So, this conference appears even more relevant in a context where the sector is undergoing curriculum reform. “The aim of the conference was not to discuss conclusions of the reform but to start a debate around the reform with special emphasis on the role of teachers. This reform should not be something that is imposed on teachers; teachers should own their reform,” she further explains.

In fact, as the director of curriculum of the ministry of Education, Santosh Kumar Mahadeo, stated in his keynote address at the beginning of the conference, “Curriculum development is a job that requires people and resources. It requires a skilled team of educators spending many thousands of hours writing, thinking, working in classrooms, and listening to teachers and students”. He goes even further when he adds, “Curriculum is primarily a tool for teacher development. The teacher must truly be in partnership with the curriculum rather than simply using it as a guide for sequencing student work”.

Teachers are indeed expected to play a major role in the reform. They are those who will make the curriculum operational. “As professionals they are the lynchpins between government policy, effective learning and pupil achievement,” Anita Curpen adds. In order to better respond to the children’s needs, teachers will of course need to know their subject, the new curricula and the pupils’ potential and needs. These are the first steps towards efficient teaching.

But they should also be able to interpret the syllabus, and even more importantly, develop imaginative and innovatory pedagogical skills to cater for all pupils. Therefore, research appears as a must. There is no possibility of being innovative and creative without teachers asking themselves a certain number of questions. “Professionalism is evidenced where teachers commit to personal learning in pedagogy, to continuing professional development including drawing on research in education theory, policy and practice in their discipline,” says Anita Curpen. “Teacher decision-making is key and the curriculum must be designed with this assumption in mind. The teacher’s role is to connect the particulars of the classroom and students to the investigations presented by the curriculum,” comments the director of curriculum.

If teachers rest on their laurels, satisfied with what they learnt at the beginning of their career, they will not be able to bring innovative knowledge and methodologies to their pupils. “We can’t consider that there is one recipe that is able to develop all the knowledge and know-how necessary for a whole career. For instance, most teachers who come to the MIE will do their job for at least 30 years. How can we train for the next thirty years if we don’t even know how society will develop? We have to consider the first major training like a stage in a continuing process,” says Rada Tirvassen.

The organiser of the conference however makes it clear that the research is not of the purely academic variety. It has to be practitioners’ research so that it can be effective for the whole community of teachers in relation to the way they carry out their job on a daily basis. Teacher development appears crucial to guarantee the success of the curriculum reform. “New times need new teaching strategies,” sums up Santosh Kumar Mahadeo.