June-July 2007ESSARP conducted a Coordinators’ Forum which provided trainers with a virtual space to debate issues related to Distance Education.

COORDINATORS’ FORUM

•The Forum established academic cooperation within the team of ESSARP Coordinators.•Coordinators had the possibility to debate issues related to Distance Education.•The Forum triggered off proposals for ESSARP 2008 Teacher Training Programme •It made it evident that the first step of the programme design should be the Identification of Teacher Training Needs.

ESSARP invited Member and Affiliate Schools to participate in six Teachers’ Forums that would help to identify Teacher Training Needs. The Forums would be the first step towards the design of the 2008 Teacher Training Programme .

INVITATIONPermanent education is an essential aspect of the teaching

career. Even though nobody doubts about the need for continuing education, a busy schedule usually prevents teachers from attending face-to-face training courses.

 Aware of such reality, ESSARP aims at offering equal

opportunities and at breaking the time and space barriers. Therefore, we intend to extend our Distance Education Programme for 2008. Teachers will thus have the possibility to update their knowledge making the most of the New Information Communication Technologies (NICTs).

As part of the planning process of the new proposals, we intend to identify teachers’ needs - both in terms of content and modality - so that the courses are specifically designed to satisfy them. We, therefore, take pleasure in inviting your school to join ESSARP Teachers’ Forums, which will not only open a communication channel within your institution but will also give each participant an invaluable opportunity to discuss their views with teachers from other educational environments.

Implementing the proposal FORUMS

ESSARP will open a total of six Forums, two per level (Kindergarten – Primary and Secondary School (one for the Spanish Section and the other one for the English Section).

AIMThe aim of each Forum will be to identify the real training needs of the teachers of each level in order to offer an Education Programme - including Virtual, Face-to-Face or Blended Courses - that will suit them best and assist them with their daily teaching practice.

PARTICIPANTS’ PROFILEEach of the Forums will allow for the participation of a maximum of three teachers per level from the Spanish section and a maximum of three from the English section. In the case of the Secondary School Forum, we suggest the participation of one teacher per department (Art, Humanities and Science & Technology)The teachers who decide to participate will be in charge of voicing their own needs as well as those of their colleagues and will have the opportunity to discuss their views with teachers from other schools.It is advisable that the participants should be familiarized with the use of the Internet and have easy access to it. Likewise, they should communicate with their colleagues fluently and should be sensitive to their needs.It is ESSARP’s wish that all the teaching staff of the member schools should have the opportunity to express their training needs. Therefore, we request that the schools that are interested in participating in this experience fill in the Enrolment Form with the list of teachers who are willing to represent each institution. Their participation will not imply more than one access to the Forum per day at their convenient time, in order to read the posts and contribute their own.

COORDINATION

Each Forum will be conducted by a coordinator who has been especially trained to facilitate virtual communication.Each Forum will be conducted either in English or in Spanish to suit the needs of all the teaching staff at your school.

SCHEDULE

Each Forum will last for two weeks.The Primary and Secondary School Forums will be open between October 1 and October 15. The Kinder Forum will be open from October 16 to October 30. In November, all schools will receive a report about the development of the Forum and the teachers’ needs which have been identified.

 

Letter to the School HeadDear Head,

 ESSARP takes pleasure in inviting your school to join our forthcoming Teachers Forums, a virtual space where educators from our Member and Affiliate Schools will have the possibility to engage in a mutually enriching exchange with their colleagues.

Needless to say, the New Information Communication Technologies are gaining more and more importance in the field of education. It is therefore one of our main aims to design a wider range of Distance Courses, which will enable us to use the resources of the NICTs to your school’s best advantage. One of the first stages in our project consists in identifying your teachers’ training needs in order to provide them with an education programme that will satisfy them both in terms of content and modality.

Next October, we will be opening six different Teachers’ Forums. Attached, you will find two invitations to join them - one in English and the other one in Spanish. The invitations provide details about the aim and implementation of the Forums as well as an Enrolment Form. We would appreciate it if you forwarded these files to the coordinators of each section.

We trust our initiative will open an invaluable communication channel, which we hope will contribute to strengthening your School Mission.

• October 1 -7Opening of the Forum. Welcome message to the participants. Forums Objectives. The participants will introduce themselves to the virtual community.

• October 8 -16In-depth debate on educational issues.Real Training Needs in terms of content and modality. Survey to be shared with the school staff.

• October 15Closing the Forum. Conclusions.

• NOVEMBER 2007The schools will receive a report on the development of the Forum.

