How to become a professional English teacher?

Summary

In this teacher training video, Steve emphasizes the importance of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for English language teachers. He explores various CPD activities, such as reading articles, attending seminars, and completing courses, to enhance teaching skills. Steve recommends several resources, including websites like TeachingEnglish.org.uk, Cambridge.org, and ELT.oup, and encourages teachers to join associations and engage in peer feedback and reflection to improve their practice.

Takeaways

• 📝 **Professionalism in Teaching**: Teachers are considered professionals as they undergo specific training to meet educational standards set by institutions and countries.
• 📚 **Importance of CPD**: Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is crucial for teachers to enhance their skills and adapt to changes in the field, such as the shift to online teaching due to the pandemic.
• 📞 **Evolution of Teaching**: The teaching landscape is constantly evolving, necessitating the adoption of new skills and methodologies, especially in the context of online education.
• 📝 **CPD Activities**: Engaging in various CPD activities like reading educational blogs, attending seminars, enrolling in courses, and listening to podcasts can significantly contribute to a teacher's professional growth.
• 📞 **Valuable Resources**: Websites like TeachingEnglish.org.uk, Cambridge.org, and ELT.oup offer a plethora of free resources, lesson plans, and courses to aid in teaching English as a foreign language.
• 📝 **International Recognition**: Qualifications such as Cambridge CELTA, Trinity Cert TESOL, Cambridge DELTA, and Trinity Dip TESOL are internationally recognized and demonstrate a teacher's commitment to professional development.
• 📚 **Online CPD Courses**: Providers like IH World, Oxford TEFL, and FutureLearn offer online CPD courses that are practical, assessed, and relevant to teaching contexts.
• 📞 **Local Opportunities**: Local universities and colleges may provide CPD courses for teachers, which can be a valuable resource for professional development.
• 📝 **Networking and Associations**: Joining associations like IATEFL and TESOL Arabia can facilitate networking, resource sharing, and learning from the broader teaching community.
• 📚 **Practical Collaboration**: Collaborating with colleagues, seeking advice from experienced teachers, and incorporating student feedback are practical ways to improve teaching methods and materials.
• 📞 **Reflection and Journaling**: Maintaining a CPD journal to reflect on teaching practices and experiments in the classroom is essential for evaluating effectiveness and guiding future improvements.

Q & A

What is the main focus of this teacher training video?

The main focus of this video is to discuss different ways to help individuals become professional English language teachers.

Why are teachers considered professionals?

Teachers are considered professionals because they work in various contexts, follow courses, and adhere to standards set by institutions and countries they work in.

What does CPD stand for and why is it important?

CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development. It is important for teachers to engage in CPD activities to continue improving their professional skills and adapt to evolving teaching methods.

How has the pandemic affected the teaching profession?

The pandemic has revolutionized the way teachers teach, making online teaching a prominent and essential part of the profession.

What are some examples of CPD activities mentioned in the video?

Examples of CPD activities include reading blogs, attending seminars, courses, listening to podcasts, and discussing with colleagues.

What are some recommended websites for English language teachers to improve their skills?

Recommended websites include teachingenglish.org.uk, cambridge.org, elt.oup, ihworld.com, etprofessional.com, eltlearningjourneys.com, and peachypublications.com.

What types of courses are suggested for English teachers to complete for CPD?

Courses such as Cambridge CELTA, Trinity CertTESOL, Cambridge DELTA, and Trinity DipTESOL are suggested, along with online CPD courses from providers like IH World, Oxford TEFL, and FutureLearn.

Why should teachers join associations like IATEFL or TESOL Arabia?

Joining associations allows teachers to network, make contacts, share resources, and learn from each other, which is beneficial for their professional development.

How can teachers benefit from feedback and peer observations?

Teachers can benefit from feedback and peer observations by gaining insights into their teaching methods, understanding student preferences, and improving their teaching practices.

What is the importance of keeping a CPD journal as suggested in the video?

A CPD journal allows teachers to document their learning, reflect on their experiences, evaluate what worked and what didn't, and plan for future improvements.

What is the role of student feedback in a teacher's CPD?

