Jeļena Zaščerinska

Introduction. Teaching and training are at the heart of the knowledge society where the continuing professional development of teachers and trainers provides the cornerstone for the development of a high quality education and training systems. The Aim of the Study. To identify a design of professional environment for teacher professional development on the prevailing pedagogical discourse. Materials and Methods. The search for a design of professional environment involves a process of analyzing the meaning of key concepts “teacher professional learning”, “life-long learning”, “conditions for teacher professional development”, “professional environment”. Moreover, the study demonstrates how the key concepts are related to the idea of teacher professional development. Results. The study presents a potential model for development indicating how the steps of the process are related following a logical chain: professional learning as potential for professional development → conditions for teacher professional development → design of professional environment. Conclusions. Professional environment offers many interesting possibilities for teacher professional development.