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The focus on English by governments in East Asia and many other parts of the world is having a significant impact all aspects of English language teaching and learning. The mastery of English by individuals and increasingly whole populations is linked to improved employment prospects, access to information and research, global mobility and economic growth. This has had a significant impact on all aspects of English language education particularly curriculum reform, teacher training and more recently, on assessment practices.
As policies change and Ministries of Education re-focus their agendas, similarities in priorities across the region become apparent. One of these is the professional development of teachers and this is evident in the drive to raise the profile of the profession and the professionals within it. Amongst other things this means providing opportunities for continuous professional development.
In order to achieve this, Ministries and institutions are investing in developing or subscribing to Teacher Competency Frameworks or Teacher Standards as they are sometimes called. Whether they are used as a description of good practice or as a guide for professional development, increasingly education bodies are looking to such frameworks to support the improvement of the quality and capacity of English language teaching profession.
The planning, preparation and the implementation of such a change is ambitious and if done well, can reap enormous rewards in the form of improved classroom teaching and increased professionalism. However, change such as this often brings with it questions and concerns.
For example:
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What does a good, useful Teacher Competency Frameworks look like? |
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How can we encourage teachers to invest time in continuous development? |
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When can we reap the rewards of an investment such as this? |
To provide a forum to discuss questions such as these, British Council East Asia would like to announce a regional symposium on Teacher Competency Frameworks: Developing Excellence in Teaching
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Teacher Competency Frameworks – what, why and how? |
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Teacher Competency Frameworks as a guide for professional development |
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Continuous Professional Development – processes and possibilities |
The objectives of the symposium are as follows:
1. Knowledge sharing
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To share knowledge about different types of Frameworks and Standards for English teachers in the region and elsewhere at primary, secondary and tertiary level |
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To share practice and experiences to date of Competency Frameworks for English teachers from the region and elsewhere |
2. Debate and discussion
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To create a forum for strategic and policy dialogue to increase understanding of; |
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the benefits and risks of various systems of professional development |
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the challenges surrounding the effective planning and implementation of Teacher Competency Framework |
3. Collaboration
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To create opportunities for networking and the exchange of ideas |
For more information, please contact Rowena Lim and to register please complete the registration form.
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