Student feedback plays a crucial role in CPD by providing direct insight into the effectiveness of teaching methods and materials from the learners' perspective.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Becoming a Professional English Language Teacher

Steve introduces a teacher training video focusing on enhancing professional skills to become better English language teachers. He emphasizes that teachers are professionals who must meet educational standards set by institutions and countries. Steve highlights the importance of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers to adapt to changes like the shift to online teaching during the pandemic. He suggests various CPD activities such as reading blogs, attending seminars, courses, listening to podcasts, and discussing with colleagues. Steve also recommends several websites for resources and professional development, including teachingenglish.org.uk, cambridge.org, elt.oup, ihworld.com, etprofessional.com, eltlearningjourneys.com, and peachypublications.com.

05:00

🌐 Online Resources for English Language Teaching

Steve continues discussing CPD for English teachers, focusing on online resources and courses. He mentions international qualifications like Cambridge CELTA, Trinity Cert TESOL, Cambridge DELTA, and Trinity Dip TESOL as ways to show commitment to professional development. Steve also suggests online CPD courses from providers like IH World, Oxford TEFL, and FutureLearn, which offer practical and assessable courses. He encourages teachers to join associations like IATEFL and TESOL Arabia for networking and sharing resources, and to consider local universities or colleges for CPD courses.

10:02

🤝 Collaborative Development and Reflection

In the final paragraph, Steve talks about the value of collaboration in teacher development. He advises teachers to share ideas and materials with colleagues, seek advice from more experienced teachers, and gather feedback from students. Steve stresses the importance of maintaining a CPD journal to reflect on teaching practices and improve continuously. He concludes the video by encouraging viewers to like and subscribe for more teacher training content.

Keywords

💡Professional

In the context of the video, 'professional' refers to the status and conduct expected of teachers as they work in various educational settings. The term is used to emphasize that teaching is not just a job, but a profession that requires specific training and adherence to standards. The script mentions that teachers are professionals because they have undergone courses and training to meet the standards set by institutions and countries where they work.

💡CPD

CPD stands for 'Continuing Professional Development', a key concept in the video that denotes the ongoing education and training activities professionals engage in to maintain and improve their skills. The script underscores the importance of CPD for teachers to evolve with the changing landscape of teaching, especially with the advent of online teaching due to the pandemic.

💡Online Teaching

The term 'Online Teaching' is highlighted in the script as a significant part of modern teaching practices, especially after the pandemic. It refers to the method of delivering educational content through digital platforms and the internet. The script suggests that online teaching is now a critical skill for teachers, requiring new methodologies and understanding of pedagogical values.

💡Pedagogical Values

Pedagogical values refer to the principles and beliefs that guide teaching practices. In the script, these values are mentioned in the context of teaching online, implying that teachers need to understand and consider different values when transitioning to online platforms to ensure effective learning experiences.

💡British Council

The British Council is mentioned as an organization that runs 'teachingenglish.org.uk', a resource-rich website for English language teachers. The British Council is a well-known institution for promoting British culture and English language learning worldwide, and its website is used as an example of a CPD resource.

💡Cambridge University Press

Cambridge University Press is one of the main ELT (English Language Teaching) publishers highlighted in the script. It offers a variety of free resources for teachers, including lesson materials and articles, and is an example of a publisher that supports CPD through the provision of educational content.

💡Oxford University Press

Similar to Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press (OUP) is another major ELT publisher that provides free resources and a subscription service to teachers. The script mentions a specific article about pragmatics in ELT from OUP, showcasing how such resources can be valuable for CPD.

💡International House

International House (IH) is referred to in the script as another source of CPD through its website 'ihworld.com'. It offers a blog page with information on different areas of English language teaching, indicating its role in providing practical advice and resources for teachers.

💡Celta

Celta stands for 'Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults', which is an internationally recognized qualification for English language teachers. The script mentions Celta as an example of a course teachers can complete to demonstrate their commitment to professional development.

💡Delta

Delta stands for 'Diploma in English Language Teaching', which is a higher-level qualification than Celta and is considered at a master's level. The script suggests that completing a Delta shows a high level of commitment to a teacher's professional development.

💡FutureLearn

FutureLearn is mentioned as a platform that offers a variety of free courses, including a four-week course on teaching online created in partnership with Cambridge and the British Council. The script recommends this platform as a resource for teachers to enhance their skills, particularly in the area of online teaching.

