The Best Educators of Serbia, Tatjana Marković-Topalović, Marina Dorocki, and Marinko Petković, participated in the dissemination program of the project "Training of mentors" at the University of Novi Sad within the European Erasmus project.
At the invitation of the University of Novi Sad, on November 20, 2021, on Faculty of Science and Mathematics, the dissemination program of the project "Mentor Training" no. 2020 - 1 - SK01 - KA201 - 078250. 2020. This important gathering was attended by about 40 teachers from all over Serbia, including three of our best educators in Serbia, physics teachers Tatjana Marković - Topalović, Marina Dorocki, and Marinko Petković. The project is an Erasmus project and directs the cooperation of six universities: Konstatin Filozofski in Nitra - Slovakia, Janoš Seli, Komarno - Slovakia, University of Ostrava - Czech Republic, Karoli Eesterhazi, Eger - Hungary, and the University of Novi Sad.
The seminar was organized as one-day talks, consultations, and workshops on November 20, 2021, in the amphitheater "Mihajlo Pupin", Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics in Novi Sad. A group of professors from the University formed a team of physicists, mathematicians, geographers, biologists, chemists, and psychologists who dealt with the basic settings and obligations of mentoring trainees (usually students that just graduated) who are just entering the teaching and education process. The conference lasted from 10.00 to 16.00. Teachers showed a high degree of interest, with expressed activities, considering the proposed topic crucial for recruiting young teachers for the education process.
One of the biggest problems with young teachers is the lack of self-confidence, cooperation with parents and colleagues, the objectivity of assessment, authority, and dignity of the person in collaboration with students. It is essential to mention that currently, in the Serbian educational system, there are no clear and precise instructions, work strategy, monitoring, and objective evaluation of the work of mentors, but neither precise nor objective way of monitoring the assessment of trainees' progress. At this conference, our three best educators stood out: Tatjana Marković - Topalović, Marina Dorocki, and Marinko Petković. They took an active part in all the discussions, emphasizing building self-confidence in education and choosing associates in work and projects. The gathering participants were actively engaged in collegial cooperation, different psychological profiles of teachers, professions, and generations. This gathering, the first of its kind in our country, has two priority goals:
- Strategic training of teacher mentors in Serbia (harmonized with European standards) that will introduce young teachers (and colleagues who decide to work at school after some other work) to our country's educational system and facilitate adaptation to the future responsible position.
- Articulation and accreditation of seminars under the auspices of ZUOV that will be a valuable basis for mentors' organized and synchronized work in different schools in our country.
The general conclusion of all seminar participants is that this conference and the systematic guidance of teachers entering the education system are needed and valuable for trainees, students, and their parents. Furthermore, it is essential to point out that thanks to the entrepreneurship and openness of the University of Novi Sad, Serbia is part of the modern educational movement and European educational values through the Erasmus project, which networks and directs cooperation between six academic institutions in Europe and Serbia.
