ERIC EJ914883: Empowering Teachers through Professional Development

2010·0.18 MB·English

by  ERIC

Alice Murray
Empowering Teachers through
Professional Development
Walking across the dusty and didn’t like about the activities.
courtyard of a high Nafissa asks each group to collectively
school in West Africa, write down one positive comment and
you might hear students in an Eng- one suggestion of how to change the
lish class droning dictation sentences activity for a future class. She collects
or see them silently copying down their papers as the students leave the
exercises that their teacher has writ- classroom, chatting to one or two who
ten on the board for that day’s lesson. have remained behind.
The students are crammed three or Nafissa has been a teacher of Eng-
four to a desk, and the only light in lish at the same high school for more
the classroom comes from three open than twenty-one years. There is little
windows and the doorway. The heat is to be envied about Nafissa’s situation,
stifling, preventing productive learn- yet her attitude remains positive, in
ing. However, at this particular school, part because she continually assesses
if you continue walking, you might her teaching practices in a variety
chance upon a different English class. of ways. What inspires teachers like
This one has the same environmental Nafissa to continue to improve their
constraints as the first class, but here teaching? What does she do that
students in groups are deciding how other teachers could try? Why is it
they will divide up tasks to complete important to think about how you
the assignment their teacher has given teach? This article will highlight some
them. The teacher, Nafissa, slowly reasons for teachers to pursue profes-
walks around the classroom, listen- sional development. I will also suggest
ing in on group discussions, clarifying techniques that teachers like Nafissa
instructions, and offering guidance have found help them feel empow-
by asking questions. The students are ered and motivated in their English
eager to present their work. At the language classrooms. It is worth not-
end of the lesson, the students share ing that all of the activities described
their impressions of what they liked are low-cost options.
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Why professional development? similar experiences and interests. Just having
One of the main reasons to pursue profes- the opportunity to share experiences and ideas
sional development is to be empowered—to with colleagues can help a teacher gain a sense
have the opportunity and the confidence to of community and belonging.
act upon your ideas as well as to influence the
Find professional development activities
way you perform in your profession. Empow-
that suit you
erment is the process through which teachers
become capable of engaging in, sharing con- Teacher development opportunities can
trol of, and influencing events and institutions take many forms. Some are individual or
that affect their lives. As teachers, we have the informal while other occasions are collective
capacity to empower ourselves if we keep in or structured. The most obvious professional
mind the following precepts: development activity for an English teacher is
reading journal articles about teaching Eng-
• Be positive.
lish; reading journals (and maybe even writing
• Believe in what you are doing and in
an article for one) keeps you informed about
yourself.
new trends and research developments. How-
• Be proactive, not reactive.
ever, in this article, I will focus on activities
• Be assertive, not aggressive.
that are active and interactive and that often
Feeling empowered can also manifest leader-
involve reflective teaching.
ship skills, and teacher empowerment leads
How can you decide which activity (or
to improvement in student performance and
activities) best suits your needs and interests?
attitude.
What you need or want as a novice teacher
To be an effective teacher requires a com-
may be completely different from what you
bination of professional knowledge and spe-
might pursue after five years of teaching or
cialized skills as well as your own personal
after a decade or more in the classroom. Many
experiences and qualities. And adding to their
of the suggestions in this article have been
knowledge base and acquiring new skills are
around for quite some time, but this article
among the main reasons teachers participate
includes information about how some teach-
in professional development activities (Bailey,
ers actually put these ideas into practice; such
Curtis, and Nunan 2001). For both a novice
information might help you decide which
teacher and a veteran like Nafissa, learning
strategy or method best suits you and your
about new ideas and techniques in English
teaching situation.
language teaching can be motivating and
encouraging.