💡Peer Observations

Peer observations are a form of CPD where teachers observe each other's teaching to provide feedback and learn from one another. The script suggests this as a method for teachers to improve their practice by receiving constructive criticism and sharing ideas.

Highlights

Introduction to the video on becoming professional English language teachers.

Teachers are professionals who work in various educational contexts.

The importance of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers.

CPD activities help teachers improve their professional skills.

The impact of the pandemic on teaching methods and the rise of online teaching.

Examples of CPD activities such as reading blogs, attending seminars, and listening to podcasts.

Useful websites for CPD: teachingenglish.org.uk, Cambridge.org, and ELT.oup.

International House's ihworld.com as a resource for English language teaching.

ET Professional as a magazine created by teachers for teachers.

ELT Learning Journeys and PeachyPublications as resources for technology in ELT.

The value of completing courses like Cambridge CELTA or Trinity Cert TESOL.

Cambridge DELTA and Trinity Dip TESOL as higher-level qualifications.

Online CPD courses offered by IH World, Oxford TEFL, and FutureLearn.

The benefits of joining associations like IATEFL and TESOL Arabia.

Simple CPD activities like sharing ideas with colleagues and seeking feedback.

The importance of keeping a CPD journal for reflection and improvement.

Encouragement to subscribe for more teacher training videos.

Transcripts

hi everyone and welcome to another

teacher training video with me

steve in today's video we are going to

be looking at different ways

to help you become professional english

language teachers

if you haven't done so already please

click subscribe at the button below

let's crack on with today's video

[Music]