Forum Schedule (Primary School Sample)

SCHOOLS PARTICIPATING IN THE TEACHERS’ FORUMS

Primary School - Secondary School - Kindergarten

SCHOOLS PARTICIPATING IN THE TEACHERS’ FORUMS

Primary School - Secondary School - Kindergarten Barker College CIERG Colegio Esquiú Colegio San Antonio Colegio Santa Teresita Escuela Austral de Enseñanza Bilingüe Glasgow College Jesús en el Puerto de los Olivos Michael Ham Memorial College Modern School New Westland School - General Villegas Newlands Nuestra Señora de la Unidad Southern Cross St. Alban’s College St. Andrew’s St. Catherine’s Moorlands St. George’s College North St. Mark’s The Greenhouse (St. Xavier’s)

Welcome to the Teachers’ Forum  On behalf of ESSARP, I am pleased to welcome you to our Teachers’ Forum. We intended to provide you with an

invaluable opportunity to share a virtual environment with your colleagues while you let us know what aspects of your own teaching practice you would like to explore further.

As you all know, ESSARP has always been committed to offering Members and Affiliate Schools a wide variety of training courses either in the face-to-face or virtual modality. The Association is aware of how difficult it is for teachers to attend courses or to find the time to continue their education. On the other hand, we are also conscious of how important it is for educators to study on a permanent basis in order to improve their practice and keep pace with the New Information Communication Technologies (NICTs)

It is therefore our aim to offer a Training Programme based on the real needs that you will express here. This Forum will be open for two weeks during which you are invited to voice your own interests as well as those of the teachers you represent. By the end of the second week, we will have collected relevant information that will help us design courses to satisfy your needs.

Attached to this message, you will find a file that will help you navigate this platform.To begin with, I suggest that you join our online community by posting a message to introduce yourselves. Please, tell us who you are, where you work, what your position is, what subject/s you teach and why you have joined this Forum. It is important that we all feel free to express our views, which will be highly valued at all times.Our Teachers’ Forum is now formally open. Please, make yourselves at home.

Gabriela MaderaESSARP Teachers’ Forum Coordinator

    

 

Training Needs

The following survey will provide ESSARP with very useful information in planning the activities for 2008. Please, type “x” in the boxes or make comments as appropriate.

Choose 3 factors from the list below which you consider the most relevant for determining the quality of a training course

1. Subject

6. Experience-based

2. Methodology and Resources

7. Coordinator’s Curriculum

3. In-depth Treatment of Content

8. Coordinator’s Nationality

3. Bibliography

9. Effective Teaching

4. Research-based

10. Specify other…………………………………..…....

TRAINING NEEDS

Which timetable do you consider the most convenient for Face-to-face courses in English?

Morning

Afternoon Evening

Which is the desirable maximum duration of a course, according to your institutional needs?

1 – 2 Sessions 3 – 4 Sessions 5 – 9 Sessions

How often would you attend Training Courses?

1 – 2 times a year

3 – 4 times a year

5 – 6 times a year

How interested are you in Distance Courses in general?

Scarcely interested

Somewhat interested

Highly interested

How interested are you in Blended Courses? (Distance Courses which include face-to-face meetings)

Scarcely interested

Somewhat interested

Highly interested

How interested are you in requesting the ESSARP Goes to School Programme?

Scarcely interested

Somewhat interested

Highly interested

How interested are you in participating in Online Teachers’ Forums?

Scarcely interested

Somewhat interested

Highly interested

P Please, list here the topics you would like to suggest for our 2008 Training Programme Indicate your priorities 1

7

2

8

3

9

4

10

5

11

6

12

Feel free to add any further comments…

School

Head

Name of participant/s in the Teachers

Forum

1

2

3 Please, let us know who completed the

survey. (Type “X” next to your choice)

A. One teacher B. A group of teachers

Comments

Contact for Academic Activities

Name and e-mail address

La mayoría de los votos por la categoría “poco interesado” provino de Nivel Inicial.

Teacher Training Needs Identified in the ForumsPrimary and Secondary School (in alphabetical order) A - C

Analyzing poetry (7th / 8th) Applied Linguistics Applied multiple intelligences Applying correction criteria to written productions Applying new methodology AS Art (There´s only one teacher of Art at school) Assessing writing Assessment (Assessing different levels in a same group) Assessment Criteria Average evaluation of students considering their different skills. Bibliotecología. Promoción de la lectura Bilingualism. Business CIE Training Courses CIPP Tests techniques Classroom Management Common error correction Constructive teamwork Contemporary trends on teaching methods

