New PIQET Handbook Empowers Educators with High-Quality Professional Development
The PIQET Handbook for Continuous Professional Development of Educators is now available in English, Croatian, and Slovenian, offering a valuable resource for professionals dedicated to improving the quality of early childhood education (ECE) and primary school teaching.
Developed through the PIQET project (Principles of Quality in Education of Teachers), this handbook provides practical guidance, tools, and strategies to enhance the professional development of educators and the specialists who train them.
A Handbook Designed for CPD Educators
Unlike many professional development resources that focus solely on teachers and practitioners, the PIQET Handbook places a strong emphasis on CPD educators—those responsible for training and mentoring ECEC professionals. The handbook acknowledges that high-quality professional development depends not only on content but also on the expertise and growth of those delivering it.
What’s Inside the Handbook?
The handbook offers a structured framework for CPD educators, trainers, and policymakers to design and implement effective, evidence-based professional learning opportunities. Key components include:
- A Transformative Pathway for CPD Educators – A flexible, self-improvement model designed to help trainers enhance their own skills while supporting others.
- Guidelines for Self-Reflection and Peer Learning – Tools to help CPD educators critically assess and improve their training methods.
- Real-Life Case Studies – Examples from Croatia and Slovenia demonstrating best practices in professional development.
- Templates and Practical Tools – Resources such as a Transformative Pathway Plan template and guidelines for reflective discussions after training observations.
The Fourth Milestone in the PIQET Project
The PIQET Handbook is the fourth key output of the PIQET project. It builds on the project's previous results:
- A comprehensive analysis of CPD recruitment and professional development practices across Europe.
- The PIQET Quality Principles, which set a standard for high-quality CPD opportunities.
- The PIQET Training Programme for CPD Educators, which provides structured learning opportunities to enhance trainers’ skills.
The handbook takes these foundations further by offering a practical, action-oriented tool for institutions and individual educators alike.
Why This Handbook Matters
Research consistently shows that investing in CPD leads to better educational outcomes. Yet, the development of CPD educators themselves is often overlooked. The PIQET Handbook aims to fill this gap by ensuring that those responsible for training teachers are equipped with the latest knowledge, strategies, and frameworks to elevate their practice.
The PIQET project, a collaboration between the Educational Research Institute (Slovenia), Open Academy Step by Step (Croatia), and the International Step by Step Association (ISSA), continues to drive high-quality, accessible, and impactful professional development for educators across Europe.
Download the PIQET Handbook here.
