Saturday, October 5th
The Multifaceted aspects of Continuing Professional Development
and the challenge of making choices
The language teaching field is subject to rapid changes, with the profession responding to new educational trends and institutions facing new challenges as a result of changes in curriculum, approaches, technology and student needs. The massive availability of professional learning resources and events, which benefits many teachers, may also create problems for both professionals and institutions e.g. the potential pitfalls that come from amassing too much information before making choices. In this shifting professional development landscape, the effect of Segal's law, whose adage reads "A man with a watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure", can be a serious risk. In this talk we will look into some key aspects of CPD and provide evidence-informed guidance on how professionals can prioritise areas and competencies to develop further.
Alberto Costa, Senior Assessment Services Manager Americas for Cambridge Assessment English, holds the Cambridge RSA Diploma for Overseas Teachers of English (DOTE) and has a specialization in teacher training (PRINSELT) from the College of St. Mark & St. John in Plymouth, UK. He has worked as a teacher, teacher trainer and academic consultant for 30 years, having also worked as a course tutor for the teaching qualifications CELTA, ICELT and DELTA. He has been in Cambridge Assessment English for 4 years and continuing professional development for teachers is one of his key interests
Winston Churchill, the black dog and mental health in ELT
There is a black dog in our language classrooms; its name is depression. We are not talking about it, but we should. A recent survey administered to almost 5000 teachers across the United States showed that 61% are stressed out and 58% stated mental health is an issue (New National Survey, 2017). Yet, broadly speaking, we hardly ever talk about it in the ELT circle; and we must. This presentation is an invitation to just that.
Fernando Guarany was born and raised in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest and is an independent teacher educator and education consultant. He is a founding member of the BRAZ-TESOL Teacher Wellness SIG, a special interest group devoted to promoting English teachers’ mental health. Guarany works out of beautiful Natal (RN) where he loves cycling, sailing and playing with his grandson, João Roberto.