ELT teacher training at a
crossroads: Where now?
Judie Hudson (University of Hawai’i)
Gabriel Díaz Maggioli (Universidad ORT Uruguay)
Jason Anderson (University of Warwick)
Ben Beaumont (Trinity College London)
Tuesday 16th April 2024 - 14:05-15:20 - Auditorium 1 - Brighton Centre
Panel Team
● Ben Beaumont: Head of English Language Teacher Strategy
and Publishing at Trinity College, London.
● Gabriel Diaz Maggioli: Academic Advisor to the Institute of
Education at Universidad ORT Uruguay.
● Judie Hudson: CELTA Tutor and Assessor and works as a
consultant at the University of Hawai’i, USA.
● Jason Anderson [chair]: Teacher educator, author and
researcher at the University of Warwick.
Structure of the panel discussion
1. Initial contextualisation: What we mean by ‘ELT teacher training’
2. We will present three areas for discussion.
3. The panel will discuss these areas.
4. Questions and comments from the floor on any of the three
discussion points - directed to individuals or the whole group.
5. If time, two further discussion points will be addressed.
6. Closing and thanks.
ELT teacher ‘training’
● ELT (or TESOL) includes EFL, ESL, CLIL and related contexts (ESP, EAP etc.).
● By ‘training’ here we broadly follow Freeman’s distinction (1989):
○ Teacher education is the superordinate.
○ “Training is a strategy for direct intervention by the collaborator, to work on specific aspects
of the teacher’s teaching” (p. 39) - including much of what is typically called ‘initial/pre-
service’ education.
○ “Development is a strategy of influence and indirect intervention that works on complex,
integrated aspects of teaching; these aspects are idiosyncratic and individual.” (p. 40) -
including much of what is typically called ‘in-service’ continuing professional development
(CPD).
● But we also reserve the right (for us and you) to critique/deconstruct the distinction.
● Important to acknowledge both nationally-specific pre-service programmes (the majority of training) and
‘international’ certification (e.g., CELTA, CertTESOL).
Freeman, D. (1989). Teacher training, development and decision-making: A model of teaching and related strategies for language
teacher education. TESOL Quarterly, 23(1), 27-45.
Core discussion questions
1. To what extent is current ‘initial’ ELT teacher training (international and
national programmes) relevant to the needs of (future) teachers and their
learners?
2. What does research tell us about teacher learning and what trends are
emerging in different programmes, courses and curricula for teacher
education?
3. What are the potential future directions for teacher education (e.g., onsite,
online, hybrid and flipped courses)?
To what extent is current
‘initial’ ELT teacher training
(international and national
programmes) relevant to the
needs of (future) teachers
and their learners?
Relevant Teacher Education Programs…
• address contextual factors (linguistic, cultural, • promote cultural competence (diverse perspectives,
educational, socioeconomic, technological, DIEA, voices and cultural content in the curriculum,
community and family, environmental, ethical, intercultural communication skills, cross-cultural
labor, global). collaboration).
• provide a comprehensive understanding of language • offer practical experiences (early professional
teaching principles and methodologies (theoretical experiences, scaffolded observation,
and historical foundations, practical experience, microteaching, simulated classroom activities,
reflective practice, technology integration, technology integration, service-learning,
collaborative learning, ongoing, proactive reflective practice and feedback).
feedback and assessment).
• engage teaching candidates in ongoing professional
• support language proficiency development (courses development (peer mentoring, coaching, PLCs,
on language, immersion opportunities, language workshops, seminars, courses, books, journals,
practice groups, authentic materials and tasks, professional magazines, conferences,
technology integration, reflection and goal setting). professional development plans, reflective
practice and feedback).
Theory Practice
What does research tell us
about teacher learning and
what trends are emerging in
different programmes, courses,
and curricula for teacher
education?
Research on teacher learning / recent trends
• Pre-service teacher education (national): Broad shift from ‘front loading’
towards greater integration of theory and practice (Darling-Hammond &
Lieberman, 2012; Darling-Hammond, 2017; Jenset et al., 2018).
• Language teacher education: Increased interest in aspects of sociocultural
theory (SCT), incl. situated learning (e.g., Freeman, 2016) and Vygotskian
SCT (Diaz-Maggioli, 2023; Johnson & Golombek, 2020).
• Pre-service teacher education (alternative route): CELTA/CertTESOL
cohorts including more experienced teachers esp. for career progression;
some evidence of impact on practice (Anderson, 2020).
