During a webinar not long ago, a teacher who had recently qualified with a CELTA made this remark: ‘Now I’ve finished my teacher training, I know how to teach. But I still don’t know how to be a teacher.’ This brief article is in part an attempt to explore what she might have meant.
The triangle of teacher attributes
We can think of teacher competences as a triangle. At the apex, necessary Knowledge (the Matter), at the left corner, Skills (the Method) and at the right corner Attitudes (the Manner). Most teacher training tends to focus on the Knowledge and Skills which will equip the future teacher to carry out the teaching effectively. This is absolutely necessary, of course. But it tends to leave the Attitudes corner of the triangle out of account, to be acquired later on through ‘experience’ – or by magic.
It may be helpful to think of 'Necessary conditions', which include factors which can be trained, such as Knowledge and Skills. This focus assumes a degree of predictability and control over the teaching/learning process. It is about technical preparation. By contrast, the 'Sufficient conditions' focus on Attitudes, and the manner in which the knowledge and skills are deployed. It is about psychological preparedness to meet the unpredictability of the classroom – the ability to think on your feet, not just plan on paper. Toscanini once told an orchestra in rehearsal, ‘Don’t just play the notes, play the music.’
My teacher studies
The reason for according so much importance to Attitudes/Manner is that students seem to value this above mere expertise and knowledge. I conducted a survey in 2010, called My Teacher. It simply asked the subjects (all experienced language teachers) to recall a teacher from their own past educational experience whom they had particularly liked, respected or valued – and to say why. I repeated the survey with a different group in 2022. The comments received in the two studies fell into five main categories of keywords: Ethics, Professionalism, Humanity, Presence and Charisma. The results for both groups overwhelmingly showed that what we remember about effective teachers are the human qualities they display, not just their professional expertise. In the words of songwriters Oliver and Young, ‘It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it.’ Or as Teddy Roosevelt remarked, ‘They don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.’
This being the case, how feasible is it to help teachers develop these qualities in the course of their professional development? The consensus to date seems to have been that we have to leave this to ‘experience’ because it cannot be taught. However, while I agree such qualities cannot be taught directly, I do believe there are ways of facilitating their development. The following are some suggestions as to how this might be done. Many of them are better done in small groups, though all can also be done alone.
Awareness raising: Physical
This can be facilitated by group discussion and reflection on posture, voice, breathing, etc. Sadly, very little if anything is offered on training courses to work on these key aspects of the teacher’s effectiveness.
Self and peer observation in actual classes can promote awareness of the importance of eye-contact, use of space, movement, etc. This can also be done by using video sequences of lessons (Fanselow, 2017).
Awareness raising: Psychological and experiential
Discussions can be used to spark reflection through the use of Wisdom stories (Maley 2024), teacher anecdotes of critical incidents, including incidents in books (see full bibliography), reflection on teachers’ own educational experiences, as in the My Teacher studies. A fruitful way of coming to terms with the inevitable list of reasons why things cannot be done, is to categorize all these factors into two groups: those that can be changed, and those that cannot, and have to be lived with. (Early and Bolitho 1981).
The main point of all the above is to stimulate discussion of personal experience, and by sharing it, to consider possible avenues to professional change.
More organised activities
Some CPD activities can be undertaken in a more organised framework, through training courses or as regular sessions arranged by institutions. But ideally, any such sessions should respond to the needs of the teachers themselves, and not primarily to the needs of the institution. CPD is about developing oneself as a person, not simply as an operative.
Here are some of the possible areas which can bring about changes in teacher perceptions and performance:
~ Impro activities, or better still, clowning training (Poynton 2013), which are ideal for developing preparedness to meet the unexpected. Theatre clowning is a rich resource for teacher development (Luztker 2007).
~ Voice training courses (Maley 2000, Martin & Darnley 2004, Rodenburg 1992). Teachers’ voices are their primary resource, yet they are shamefully neglected in initial training courses.
~ Sessions to introduce some of the better-known techniques for developing and sustaining physical well-being, such as the Alexander Technique, Rolfing, Feldenkrais, etc. These can have a dramatic effect on energy levels and on physical presence.
~ Presentation skills training can also enhance teachers’ effectiveness and is relatively easy to arrange.