now some people ask me are teachers

professionals

the simple answer to that question is

yes

we work in a wide variety of contexts

whether it be

state private schools colleges

universities online or even at home when

we're delivering

one-to-one private classes in all of

these contexts

we are teachers and teachers are

professionals

because we've had to follow courses um

in order to deliver classes to set

standards

um set by the institutions we work in

uh all the countries that we work in

so how can teachers improve

their professional skills three letters

to remember cpd

continuing professional development

i cannot stress how important this is

in order to continue improving your

professional skills

cpd relates to the learning activities

that professionals engage in

in order to develop and enhance their

abilities

teaching is constantly evolving

if we take the pandemic it's

revolutionized the way that we teach

online teaching is here to stay and

although online teaching happened before

the pandemic

it is now at the forefront of what we do

and it's enabled

us to survive as a profession

and people have had to learn new skills

in order to

feel comfortable with delivering lessons

online

but also to understand the methodology

behind teaching online what are the

pedagogical

values and that we need to consider when

we're delivering online classes

any type of cpd allows teachers to

become more

conscious and reactive in their cpd

activities

it also allows us to find our strengths

and focus on the areas that we need to

improve

and cpd can include um

a wide range of um of activities whether

it's reading blogs

attending seminars attending a course

listening to podcasts

even talking to our colleagues all of

these are examples

of cpd activities so

what type of activities can you do

as a teacher to help you develop more

i'm going to show you um some example

websites and talk to you a little bit

about them

um it's not a definitive list this is

just

a few ideas um some examples of websites

that i

use on a regular basis so the first

thing you can do

is read articles and blocks

all of these are free and you can do

them in your own time

teachingenglish.org uk is

created and run by the british council

there are thousands and thousands of

ready-made lesson plans articles related

to

different areas of teaching and free

courses that you can access

um even after 16 years of being in the

profession myself

i regularly look at this website and to

look for new ideas or maybe new lesson

materials depending on what age group

i am attending i am teaching

cambridge.org and elt dot oup

are two of the main elt publishers um

cambridge university press and oxford

university press

both of these websites again offer a

wide range of free resources that you

can download

and there's some materials that you can

use in your lessons

um both of these also offer a

subscription service

and you don't have to pay but every

month they send you an email

and covering the events that will be

happening in the month

and also some free resources that you

might like to download whether that be

lesson materials

or articles for you to read just to give

you an example

for oup this month i read a really

fascinating article

about pragmatics in elt and how this can

be beneficial

and for learners in the classroom and

there was also a really cool

um free resource about how to

incorporate

music into um your lessons for different

age groups

ihworld.com international house is

another um website i refer to

there is a blog page here um where they

offer information about different areas

of um english language teaching for

different age groups as well

et professional.com this is um

english language teaching professional

magazine or journal

that is created by teachers for teachers

and every month

there are a wide range of articles um

that offer practical advice

and practical solutions to different

problems that we face in the classroom

um there is a subscription service and

but you can also download some specific

articles

um if you want to elt learning journeys

dot com this is run by pearson

another um eltm publisher

again a fantastic blog um that covers a

wide range of

um areas of english language teaching

and then another favorite of mine

peachypublications.com

nick peachy is the person to go to

um in terms of anything related to

using technology in english language

teaching

on this website um there is

there is access to his blog and there

are other parts of the website

where you can pay for books that he's

written for

training videos etc again a fantastic

resource

and that you can refer to

another example of cpd for english

teachers

is completing courses um

and here i've got some examples

cambridge celta or the trinity cert

tesol are two of the most

internationally recognized

um english language teaching

qualifications um

and then the next one up from that is

the cambridge delta

or the trinity dip tesol and these are

the next level up courses from the celta

and the trinity cert

again internationally recognized um

and they really do show commitment um to

um to your um professional development

and the delta and the trinity dip are at

level seven so they're considered as a

masters level

and they're very practical um in their

approach

um as well niall which is the norwich

institution of language um education

um ihworld and oxford tefl.com all

offer online cpd courses and that you

would have to pay for

examples of courses include how to teach

young learners

how to teach very young learners how to

teach exam classes

teacher development teacher training how

to teach pronunciation

the list goes on i've completed quite a

few of these courses and i have to say i

was very very impressed with them

a lot of people are worried about online

teach teacher training or teacher

development courses

and i really wouldn't worry about them

at all what i really liked

about these three providers is the fact

that

um the courses are very practical and

they are assessed and for some of the

assignments you need to take the

information from the course

and apply it into your own teaching

context and evaluate it

so it's making it very very relevant for

your teaching context

futurelearn.com also offers um a wide

variety of

free courses um when everything went

online

in march last year um cambridge and

cambridge english and british council

created

a four-week course about how to teach

online

i completed it myself even after years

of

teaching online and it was it's a

fantastic course

it's very practical there are lots of

information and resources that you can

download to apply to your own

context so i really would recommend you

going on to future learn

and seeing what free courses are

available

another thing you can do is check out

your local universities or colleges to

see if they offer any

cpd courses specifically for teaching

another activity you could do is to join

associations

um one of the most widely known is

called

aya tefl the international association

of teachers of english as a foreign

language um

this this association holds online and

face-to-face events

each year where they bring in people

from all over the world

to deliver presentations or to talk

about

an area of research that they have been

working on so as to share it with

the wider elt community um

there are other associations that exist

in

countries or in regions and just to give

you an example

tesol arabia which focuses on the

countries in the gulf

and the middle east i would highly

recommend that you check to see if there

are any

tesol associations in the country that

you're based

or in the region that you're based this

is a great way for you to

network make contacts and also to share

resources and learn from each other

the idea of pulling everyone's resources

and ideas together is a fantastic way

for you to develop

as a teacher and finally some very

simple activities that you can do

and share ideas with your colleagues or

try out different ideas with colleagues

and colleagues are people you work with

on a daily basis

and they're always there for you to

bounce ideas off and to share materials

and this is a great way for you to

develop as a teacher

ask advice from more senior colleagues

or more experienced colleagues

and try to get feedback from your

students

and also from your more experienced

colleagues maybe through peer

observations

student feedback is really really useful

because at the end of the day

you are there to help them improve their

level of english

and if they really like an activity or

resource that you've used

then you can continue using that if they

don't like a specific activity that you

do then you no longer have to use it

also try to keep a cpd journal of the

things that you're doing

so for example maybe one week you might

have read

um an article about teaching

pronunciation

um write down some of the ideas that you

learned from that

you put them to use in the classroom and

then reflect

on how it went did it go well

if did it go badly if it did

why and how can you change it reflection

is really really important in terms

of your continuing professional

development

and because it allows you to evaluate

what went well what didn't go well and

more importantly

what you can do in order to improve

what didn't go well i hope um

some of the information i've given you

has been useful if you liked the video

click the like button below

and if you haven't done so already click

the subscribe button below

as well thanks for watching and i'll see

you soon

for another teacher training video with

me steve