has its own approach to language teaching and learning in their schools. In some locations, instructional choices are more centralized, with a ministry of education who makes curriculum, textbook, and assessment decisions. In these settings, the ministry communicates these decisions to schools and teachers. Depending on the setting, teachers may have opportunities for choice among recommended options. In other settings, teachers have no choice regarding what, how, or with what to teach and assess. In other locations, instructional choices are decentralized, so that regional and local educational institutions can make instructional decisions on curricula, texts, and assessments that work with the learners in their setting.
It is important to learn as much as possible about the work environment beforehand, in order to predict how much flexibility will be allowed in instruction and assessment. It is also important to know how the education system is designed, in order to access the proper resources and guidelines on instruction and assessment. In China or Qatar, for example, it is necessary to follow the ministry of education policies, procedures, and resources. Teachers can go to the ministry for instructional resources, guidelines, and professional development. In the United States, educators can go to state departments of education for this sort of professional information and assistance.
A general education organization
The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD, www.ascd.org)—ASCD is an organization that offers professional development resources for general education, but it has also produced some influential resources for teaching ELLs. It has an annual conference, many books and articles, and online professional development opportunities. For example, it offers texts on collaborating with ELLs’ Latinx families, working with multicultural and ELL newcomers, and research-based instruction of ELLs.
Professional Development Plan
Teacher candidates may have their first experiences with engaging in professional development during their teacher preparation program. At the end of their program, they are encouraged or required to write a professional development plan. These plans may be formal or informal in nature.
The rationale for developing a professional development plan is that the teacher establishes goals for their continued learning, so they grow in areas of interest and need. These plans are born from the belief that we all are lifelong learners and need to engage in the enhancement of our knowledge and skills over time.
Professional development plans may include engagement in a professional organization, reading a book on a particular topic, participating in workshops or webinars, or conducting research. The organization of a professional development plan is essentially a linear plan of topics to explore, a timeframe for the activity, and a source for the learning (e.g., reading a book, attending a webinar). A good professional development plan is realistic and meaningful to the individual writing it. They should not be considered busy work or an exercise that just needs to be completed or they do not have any lasting value.
Questions for reflection
Think of the areas you wish to learn more about as you read this book. Which areas would you like to explore further? How will you explore the topic? What will your source(s) of information be? When do you hope to do this? We recommend that you keep track of these thoughts and rough out a plan for yourself to guide your continued professional learning. In particular, ask yourself:
Which professional organization is the most appealing to you? What does it offer that appeals to you?
How might you become involved in a professional organization at this stage in your career?
What would be the pros and cons of professional engagement at this point in your career?
Volunteerism and Service Mindset
One of the easiest ways to develop professionally is to volunteer with a professional organization. It may seem counterintuitive that you will learn as you contribute your perspectives and understandings to the field, but it in fact works. In this vignette, notice how the writer started with minor, achievable volunteer roles that slowly develop into noteworthy and important opportunities.Kenan was a volunteer in IATEFL in member, international conference organizer, and coordinator capacities, particularly in research SIGs. Engagement helped Kenan hone and practice his acculturation into the field of teaching and teacher education as well as developing further intercultural communication skills. Learning opportunities also went beyond this since he was involved in many joint authorships for short articles, journal publications, and book editing, which offered not only instrumental benefits to create output, but also professional development by nurturing his educator and researcher identity. He also expanded his professional network in which he felt connected to the leading names in TESOL and engaged in discussions and projects in different capacities. He highlighted the enriching and empowering elements that he enjoyed during that time and the lingering effect of this affiliation on his ability to contribute to the micro- and macro-level developments in the field. He also initiated a number of voluntary online training courses for teachers and educators across the world within the community, which broadened his vision of language teaching and language teacher education. Being able to access the international contexts of teaching and learning in other geographies cultivated abilities, such as developing curriculum for teachers in underprivileged regions and mentoring teacher researchers. Development as a teacher, teacher educator, and researcher in such communities is a process that one can achieve not as a solitary engagement, but as social and ongoing investment in learning. He sees professional learning in these supportive communities as an identity-changing experience, which offers a powerful change and development.
Volunteering in professional organizations goes back for me to when I began advocating for the creation of a TESOL club in graduate school, where I helped to start a TESOL club. This club led members to work together to attend our first TESOL International Convention in Orlando in 1997. The following year we went to Seattle, where I began my job search, which led to where I am now (i.e., administering a large EFL program after years of teaching EFL).
Throughout my career, I have always looked back at that time as a good experience. It helped me when I applied to start the Riyadh Chapter of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Association of Language Teachers (KSAALT) TESOL in Saudi Arabia in 2009. This experience taught me about event management, recruiting members, and a long list of activities that are involved in volunteering to run a chapter for a teacher’s association. In addition to volunteering my time through professional development activities, I also volunteer my time as a reviewer of conference abstracts for several associations like TESOL International and the American Evaluation Association. All of these activities have helped me to develop and grow as a professional in the field of TESOL and higher education.
Another way that I have volunteered my time for TESOL is by becoming a TESOL/Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) Reviewer. I have enjoyed this tremendously as it has allowed me to learn more about what other programs are doing to raise the quality of English language teachers. I have continued to try to give back to the field in order to support better practices for TESOLers around the world.
Connie Mitchell
Prince Sultan University
Kate started volunteering with the TESOL International Association in 1998 as a conference volunteer. She assisted in the employment clearinghouse and met other educators and employers. She learned about the qualifications and expectations for finding positions in Asia, North and South America, and the Middle East. She learned about the employers’ qualities, benefits, and negotiating contracts.
