First Day Stresses

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.)