Teacher Training Needs C - G Creative and innovative IGCSE activities in the classroom Creative writing Cross Curricular Activities (Literature and History for example) Curriculum design Dealing with different abilities and capacities in class  Debates/forums in the classroom Debate strategies Development of Comprehension skills Different planning Differentiation. Discipline DRAMA as a teaching resource Effective assessment Environmental Management contents Environmental Management IGCSE: content topics  Environmental Studies French (IGCSE and AS Levels) French (IGCSE and AS Levels) There´s only one teacher of French at school. Games in the Classroom Games in the classroom ( to teach grammar and vocabulary) General Paper AS Level Grammar & Lexis (how to teach them to EPB1 kids) Group Work

Teacher Training Needs - H Handling problematic situations History Contents History courses for Middle School. Source Analysis. How to deal with conflicts between kids and with teachers How to deal with misbehaviour in class in a “creative” way How to deal with mixed ability groups How to deal with parents’ meetings How to deal with students’ lack of interest How to develop comprehension skills How to develop writing skills How to exploit the different skills for effective language learning How to handle ADD students How to help children think in English How to make a systematic evaluation of how much students have acquired

after an integration class How to make Language classes more interesting How to teach grammar in a non-traditional way How to teach reading effectively How to use computers as a tool in the learning process. The importance of

computing nowadays How to work with movies in class How to work with puppets effectively How to write/adapt a play from a reader, considering different features.

Teacher Training Needs I - L IGCSE Curricula IGCSE examinations IGCSE History: Content topics + source analysis IG English as a Second Language and IG Spanish as First Language Iniciación a la escritura en el 1er.año primaria (en inglés) Institutional and curricular steps to go from Second to First Language Integration of programmes of study – Spanish, English Literature and English

Language Interactive boards. International Primary Maths Programme Is there any possibility of bringing Miriam Trehearne again? We would be

willing to be the host school. Jolly Phonics Language as a cross curricular tool in content subjects Learning difficulties , struggling readers and writers Learning difficulties in children and how to handle them Learning how to learn Learning through games and songs (when teaching young children) Literacy Literature Contents Literature courses for Middle School. Literature for young learners Literature for children Literature IGCSE/AS level (set texts)

Training Needs M - P Make the most of an integration activity class Marking Schemes/Correction Workshops Methodology Methodology on IGCSE. Misbehaviour in the classroom Modern History Motivation Multiple intelligences: how to work with each of them Music for the little ones Music in the classroom Narrative background, theory and activities New approaches to EFL/Effective Teaching New games to practice language. New learning activities New teaching strategies and instruction using technology in the classroom Organizing and timing of a class when students are asked to bring information

about a certain subject Phonology Physics AS Level Planning for the IGCSE class. Poetry background, theory and activities. Poetry for IGCSE

Training Needs P -S Polishing/updating our English Portfolio Preparing younger students on the way to IGCSE exams. Project work and how to integrate the different areas (how to connect them to

the different topics being taught) Prose background, theory and activities Reading Reading and writing process/instruction in bilingual children, Reading comprehension ,writing literature Dealing with different abilities and

capacities in class Reading comprehension activities for the higher primary forms Remedial teaching of sounds in English Retelling techniques School Management Science: Working in the Lab Special subjects in primary: physics-chemistry-history-Maths Spelling mistakes: Are they really very important? (3rd Form) Staff Meetings Stories as a springboard to teach grammar Stories for young learners (by Peña Lima) no vacancies this year  Story telling

Training Needs S -T Stragegies to encourage students to become successful readers Strategies for IGCSE Writing Teacher’s role nowadays – Reflection on “Am I doing Teaching Chemistry and Physics in 6th Teaching English as a Second Language without immersion Teaching grammar in an effective way Teaching how to speak accurately Teaching how to write different text types Teaching literature Teaching methodology Teaching mixed ability groups Teaching reading (pronunciation,intonation…)to spanish speakers. Teaching Science – Hands on Science Teaching Social Studies Teaching students how to organize a writing task Teaching through Understanding Teaching vocabulary at stages 4,5 and 6 Technology and ESL. Teoría Literaria (Four teachers mentioned having attended one some time

ago. They were fascinated!)

