Ongoing Professional Development Workshops for Teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to provide ongoing professional development for in-service Armenian English language teachers based on their needs via a series of workshops, and to equip them with various approaches to teaching language skills that are relatively new to them. Five-hour workshops are chosen as the main method for piloting the project. They are considered more fruitful in achieving the desired goals, than one-shot teacher trainings. The workshops are organized into thematic units/modules. Overall, different teaching models and their availability is brought to the fore. Various hands-on activities are modeled, and microteachings are conducted by the teachers. After, each teacher is observed in action in her real classroom followed by reflections and feedback for later improvement. The workshops also open a room for ongoing professional and personal development - teachers become lifelong learners and seek for other opportunities to meet their needs. The end goal of the project is to establish a respectful community of teachers, where lifelong learning and ongoing professional development are valued greatly.

Keywords: ongoing development, in-service teachers, teaching language skills, reflective teaching, teaching culture, effective communication, classroom management