Educational clusters – the new opportunities for improving teacher training qualifications

Abstract

The contemporary reality of societal development poses new challenges for education. Education must be synchronized with the needs of society and innovative development promotes the emergence of new structures. Educational clusters are comparatively new and one of the less researched phenomenon in pedagogical science. The goal of the current inquiry is to present the outcomes of a practical experience with a functioning educational cluster related to the qualification of teachers in Bulgaria. The article examines the formation of educational clusters as a catalyst for innovative policies and practices in the education of teacher teachers. It looks at the types of educational clusters, and suggests a structure of an educational cluster for continuing teacher training and qualification, based on experience of the Department for Information and In-service Teacher Training at Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.