Reflective teaching
Many English language teaching experts
A myriad of definitions exists for reflective
believe that ongoing professional develop-
teaching; some describe individual practices
ment is essential, especially in today’s world
while others explain what a group of like-
of constantly changing technology. Teachers
minded teachers could do. Many research-
of English who have been trained to use new
ers believe that teachers can learn a great
techniques and resources are more inclined to
try them with their students (Chisman and deal about the reasons behind their teach-
Crandall 2007). ing philosophies and practices by examining
Teachers all around the world face similar their experiences and asking and answering
challenges due to the very nature of school questions about them (see Richards and Far-
environments. They teach their classes inde- rell 2005; Bailey, Curtis, and Nunan 2001;
pendently from their colleagues, which makes Zeichner and Liston 1996). No approach to
them feel isolated. Sometimes teachers, espe- reflective teaching is superior to another; in
cially those who are new to the field, can fact, language teachers can learn strategies
become overwhelmed by the demands of school from other academic disciplines. I see reflec-
bureaucracy, and if teachers do not receive reg- tive practice as a fundamental part of con-
ular supervision or feedback, they can become tinuing professional development; it provides
frustrated. Professional development activities me with opportunities to analyze and ask
can alleviate some of these issues. Such activi- questions about my objectives as well as to
ties can also bring together teachers who have examine how I plan and what I teach.
E n g l i s h TE a c h i n g F o r u m | Number 1 2010 3
Zeichner and Liston (1996) include the Individual technique: Keep a teaching
following key characteristics in describing a journal
teacher who engages in reflective teaching Writing down observations and thoughts
practices as someone who about your teaching is one way to gain insight
• is able to identify, analyze, and attempt about the how’s and why’s behind your teach-
to solve problems that occur in the ing style as well as a means to document
classroom; what goes on in your classroom. By keeping a
• is conscious of and questions his or her journal, teachers can examine the details that
beliefs about language teaching; indicate why a particular lesson was successful
• is cognizant of the institutional and or why one was not. How likely are you to
cultural contexts in which he or she accurately remember the subtleties of what
teaches; happened during a lesson a month, or even a
• is responsible for his or her own profes- week, later? The process of describing events,
sional development. asking questions, and formulating hypotheses
can reveal aspects of language teaching that
On an individual level, reflection can help
further a teacher’s own professional develop-
a teacher develop a greater awareness of his
ment (Bailey, Curtis, and Nunan 2001).
or her own teaching as well as a better under-
There are many ways to keep a teaching
standing of student learning. Farrell (1998)
journal. Some teachers consider the process
states that reflective teaching helps free teach-
of writing a journal to be informal and per-
ers from impulsive behavior or, on the other
sonal, a kind of private, professional diary.
extreme, from monotony in their teaching;
You might write about classroom activities,
it also allows teachers to develop their own
student-teacher interactions, and your feelings
educational perspectives.
about a particular lesson—how successful it
Teachers can also benefit from sharing
was, what factors affected the lesson’s success
their reflective teaching experiences with their
(or lack thereof), what you might do the next
colleagues; some methods of sharing are infor-
time you teach that lesson, how students’ reac-
mal while others tend to follow a specific
tion to the lesson might influence how you
framework. One way to take control of one’s
proceed in the next class, and so on.
own learning is through cooperation with
It is important to identify a particular goal,
other teachers. Collegial cooperation can help
teachers become more assertive and decisive or goals, to write about in your teaching jour-
about their personal learning; it can also nal. Getting in the habit of writing about your
boost their confidence and empower them to teaching may take time. In the beginning, it
find solutions to challenges they face in their may be difficult to write freely (without edit-
teaching. ing yourself), but give yourself time to get
When teachers collaborate in reflective used to keeping a teaching journal. With a
teaching practices, it is important to keep in little bit of patience, as well as the determina-
mind that the most beneficial and effective tion to write in your journal on a regular basis,
approaches are the ones that give all the par- you will begin to see patterns not only in your
ticipants, you and your partner(s), the chance journal entries but also in your teaching. Writ-
to assess your teaching in a nonjudgmental ing down questions and ideas to think about
and supportive manner. Probably the most later can help you direct your focus on the
difficult aspect of collegial collaboration is goal you wish to achieve.
