26.06.2013
First day stresses of any PD course…
Will we get started
on time?
Yes! The director of the schools in Azerbaijan made a
fantastic speech to all the course participants who were gathered in the amphitheater
the first morning. He welcomed all the
foreign trainers (more about them later.) He clearly explained that as
everything is in motion, from the stars and the the planets to the molecules in
our bodies, we must accept that change is the norm. In short, all teachers need
to study throughout their professional lives to learn more so that they can help
students better.
As trainers we appreciated this support at the start, since
there are always differing levels of motivation on a required PD summer course.
A nudge from the ‘boss’ helps make some participants work more J. We also have a
demanding course – with homework every night!
The director also reminded people about cell phones – we are
at the ‘let’s keep them off’ level here. No mobile learning apps on this
course. (Sorry, Işil Boy) And 100% attendance is expected. Work hard, play hard
(but after the course finishes.)
There was almost nothing left for me to say to the audience except
to joke that we are working on ‘German time’, where 9.45 means 9.45 and not
10.30 like some places I have been to! An ambitious statement. Let’s see what
happens. Then I introduced the trainers and got them matched with their groups.
They went off to show the groups to
their classrooms and find tea. I breathed a sigh of relief and checked my
watch. 9.30 - right on time. Fifteen
minutes before we should start the first session.
The last fifteen
minutes …
We rather cleverly(if I do say so myself) organized a
30-minute session from 9.00-9.30 in the morning of flexi time where the trainer
can go over homework or review a point from the previous day before the first
major input session starts. Why? Think Maslow. It allows us to all get a cup of
tea or coffee before getting stuck into the main input. Very important. I don’t
function very well without enough liquid caffeine. (Hint, hint.)
For a moment that nervous tension before that first session made
me feel like there is something I was supposed to do for trainers (but had
forgotten.) Then I snapped out of it. They looked like I felt. Thoughts and
energy inside getting focused for going ‘on stage’. Finally we are heading down
the corridor at 9.45. German time. Hmm. I am going to live to regret that
remark.
Who are the
participants? What are our aims?
On our Baku course we have 4 groups of teachers – three male
and three female. They are all secondary school teachers working at Turkish schools
around Azerbaijan. To make everybody more comfortable, the ladies were one
floor higher up with their own room for breaks. Obviously we gave them female
trainers since we had enough. The male teachers were mostly people I have met
or observed except for one group. (After
7 months of working in the country we didn't even know they existed!)
Almost all the participants have been observed and certain common
points have come up: In general ….
1.)
Lack of planning for lessons means there are a
lot of classroom management problems and a LOT of potential learning time is
wasted.
2.)
Classroom management problems are compounded by
a “We talk about it in the first week for 10 minutes” attitude. Teachers are
not aware that they need to spend time in the first weeks and months setting clear
expectations and creating (and enforcing) natural consequences to get the
students behaving the way they want them to.
3.)
Classes are very teacher-centered (in general).
Most opportunities for genuine interaction in the course book are skipped. As a
result, students do very little speaking. I have not seen any communicative
activities with an info-gap.
4.)
Students do very little reading – just reading
aloud or listen and read with the book. Reading skills are not really taught
directly (and are probably not tested.)
5.)
Skills work in class needs a much stronger
focus. Skills are tested, not taught.
6.)
We have never seen teachers use any Concept
Checking Questions or timelines, which are pretty standard tools in a teacher’s
toolkit.
7.)
Instructions tend to be unplanned and therefore too
long, not checked, etc. which again brings us to the classroom management
problems in (1).
Our course is organized to help teachers think about these
points (1-7) and have strategies for improving student learning.
Downstairs I went to my class. One trainer, Vanessa Esteves, hadn't arrived yet due to visa problems so I took her group for the first day.
What did I notice? Well, again I was struck by the number of teachers turning up with no pens and no paper. Is it really such a gender issue? Don’t men ever write anything down? I’m not expecting color-coordinated Galatasaray pencils and erasers but a workmanlike set of stationery for a two-week course shouldn't be too much to ask…. Especially when it is Part A and they have to bring their completed portfolios to the next two-week sessions. We will have to make it a requirement that everyone has an A4 notebook and a file for handouts. (Note to self to organize this next time.)
