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Ensuring your professional development for excellence and visibility in difficult circumstances

This seminar aims to raise awareness on professional expectations in ELT, motivating teachers to excel despite challenges. Topics include professionalism, reskilling needs, and leadership roles in education.

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Ensuring your professional development for excellence and visibility in difficult circumstances

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  1. Ensuring your professional development for excellence and visibility in difficult circumstances Focho Gladys, Ph.D Unversity of Bamenda, Cameroon

  2. OBJECTIVE & EXPECTED OUTCOME • Raise awareness on what it takes to be a professional in ELT • Motivate teachers to be more enthusiastic professionals

  3. Outline • Introduction • Who is a professional? • Professionalism in ELT • Lessons learned

  4. Introduction • Yesterday’s African teacher: - DEDICATED - PASSIONATE - A ROLE MODEL - TEACHING A VOCATION

  5. Today’s teacher: - narrates, students listen patiently &copy - bullies & students are petrified, lifeless - teaching is detached from students’ reality - a rupture between the actual and the ideal - a complete lack of professionalism

  6. Need to restore the teacher & teaching • Need for reskilling and re-tooling the teacher (Obanya, 2010) • Need to address the ‘teacher gap’ quantitatively & qualitatively (Oslo Declaraton 2008) • Calls for a renewed commitment to the professionalisation of the African teacher

  7. Who is a professional? • The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. William A. Ward • One who can unlock the potentials of the students

  8. The mark of a professional teacher • Has academic and professional training • Has a lifelong commitment for the profession • Has status & prestige due to knowledge, expertise, high personal integrity/code of ethics • Has power, authority & autonomy • Trains & empowers others • Exerts external influence on policy makers (advocacy through teacher unions & associations)

  9. Professionalism in ELT: 1111111111 The multi-layered intellectual cap of today’s teacher 1.Lifelong learning 22 2.Broad general knowledge and culture (including ICT) 3. Broad field knowledge (e.g Arts) 4. Specialized in-depth knowledge (e.g English language) 5. Knowledge of education principles 6. Education principles application (Obanya, 2010 P. 24) 55555 6

  10. Global education • What else do you know? - football, gender, peace building, environmental issues, health issues etc • What else can you do? - research, present papers, creative writing, course book writing, mentoring, counselling, use ICTs etc • How do you use these to enrich your teaching/education of students?

  11. Complementing hard skills Hard VS Soft skills (IQ & EQ) • Hard skills: technical, professional, specialised e.g teaching methods, classroom management, evaluation, critical thinking • Soft skills: interpersonal relations e.g patience, understanding, team spirit

  12. The professional as a leader • Leadership - are you aware of your leadership potentials? - do you have the capacity to translate vision into reality? - do you motivate and empower others? - do you lead from the FRONT or from BEHIND?

  13. Leading from behind • Leadership is not all about position. (neilanerson) • Induction/mentoring • peer supervision • conferencing • Trainings (seminar/workshops) • Activism in Teacher associations and teacher unions • Guest teacher

  14. The challenges (difficult circumstance) • Large class sizes an overcrowded classrooms

  15. Lack of infrastructure

  16. Lack of pedagogic materials

  17. Heavy workload • Pressure to complete syllabuses • Lack of pedagogic support • Lack of student motivation • Harsh weather conditions • Teacher burn out and dissatisfaction with work conditions

  18. Concerns at various Stages in the teacher’s career (by the British Council)

  19. Overcoming challenges • CPD (Continuing Professional Development) • Appropriate your own development bottom-up approach) • Make a development plan • Options: seminars, webinars, workshops, conferences, short courses, self-tutoring, networking, reflective teaching, mentoring, peer observation, research, materials/test development, curriculum design etc

  20. Be knowledgeable about critical issues e.g -acronyms: ESP, EAP, EFL, ESL, CBALT, ESOL, CLIL, CALL, NNES, TESOL, INSETT, PRE-SETT - other concepts: affective filter, acquisition vs learning , authentic (alternative) assessment, integrated language teaching, learning styles, multiple intelligence, Peer assessment, Portfolios , Project based learning

  21. Attitude to work - be professionally active/leading from behind - punctuality, regularity, assiduity (do what is right) - learn to manage the difficult circumstance - volunteerism, community involvement - personal integrity - dressing for success - be competent at using the language

  22. Striving for visibility • Be a professional • Be a leader • Be an active member in local, national and international Tase.g volunteer services in various committees • Join professional networks • Do advocacy

  23. Participate in local, national and international conferences • Research and publication • Be IT literate • Be a blogger • Seize the many opportunities out there e.g consultancies

  24. Light the fire in you and keep it glowing

  25. Lessons learned • Are you a professional? • Do you want to be a professional? • Self motivation for self actualization is the key • Upgrade your standards & enhance results (through CPD) • Empower yourself to become a professional or a better one! • Strive for visibility

  26. References • Anderson N. J (2009). ‘Leading from Behind’. In Christison M. C. & Murray D. E. (eds.). Theoretical Foundations for Practical Skills for Changing Times. New York, Routledge. (p 110-122)  • Bennis, G. W. (2003). On becoming a leader. New York, Basic Books • Curtis, A. (2009). ‘On the Edge: Leading From the Periphery’.InChristison M. C. & Murray D. E. (eds.). Theoretical Foundations for Practical Skills for Changing Times. New York, Routledge. (p 98-109) • Bell, B. & Gilbert, J. (1994).Teacher development as professional, personal, and social development.Teaching and Teacher Education , 10 (5), 483-497 • Fraser, C., Kennedy, A., Reid, L. & McKinney, S. (2007). Teachers’ continuing professional development: Contested concepts, understandings and models. Journal of In-Service Education, 33 (2), 153-169

  27. Friedman, A. & Phillips M (2004).Continuing professional development: Developing a vision. Journal of Education and Work 17 (3) • Grogan, M. & Andrews, R (2002). Defining Preparation and Professional Development for the Future.Educational Administration Quarterly, 38 (2) 233-256 • Obanya P. (2010). Bringing back the teacher to the African School. Addis Ababa UNESCO-IICBA. Available at:http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002160/216061e.pdfQuotes on leadership. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2012/10/16/quotes-on-leadership/

  28. THANKS!!!

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