making a commitment to the method you Nafissa has been keeping a teaching jour-
decide to put into practice. Finding time in nal for over six years. At first it was difficult
a busy teaching schedule is challenging, but for her to figure out what she wanted to
such an experience can lead to added self- learn about herself and her teaching until
confidence and new inspiration in how you she remembered to start out with a simple
approach language teaching. objective. She decided to concentrate on how
Let’s take a look at some activities and tech- she interacted with one particular group of
niques that you can try out on your own and students and how they interacted amongst
then perhaps use with colleagues and the Eng- themselves over a two-month period. Nafissa
lish language teaching community at large. found that she did not have time to make
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entries immediately when the class ended, so what the group objective is—why are we
she began jotting down a few key words and writing collaborative journals? How teachers
phrases in a small notebook (used only for respond can vary; possibilities include offering
journaling), which she then used as a starting encouragement, commenting on classroom
point. She expanded these notes into a brief management issues, giving specific answers
narrative and usually ended each summary to queries, or asking questions to help the
with a question (e.g., “How can I reduce my writer stay on task. Collaborative journals can
teacher talk time?”) or a suggestion for herself also be an effective tool to help novice teach-
(e.g., “Remind students to review and use our ers gain insight from their more experienced
rules for negotiating”). colleagues, removing some of the anxiety or
By the end of the two months, Nafissa trepidation that the new teachers might feel.
was surprised to realize how much insight While conducting weeklong seminars for
she gained from her journal entries. She dis- Senegalese English teachers, my fellow trainers
covered procedural patterns in the way she and I introduced the concept of collaborative
managed student group work. She noticed journals. For a group of part-time teachers,
that she did not always check to see whether we explained the concept and the procedure;
students understood instructions before they then we asked the teachers to write down
began a class assignment; she corrected this their thoughts about an idea or activity from
oversight once she realized how much more the day’s sessions that they might try with
productive and creative her students were their own classes. We collected the journals
when she gave directions both orally and in and wrote comments that consisted most-
written form. What impressed her the most ly of words of encouragement and helpful
was how the journal writing process helped questions. Occasionally we would elaborate
her reconsider classroom interactions, which on how an activity mentioned in a journal
led her to change her techniques to some could be adapted to a Senegalese context. We
extent, not only with the selected class but repeated the process each day, modeling how
with others as well. this technique could be used with like-minded
Nafissa continued to write about her and motivated colleagues and how it could be
selected class until the end of the term. Her an effective tool for teachers to use to build
entries provided her with new questions that up their students’ writing abilities and levels
she wanted to concentrate on. The follow- of confidence in a supportive way.
ing semester she kept notes about one of the While working with teacher trainers who
questions—“How can I manage group work were already familiar with the notion of col-
activities more effectively?”—but with a dif- laborative journals, we asked the group to
ferent group of students. Through journal comment in their notebooks on how they
writing, Nafissa became more aware of her could put into practice one aspect of the
teaching style and was able to interpret her training. We then collected the journals and
actions in a more meaningful and construc- redistributed them so that one of the other
tive manner. teacher trainers would respond to that day’s
entry. The participants found the collab-
Collaborative technique: Share journals
orative journal exchange to be an enlightening
The usefulness of keeping a journal experience because it gave them the chance to
increases when a teacher shares journal entries find out what their colleagues were learning
with a colleague or group of colleagues. This from the sessions and to make comments in a
technique allows teachers to compare their supportive way.
