Routes to excellence Continuing Professional Development in ELT An Online British Council Initiative Richard Gresswell IATEFL 2012, Glasgow.

Routes to excellence

Continuing Professional Development in ELT An Online British Council Initiative

Richard Gresswell

IATEFL 2012, Glasgow

Routes to excellence

http://englishagenda.britishcouncil.org

Routes to excellence

Workshop Objectives

•What is CPD?

•Why is CPD important?

•What kind of CPD opportunities are available?

•How can we use the CPD portal as a CPD resource?

Routes to excellence

Routes to excellence

Questions to consider in relation to CPD

What kind of institution do you work in?

How long have you been working in ELT?

What English language teaching qualifications have you got?

What are your development needs and aims?

What are your preferred development activities?

Routes to excellence

Routes to excellence

More than 10 years

2-5 years

6-9 years

Routes to excellence

Routes to excellence

Routes to excellence

What counts as CPD?

Routes to excellence

Types of CPD activities – some possibilitiesConferencesMagazinesMaterialsMembershipMentoringObservation

ReflectionResearch Specialisation TrainingWorkshopsSocial media

Routes to excellence

Routes to excellence

The stages of the British Council Continuing Professional Framework

Novice

teachers

1 Starting You’re studying for your initial certificate and planning your first job in

English language teaching.

2 Newly-qualified

You have an initial qualification and are in your first two years of

teaching, putting the principles you’ve learned into practice.

Teachers with

experience

3 Developing You are a practising qualified teacher of English with more than two

years of experience, and are developing your teaching skills.

4 Proficient You are an experienced qualified teacher of English with strong all-

round knowledge and skills.

Teachers

progressing

into more

advanced

roles

5 Advanced You are a highly-experienced qualified teacher, who may be taking on

further responsibilities and roles, for example as a senior teacher or a

mentor.

6 Specialist You have taken on leading and advising roles, such as director of

studies, teacher trainer, materials writer, inspector.

Routes to excellence

1 Starting Learning the principles

2 Newly-qualified Putting principles into practice

3 Developing Building confidence and skills

4 Proficient Demonstrating confidence,

experience and reflection

5 Advanced Exemplifying good practice

6 Specialist Leading and advising

PathwaysPathways

CoursesCourses

ResourcesResources

NetworksNetworks

Continuing Professional Development Framework

Routes to excellence

The stages of the British Council Continuing Professional Framework

Novice teachers 1 Starting Learning the principles

2 Newly-qualified

Putting principles into practice

Teachers with

experience

3 Developing Building confidence and skills

4 Proficient Demonstrating confidence, experience and reflection

Teachers

progressing into

more advanced

roles

5 Advanced Exemplifying good practice

6 Specialist Leading and advising

Routes to excellence

Alex Bailey http://englishagenda.britishcouncil.org/continuing-professional-development/teachers

Routes to excellence

Questions asked in the video

1. Who are you and what do you do?

2. How and why did you become a…..?

3. What advice would you give someone who wants to work as a…..?

4. What kinds of things do you do in order to develop professionally?

5. How do you see your career developing in the future?

Activity

Now work with a partner and briefly interview them using these

questions, then decide where you would place them on the

Framework. Discuss together afterwards.

Routes to excellence

Routes to excellence

4 Proficient

6 Specialist

3 Developing

5 Advanced

Routes to excellence

How can the CPD portal help us

It gives us a point of reference in relation to other ELTprofessionals helping us to identify our development needsand aims.

Let’s take a newly qualified teacher like Alex Bailey as anexample

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Common needs for newly qualified teachers

Understanding your learners

Building your confidence as a teacher of English

Getting feedback on your teaching

Turning theory into practice

Knowing where to find classroom resources

Learning more about specific areas of ELT

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Which can be developed into aims

You are also learning how to teach in a real context, including:

Focusing less on your plan and more on your learners

Managing your time efficiently in planning and classroom management

Planning for the longer term – week / month / course

Being open to feedback and constructive criticism

Routes to excellence

Do you show any of these positive features?

You attend workshops and actively look for ways to develop teaching.

You ask for / share and try new ideas.

You view asking for assistance as a positive form of development.

You are enthusiastic and like to talk about what went well.

You seek guidance and input.

You understand and seek to meet student needs.

A lot of teaching techniques are becoming “second nature” to you.

Routes to excellence

Do you show any of these negative features?

You over-plan by micromanaging classes and don’t allow lessons to emerge.

You feel that asking for help is a form of weakness

You tend to ignore the importance of administration.

You act independently of others in the learning centre and don’t support their work.

You get negative feedback from students.

You still struggle with basic teaching techniques.

Routes to excellence

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

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So why doesn’t it always happen?

Money

Time

Difficulty

Culture – internal / external

…but of course it can

Routes to excellence

Thank you!

Richard Gresswell

http://englishagenda.britishcouncil.org