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Sophia Khan & Clare McGrath Developing ‘21st Century’ Teachers English Australia Conference 2017

Developing ‘21st Century’ Teachers Does teacher training and development need to change?

Sophia Khan Teacher trainer, British Council Singapore Classroom Talk Editor, English Australia Journal [email protected]

Clare McGrath Teacher trainer / developer [email protected]


Outline

• Relevance of ‘21st century skills’ • What it means to us • Survey results • Strategies and resources


PLC/RTO 53%

Uni ELC 23%

Uni 12%

TAFE 8%

Other 4%

Who we surveyed

Teachers 43%

Senior teachers

15%

Managers

16%

Teacher trainers

19%

Uni posts

7%

Where? What?


What does it mean to be a ‘21st century’ teacher?

Duh – a teacher in the current century

Being a teacher

I find the phrase annoyingly vague


Buzzword bingo or something more? “Just as modern workplaces and universities are now requiring flexible employees and students with a set of core 21st century skills, learners are seeking study experiences that embed these skills…”

From the ‘About’ page of this conference (2017)

[T]here is a growing consensus that school systems need to...develop young people with core skills and competencies...These are often known as 21st century skills or deep learning skills...”

British Council Core Skills brochure (2016)

We equip students with the skills, knowledge and attitudes to be productive, globally aware citizens who can confidently respond to the challenges of tomorrow.

National Strategy for International Education 2025 (DET, April 2016)

[T]he rate of change in the composition of occupations in the overall workforce is trending upwards . . . To be responsive in this more disrupted environment, VET providers need foresight into the skills that will be in demand in the future.

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO, 2016)


We were wondering . . .

‘21st century’ learners need

‘21st century’ teachers, who need

Do we have these skills? To what extent do we embody and embed them?

‘21st century’ teacher educators, so…


What does it mean to be a ‘21st century’ teacher?

Source: https://pixabay.com/en/baby-bucket-bath-happy-cute-human-1150954/



Practitioners think of . . .

50% prioritised

• keeping up-to-date

• particularly changes in tech

• particularly via tech, ie social media.

Incorporating new concepts into your

teaching as appropriate, including new technology.

Using social media and webinars to

connect and stay up to date

KEEPING UP WITH [TECHNOLOGICAL]

CHANGE



16% prioritised

• multiple literacies, critical thinking

• cross-cultural communication

• students’ lives and needs.

Able to awaken critical thinking in students,

getting them job ready and increasing their

cultural competence.

LIFE SKILLS & AWARENESS

Critical thinking and understanding, giving a broader

perspective for international students to engage on an

international stage.



11% prioritised

• constant learning

• curiosity

• reflective practice

A responsible, hard-working, curious person who . . . shares, guides, learns and listens, tries

and reflects . . .

To constantly strive to grow and develop and

take all available opportunities to learn

and innovate . . .

THE LEARNING TEACHER


Defining ‘21st Century’ skills

Learning and innovation skills Digital literacy skills Career and life skills


Reflect

• As a teacher or teacher educator, what you do well for yourself in terms of these skills?

• To what extent do you embed them in your work? • Where are the gaps?

Learning and innovation skills: critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity (4 Cs)

Digital literacy skills: information literacy, media literacy, ICT literacy

Career and life skills: flexibility, adaptability, initiative, social and cross-cultural interaction, productivity and accountability


Designing the survey questions

• Readings

• Social media (eg: AusELT)

• PD events

• Trainers and managers' discussions

• Teachers’ questions/concerns iStock-466834534.jpg


• Professional development frameworks and tracking

• Reflective practice

• Online communities / Personal learning networks

• MOOCs / online self-directed learning

• Professional learning communities / Special interest groups

• Mentoring and coaching

• Action research / teacher-led projects


Results

PLNs

PD frameworks

/ tracking

Reflective practice

MOOCs

PLCs & SIGs

Mentoring & Coaching

Action Research / Teacher-led

projects


• Critical literacy and media literacy

• Information literacy and curation

• A basic ed-tech teaching toolkit (eg: Moodle, Quizlet, Socrative etc)