experiences and to comment on solutions
Individual technique: Analyze a critical
to problems and point out successful parts
incident
of a lesson that they might try with their
own classes. In responding to journal entries, One effective means of reflective inquiry is
teachers can ask each other questions and to analyze an unexpected event that happens
offer suggestions. during a class. Such analysis usually involves
When writing responses to someone else’s the teacher writing down a description of
journal entries, colleagues must keep in mind what occurred and then considering why
E n g l i s h TE a c h i n g F o r u m | Number 1 2010 5
it happened and how it might affect future By writing down my impressions, I real-
learning and teaching interactions. A critical ized that I had not considered the teachers’
incident can refer to a positive or negative cultural imperative to not criticize the expert
classroom event, but what makes it “critical” (me) and the importance of polite agreement
is how that particular incident caused you to in this context. I also recognized that I had
pause, think about it, and review how it relates not thoroughly prepared the teachers to com-
to your beliefs and perceptions about teaching plete the task I had given them.
(Richards and Farrell 2005). This type of I decided to begin the next session by
analysis can help you decide how to modify encouraging the teachers to share their experi-
your teaching style or behavior, which can ences and to view each other as resources. I
improve your teaching performance in similar also provided the teachers with a template and
situations in the future. The examination of a a list of possible topics and scenarios for the
critical incident can be done individually or activity; this allowed them to be more invested
collectively, and often the analysis is a compo- in the activity. Once the teachers understood
nent of journal writing or discussion groups. that I valued their perspective and cultural
Let me share an experience I had as a sensitivity and that I wanted them to use
teacher trainer that led me to step back and these resources to modify the model lesson,
analyze a situation in my classroom. I was they enthusiastically began discussing what
conducting my first workshop in a two-week changes they might make. Through analyzing
training course with forty Burmese teachers of what had happened that first day, I was able to
English in Mandalay and had decided to have modify the sessions that followed; that proved
the teachers work in small groups. I randomly to be beneficial not only to the teachers but
divided the teachers into groups of four or five to me as well.
to complete a task related to my presentation
on teaching oral skills. I instructed the groups Collaborative techniques: Try peer
to each create a mini-lesson to present to the mentoring and coaching
rest of the teachers, who would then critique Peer mentoring and peer coaching are two
it and offer constructive criticism. I thought techniques that are useful for teachers who
that everyone understood the objectives of the have not spent much time (in the English
activity and what my expectations were, so I language classroom) on the “other side of the
was perplexed when most of the groups basi- desk.” But these techniques can also motivate
cally copied the model lesson plan without experienced teachers to reflect on and refine
considering how they might adapt it to use their own teaching strategies and practices.
in their own classes. When I asked one of the Both methods should be seen as collaborative
groups why they had completed the task in endeavors that improve a particular aspect of
such a way, a teacher replied, “Well, what you teaching. They also can be used to introduce a
presented works best. We could not improve new policy or procedure and to explain how to
on it.”
implement it within a given classroom context.
That evening as I made notes for the next
In peer mentoring, a novice teacher is
day’s lesson, I decided to write out a descrip-
generally paired with an experienced one.
tion of what had occurred and to try to answer
The goals behind peer mentoring include giv-
the following questions objectively:
ing new instructors individualized attention
1) What happened before the teachers and encouragement and, at the same time,
began the assignment? How did I pres- strengthening their teaching skills (Yanoshak
ent the assignment? 2007). Although one of the participants usu-
2) What were the results? ally is more skilled and knowledgeable than
3) What factors may have contributed to the other, mentoring is not meant to be used
the outcome? to critique or evaluate; instead, it provides an
4) What was my reaction at the time of opportunity to focus on individual teachers,
the incident? provide support, share knowledge and experi-
5) After reviewing the incident, how ence, and answer questions.
might I change how I presented the Chisman and Crandall (2007) describe
information as well as my reaction? how peer mentoring was implemented in an
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English as a Second Language (ESL) pro- example, you are both teaching the same level
gram at Yakima Valley Community College of a language class, you can observe each other
in Washington State. The ESL program at and discuss approaches or materials and how
Yakima uses a learner-generated thematic you might revise them to improve the class.
