Teachers as presenters at continuing professional development seminars in the English-as-a-foreign language context : 'I find it more convincing'

• Published in: The Australian journal of teacher education Vol. 36; no. 2; pp. 30 - 42
• Main Author: Lee, Icy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Edith Cowan University 01.03.2011
• Subjects: Continuing education; Educational policy; Elementary School Teachers; English (Second language); English teacher education; English teachers; English teaching; Faculty Development; Foreign Countries; Hong Kong; Inservice teacher education; Interviews; Knowledge creation; Knowledge management; Knowledge sharing; Language Teachers; Learning experience; Learning processes; Professional Continuing Education; Professional development; Professionalism; Questionnaires; Secondary School Teachers; Seminars; Subject coordinators; Teacher attitudes; Teacher Collaboration; Teacher educators; Teacher Improvement; Teacher Participation; Teaching methods; Hong Kong
• ISSN: 0313-5373; 1835-517X; 1835-517X
• DOI: 10.14221/ajte.2011v36n2.3

With a growing awareness of the limitations of a transmissive mode of education and a one-size-fits-all approach to teacher education, teachers' active involvement is increasingly recognised as a crucial component of their continuous professional development (CPD). In many EFL (English as a foreign language) contexts, however, CPD is still largely built on the premise of knowledge transmission and knowledge consumption. The present study seeks to explore how EFL teachers can be made to play a more active role by participating as presenters at CPD seminars, as well as the ways in which such a mode of CPD can promote teacher learning. Using questionnaire and email interview data from 166 seminar participants and four teacher presenters respectively, the study shows that opportunities for teachers' knowledge sharing and production at CPD seminars can enrich teacher learning. The paper concludes that a more robust form of teachers' CPD should see teachers play a much more active role than what is usually allowed in CPD activities that are dominated by the traditional training paradigm built on knowledge consumption. [Author abstract]