Along with constant social, political, and cultural change, the role of schools and, according, the role and position of a teacher are also changing. A teacher is required to have a higher level of professionalism because of thesenew circumstances. Thus the importance of a teacher’s professional growth is being increasingly stressed. Not only are external characteristics of the profession and of teacher status pointed out, such as salary, reputation, and working conditions, but in addition, a great deal of attention is given by society to the subject of teachers’ ”inner” professional development or professional maturing, which gradually leads to a greater confidence in the decision-making process, as well as self confidence, and independence of thought and action.

As a  ''reflective practitioner  '' (Schön, 1984, 1987) ateacher is expected not only to master the subject and various methods and forms of teaching, but also to show  that he is capable of maneging an extensive selection of various study materials, methods and forms, according  to shifting teaching goals and varied groups of pupils, and thus of creating a learning environment that provides for active learning. It can be noticed that in the last decade there has been a growing number of discussions in the professional literature dealing with the subject of professionalism and a teacher's professional growth.

Within this framework, reflection is an important factor in a teacher’s professional growth: it concerns a process of empirical learning based on practice analysis and cognition, which directs an individual’s thoughts and actions. It can be individual, when a teacher stops to lighten the atmosphere in the classroom, or it can be an interactive process, when a teacher, with the help of another person (a critical friend), deals with dilemmas, asks questions etc.  According to this model, the question of a collaborative school culture is crucial and will be treated in this article, as well.

 In the first part of the article, the aim is to point out the importance of collaboration and team culture for a teacher's professional development. In the second part, we will present the actual situation in the Slovenian education system by providing answers to the question of how teachers perceive (cooperative) learning and their own relation to it.

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