Some other trainer-led activities which can be organised within an institution include:
For example, working with Fanselow’s ideas from his books, Breaking Rules (1987), with its injunction to teachers to try the opposite of what they normally do. And Small Changes in Teaching : Big Results in Learning (2017), which has the advantage of accompanying videos.
The implementation of Farrell’s ideas on keeping reflective journals can also be introduced in institutionally organised groups. (Farrell 2024)
Things to do alone
The above activities have a fairly direct relationship with teaching. There is much to be said for taking up some less obviously useful activities, most of which are best done alone. These include:
~ Learning to meditate – or at the least, to find 30 minutes of quiet time each day. This may sound far-fetched, but in a world filled with every kind of distraction it can do wonders for our ability to think clearly.
~ Take up some simple form of yoga or tai chi. Or even build in a long walk, preferably in natural surroundings, to our daily routine. Walking is famously associated with creative thought.
~ Learn a new skill. Learning a new language brings benefits to our brains as well as reminding us of the problems our students face. But learning any kind of new skill, in art, music, computer technology, etc. is beneficial.
~ Develop the habit of wide, promiscuous, immersive reading. Reading diverse subject matter actually fosters making new connections and associations. It also helps make you more interesting to be with!
Finding support
Teaching can be a lonely profession. So the value of finding support cannot be overstated.
Some institutions will provide this in the form of mentors assigned to groups of less-experienced teachers. But whether or not the institution provides a mentor, it is important to find someone informally, who is approachable, knowledgeable and supportive. This can simply be a reliable friend to whom one can turn for advice. The most recent book on mentoring is Malderez (2023).
Apart from mentors, study-buddies can also provide support. Working with someone you can trust to give and receive non-judgmental feedback on your performance after peer observation can both provide support and lead to productive changes in the way we teach.
Naoko Aoki (2002) has promoted the idea of reading/discussion circles within an institution. Teachers agree to meet at regular intervals, maybe once a month, to talk about a given topic, issue or book they have all read. This again provides a framework of mutual support.
And, of course, joining a teachers’ association can offer a degree of support through contact with like-minded colleagues, especially if there are special interest groups (SIGs). Teacher association conferences in particular are invaluable for exposure to new ideas, networking and developing as a presenter of ones’ own ideas.
Final remarks
There is no one way to continue to develop, whether as a teacher of language or as a person. Both are clearly important if we are to survive in a rapidly changing world, where constant distraction and pressure to conform threaten our integrity as human agents. I have suggested that it is teacher qualities where we need to focus our attention, rather than simply on expanding knowledge and pedagogical skills. But how we do that depends to a large extent on ourselves. We are responsible for our own CPD. Institutions have a role to play, as does the acquiring of additional qualifications – but the essential choices for our direction of travel are ours to make. To do this, we need to be well informed about what is available to us, so it is worth spending time on researching the many resources now available, such as those offered free by The British Council, by publishers and by private institutions, so that we can make informed choices.
References
Aoki, N. (2002). An alternative way for teachers to develop. The Teacher Trainer, 16(2), 10-11.
Early, P. and Bolitho, R. (1981) ‘Reasons to be cheerful’ or helping teachers to get problems into perspective — A group counselling approach to the in-service teacher training of foreign teachers of English. System, Vol 9, Issue 2. 113-124.
Fanselow, J. (1987). Breaking rules. Harlow: Longman.
Fanselow, J. (2017) Small changes in teaching: Big results in learning. Tokyo: iTDi.
Farrell, T. (2024) Reflective practice for language teachers. London: British Council.
Lutzker, P. (2007). The art of foreign language teaching: Improvisation and drama in teacher development and language learning. Basel: Francke Verlag.
Malderez, A. (2023) Mentoring Teachers. London: Taylor Francis.
Maley, A. (2000). The language teacher's voice. Oxford: Macmillan Heinemann.
Maley, A. (2024) Wisdom Stories in Teacher Education. Pavilion Education.
Martin, S., & Darnley, L. (2004). The teaching voice. London: Wiley.
Poynton, R. (2013). Do improvise – Less push. More pause. Better results. A new approach to work (and life). London: The Do Book Company.
Rodenburg, P. (1992). The right to speak: Working with the voice. London: Methuen.