Hornby Scholars, IATEFL 2010

“ELT in Transition:Teachers’ voices from around the

world”

‘ELT in Transition: Teachers’ voices from around the world’

Group 1: ‘Teacher Empowerment’Group 2: ‘Teacher Resources’

Group 1: Teacher Empowerment

Perspectives from:Argentina

BangladeshBrazil

CameroonIndia

MalawiMexicoNigeria

Teacher Empowerment

Who is an Empowered Teacher?

Motivated

Agent of change

Knowledgeable

Confident

Professional

Constantly improving

Barriers to Empowerment (a)

1. Lack of motivation Drawn to profession by non-vocational reasons:

- source of employment- external pressure - prestige of English

2. Low self-esteem and frustration

‘Teaching is a last resort for those who can't be doctors, engineers, magistrates, pilots and what have you...’

(Teacher in Cameroon)

(Teacher trainee in Argentina)

Barriers to Empowerment (b)

3. Excessive demand vs. inadequate supply

‘Only 3375 out of 10258 teachers in Malawi

have formal qualifications’ (Source: Ministry of Education Science & Technology -

Malawi )

‘Anyone can teach English!’

Barriers to Empowerment (c)

4. The theory vs. practice dichotomy

Theory vs Classroom reality

Barriers to Empowerment (d)

5. Limited Professional Development opportunities +Poor and unfair working conditions

+ No support with New Technologies

= Fossilization

Professional Teachers’ Associations

- Setting and Assessment of Professional Benchmarks

- Avenues for Continuous Professional Development

- Producers of Teaching Materials

- Creators of Enriching Networks

- Effective Peer Review Mechanism

TAs

Teachers’ Associations

MY Braztesol timeline

‘A friendly environment encouraging you to overcome your insecurity’

BENEFITS

. Attending lectures with widely known ELT professionals

. Exchanging valuable information with other teachers

. Article ( Braztesol magazine)

. Scholarships ( U.S.A. & UK)

2000 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 SHARING

1994 1997 1998 2000 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 PARTICIPANT

MY ‘Camelta’ story

Inspiration from Camelta • Seminars • Role models

My contribution to Camelta • Setting up divisional

branches • In charge of workshops

The Empowered Teacher...

• Is effective and efficient• Grows in the profession• Makes positive impact on society• Provides quality service

‘ELT in Transition: Teacher Empowerment’

Thank you for listening