curriculum with no core textbooks. Accord- My first experience with peer coaching
ing to Chisman and Crandall (35), “Yakima’s occurred in Slovakia when a colleague and I
approach is specifically targeted to serve the were assigned to redesign and combine the lis-
special needs of the immigrant population in tening course I taught and the speaking course
its service area, predominantly Mexican immi- that Jela had been teaching for several semes-
grants working in agricultural and related ters. We met to discuss how best to integrate
industries. Most of these immigrants have the materials, selecting activities that already
very low levels of English proficiency and only reflected both skills and deciding which ones
a few years of formal education.” One can we could revise or omit. We divided up the
imagine how anxious new instructors might lessons that needed revision and developed
feel when they start to teach in the program. preliminary drafts for each. We then decided
To alleviate some of their uneasiness, the to try out the new materials with our students;
Yakima administrative team provides new one of us would teach the module while the
teachers with an orientation in which they other observed the class and took notes. After-
learn about the rationale of the program and wards, we discussed what had worked and
have the opportunity to learn from mentors. what we might consider changing. Jela and I
The mentors meet with their new colleagues, found the peer coaching experience to be both
invite them to observe the mentors’ classes, professionally and personally rewarding, and
and afterwards discuss what went on in the the head of the department was pleased with
classrooms. A mentor and novice can also use the final product.
email exchange and set up times to meet when
Collaborative technique: Form a teacher
both are not teaching. Although the Yakima
support group
approach to peer mentoring is time-consum-
ing (especially for the mentors), it enables One type of teacher support group is a
new instructors to see firsthand how students study group, also known as a study circle. A
communicate their needs and to learn how to study group is a group of teachers who meet
develop lessons that reflect those needs. Par- regularly to discuss a particular aspect or
ticipating in peer mentoring empowers new issue related to their teaching. The number
teachers to do well in challenging teaching of participants can range from three to fif-
situations. The mentoring process also ben- teen. The meetings are structured and have
efits the mentors because the questions and an agenda to follow, and each teacher takes a
comments from their partners aid mentors in turn as the facilitator of a meeting. However,
reflecting on, and possibly improving, their the meetings are informal and collegial, with
own teaching practices. everyone participating in the dialogue. Such
Peer coaching is somewhat different from meetings are not the same as workshops; no
peer mentoring in that the participating one teacher is “the expert,” and the goal is to
teachers see themselves as equals. Together learn together about a specific aspect of their
they select an area of teaching or a classroom- teaching strategies and practices. Between
related problem they would like to focus on. meetings, the group reads materials related to
Coaching has proven to be an effective means the issue to be discussed at the next session.
of increasing collegiality as well as refining A study group can also be conducted online
teaching skills (Galbraith and Anstrom 1995). if that is more convenient and the technology
In setting up a peer coaching situation, it is is available.
important to choose a colleague whom you Last year a group of eight English teach-
respect and trust. Think of the “coach” as ers from Lycée Valdiodio Ndiaye in Kaolack,
the partner who can offer constructive criti- Senegal, worked with a visiting American
cism in a nonjudgmental way; you and your scholar to form a study group to find out what
partner may decide to take turns acting as the their students perceived to be their needs and
coach, depending on the task at hand. If, for goals in learning English. The group first met
E n g l i s h TE a c h i n g F o r u m | Number 1 2010 7
to discuss what they wanted to focus on and forty teachers of English from both the private
agreed on the format that they would use to and public sectors decided to meet informally
conduct the meetings. The teachers agreed to on a monthly basis to share ideas and experi-
meet once a week for six months and chose a ences. I have included this particular group
time that best suited their busy schedules. The under teacher support networks (instead of
group then designed a short questionnaire (in teachers’ associations) because the teachers
French), and each teacher had two classes of decided that they first wished to identify Eng-
students complete the forms. Together the lish teachers who were interested in attending
teachers reviewed the results, which showed meetings regularly before attempting to reg-
that the majority of students planned to go ister the group as an official association. The
to a university or training institute after high group posted this description on its website:
school. Most of the students surveyed also
META, the Mauritania English Teach-
believed that they would need English, no
er Association, is a professional network
matter what their plans were for the future.
for teachers of English in Mauritania.
