three main areas related to formative assessment, reading literacy, improving the results and quality of education in different educational contexts. 

The host of the event is the actor Veselin Plachkov, and the opening panel “The Masters of Burgas” included Toni Dimitrova, Eva Naydenova and the poet Yana Valcheva. The actor Dimitar Marinov also joined via video link. Among the participants are the director of the National STEM Center, Prof. Nayden Shivarov, teachers and principals from all over the country, representatives of the MES, RIO, higher education institutions, the Institute of Education, social partners and others.

As BTA wrote, a total of 76 master classes will be organized by the end of 2025 within the framework of the National Program “Qualification of Pedagogical Specialists”, module 1, under which activities for the continuing qualification of teachers, principals and other pedagogical specialists are carried out. This was announced by the MES in November.