Becoming a Better Teacher 3

by Rakesh Bhanot
Well done, if you managed to do the homework indicated in the first two instalments of this
article. Perhaps you did not have time to respond to my exhortations; or, indeed, have not read
parts 1 and 2. So, let me briefly put you in the picture. However, first, here is a quotation
followed by a question:
If a professor thinks what matters most
Is to have gained an academic post
Where he can earn a livelihood, and then
Neglect research, let controversy rest,
Hes but a petty tradesman at the best,
Selling retail the work of other men.
When (in which century) was this written? The answer can be found on page XX of this
Newsletter, but for the moment let us consider the main point of this ancient (clue!) text. The
idea that once having qualified (as a teacher), we should NOT rest on our laurels is not new
and, indeed, should be an anathema to us all. It behoves us to constantly strive to be better at
what we do as professional (or even amateur) teachers even if we have to split the odd
infinitive from time to time!
Given the variety of roles that teachers have to perform (ranging from being a purveyor of
information to acting as a psychologist, advisor, assessor, administrator et al), it is surprising
that anybody wants to join the profession; but millions do world-wide. Most seem to be content,
in spite of relatively modest salaries and (often) long working hours. I have, somehow, managed
to survive over 40 years employed in various sectors of education in a variety of countries but
that does not necessarily mean that I have 40 years teaching experience. The old adage that if
you have taught the same thing in the same way for 40 years means that you have, not 40 but,
only one years teaching experience has a ring of truth.
In view of this, last year, I invited readers of this Newsletter to consider the key role of
continuing professional development (CPD) and the importance of on-going reflective
practice (RP) as means of becoming better teachers in the first part of this article. I hinted at
exploring the use of Kolbs Learning Cycle and conducting a personal/professional SWOT
analysis to initiate the above processes.
In the second part, I emphasised the fact that RP has to be recorded (to be written down or
typed up); otherwise, it is not really reflective or effective. Colleagues were invited/exhorted to
respond to a number of questions referring to their classroom practice, as well as to articulate
their mission/vision of learning/teaching, either in full, say 1,000 words, or, more succinctly, by
writing down 10 key words/phrases that they might include in a fully-fledged statement. A softer
option was the idea of simply keeping a diary of classroom activities noting any critical

incidents and concomitant reflections to aid professional development. A more challenging task
was to encourage teachers to make a video recording of their lesson(s) and to review this
with a colleague - on a mutual basis. If video-recording a lesson is difficult for technical or other
reasons, one can invite a colleague to carry out a peer observation of a class and then provide
feedback - again, on a mutual basis; or, where appropriate, request feedback from a senior
colleague or a sympathetic (sic) line-manager.
A further step would be to set up an Action Learning set but this requires the co-operation of
up to six colleagues and a monthly commitment to meet for up to 3 hours. See, e.g., the
following for a summary of how Action Learning works:
http://www.12manage.com/methods_revans_action_learning.html
So, what else is available that may help to enhance your professional practice? At the risk of
stating the obvious, the most significant factor is wanting to learn or wanting to become better;
perhaps, also, a sense of humility and a willingness to commit time, effort and energy to
read relevant books/journals/websites/blogs; to try out (take risks with) new ideas/methods;
to reflect on and to write about your teaching and learning (both positive and negative aspects)
that can inform your professional development; and to involve peers/colleagues in this process.
I must stress, from the outset, that becoming better (sic) is not necessarily a linear process and
that the word better begs many questions, such as from whose point of view? cf part 2 of
this article.
In addition to the many (inter)national conferences on ELT available to English teachers, the
www offers a variety of FREE webinars that provide ample opportunities for enhancing our
professional practice. Some of these webinars are courtesy of organisations such as The British
Council or IATEFL; others are offered by individuals such as Shelly Sanchez Terrell every
Friday evening at 11pm (CET). Most allow you free login as a guest. In addition, there are many
(far too many I suspect) Facebook groups purporting to help English teachers. Its up to you to
see how many you can afford to join.
Clearly, there is much more to becoming a better teacher than I have outlined above, and, by
the way, I have avoided mentioning many of the more theoretical aspects such as Hoyles
distinction between restricted and extended professionality. Google can help you locate useful
links to the relevant literature. You may also find this blog by Ron White (where he discusses
Hubermans idea of professional life-cycles) useful.
http://ihjournal.com/teachers-professional-life-cycles
PS. As a so-called digital immigrant, I often feel de-skilled in some areas. For example in the
use of some technological tools such as the interactive white board or the use of iPhones in mlearning. This is a salutary reminder that as teachers we can and should never stop learning.

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FOOTNOTE: The poem is by Klidsa who wrote in c. 5th century AD.

See http://www.cse.iitk.ac.in/users/amit/books/brough-1977-poems-from-sanskrit.html accessed

29 July 2013.