This finding led the study group to focus on
The association is open to all teachers
how the teachers could bring the real world
of English and welcomes everyone,
into the classroom and how they could pre-
including private tutors, public school
pare their students to become independent,
teachers, higher education professors,
self-directed learners of English. During their
ministerial inspectors, and instructors
meetings, the teachers discussed how they
from private centers. META functions
could design lesson plans that integrated skills
as an organization to facilitate com-
and were relevant to their students’ interests.
munication and contact between Eng-
Teachers shared lesson plans with the rest
lish teachers throughout Mauritania
of the group, and together they revised and
by holding monthly meetings, sharing
improved the plans.
methodology and publications, hosting
Most of the teachers who participated in
conferences, and communicating via
this study group found the experience to be
website and email. (http://sites.google.
a positive one. They especially liked learning
com/site/metankc)
from and interacting with one another; they
realized the strong correlation between the META meetings follow the same format
group’s discussions and practical classroom each month: announcements, updating of the
applications, and they valued having a non- contact list, selection of next month’s volun-
threatening environment for collaboration. teers, ice breaker, teaching point, and distribu-
The group plans to continue meeting regular- tion of miscellaneous materials. The feedback
ly, inviting other English teaching colleagues from the meetings has been overwhelmingly
to join them. positive; for many of the teachers, this is their
only chance to feel connected to their English
Collaborative technique: Join a teacher teaching colleagues and to have an opportu-
support network nity to improve their own English skills and
Support networks are similar to teacher teaching practices.
support groups yet differ in that they usually
Collaborative technique: Form or join
include teachers from several schools in the
local and national teachers’ associations
same community or region. Some support
networks rotate schools where meetings are Joining an official teachers’ association
held while others meet at a neutral venue that is another means of pursuing professional
is not affiliated with any specific school. How development. Often such associations began
a support network operates depends on the as support networks whose active members
goals of the group, but fundamental basics decided to give their group an organizational
such as membership, size, organization, meet- framework. ATES, the Association for Teach-
ing time, and venue should also be considered ers of English in Senegal, was created in the
(Richards and Farrell 2005). 1970s and gained official recognition in 1981
Sometimes it is beneficial to begin a sup- when it elected a national board, adopted
port network at a grassroots level. In Nouak- bylaws, and registered the association with
chott, Mauritania, a motivated group of about Senegalese authorities. Currently ATES has
8 2010 Number 1 | E n g l i s h TE a c h i n g F o r u m
between 500 and 600 members, of whom encouraged the Rwandan group to start small
350 are active. As stated on its website (http:// and to create an all-inclusive environment by
ates.education.sn), the main objective of the inviting both experienced and new teachers
association has been to offer English lan- to participate in their activities. Through an
guage teachers “an alternative developmental email exchange, the Rwandan English teach-
framework through exchanges, organization ers expressed their appreciation for the recom-
of professional events, and a profound sense mendations the ATES board gave them.
of belonging and worldwide collaboration The Rwandan teachers shared with ATES
through affiliation to other international the preliminary measures they took to cre-
professional organizations.” ATES members ate ATER, the Association of Teachers of
have gained recognition and support at both English in Rwanda, which included final-
national and international levels by develop- izing a concept document, discussing that
ing professional relationships with several document with officials at the Ministry of
organizations. ATES has been a TESOL affili- Education, creating a website and an associa-
ate since 1999, and in 2003 ATES formed tion email address, conducting workshops at
a partnership with the Washington [D.C.] different institutions to invite fellow teachers
Area TESOL Association (WATESOL). That to join the group, and drafting an action plan
partnership is still thriving. The two organiza- to prioritize activities for the association.
tions have co-presented several times at the The teachers in Senegal and the teachers in
annual international TESOL conventions. Rwanda all hope to continue to build upon
Representatives from ATES have participated this email exchange, sharing their ideas and
in WATESOL conferences, and WATESOL cultivating professional relationships on the
members have participated in ATES events. African continent.