Training Needs T- W Testing for understanding, how to use tests as a teaching tool The importance of communication between the staff The writing process Thematic Units. Vocabulary enlargement through literature. Thinking Skills AS Level Update on children’s books, new literature winners in USA and UK Use of dictionaries Use of phonics Using English as a First Language in the classroom Using ICT in the English lesson Using your coordinator as a resource Web page design Working as a Team with the whole school Working with my Spanish Literature Counterparts in Lengua y Literatura. Writing Assessment Writing compositions Writing different Genres Writing Strategies

Training Needs - Kindergarten A curricular Design in English  An agreement between the Spanish and the English teaching methodology Assessment Books for pupils to be used in every day classes  Classroom management Drama How children learn the second language in bilingual schools How to help bilingual professionals (other than teachers, let´s say

psychologists, etc.) teach English in kindergarten How to help kindergarten teachers teach English Importance of Oral Language in early childhood Materials for teachers Methodological tips/resources on how to teach English at Kindergarten level Montessori method – training - New evaluation techniques & tips New teaching methodologies Resources available to teach English in Kindergarten Setting limits effectively. Storytelling and dramatization for children Teacher training college for Kindergarten teachers (with official degree) Teaching through stories Tips for teaching/ learning English in an attractive way at Kindergarten level

Teachers’ Opinions about the ForumsKINDERGARTEN FORUM“I am anxious to share new ideas and experience in order to improve our daily activities !I hope we can all profit from sharing comments on our practice !!”“Thanks to all the rest for sharing their experiences, wishes, difficulties, resources, time,

good will.....”“I was highly enriched by all the contributions everyone made. On the other hand, I would like to thank the people at Essarp for their constant effort and support to teachers in their intention to become better practitioners.”“Thank you for this opportunity, I hope I can be of any help as I possitively know it will be of great help for me.”“I strongly think it`d be a good idea to have intensive courses in February amd then a blended one throughout the year.”

PRIMARY SCHOOL FORUM“I believe teacher development is most important and on line training becomes a wonderful option specially when living far from Buenos Aires.”“It’s a great idea to share our viewpoints.”“I believe it’s a very enriching opportunity to learn and to share views and ideas with other teachers.”

“I decided to participate in this forum as I have never participated in one before and I believe it will be very enriching for my every day teaching by sharing with other teachers their daily experiences.”"Our school is some 100 km from BA which makes it very difficult to attend face-to-face courses, so virtual rooms are ideal! blended courses would be very suitable!As Cecilia Garrett said we have joined the CIPP this year, so this forum can help us contact other CIPP teachers and help others who would like to know about it or share teaching practices!“I´ve never participated in virtual courses or forums, but I think that this is a great opportunity to share daily experiences with other teachers.”“I enjoy courses or workshops dealing with many different issues, like the ones that teach you new ways to work on the skills or new methods to use in the classroom. I like face-to-face courses much more than online courses because they seem clearer and more profitable to me. It"s a pleasure to be part of this team”“As I´m am FULLY convinced I still have SO MUCH to learn, here I am, giving a try to this yet new challenge! It´s a REAL PLEASURE to start sharing this new experience with you all.”“I really enjoyed sharing these days with all the participants. It has been an active forum and it would be great to meet again. Imagine a forum with things to debate or to share with the same teachers ... it would be wonderful!”“It was my first participation in a forum and I have really enjoyed it. I´m looking forward to particiapting in another one soon.”“I`ll be looking forward to next year`s offer.”

Teachers’ Opinions

More opinionsSECONDARY SCHOOL FORUM“I truly believe in teacher development. It is an essential aspect of our profession. I also believe in change and in the positive aspects it poses. It is extremely important to cope with the changes that take place everyday and a very useful way to do so is by attending meetings, courses, giving your opinion. That`s why I wanted to be part of this forum.”“Living far from BA,though not as far as Eugenia,makes it sometimes difficult to attend all the courses one would love to attend. I am all for on line training since it gives us the chance to up date our knowledge and exchange views with other teachers !” “I am delighted to be part of this forum as I am sure we will all share valuable experiences and opinions.”“I believe it is so very enriching to share our experiences, considering our realities are different! And it is amazing that the same spirit of professionalism is behind us.”“I enjoy studying and reading about new developments and ideas, but I sometimes find it difficult to attend courses. I’m sure we’ll profit from each other’s contributions as we teach similar things but in different contexts.”“The biggest drawback we find when courses are delivered at ESSARP is precisely, having to travel and, to make matters worse, having to drive into TOWN!!!!!”“I believe that permanent education is a key factor to teacher development. I am very interested in learning about the latest trends as well as improving my practices. This is the first time I am taking part of a forum and I am eager to learn from all of you.”“This forum could also turn into a future Internet group/ blog to share experiences, etc etc, don"t you think?”

 

“I don"t know if it happens to you but I feel I can"t go to bed without having checked on the forum .It feels like we were all having an ongoing conversation which I can"t miss!!As if there were somebody out there "listening"to me "talking" to me at any time.It"s wonderful!!”

