Professional development is very important in educators’ personal and professional life. We have all seen teachers, who passionately attend preservice courses but are left unsupported afterwards. These teachers are not ready enough to face all the difficulties during their teaching career and, therefore, give up. Teacher burnout, a widespread phenomenon among all teachers, is rooted in this process.
As the name of professional development suggests, it is a continuous practice that never ends; if it does, the teachers become demotivated, disappointed, dismantled, and unwanted. To avoid this, continuous professional development is a must. There is a lot we can do to keep abreast of recent developments in ELT and be successful
- Always Be a Learner
Being in someone else’s shoes is one of the most practical ways of empathizing with students. So, taking up a new hobby, such as a new language, musical instrument, or sport can engage ourselves with the learning environment. This can help us, as teachers, to see the world from a learner’s lens and remind us of the challenges our learners go through.
- Be Positive and Surround Yourself with Positive People
In all professions, one of the reasons for disappointment, lack of progress, and burnout is being surrounded by negative people; teaching is no exception. We have all seen people who see the glass as half empty and are a source of discouragement. Avoid these people because they do not let you flourish, and also remember not to be a source of discouragement for anyone else.
Foord (2009), in condemnation of the negative teachers who incessantly complain about their institutions, classes, and relationships, calls the teacher’s room the community of mourners. Although I do not agree with the name, collaborative nagging can only produce negative attitudes; I’m fond of the saying: A negative attitude is like a flat tire; you can’t get anywhere unless you change it.
- Attend ELT Events
ELT events, such as conferences, symposiums, and courses, are not only events that start and end on specific dates; they can mean the beginning of projects, research, innovations, and inventions. We meet new peers, get ideas for research, find solutions to our overwhelming problems, and share concerns and difficulties.
These events are places for finding people who have a lot in common. They are places where new ideas trigger, new friendships begin, and new horizons open. As long as the pandemic lasts, a lot of these events are online, and people can attend them from the comfort of their homes. Although being at an event and meeting people face-to-face is a far more enjoyable activity, online events provide an opportunity for teachers from under resourced schools to benefit from such gatherings.
- Observe and Be Observed
What we can learn from observing a colleague is indisputable. Because teaching is a performance-based skill, seeing others in action can give us many ideas to use in our own practice, or it can spark new ideas. In addition, being observed can make us see our own practice from another person’s eyes, and it can lead to invaluable reflection. We can see our blind self: the part of our identity, personality, or behavior that is unknown to us but known to others. Being observed can help us open our eyes to problems we cannot recognize but others can.
- Reflect on What You Do
Based on Schön’s (1987) ideas on reflection, there are three types of reflection:
- Reflection-for-action: Thinking about an event like classroom teaching beforehand. For example, writing a lesson plan can be considered as this type of reflection.
- Reflection-in-action: This type of reflection covers all the instant, intuitive thinking a teacher does in a classroom during teaching. As teachers who deal with unpredictable creatures (human beings), this type of quick decision-making in the heat of a moment is a necessary skill for us.
- Reflection-on-action: The most well-known type of reflection, is the one that happens after an event like classroom teaching when a teacher considers what has happened.
All three types of reflection can help teachers develop professionally and become critical individuals who do not just accept ideas but critically reflect upon them. To be able to be a reflective teacher, we first need to gather data such as questionnaires, interviews, action research, and the like.
- Read, Read, and Write
I have two reads and one write in this tip to emphasize that you should read twice what you write. Bear in mind that reading (without writing) can keep you at the level of a recipient of the knowledge. To get to the next level of professional development, you should enter the world of producing knowledge and not just consuming it. Write teaching diaries, personal blogs, magazine articles, and anything else that can help you think critically about your teaching issues. Share them with others, have them reviewed, receive feedback, apply the feedback, and create a network of people who care about your writing.
Conclusion
Professional development is not easy and sometimes can even be painful; however, it is the only way to thrive and flourish and continue the professional development journey.