Collaborative technique: Urge your Collaborative technique: Become
association to connect with other active in an international professional
associations association
Sharing ideas and experiences with other Joining an international professional asso-
teachers in the same geographical region can ciation is another way to connect with col-
be mutually beneficial. First, members of leagues and pursue personal goals for profes-
established teacher organizations can offer sional development. The benefits to becoming
invaluable advice to colleagues in neighbor- a member of an international organization
ing countries who want to establish a similar include receiving regular newsletters, being a
organization. Members of the established part of interest groups that focus on teaching
organization can provide valuable informa- topics and issues that concern you, and having
tion about what steps lead to the formation of the opportunity to share and learn from other
a successful association as well what obstacles like-minded individuals.
exist and how to overcome them; the “new- Two well-known and highly respected
comers” can decide which tactics might work international associations are Teachers of Eng-
best for their group in their particular context. lish to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc.
Their experienced neighbors can also gain (TESOL) and the International Association
from this kind of dialogue; recounting the of Teachers of English as a Foreign Lan-
evolution of their association could lead to guage (IATEFL). Both organizations promote
reflective inquiry, resulting in reassessment professional development by hosting confer-
as well as opportunities for discussion and ences and workshops as well as encouraging
improvement. networking—exchanging ideas and making
Recently ATES received a request for contacts—through online discussions and
advice from a group of Rwandan teachers correspondence. TESOL and IATEFL offer
of English who were interested in creating members discounted prices for convention
a national teachers’ association. The ATES registrations, online education programs and
board met and offered realistic suggestions to courses, and their publications. In addition,
their Rwandan counterparts (see Appendix). members are eligible to apply for awards and
What impressed me the most was how ATES grants to support their continuing educa-
E n g l i s h TE a c h i n g F o r u m | Number 1 2010 9
tion. TESOL and IATEFL also offer global network. Or you could present a poster ses-
memberships, discounted fees for teachers sion that spotlights an activity or aspect of
who work and live in developing countries teaching that would be of interest to other
(TESOL) or in countries that do not have teachers of English.
professional teachers’ associations (IATEFL). Participating in conferences benefits teach-
Go to their respective websites—www.tesol. ers because it motivates them to try new
org and www.iatefl.org—to learn more. techniques or find solutions to recurring
problems in the classroom. Conferences can
Collaborative techniques: Participate in
provide teachers with information and strate-
workshops and conferences
gies to create new policies or make changes
One professional development activity that in curriculum. Conference participation also
most teachers have experienced during their enables teachers to develop long-lasting pro-
teaching careers is participation in a work- fessional and personal contacts in the English
shop. You may have done this while training teaching community. Lastly, participating in a
to become a teacher of English, or perhaps conference can empower teachers to be lead-
your school administrator or the regional ers. When they return from a conference, they
inspector for English teachers organized a can teach their colleagues what they learned
seminar on a topic of interest. At workshops there and lead those colleagues to adopt new
the presenter is typically someone knowledge- and helpful teaching practices.
able about the subject being addressed; you
yourself might have led a workshop. Conclusion
The purpose of a workshop is to pro- Professional development is an ongoing
vide teachers with the opportunity to learn process, one that evolves as you assess and
more about a specific area or skill related reexamine your teaching beliefs and practices.
to teaching and learning (in this case, Eng- Some of the approaches described in this arti-
lish language) within a set amount of time. cle can be pursued individually while others
Workshops are designed to give participants a prove to be more beneficial if done collec-
chance to try out practical applications about tively. Some activities can be done informally
the topic being presented and to contemplate (journals, study groups, etc.) and some follow
how they might utilize or adapt elements of more traditional formats (e.g., workshops,
the activity for use in their own classrooms conferences).
