community of practice for teacher educators...moocs to share. resources with a teacher educator...

CommunityofPracticeforTeacherEducators

YearinReview2018-2019

MaggieMilne,EllenDarling,KirsteenDonaghy,SirinSoyoz


CommunityofPracticeforTeacherEducators 2©BritishCouncil,2019

TheYearinReview2018-2019

SupportingTeacherEducatorsEverywhere

AlookbackatourfirstyearFollowingasuccessfulpilot,welaunchedourCommunityofPracticeon27June,2018.ResearchbytheEuropeanCommissionintotheroles,qualitiesandprofessionaldevelopmentofteachereducators,hadhighlightedalackofclarityonteachereducatorrolesandidentities;alackofsharedunderstandingabouttheskills,knowledgeandunderstandingrequiredfortherole;andlimitedopportunitiestoengageincontinuingprofessionaldevelopment.Ourcommunityaddressesthesechallengesbyprovidingaspaceforteachereducatorstoconnectwitheachother,shareknowledgeandideas,engageintopicaldiscussions,findoutabouteventsrelevanttotheprofessionandengagewithprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities.

ThecommunityunderpinstheBritishCouncil’scommitmenttothecontinuingprofessionaldevelopmentofteachereducators.



Ouryearinnumbers

AndstatisticsfromGoogleanalyticsshowthatmembersinIndia,EgyptandtheUKareconsistentlyinthetopthreeformostfrequentaccesstothecommunity,followedbymembersinUkraine,Nigeria,Italy,Spain,Turkey,MexicoandRussia.Weareatrulyinternationalcommunity,providingaccesstoCPDwithoutborderswithmembersineverycontinent.

661 posts from our members

6 Webinars

84 discussion forums

launched our first ‘special’ - Mentoring

3 videos

first member-led Webinar

23 links to articles, publications, research reports

6860 views on our forums



OurgoalsOuroverarchinggoalistoprovidecontinuingprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesforteachereducatorsallovertheworld.

Meetingourgoals

Teachereducatorsareoftenquiteisolatedintheirworkingenvironmentswithacorrespondinglackofdevelopmentalopportunitieswhichcomethroughinteractingwithpeers.

OurcommunityofPracticehasaddressedthischallengebyenablingTeacherEducatorstoconnectwithothersinsimilarroles.Inthisway,asWenger(2007)says:“theydoandlearnhowtodoitbetterastheyinteractregularly.” 1

1 Wenger,Etienne(2007)‘Communitiesofpractice.Abriefintroduction’.

Aplatformforteachereducatorstoconnectwithothersinsimilarroles,share

informationandexperience

Resourcesaimed

specificallyatteachereducators

Discussionforumslinkedtoteachereducatorthemes.

CPDactivitieswhichwork

withchallenging,irregularschedules

AccesstoELTexpertise

fromtheUKand

elsewhere



Ourrangeofdiscussionforumshasencouragedmemberstorespondtoquestions,reflect,shareknowledge,exploreideas,swapstoriesandinformation.Ourthreemostpopularforumsthisyearareasfollows.

MycolleaguesandIhaverecentlyengagedinathree-waypeerobservation,wherebyweplanthesessiontogetherandeachdeliversabout20minuteswhiletheothertwodiscusswhattheyseeandattimesgivesuggestionstothetrainerinaction(ofcoursewithoutdisturbingthetrainerinmid-flow).Imustsaywe'veallfounditincrediblyuseful,especiallyasit'srightthereasithappensandwecanmakeimmediateadjustmentsandseeimmediateresultswhichwediscussafterwardthesessioninareflectiveconversation.Otheradvantageswe'vefoundisthatgivingfeedbackafterasession,wetendtoeitherforgetornotrecallfullythewholesession;alsothatinasessionfeedbackwe'lltrytousuallyfocusononeortwo'main'areasfordevelopment,whereas,therearemanylittleadjustmentswecanmakeinclassesifwe'reremindedthatwouldhaveahugelybeneficialimpactonlearning,forexample,someoneholdingasignupatthebackoftheroom'TTT'toremindthetrainertofocusthefeedback.Finally,aswediscussthetrainerinaction,wecanalsoapplyimmediatelytechniqueswenoticedtheparticipantsrespondingto.

That'sinteresting-wantedtocheckifIunderstoodthiscorrectlybutarethethreeofyouco-trainingthesamegroupofteachers?Doesthishappennormallyorwasitplannedjustforthepeerobservation?

Threeofusareco-deliveringamonth-longcoursetoTeacherEducators.Soit'sme,andtwoMasterTrainerswho'vealreadydonethecoursewe'renowcascadingfurtherdown.Soweplanwhowantstodeliverwhichsessions,somewedeliveralone,sometwodeliverandsomeallthreedeliver...andwe'reallverykeenonPDsothedoor'salwaysopenforotherstocomeintothetrainingroomandobserve,participateorgivefeedback...supportparticipantsduringmonitoring,contributeinanywaybutwithoutbeingdisruptivetotheflow.

