TTEdSIG: Mentoring for Teacher Educators

Join IATEFL Teacher Training and Education Special Interest Group (TTEdSIG) and speakers; Daniel Xerri, Thom Jones, Christine Coombe and Simon Phipps, for this online event

This series of online presentations addresses mentoring in in-service and pre-service teacher training and education. The event will feature prominent educators who have extensive experience in this field. There will be opportunities for participants to ask questions and interact with each other and the speakers. 

Mentoring Teacher Educators to Facilitate Teacher Research Engagement by Daniel Xerri
Research engagement is considered a means by which language teachers can develop professionally and achieve change in the classroom. Despite its value, some teachers might avoid research because of certain entrenched misconceptions about what this activity involves. This talk  examines ways of mentoring teacher educators to help language teachers reconceptualise research and position themselves as research engaged professionals.

Dr Daniel Xerri is Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics and TESOL at the University of Malta. He is the author of many publications and has co-edited several books, including Becoming Research Literate: Supporting Teacher Research in English Language Teaching (2018, ETAS), ELT Research in Action: Bringing Together Two Communities of Practice (2020, IATEFL), English for 21st Century Skills (2020, Express Publishing) and Innovative Practices in Early English Language Education (2022, Palgrave Macmillan).

Mentoring not model: Useful help not expert intimidation by Thom Jones
“Teaching: it’s not for everyone” and this is often a missing element of mentoring. We tend to focus on the positive. Everyone has a very clear idea of what being a teacher is or should be. They are often wrong! When a new trainee says to me, brimming with effervescent enthusiasm, that: “I want to be a teacher because I LOVE children” I always think, in the dark recesses of my cyclical carbuncle of a heart: “THAT will change!”.

So we’ll look at passing on the unpalatable parts of teaching, how to deal with negativity, motivating the unmotivated and how to let teachers know it’s okay to have a bad day, that no class is THAT class and how to make confrontation slide off the armour of nonchalance or be the sword of clear communication to deflate the looming balloon of disruptive behaviour. And how to avoid excessive use of evocative metaphors.

There will be practical hacks and reflection on how to pass this info on to mentees and how we can set ourselves up as an ear rather than an oracle. The world of education is changing rapidly, so giving answers that worked for us or being ‘Ninja level excellent teacher’ can often intimidate rather than support, so let’s look at being supportive, even for the bad news…

There will be questions. Bring your own answers.

Suggested watch/reading list (you don’t have to go through all of this, but give it a punt, humour me!):

https://twinklsecondary.blog/effective-classroom-management-ways-to-take... https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-24260-z

https://www.teachers-corner.co.uk

This one is not, actually, relevant, but it is a belter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApUAjlVqdKY

Thom Jones has lived in more than a dozen countries and delivered training in over 70. Having been a truly useless student (and proving it frequently by failing all the exams he was set) he started his professional life as a waiter before going into teaching, then management, before going freelance. Formerly part of the senior executive at Embassy CES before becoming Director of Operations USA for Studygroup he returned to the UK to work with Trinity College London and now works with a range of organisations on a wide variety of projects. He runs an international summer programme in Cambridge each summer. He presents regularly around the world on a range of topics and is a guest lecturer at four universities. He is also a freelance trainer in business and management. Ten years ago he cycled from the UK to Turkey, travelling through 11 countries. He is Ambassador of Buzz for Express publishing.

He is rubbish at maths. His mother thinks he is great.

Mentoring:  An Essential Component of Leadership Development by Dr Christine Coombe
Mentoring has been traditionally defined as “a deliberate pairing of a more experienced person with a less experienced one, with the agreed-upon goal of having the less experienced person grow and develop specific competencies” (Murray, 1191, p. xiv as cited in Kahmi-Stein & de Oliveira, 2010).  Such a view of mentoring assumes that mentors, much like classroom teachers, have little to gain from the mentor-mentee relationship.  In this session, the presenter will propose an alternative view of mentoring, one where both the mentor and mentee take and create learning opportunities to grow personally and professionally.  We will then engage in some activities that will enable us to have successful and productive mentor-mentee relationships.

Christine Coombe has a Ph.D in Foreign/Second Language Education from The Ohio State University and is an Associate Professor of General Studies at Dubai Men's College, Higher Colleges of Technology in the UAE.  Christine has co-authored/edited 57 volumes on assessment/testing, research, teacher effectiveness, leadership and task-based teaching and learning.

Dr Coombe served as TESOL International Association President (2011-2012) and as a member of the Board of Directors (2005-2007; 2010-2013).  Christine received the British Council’s International Assessment Award for 2013.  Her most recent honors were being named to TESOL’s 50@50 which “recognizes professionals who have made significant contributions to the TESOL profession within the past 50 years.” In 2018 she received the Alatis Award for exemplary service to TESOL. Most recently she was named to the US Department of State’s 30@30 list which recognizes the top 30 English Language Specialists over the past 30 years.

Mentoring as a Way to Help New Teacher Trainers: Issues and challenges by Dr Simon Phipps
Teacher trainers (or educators or CPD Unit members) are rarely given systematic training or guidance in how best to foster teacher learning, and are instead often thrust into a new role and left to find their own way. This talk aims to discuss outline key issues and challenges, as well as to provide suggestions as to how effective trainer mentoring can help smooth the transition from teacher to trainer.

The first part will focus on the core Trainer skills required to effectively help teachers to improve and develop. The second part considers the challenges of transitioning from teacher to trainer. The third part discusses the benefits of trainer mentoring, especially for new trainers during their first year in a new role. The final part proposes practical suggestions for how novice trainers can develop a reflective approach to analysing, evaluating and improving their own training skills.

Dr. Simon Phipps is Director of ATI (Anatolia Training Institute) in Ankara, which provides teacher training and educational consultancy. He has been Principal Examiner for Delta Module 3 since 2008 and an External Examiner for Delta Module since 1997.

He previously worked as Deputy Director of Bilkent University School of English Language in Ankara for 20 years, where he was responsible for in-service teacher training and development. He designed and directed an in-house MA programme (Management in Education in ELT), and taught MA courses on linguistics, lexis and educational management. He has worked in ELT in the UK, Germany and Turkey since 1984, and has been involved in teacher education since 1989. He has a PhD in Education, from the University of Leeds, UK, with a focus on teacher beliefs. His current professional interests include teacher cognition, teacher learning, teacher education research, and educational management.

Please note that online booking closes on 16 November 2022 at 17.00 UK time. 

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