(Richards and Farrell 2005). I have both pre- There is no recipe for professional devel-
sented at and participated in successful and opment that works for everyone; something
unsuccessful workshops; the ones that were you find to be an effective tool for reflective
successful were carefully planned and were inquiry may not offer similar results for a col-
about a topic that was relevant and interest- league. Techniques that you use today may
ing to the attendees. Effective workshops not meet your needs a year from now. But
are ones that highlight a particular teaching what is paramount is that you discover the
point or strategy and make it relevant to the many options you have for directing your own
context of the participants. learning about teaching. Find something that
Participating in conferences is an excellent motivates you to pursue professional develop-
way for teachers to gain confidence and dem- ment. Many of us discover that by collabo-
onstrate their expertise. For teachers who have rating with other like-minded teachers, we
never presented at a conference, probably the empower ourselves in our individual teaching
best advice is to start small and attend a local practices. Effective professional development
conference that focuses on short presentations is self-empowerment. Deciding to take the
on successful practices in the classroom; sev- first step is your responsibility, and that step is
eral teachers can present an activity that has well worth taking.
been effective with their students. After gain-
ing experience at a local conference, teachers References
may feel empowered to go on to a larger Bailey, K., A. Curtis, and D. Nunan. 2001. Pursu-
conference. The first time at a large confer- ing professional development: The self as source.
ence, you might want to present together with Ontario, Canada: Heinle and Heinle.
colleagues from your study group or support Chisman, F. P., and J. A. Crandall. 2007. Passing
10 2010 Number 1 | E n g l i s h TE a c h i n g F o r u m
the torch: Strategies for innovation in community Yanoshak, S. 2007. Peer mentoring works—for
college ESL. New York: Council for Advance- mentors, partners, and programs. Pennsylvania
ment of Adult Literacy. http://caalusa.org/ Department of Education, Bureau of Adult
eslpassingtorch226.pdf Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE). www.
Farrell, T. 1998. Reflective teaching: The principles pde.state.pa.us/able/lib/able/fieldnotes07/
and practices. English Teaching Forum 36 (4): fn07mentoring.pdf
10–17. Zeichner, K., and D. Liston. 1996. Reflective teach-
Galbraith, P., and K. Anstrom. 1995. Peer coach- ing: An introduction. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence
ing: An effective staff development model for Erlbaum.
educators of linguistically and culturally diverse
students. Directions in Language and Education.
www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/
content_storage_01/0000019b/80/14/7a/74.
Alice MurrAy is the Regional English
pdf
Language Officer in Dakar, Senegal. She
Richards, J., and T. Farrell. 2005. Professional
has worked with students and teachers of
development for language teachers: Strategies for
teacher learning. New York: Cambridge Univer- English in West Africa, Burma, Russia,
sity Press. Slovakia, Cambodia, and the United States.
Suggestions for Creating a
National Association
Empowering Teachers through Professional Development • Alice Murray
Note: These suggestions were compiled by the Association of Teachers of Eng-
lish in Senegal (ATES). However, they can apply to any situation.
• Start small
• Set objectives that can be reached
• Create an email address for the association
• Reach out to new colleagues—get them involved!
• Find resource persons, such as senior or retired professionals or, simply, Eng-
lish language lovers
• Set up regional branches so all colleagues feel they belong
• Encourage the elaboration of action plans at the regional level
• Suggest that regional branches take the action plan of the national associa-
tion into account when planning for regional activities
• Make all activities visible by issuing a newsletter
• Make your association known to your Ministry of Education
• Print and sell membership cards to raise funds for the association
• Find partnerships
• Make professional development your main objective so that teachers know
they get something from the association
• Involve students as much as possible through their schools’ English clubs;
later on you can plan regional and national English club contests to help
students develop their English skills
• Encourage social gatherings so that bonds go beyond professional relation-
ships
• Promote English
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