PROFF – Professionalisation of VET teachers for the future - Europa

10. Continuing education of teachers within the scope of school libraries, PortugalFollowing publication of the report Launching the network of school libraries in 1996, thenational programme ‘network of school libraries’ was started as an educational policymeasure. The school library, understood as a multimedia centre where information foreducational purposes is processed, integrated, made available and produced in different media(books, newspapers, video, films, slides, computer programmes, online information, etc.), istherefore one of the main resources for curricula development. Consequently, it becamenecessary to promote training in school libraries.The ideology of ‘teaching to learn’ emerged as a key skill for teachers, perceived as a processfor developing skills that make it possible to manage the abundance of information available.The goals of the training programme were to:• improve professional performance in developing projects assigned to them;• acquire, through self-learning, the necessary skills to realise the projects;• encourage exchange of experiences and a research spirit for new scientifically provendynamics;• acquire new skills aimed at professional development and personal enrichment.The programme consisted of:• analysing policy background;• reflecting on the role of the library teacher as cultural facilitator of the school;• creative workshops for producing materials;• organising the library/resource centre’s documentation;• new technology and resources;• project development.The action made it possible to develop the following skills:• leadership of school library projects;• organisational techniques and animation of school libraries;• team work and team spirit;• new forms of relating to knowledge, structuring learning situations of pupils by usingschool libraries.56