Edited by Alan Maley, the book is focusing on the role of experience in teacher training and life-long development, it is an exploration and extension of Prabhu’s concept of ‘the teacher’s sense of plausibility’. Prabhu suggests that whatever forms of training and professional development teachers are exposed to, they will make sense of them in their own way, drawing on their own values, beliefs and experiences and their evolving sense of what will be appropriate for them in their specific context.
Twenty practitioners world-wide were invited to reflect on their own career trajectories in the light of Prabhu’s idea. Their responses offer fascinating insights into the way places, publications, ideas and key people have influenced the professional and personal development of the contributors.
The book concludes that it would be timely to incorporate trainees’ narratives and personal experiences as part of pre- and in-service training programmes and in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in general.
There are suggestions for practical activities to achieve this in the accompanying e-file 'Developing expertise through experience: Ideas for continuing professional development'.
See contributors, including Adrian Underhill, Harry Kuchah and Freda Mishan talking about their thoughts and ideas on developing expertise through experience and their reaction to taking part in the the book. They have posted short videos on the Creativity Group's YouTube channel.
You can also watch online discussions relating to themes from the book:
- Panel Discussion by the Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers (SPELT)
- Africa TESOL Panel Discussion.
See what the book reviewers say:
“True to their beliefs that learning is best done by doing, each contributor has supplied suggestions for practical activities that can be used to exploit (trainee) teachers’ narratives and experiences both in pre- and in-service training programmes and for Continuing Professional Development.” By Erzsébet Ágnes Békés National University of Education, Ecuador
“If, in the daily rush of ELT, you have only ten minutes a week for your own personal professional development, I suggest you carry the book around with you and read the themes from time to time. In that way, you’ll perhaps realise how you can move from being a passive patient to an active agent.” By Wayne Trotman teacher educator at Izmir Katip Celebi University in Izmir, Turkey
To cite this book: Maley, A. (ed.) (2019) Developing expertise through experience. London: British Council.