“It has been a real pleasure to be part of this forum. It is amazing to see how many of us share the same interests, needs, intentions and willingness to work and improve our practice day after day.”

“Thank you for having created a space in which we could express our views, opinions and queries.”

“It has been an invaluable experience to be part of this forum.”

“Thank you for having given us this great and extremely useful opportunity.”

“I have really enjoyed being part of this forum. It has been a most enriching experience to be able to share with teachers all over the country.”

Most relevant findings 46 teachers participated in the Forums representing 20 schools. All teachers participated actively in the 3 Forums. They debated issues related to

Permanent Education such as course quality, modality, frequency and content. They showed some concern about their lack of time to attend face-to-face courses downtown. Most of them were highly interested in Distance Education and in the ESSARP Goes to School Programme.

As regards the surveys, there was a quick response to them, which showed a high level of commitment and great enthusiasm about participating in the design of the 2008 Teacher Training Programme.

The surveys rendered the following results: The quality of a course is mainly determined by Content, Methodology and Resources and

Effective Teaching. Timetable preferences: 41% of respondents prefer Morning Courses, 30% of them

prefer Evening Courses and 21% of respondents would like to attend courses in the Afternoon.

Regarding Number of Sessions and Course Frequency, most teachers would like to attend courses which take a maximum of 4 sessions with a frequency of 4 times a year.

54% of the teachers are highly interested in Distance Education, 38% of respondents are somewhat interested and 8% of them are scarcely interested in Distance Courses.

32% of respondents are highly interested in Blended Courses whereas 61% of them are somewhat interested and 7% of the teachers say they are scarcely interested in this kind of courses.

Findings 77% of respondents show great interest in the ESSARP Goes to School

Programme. 40% of respondents are highly interested in participating in Teachers’

Forums, 36% of them are somewhat interested and 24% of them do not show much interest. The most enthusiastic teachers seem to be the ones who share either an international programme of education such as the CIPP or international examinations such as IGCSE.

We identified 174 Teacher Training Needs in the Primary and Secondary School Forums and 21 needs in the Kindergarten Forum. In many of the cases, the contents of various needs can be grouped in one course.

We have noticed some concern about values, discipline, learning difficulties and interpersonal relationships within the school.

Teachers show their gratitude to ESSARP for having given them the possibility to express their needs and to exchange views with their colleagues. They all seem to have enjoyed the experience.

Gabriela Madera

Teachers’ ForumsGeneral Coordinator

CONCLUSIONS THE FORUMS OPENED UP A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL AMONG TEACHERS

OF DIFFERENT INSTITUTIONS. THEY CONFIRMED THE TEACHERS’ NEED FOR PERMAMENT EDUCATION AND

THE NEED FOR A TAILOR-MADE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME THEY STRENGTHENED BONDS BETWEEN THE HEADS AND THE STAFF OF EACH

SCHOOL. THEY ALLOWED ESSARP TO IDENTIFY TEACHER TRAINING NEEDS. THEY PROVIDED PARTICIPANTS WITH A VIRTUAL SPACE TO EXCHANGE VIEWS

AND RESOURCES WITH TEACHERS WHO SHARE THE SAME INTERESTS THEY MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR SOME OF THE TEACHERS TO HAVE THEIR FIRST

CONTACT WITH AN EDUCATIONAL PLATFORM. THEY SHORTENED DISTANCES AND OFFERED TIME FLEXIBILITY. THEY CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF BOTH

COORDINATORS AND TEACHERS ALIKE.

THE FORUMS OPENED UP A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL AMONG TEACHERS OF DIFFERENT INSTITUTIONS.

THEY CONFIRMED THE TEACHERS’ NEED FOR PERMAMENT EDUCATION AND THE NEED FOR A TAILOR-MADE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME

THEY STRENGTHENED BONDS BETWEEN THE HEADS AND THE STAFF OF EACH SCHOOL.

THEY ALLOWED ESSARP TO IDENTIFY TEACHER TRAINING NEEDS. THEY PROVIDED PARTICIPANTS WITH A VIRTUAL SPACE TO EXCHANGE VIEWS

AND RESOURCES WITH TEACHERS WHO SHARE THE SAME INTERESTS THEY MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR SOME OF THE TEACHERS TO HAVE THEIR FIRST

CONTACT WITH AN EDUCATIONAL PLATFORM. THEY SHORTENED DISTANCES AND OFFERED TIME FLEXIBILITY. THEY CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF BOTH

COORDINATORS AND TEACHERS ALIKE.

Lic. Gabriela Madera Lic. Elizabeth WhitePrimary and Secondary School Forums Kindergarten ForumCoordinator Coordinator

November 2007