Affiliate News - 01/14/2022 (Plain Text Version)
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USING ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO STAY CONNECTED AND KNOWLEDGEABLE Jermaine S. McDougald, TESOL Colombia, Liaison Officer, Director ELT Business Development, Universidad de La Sabana, Colombia
Ongoing Professional Development Professional development (PD) or teacher training are two terms that we are all familiar with in English Language Teaching (ELT), where they come in all shapes and sizes. Nevertheless, the numerous forms and types of PD, seek to provide a training solution for almost any scenario, focusing on strategies, formal and informal training programs, workshops, and the like (McDougald, 2020). Today, with the increased use of technology, PD programs are reaching far more practitioners, thereby impacting even more learners and educational institutions. Professional development opportunities can support teachers to feel less isolated and disconnected from colleagues, all the while helping to build a community of learners, improve teaching, and increase organizational capacity (Gülbahar & Adnan, 2019). TESOL Associations are based on the very principle of development, in hopes of helping teachers become better at what they do, teaching English to speakers of another language. Nevertheless, in-service teachers must continue to have access to regular opportunities to learn from each other, which is an aspect that continues to stand out amongst all teacher associations and TESOL affiliates. Ongoing professional development ensures that teachers are up to date on new research endeavors, on how our students learn, emerging technological tools for the classroom, new curriculum resources, and more. The best professional development is ongoing, experiential, collaborative, and connected to and derived from working with learners and understanding their culture. However, Vinagre (2017, p. 2), emphasizes the “importance of experiential use and integration of specific technological modes in the teachers' own learning process in order to improve their knowledge, competences and preparation so that they can integrate technologies in their classrooms”. This encourages teachers to successfully put into play or apply the appropriate teaching and learning approach(es), which in turn are important characteristics for any ELT teacher to possess. Many teachers have been affected across the globe in 2021, however, they were able to overcome those obstacles through professional development programs offered by TESOL associations worldwide, where traditional F2F training sessions were put on the shelf, making way for new, more innovative ways of connecting people both far and near, as per (Macià & García, 2016, p. 8) where they claim that “online communities and networks for teacher professional development can be hosted in a variety of digital environments that mainly depend on the resources, skills and means of the creators”. This variety provides teachers with opportunities to share experiences, learn new ways of doing things, build communities of practice, access to shared resources, and above all, be a part of a global TESOL community. These training initiatives continue to play a crucial part in ELT events, conferences, workshops, and the like, all in favor of creating opportunities during a time of crisis. Teachers were able to connect across continents virtually, where crossing virtual borders have become the new norm, allowing them access to knowledge, resources, and opportunities like never. By investing (time and economical resources) in ongoing professional development, English Language Teachers will:
Amongst TESOL Affiliates, learning is more of a free exchange of ideas among colleagues, where communication is a vital part of that exchange. This exchange of ideas and sharing of experiences are often carried out these days in a virtual environment, where these professional development sessions allow teachers to hear from their colleagues and to learn from them along with the interaction between novice teachers and experienced TESOL scholars. Nevertheless, PD programs are not just for beginners, but affiliate leaders and senior teachers who can also benefit from ongoing PD, so that they can continue to lead their teacher associations to the next level, providing them with tools that allow them to see the big picture of the TESOL ecosystem, all the while incorporating innovative practices within the association, which in turn directly affects their teaching contexts. Teachers are required to be competent at all levels, thereby making ongoing professional development a must, especially since many TESOL teachers are responsible for getting their learners to not only acquire a new language (foreign or second) but also keen on content knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, curricular knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, knowledge of learners and their characteristics, knowledge of educational contexts as well as knowledge of educational ends and knowledge of how to successfully deliver all of the above in English or through English. In this issue of the newsletter, TESOL affiliates across the globe all shared their experiences about the challenges and rewards that come with ongoing professional development. The examples and stories are proof that learning is a must at all levels (teachers and students), especially during a time where a Global Pandemic has taught us all how to think outside of the box, how to innovate, and how to connect to others. Everything from being a global citizen, to incorporating a culture of technology and digital skills, while learning about topics on EdTech tools, assessment, communication, creativity in the classroom, new and improved teacher competence, or even topics related to developing future skills needed for English teachers, be it online, using webinars, live sessions via social media platforms or just plain ole face to face encounters. Regardless of the means, ongoing professional development continues to impact the ELT profession, this newsletter provides an array of examples, that can be used time and time again, to help overcome the daily challenges often encountered in TESOL associations because of the global pandemic. References Gülbahar, Y., & Adnan, M. (2019). Faculty Professional Development in Creating Significant Teaching and Learning Experiences Online. 37–58. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-0115-3.ch004 Macià, M., & García, I. (2016). Informal online communities and networks as a source of teacher professional development: A review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 55, 291–307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.01.021 McDougald, J. S. (2020). What is next for CLIL Professional Development? Latin American Journal of Content & Language Integrated Learning (LACLIL), 12(2), 197–206. https://doi.org/10.5294/laclil.2019.12.2.1 Vinagre, M. (2017). Developing teachers’ telecollaborative competences in online experiential learning. System, 64, 34–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2016.12.002 Biodata Jermaine S. McDougald is Director of ELT Business Development at the International Center of Foreign Languages & Cultures, Universidad de La Sabana (Bogotá, Colombia). Currently the Liaison Officer for TESOL Colombia and a member of the TESOL International Affiliate Network Professional Council (ANPC). |
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