(Статья подготовлена заместителем академического директора Language Link Rahimi Mostafa)
Have you ever thought about the significant changes CPD (continuing professional development) can bring about in your career? Were all these changes positive?
I have always been disheartened to see how some teachers are happy to go on much as they always have done, doing a reasonable job but not developing to any great extent, whereas others strive to push their boundaries and actively create challenges for themselves by taking part in Cambridge exams such as CAE, CPE, as well as teacher training courses like CELTA, DELTA, or TESOL.
In the ever-changing world of work, if you want to be successful, you need to be agile and respond swiftly to challenges. Through the increased knowledge created by CPD, you can become a major asset in your workplace, make active cooperation and increase the chance of career progression, where you can lead, manage, and mentor others. Furthermore, at some point in your life, you may realize that you have got stuck in a rut and you are not confident enough about your skills and qualifications. You may even consider teaching as a dead-end job. That is the time you should reflect on your strengths and weaknesses, find out about where you are now and what your professional assets are. By taking part in teacher training courses, you can boost your confidence, open doors to excellent future opportunities and make a far-reaching change in the way you work. Once teachers complete a course, they are more likely to find their favorable positions as a headteacher or supervisor. When this occurs, a well-qualified teacher will enjoy the benefits of a pay rise.
Another distinct advantage of CPD is its profound effect on students learning outcomes. Further training can allow teachers to build on their interaction skills and learn strategies for helping students to attain their goals. Whether you are an elementary school teacher or university lecturer, regularly updating your knowledge can help you and your students remain competent. In other words, through investing in your CPD, you can make sure the service you offer to your students and their families is good enough and your students can meet with success. I would also like to highlight the fact that learning new skills and using them in the classroom can lead to a more motivating and effective teaching environment.
What I am trying to say is that it is useful to think of CPD as an investment. An investment by you in your career and an investment in your development as a professional by your employer. Without a shadow of a doubt, every employer likes to take on an employee who keeps themselves up to date, knows about the latest changes in the educational system and, on top of all, knows how to cope with them.
On the other hand, some teachers might find it difficult to strike a balance between family life and work. They claim that they should spend a considerable amount of time burning the midnight oil to prepare for exams and do various courses. Consequently, this may disrupt their routine. I also hear once in a while that teachers complain about the number of hours they have to teach every day, preparing materials for their classes and homework they should mark, thus not having sufficient time for CPD.
My professional experience convinced me though that CPD is not about the number of hours you clock up, but about investing in yourself and managing your growth. CPD does not have to mean formal training. It does not have to be a six-month, one-year course. This idea is reinforced by the fact that one of the core principles of successful teacher professional development is a balance of top-down and bottom-up approaches. This implies that along with the initiative undertaken by an institution there can be and actually are supposed to be steps directed and guided by an individual teacher. The teacher decides on the route they want to take and to what extent they are ready to hold themselves accountable for their personal development.
Following the ideas of J.C. Richards, I would like to highlight some strategies for the bottom-up development:
Noteworthy, for the strategies above, it will be you who will arrange the professional development opportunity and will have complete control of the process. The term “personal development” I used earlier was not accidental, as when a teacher personalizes their professional needs, much more success seems to result.
Have you already noted down some practical ideas to personalize the strategies above for your own contexts and goals? Do you still find it difficult to take action?
As an educator who sets on the way of personal CPD, try to reflect upon the following questions. The answers can lead to the identification of your specific needs:
To sum up, it seems advisable to say that every teacher ought to spend some time achieving a higher level of competence. Whatever path you choose today, to allow professional development to proceed successfully, it has to be a continuous process, not just a temporary feeling. But more importantly, it can and should make you feel inspired and ready to give your best to students and their families.