Professional development in language teaching: Why does it look different to other subjects?
Written by: Elías Valdueza García
5 min read
ELÍAS VALDUEZA GARCÍA, DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGES, HARROW INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL HONG KONG, HONG KONG SAR
Effective professional development (PD) plays a key role in developing teachers’ expertise, which is pivotal in improving the outcomes of our students (Sims et al., 2021). With this mantra in mind, I approach whole-school pedagogical PD events with optimism. While the ideas presented appear sound in theory, I experience a sense of unease, as I find it challenging to apply some of these concepts effectively within my context as a language teacher. It feels like I’m trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. But why? This article examines how languages fundamentally differ from other subjects and explores how these differences should shape language-specific PD.
The distinctive nature of language teaching
Integration of content and medium
Arguably, effective language teaching involves using the target language. ‘The content and the process for learning the content are the s
Join us or sign in now to view the rest of this page
You're viewing this site as a guest, which only allows you to view a limited amount of content.
To view this page and get access to all our resources, join the Chartered College of Teaching (it's free for trainee teachers and half price for ECTs) or log in if you're already a member.
- Borg S (2006) The distinctive characteristics of foreign language teachers. Language Teaching Research 10(3): 6–28.
- Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) (2021) Effective professional development: Guidance report. Available at: https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/eef-guidance-reports/effective-professional-development/EEF-Effective-Professional-Development-Guidance-Report.pdf?v=1725802534 (accessed 3 September 2024).
- Johnson K (2005) Expertise in Second Language Learning and Teaching. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Johnson K (2017) An Introduction to Foreign Language Learning and Teaching, 3rd ed. Abingdon: Routledge.
- Macaro E (2003) Second language teachers as second language classroom researchers. Language Learning Journal 27: 43–51.
- Müller LM and Cook V (2024) Revisiting the notion of teacher professionalism: A working paper. Chartered College of Teaching. Available at: https://chartered.college/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Professionalism-report_2-May.pdf (accessed 28 November 2024).
- Sims S, Fletcher-Wood H, O’Mara-Eves A et al. (2021) What are the characteristics of teacher professional development that increase pupil achievement? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Education Endowment Foundation. Available at: https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/documents/pages/Teacher-professional-development.pdf?v=1731915672 (accessed 28 November 2024).
- Smith S and Conti G (2021) Memory: What Every Language Teacher Should Know. Independently published.
- Visible Learning (2018) Collective teacher efficacy (CTE) according to John Hattie. Available at: https://visible-learning.org/2018/03/collective-teacher-efficacy-hattie (accessed 24 November 2024).
Subscribe
Please login to comment
0 Comments
Oldest
