How Can I Become the Best Teacher? ELT Instructors’ Professional Development Preferences

Year 2023, , 35 - 51, 30.06.2023

Ayşe Yılmaz Virlan

https://doi.org/10.52134/ueader.1216368

Abstract

It is well acknowledged that one of the most significant things contributing to a successful career in language teaching is ongoing professional development. It is difficult to determine which tool is the most effective for the development of teachers because of the variety of current strategies that are still being debated in terms of their usefulness and practicability as professional development practices. Furthermore, the perspectives that teachers hold regarding professional development practices vary widely. In this work, various strategies for aiding the professional growth of ELT teachers at a foundation university in Istanbul are presented and discussed. Additionally, their preferences for varied practices that enhance teacher development were identified through a survey investigation. The data were collected through a survey questionnaire, and then they were analyzed to demonstrate both the similarities and differences in the approaches to teaching. The findings revealed that the degree to which teachers valued and made use of the activities differed significantly based on several factors, including their gender, age, years of teaching experience, the undergraduate field of study, and level of qualification. The findings could serve as the foundation for a proposal made to educators who are interested in developing their approach to teaching more professionally.

Keywords

professional development, teacher training, teacher preferences

References

• Bailey, K., Curtis, A. & Nunan, D. (2001). Pursuing professional development. Heinle & Heinle.
• Borko, H. (2004). Professional development and teacher learning: Mapping the terrain, Educational Researcher, 33(3), 3-15. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X033008003.
• Daloglu, A. (2004). A professional development program from primary school English language teachers in Turkey: designing a materials bank, International Journal of Educational Development, 24, 677-690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2004.04.001.
• Day, C. (1999). Developing teachers: The challenges of lifelong learning. Falmer Press.
• Gebhard, J. G. & Oprandy, R. (1999). Language teaching awareness. Cambridge University Press.
• Gough, B. & James, D. (1990). Planning professional training days. Open University Press.
• Head, K. & Taylor P. (1997). Readings in teacher development. Macmillan.
• Jackson, W. J. (1992). Understanding teacher development. Teachers College Press Columbia University. James, P. (2001). Teachers in action: Tasks for in-service language teacher education and development. Cambridge University Press.
• Korkmazgil, S. (2015). An Investigation into Turkish English language teachers' perceived professional development needs, practices and challenges, Unpublished Ph. D. Dissertation, METU.
• Lange, D. (1990). A blueprint for a teacher development programme. In J. C. Richards and D. Nunan (Eds.) Second language teacher education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 245-268.
• Lieberman, A. (1995). Practices that support teacher development: Transforming conceptions of professional learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 76, 67-78. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ501258
• Neel, M. (2007). How teachers can develop professionally? http://www.musiceducationconsultants.net/pdf/HowTeachersCanDevelopProfessionally.pdf.
• Richards, J. (1990). Towards reflective teaching. The Teacher Trainer. http://www.ttjournal.co.uk.
• Richards, J. & Farrell, T. S. C. (2005). Professional development for language teachers. Cambridge University Press.
• Uştu, H., Mentiş Taş, A. & Sever, B. (2016). Öğretmenlerin mesleki gelişime yönelik algılarına ilişkin nitel bir araştırma. [A qualitative study about the perceptions of teachers on professional development] Electronic Journal of Occupatıonal Improvement and Research, 4(1),15–23. https://doi.org/25.1234/0123456789
• Wallace, J. (1991). Training foreign language teachers. Cambridge University Press.