Continuous professional development of teachers: history, current state, and prospects
DOI: 10.23951/2307-6127-2026-3-29-40
The continuous professional development of teachers is of strategic importance for building a highly effective education system. This study examines the development of the Russian system of continuous teacher education from the mid-19th to the first quarter of the 21st century, characterizing its forms, identifying trends, defining problems, and suggesting prospects for its future development. The paper demonstrates that the formation of the in-service teacher training system dates back to the mid-19th century and provides an overview of the unions, societies, congresses, courses, and pedagogical publications that contributed to teacher professional development during that period. It highlights that the experience of Tsarist Russia was expanded by the Soviet system of continuous professional development for teachers (1920s–1990s), noting such new forms as correspondence courses, industrial and cultural excursions, workshops, and internships. The paper provides an overview of the creation of central courses for the professional development of social education workers, teacher training institutes, and dedicated departments for continuing education within educational institutions, demonstrating the forms and directions of their activities. The nature of changes in the continuous education system in the late 20th and first quarter of the 21st centuries is explored, featuring forms such as symposia, seminars, master classes, conferences, mentoring and coaching, professional learning communities, research projects, and projects examining teaching practice. Russian online platforms are examined, as they make continuous teacher development more meaningful, flexible, accessible, and interactive. It is suggested that both hybrid and personalized models of continuous teacher development, with a preference for online courses, will be promising directions, while active learning methods, artificial intelligence, and inclusive education will remain in high demand. It is concluded that continuous teacher development is a significant component of teachers’ professional growth, student success, and the improvement of educational processes in academic institutions.
Keywords: educator, teacher, continuous development, professional development/in-service training, education, online platforms, distance learning courses
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Issue: 3, 2026
Series of issue: Issue 3
Rubric: GENERAL PEDAGOGY, HISTORY OF PEDAGOGY AND EDUCATION
Pages: 29 — 40
Downloads: 249