• Ethics of ed-tech and online identity

• Effective use of flipped and blended learning

• World Englishes and English as an International Language

• Intercultural awareness/competence


Results

Critical & media literacy

Information literacy & curation

Basic edtech toolkit

World Englishes

& EIL

Effective use of flipped &

blended learning

Ethics of edtech &

online identity

Intercultural competence


• Workplace/employment rights

• Career development and future-proofing

• Teacher wellness and resilience

• Effective communication, conflict management and feedback


Results

Workplace / employment

rights

Career development & future-proofing

Teacher wellness & resilience

Effective communication, conflict

management & feedback


We asked: 11. How well do you feel your qualification courses prepared you for the realities of teaching in the 21st century? and 12. How well do you feel your in-service professional development programme is supporting you as a 21st century teacher?

very well – adequately – not very well


Results Q11 & Q12



• PD frameworks &

tracking

• Reflective Practice

• Online communities /

PLNS

• MOOCs / online self-

directed learning

• PLCs/ SIGs


• Action research /

teacher-led projects

SKILLS & AWARENESS

• Critical literacy and media

literacy

• Information literacy and

curation

• A basic ed-tech teaching toolkit

• Ethics of ed-tech & online

identity

• Effective use of flipped &

blended learning

• World Englishes & English as an

International Language

• Intercultural competence

SELF & OTHERS

• Workplace/employment

rights

• Career development &

future-proofing

• Teacher wellness &

resilience

• Effective

communication, conflict

management &

feedback


Results (most popular choices: 20% +)

Career development & future proofing

0%??



25.3%



25.3%

• Mentoring and

coaching

22.9%

• PD frameworks &

tracking

20.5%

SKILLS & AWARENESS

• Critical literacy and

media literacy

21.7%

• A basic ed-tech

teaching toolkit

20.5%

• Effective use of

flipped & blended

learning

20.5%

SELF & OTHERS


resilience

26.5%


Implications

• Areas to bring out more in qualification courses

• ‘New’ approaches to in-service PD

• Longer-term, deeper discussion over ‘one shot workshops’

• Starting a conversation around the bigger picture


Strategies and resources?


Task

• Groups of 4-5

• One of the 3 broad areas from Qs 8-10

• Via A. Padlet B. Google doc

C. Butcher's paper D. Post-it notes


Topics THE LEARNING TEACHER

• PD frameworks &

tracking


• Online communities /

PLNS

• MOOCs / online self-

directed learning

• PLCs/ SIGs




SKILLS AND AWARENESS

• Critical literacy and media

literacy

• Information literacy and

curation

• A basic ed-tech teaching toolkit

• Ethics of ed-tech & online

identity

• Effective use of flipped &

blended learning

• World Englishes & English as an

International Language

• Intercultural competence

SELF AND OTHERS

• Workplace/employment

rights

• Career development &

future-proofing


resilience

• Effective

communication, conflict

management &

feedback


Qualification courses

• Mention existence of ...

• Refer regularly to ...

• Model use of ...

• ‘Do session’ on ...

• Use resources from ...

• Have participants use ...

• Provide scaffolded experience of ...

• Provide links for ...

• Enhance reflection by ...


In-house • Swap shop / speed dating sharing

• Role-play

• Reading group; article / webinar discussion group

• In-house PD programme

• Teacher-led ethics committee

• Agenda item in staff meetings

• Workshop (by DoS, HT / ST, and Ts)

• Teacher-designed needs analyses, checklists ~

• Journal / website subscriptions

• Guest speaker

• Encouragement / recognition!

• Links

• Communal space online


In general: For participants, staff and also students

• build on existing skills, track change

• surveys, needs analyses; self-assessment tools;

• match to checklists; goal-setting

• raise awareness of aims, ethics, implications

• experience, access, co-creation, reflection

• 'collective efficacy' (John Hattie)

• agency, leadership


Impact on ...

• curriculum docs on qualification courses

• ditto learning outcomes, assessment tasks

• course materials design and supplementation

• alignment and review

• lesson planning docs, records

• making aims / change explicit


Questions? Comments?

http://bit.ly/2hjDSz9


See you in the future!

Sophia Khan

[email protected]

@SophiaKhan4

Sophia Khan ELT

Clare McGrath

[email protected]

@Clare_M_ELT

Clare McGrath ELT

#AusELT

https://www.facebook.com/groups/AusELT/

http://bit.ly/2hjDSz9

mailto:[email protected]







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