Teachers, Teacher Education, and Professional Development
No specific education is dedicated to teaching reading instruction. Following graduation from a teacher education program, teachers at the primary level are qualified to teach all subjects. Reading is part of the regular curriculum and is integrated into French language didactics.
Requirements for Ongoing Professional Development in Reading for Teachers
Professional development of teachers is compulsory per decree, although teachers have the freedom to choose among professional development courses covering reading.5 The decree also called for the creation of the Professional Training Institute (Institut de la Formation en cours de carrière), an organization that implements and organizes professional development for teachers in the Wallonia‑Brussels Federation. Currently, professional development projects are structured at three levels:6
- Micro level (school project)—Related to the teacher’s school, on topics such as student needs, parental expectations, and the school’s social and cultural background
- Meso level (educational and pedagogical project)—Based on the objectives or philosophy of the school’s administration
- Macro level (curriculum project)— Related to implementing learning competencies, with the goal of reaching levels defined in the core skills
In‑service professional development includes compulsory and voluntary training. Compulsory professional development consists of six half-days per school year, of which two days must be devoted to macro education. Voluntary professional development may not exceed 10 half-days per school year if the training occurs during school hours.