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Ensuring your professional development for excellence and visibility in difficult circumstances

Ensuring your professional development for excellence and visibility in difficult circumstances. Focho Gladys, Ph.D Unversity of Bamenda , Cameroon. OBJECTIVE & EXPECTED OUTCOME. Raise awareness on what it takes to be a professional in ELT

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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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