Anderson, J. (2020). ‘Buying in’ to communicative language teaching: the impact of ‘initial’ certification courses on the classroom practices of
experienced teachers of English. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 14(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2018.1471082
Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). Teacher education around the world: What can we learn from international practice? European Journal of Teacher
Education, 40(3), 291-309. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2017.1315399
Darling-Hammond, L., & Lieberman, A. (2012). Teacher education around the world: Changing policies and practices. Routledge.
Diaz-Maggioli, G. (2023). Initial language teacher education. Routledge.
Freeman, D. (2016). Educating second language teachers. Oxford University Press.
Jenset, I. S., Klette, K., & Hammerness, K. (2018). Grounding teacher education in practice around the world: An examination of teacher education
coursework in teacher education programs in Finland, Norway, and the United States. Journal of teacher education, 69(2), 184-197.
Johnson, K. E., & Golombek, P. R. (2020). Informing and transforming language teacher education pedagogy. Language Teaching Research, 24(1), 116-127.
Research on Teacher Learning
• Continuum of Professional Development: Research suggests • Differentiated Professional Development: Teachers
that teacher learning is a continuous process that occurs have diverse learning needs and preferences, and
throughout a teacher's career. It acknowledges the research highlights the importance of providing
Apprenticeship of Observation and its influence in differentiated professional development
teacher learning. opportunities
• Contextualized Learning: Effective teacher learning is • Integration of Technology: Technology is increasingly
situated within the context of teachers' own classrooms being integrated into teacher education programs
and schools. to enhance learning experiences and prepare
teachers to effectively integrate technology into
• Collaborative Learning Communities: Collaborative their teaching practice.
learning communities, such as professional learning
communities (PLCs) and communities of practice, have • Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Research
been found to be effective in promoting teacher emphasizes the need for teacher education
learning. programs to prepare teachers to work effectively
with diverse student populations
• Mediated Learning Experience: If learning is the process
by which we gain participation in communities of • Evidence-Based Practice: Teachers are encouraged to
practice, then this participation needs to be mediated by critically evaluate the effectiveness of different
old timers and newcomers in interaction. teaching strategies and to incorporate research
findings into their teaching practice.
• Reflective Practice: Reflective practice is a cornerstone of
effective teacher learning as it promotes awareness
raising and noticing.
What are the potential
future directions for
teacher education (e.g.,
onsite, online, hybrid and
flipped courses)?
Gap = Mirage
“the notion of a theory-practice gap is a myth, because what is actually being
invoked is a difference between what we might call ‘academic theory’ and
‘practitioner theory’, and that is a very different type of gap.”
(Anderson, 2023, p. 2)
“What is often perceived as a gap between the application of theory and
practice itself is actually a gap between different theories: those of academics
and those of teachers.”
(Zilli, 2024)
Anderson, J. (2023). The myth of a theory-practice gap in education. ELT Research: IATEFL Research SIG Newsletter, 38, 1-7.
Zilli (2024). Unpublished dissertation.
ORTHODOXY THEORY PHRONESIS ITE PEDAGOGY PRACTICE PRAXIS ORTHOPRAXY
Public Personal
theory theory
Operation Operation
Mediated Practicing
ORTHODOXY of theory and ORTHOPRAXY
theorizing practice Action
Action
Activity Activity
E ngage
Notice
A ccess
B ridge
L aunch
E xtend
Diaz-Maggioli, G. (2023). Initial language teacher education. Routledge.
Gabriel Díaz Maggioli –
[email protected] Audience contributions: Comments and questions
Please indicate (briefly) your own ID and The core discussion questions:
context: 1. To what extent is ‘initial’ ELT teacher
1. Name / affiliation training (international and national
2. National context(s) programmes) relevant to the needs of
3. Primary role(s) (future) teachers and their learners?
2. What does research tell us about teacher
Panellist names: learning and what trends are emerging in
(in case you want to ask a specific person) different programmes, courses and curricula
Gabriel (Diaz Maggioli) for teacher education?
Judie (Hudson) 3. What are the potential future directions for
Ben (Beaumont) teacher education (e.g., onsite, online,
Jason (Anderson) hybrid and flipped courses)?
Thanks and closing
Panellist contact details:
Judie Hudson:
[email protected] Gabriel Diaz Maggioli:
[email protected] Slides here Ben Beaumont:
[email protected] Jason Anderson:
[email protected] Extra discussion points (if time)
4. What is the relationship between national pre-service programmes and
International ELT programmes (e.g. CELTA, CertTESOL).
5. To what extent do current training curricula/programmes provide teachers
with the autonomy and resilience necessary for professional life?
