Continuing professional development (CPD) and online language learning

The Qatari government views English language learning as crucial to the country’s future success. Anecdotal evidence suggests, however, that English language teachers (ELTs) employed in Qatar may not necessarily have the appropriate training, qualifications, and experience to enable them to teach successfully. Despite growing research and interest in the continuing professional development (CPD) experiences and needs of ELTs in Western contexts, there remains a lack of research in Middle Eastern countries in general and in Qatar in particular. The aim of this study was to address this gap by exploring female ELTs’ perceptions and experiences of CPD in Qatar in order to develop new practical and theoretical insights into our understanding of this area. The study draws on data from life history interviews undertaken with 16 female ELTs with at least 3 years of teaching experience in Qatari schools. The study found that the participants had very different experiences of CPD based on their personal and professional characteristics. This suggests that for it to be perceived as a positive experience, the current model of professional development for ELTs may need revising. We propose a paradigm shift from a traditional “one size fits all” CPD model towards a more dynamic and interactive style of teacher development that facilitates both personal reflection and professional discourse among teachers. It is argued that such a shift would prove a considerable step forward for English language teaching in this country.

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Exploring In-Service TEYL Teachers’ Assessment Literacy: Implication For Continuing Professional Development

JEES (Journal of English Educators Society) ◽

10.21070/jees.v5i1.364 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 47-51

Author(s):

Amalul Umam ◽

Yani Awalia Indah

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Language Learning ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

English Language ◽

Group Discussion ◽

Continuing Professional Development ◽

Language Teachers ◽

Assessment Literacy ◽

Literacy Standards

Assessment is central and holds essential role in language learning from which the result of the teaching and learning are derived. It shows that the ability of language teachers in assessing their students is crucial. This study explored the assessment literacy of in-service TEYL teachers in Bogor by employing narrative case study. The subjects of the study were 19 English teachers around Bogor. In collecting the data, CALI (Classroom Assessment Literacy Inventory) and FGD (Focus Group Discussion) were employed. The data gathered from CALI were then scored and analyzed, and FGD data were coded based on the assessment literacy standards from which conclusion were derived. The findings reveal that teachers have poor level of assessment literacy. Consequently, teachers must update themselves by conducting continuing professional development. HIGHLIGHTS: Assessing Young Learners is complicated and challenging for Indonesian teachers because of the demand of the Curriculum 2013. Assessment literacy is central in English language learning from which teachers can assess their students and communicate the results to the stakeholder. Continuing Professional Development is an important action that can be done by teachers to increase their assessment literacy.

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Secondary EL Teachers’ CPD: Present Practices and Perceived Needs

Journal of NELTA ◽

10.3126/nelta.v22i1-2.20036 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (1-2) ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Abdul Rouf ◽

Abdul Rashid Mohamed

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Secondary School ◽

Language Learning ◽

Learning Outcomes ◽

English Language ◽

Qualitative Data ◽

Continuing Professional Development ◽

Learning And Teaching ◽

Perceived Needs ◽

Structured Questionnaire

The present paper reports a study that aimed to explore secondary school (SS) English language (EL) teachers’ present practices of and perceived needs for continuing professional development (CPD) in Bangladesh. In 21st century worldwide educational settings, ‘change’ is the only constant trend. Consequently, EL teachers need to be continuously updated in their professional knowledge base and skills. They must be engaged in effective CPDs to keep abreast of innovations in language learning and teaching for their own career development and better learning outcomes for learners. Using a semi-structured questionnaire qualitative data was collected from 10 secondary EL teachers. The findings show that overall scenario of SS EL teachers’ CPD is not encouraging. The paper also discusses some implications for teachers’ professional learning.Journal of NELTA, Vol 22 No. 1-2, December 2017, Page: 1-12

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Lærerkognition som centralt udgangspunkt for lærernes praksisnære professionsudvikling – en ny efteruddannelsesmodel

Studier i læreruddannelse og -profession ◽

10.7146/lup.v2i2.96704 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 34 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Petra Daryai-Hansen ◽

Birgit Henriksen

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Language Learning ◽

Continuing Professional Development ◽

Foreign Language Learning ◽

Research Field ◽

Teacher Cognition ◽

Theoretical Point ◽

Educational Model ◽

Professional Development Of Teachers ◽

Service Training

Artiklen giver et indblik i teoretiske, metodiske og praksisrelaterede overvejelser bag udviklingen af tre efteruddannelsesforløb i det igangværende udviklings- og forskningsprojekt ”Tidligere sprogstart – ny begynderdidaktik med fokus på flersprogethed”. Artiklen præsenterer med eksempel i projektet en ny efteruddannelsesmodel til udvikling af lærernes undervisningspraksis, der tager afsæt i centrale principper i den praksisnære professionsudvikling, som kobles til feltet lærerkognition som modellens centrale teoretiske udgangspunkt. Lærerkognitionen, som stadigvæk er ret uopdyrket i den danske faglitteratur, diskuteres indgående. Derudover præsenteres centrale principper i den praksisnære professionsudvikling, som afgrænses fra aktionslæring som metodisk tilgang. Afsluttende skitseres, hvilke lærerkognitionsdata der indsamles i projektet, og sammenhængen mellem den praksisnære professionsudvikling og lærerkognitionen uddybes. Summary: The article provides an insight into theoretical, methodical and practical reflections behind the development of three supplementary in-service training programs in the ongoing development and research project called “Early foreign language learning - new didactics for beginners with a focus on plurilingualism”. The article presents a new educational model for in-service training focusing on supporting and developing the teachers’ practical teaching skills, with examples from the project. Initially, a number of central principles in the continuing professional development of teachers will be outlined with a focus on the research field of teacher cognition as the main theoretical point of departure for the educational model. Teacher cognition is still an under-researched field in the Danish scientific literature and, hence, it is discussed thoroughly. Furthermore, central principles in the continuing professional development of teachers are presented, in an attempt to compare and delimit the chosen approach from action research as a method for teacher involvement. Lastly, the article describes the types of teacher cognition data collected in the project and the connection between continuing professional development and teacher cognition is elaborated.

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