MicroteachinganddevelopmentalobservationsWeprovidedvideoswherethreeteachereducatorsindifferentcountriesdescribedhowtheyorganisedclassroomobservationsofteachers.Membersdescribedtheirownexperiences,sharedtechniquesandalsoexpressedfrustrationwiththedifficultiesofformal,unconstructiveobservationsintraditionalcontexts.



Helloeveryone!Havealwaysbeenpassionateaboutteachinganditwasforevermydreamtoteachkidsforallofmylife.Duetocertainurgentdomesticpriorities,hadtodiscontinuemyteachingjobof20years.Theurgetobeassociatedwiththeteachingsectorpushedmetoenrolinavoluntaryservicethatwouldrequiremetoteach'economicallychallenged'youthforacoupleofhourseveryday.Thatwasalifechanger!EnjoyedmyassociationwiththemsomuchthatIendedupworkingfulltimewiththatorganisation.Alongthewaywewereencouragedtotrainthenewvolunteerswhoweretobefirsttimeteachers.IwasmentoreddiligentlybytheBritishCounciltrainersandthuswasinitiatedintomynewroleofateachereducator.It'sbeensixyearssinceandamenjoyingexploringandlearningateverystepofmyjourney.

Hi!Ithinkformethetherewasnosignificanteventratherthefeelingthattherewasstillsomuchtolearnandsomanypeopletolearnfrom.IalsofeltandstillfeelthatmanyteachersconceiveCPDassomethingimposedfromaboveandhelpingotherstoseethattheycanbethe'owners'oftheirowndevelopmentisamazingwhenyouactuallyseehowempoweredtheyfeeliftheydotakethebullbythehornsandfocusonanareathatisimportanttothem.

Icanseehowbeingencouragedto'trainthenewvolunteers'wouldhelpyoutonaturallymoveintoateachertrainerrole.Sometimesweneedthatlittle'push',don'tyouthink?

FromTeachertoTeacherEducatorMemberssharedwhathadmotivatedthemtomakethetransitiontoteachereducators.Theirexperiencesincluded:beinginspiredbyotherteachertrainers,movingintomentoringandevenvolunteering.



IknowIamsuperlatejoiningandreplying,butthetopicisimportantforme,andInoticedyouarerunninga

webinaronFriday(whichIcan'tattendduetootherobligations)Ihavebeenfacilitating/coordinatingaReflectivePracticeGroupinDnipro,Ukrainesince2016.Lovethequestionsyoulistedintheoriginalpostandwouldlovetoanswertheminmoredetailonmyblog,atsomepoint.

FromtimetotimeIpostaboutthegroup,too:someinfoandlinksonwhatwedo,topics,activities,etc.there:https://wednesdayseminars.wordpress.com/reflection-process/,andwecanofcoursebeintouchviaTwitter/Facebook,orotherchannels.Goodluckwiththewebinar!Iwouldlovetowatcharecording,ifpossible.

BenefitsofactivitygroupsAvideowasprovidedtostimulatediscussion.Theforumgeneratedmuchinterestwithmemberssharingtheirknowledgeandaskingquestionstolearnmore.



Sharingisnotlimitedtoforums

JourneysofReflectivePractice–apublicationonthethemeofteachereducatorprofessionaldevelopmentthroughactionresearchwasdonatedtotheCommunitybyoneofourmembers.

InNovemberourmembersrespondedtoourcallforexamplesofcasestudiesforanewTeachingforSuccesspublicationwith

suggestionsandideasfromtheirownexperience.

Inspiredbythementoringspecial,severalmemberssharedmentoringstoriesfromtheirownexperience.

Knowingourmembers’interestinnewdevelopmentopportunities,oneofourmostactivememberscuratedalistofMOOCstoshare.

ResourceswithateachereducatorfocusComparedtoresourcesforteachers,thereisalimitedrangeofresourcesavailableforteachereducators.Ouraimistoprovideaccesstoresourceswhichveryspecificallyfocusonteachereducatorwork.Weseekoutpublications,researchandvideoswhichwecansharewithmembersandwhichinformourselectionoftopicsandunderpindiscussionforums.Belowaresomehighlightsfromacrosstheyear.

* AseriesofarticlesbyTessaWoodwardonthethemeofteachereducatorself-awareness* AreportfromastudyinMalaysiaonprofessionaldevelopmentforteachereducators* Anewpublication:Journeysofreflectivepractice:strengtheningteachereducator

professionalskillsthroughactionresearch* Our

teachereducatoridentitytopicwasintroducedinavideowithteachereducatorsfromTunisia,UruguayandRomaniagivingtheirdifferentviewpoints.

* Videoonorganisingteacherobservations–oneofourmostpopulartopics.* InOctober,thepublishersoftheTeacherTrainerJournalofferedaspecialdiscounttoour

members.



AccesstoELTexpertiseAswellasourwiderangeofpublications,articlesandvideos,wecommissionWebinars.Herearesomehighlights.

CoachingandEmotionalIntelligencebyNikPeachey,coursedesigner,authorandeducationtechnologyconsultant

TwowebinarsonInclusivePracticesbyPhilDexter,ourBritishCouncilexpertonEquality,InclusionandDiversity.Feedbackfrommembersledtothesecondoneasmemberswantedtoexplorethisimportanttopicfurther.

Tocoincidewithourmentoringspecial,DoinaFleante,anexperiencedmentor,providedaninnovativeWebinarwhichincludedaroleplay.



FeedbackfrommembershiponallofourWebinarshasbeenverypositive.Commentsfromparticipantsshowhowmuchtheyarevalued.

Boththecontentandthedeliverywereinnovativeandinteresting.Iliketheexperimentationwiththediscussiontechniques

ThanksPhilforaveryenlighteningwebinar.Yestheseedsaresoimportant.Thankyouforthisinspiringseminar!InadditiontoourspeciallycommissionedWebinars,wehaveencouragedourmemberstotakeadvantageofWebinarsprovidedbytheUKELTsector.

IATEFLSigOnlinetaskdesignforteachertrainersCPDfornewteachertrainersBuildingteachercommunitiesPlanning,managingandimplementingINSETTprogrammeswithexperiencedteachersinmind

AquedutoOnlinelanguageteachereducation:ExploringtheAquedutoresearchreport

MacmillanEnglishStrategiestopromoteandprotectlanguageteacherwell-being

Andweweredelightedthatin

Februarywehadourfirstmember-led

Webinar



CPDactivitieswhichworkwithchallenging,irregularschedulesWithourwebinarswhicharerecordedforthosewhocan’tmakethescheduledtimes;ourdiscussionforumswhichcanbeaccessedatanytimeandtheavailabilityofourotherresources,ourcommunityprovidestheflexibilityneededtoenablememberstoconnectandengageattimeswhichfitaroundtheirwork.

TocomplementourregularCPDactivities,wehaveintroduced‘specials’.Theseare‘mini-courses’offeredonourThinkingCapplatformandenablememberstodevelopskillsandknowledgeonselectedtopicsinmoredepth.

Ourfirstspecial,onthetopicofmentoring,waslaunchedinSeptember.Membersengagedinaseriesofactivities,includinghowtosetupmentoringprogrammes,observingandgivingfeedbacktomentees,andhowtomakementoringameaningfulCPDexperience.Thespecialconcludedwithamentoringprojectwhichinvolvedpeermentoringamongstourmembers.OneoftheparticipantsintheprojecthasscheduledaWebinartosharehisexperiencewiththecommunity:Mentoringteachersandtrainers:arecipeforsuccessfulprogrammes.RecentdevelopmentsResearchOurcommunityco-ordinator,SirinSoyoz,chosethecommunityasthefocusforherMaster’sthesis.94membersrespondedtohercallforparticipationinasurveyinJanuaryabouttheprofessionaldevelopmentneedsofteachereducators.InoursecondyearwewillbelookingatthedataSirinhasgatheredtoseehowwecanuseittoprovidemoretargetedcontent,aswellastocreateanarticleforpublication.TeachingforSuccessTunisiaProjectWeareproudtosupportthisproject.Wehavecreatedaclosedgroupforprimaryteachingadvisors.Thisprovidesadedicatedspacewithinthecommunitywheretheadvisorscanshareideasandholddiscussionsrelatingtotheprojectintheirlocalcontext.



CanCPDchangelives?Thisdiscussioniscurrentlytrendingonthecommunity.SeveralmembershavementionedtheimportantroletheBritishCouncilhasplayedintheirdevelopment.IhavethechancetobeinvolvedinaBritishCouncilRomaniaproject-Englishforthe

community(trainingandsupportinglocalTeacherActivityGroups).IamtheLocalFacilitatorforTAGSibiuandthisrolehaschangedmylifeandmyteachingpractice,

too.BritishCouncilisplayingvitalroleinCPD.BritishCouncilalwaysoffersstrongsupportforEnglishteachersandlearners!OurplansforoursecondyearImprovingandextendingmemberparticipationandengagementTocoincidewithouranniversary,wewilllaunchoursecondspecial:developinganonlinepresence.Thisisaimedatourshyer,lessconfidentmembersandwillbefollowedlaterintheyearbyaspecialaimedatourmoreskilledandadvanced,members.FocusingcontentmorecloselyonourmembersprofessionaldevelopmentneedsInadditiontotheresearchprovidedbySirin,wewillconductsurveysamongstourmemberstoensurecontentmatchestheirneedsandinterests.Wewillalsooffermembersopportunitiestotakeonresponsibilityforsomecommunitycontent.IntroducingnewCPDopportunitiesWewillsetupteachereducatoractivitygroupstomeetonceamonthonlinetodiscussitemsselectedbythecommunity.Wewillcreatea‘helpcorner’wherememberscanaskforadviceonanythingrelatingtotheirteachereducatorworkWewillprovideaspaceformemberstotelltheirstories.

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