Job Discussion Forums

[hellionzap]

OK, this sounds absurd but one of our long-term staff wants to know what "professional development" is.
As I understand it, this individual (who has "40 years of expertise", not sure what in) would like a definition of what it is, what it means, what it entails, what is is comprised of.....I think.
My aim is to get all your thoughts on the subject. I believe he wants someone to tell him why all the obvious and different activities we all recognize as professional development are developing our teachers.
Don't ask me why......I know it seems an intellectual exercise, probably intended to just gum-up the works and be attention-seeking but I would really like the esl professionals to contribute some gold. If you don't mind. Thanks.

[boundforsaudi]

Professional development, quaintly known as PD to those who dine at KFC or BK, is a bit of busywork or conference attendance meant to polish up the newbies or keep old hands on the cutting edge. In the case of ESL this is thought to be essential on account of most ESL newbies have defective educations, not to mention lack of experience, and most old hands must be constantly reminded that grammar is evil.

In a true academic environment, PD would be replaced by the requirement of regular publication. Nowadays, PD is demanded in the corporate world, in schools for children, or in universities that have a corporate or childish mentality. Jesus, some job ads even "offer" the stuff. Forcing an ESL teacher with 40 years experience to do PD is an absurd cruelty and only serves to inflate the egos of young metrosexual administrators. It's kind of like strip searching grandma at the airport.

[jdl]

PD (professional development), SD (staff development), OD (organizational development), IST (in service training), ConEd (continuing education), CPD continuing professional development), CPE (continuing professional education), Life Long Learning, call it what you will, is elemental in business and education. Even the most dedicated troglodyte will have great difficulty avoiding this. There just isn't a cave deep enough.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_development

[desultude]

I agree that academic standards in the west used to focus on research and writing, and I fear that many are going the more corporate "professional development" route. The universities in the ME seem to be much more corporate. Personally, I find corporatism and the jargon that goes with it to be repugnant.

I think that professional development, for academics, should primarily focus on conferences, research and writing. Most faculty in foundation or preparatory programs in the ME teach far too many students for too many hours to do much of that.

However, some people are stuck in mid to late 20th century teaching practices which need to be updated, to say the least. Also, teaching in diverse cultures brings its own sets of problems. Teaching to Bedu boys and Muslim girls both challenge any teaching practices learned in the west. I can see that some continuing ed in these areas is useful.

Professional development should surely include IT training. Someone teaching for 20-40 years has been through a technology revolution,and as faculty they may not have really kept up. In the next five years I expect that we will see extraordinary changes in technology in the classroom. If a long-time instructor wants to stay current, he should pray that training is offered.

As for the person who has taught for 40 years- first, mabruk! This person either has a lot of wisdom and experience to share, or needs to bring his own practices up to date.

I have taught at the university level since 1986, myself. I have learned a tremendous amount since moving to the ME. I have found myself challenged by the teaching to bedu boys in particular. I also find that I have to continually work on my IT skills.

The problem may be semantic. If the older, more seasoned faculty seem threatened by the language of "professional development", then maybe we should be talking about skills workshops and seminars. Maybe they need to be encouraged to do some research and writing to put the value of their years of service out there for others to share.

I hate corporate jargon, as I said, and I am hugely put off by the language of "learning outcomes", "best practices", "continuing improvement" and "quality assurance". At the same time, we have to stay up with our fields. How would we feel about a doctor who never read journals or went to conferences? We are professionals, and we do need to continue to develop our skills.

[littleoldlady]

Oh dear, Desultude. You wouldn't like me then. My first language is corporate B... S...

[desultude]

[balqis]

I am 44, so cannot be called dated, but I think IT is seriously detrimental to ESL.
Corporate Language is Newspeak not language, so cannot be taken seriously [ though it poses a serious problem, embodied by its blinkered and embalmed in the Newspeak adherents ], like any other Newspeak, no matter how much of it is in the air and how thick is the sillage.

Greetings to all that think likewise.
balqis

[desultude]

[balqis]

Yes, if there is any baby in the bathwater.
Which I have serious doubts about, when I observe the impact of IT and mobile technology on young generations.
So when I observe this impact, I'm truly grateful to Shadows of the Past Generations who managed to invent Penicillin, schools of surgery, dentistry, tranquilizers and pain-killers. Without their effort one is scared to think what current IT and mobile generations would be able to achieve facing their challenges, and torments of humanity they were able to assuage and appease.
So, yes, one is forced to ask if there is any baby in the bathwater...

[desultude]

[jdl]

And this internet thing....of what possible value?

And while one is at it....what is all this lifelong learning stuff? Surely by the age of 13 we know all we ever need to know...well maybe twenty something, mmmm mid forties.........? All I know is that this whole learning thing and computers are overated. Ah, you know what I mean.

[desultude]

[jdl]

Just 'the jiin' or is that 'the gin'. Can never keep those two straight; both seem to work miracles? Every troglodyte needs a bit of both and on occasion, more of one than the other.

Oh well 'live and learn' ........ sorry just 'live'.....all else is a mystery.

Bahla.......the force is strong!

[veiledsentiments]

I think the problem is too many managements think IT is the answer to the students' language issues... and time has certainly shown that it isn't.

It is one tool and the students (and teachers) certainly need to be tech savvy, but until they are taught Academic English from the very early grades, entry level will still look like it does now... and from what I hear, they are not learning any faster now than they were in the 1980s when our few computers clunked along on DOS (yea! Wordstar!!) and were only used to creating quizzes and exams.

As to PD, I found that most of it was just time-filling activities that the management used to justify our having to hang about the campus for umpteen hours a day. About 10% of it was useful IMHO... and that was usually the tech stuff related to their new acquisitions. And I found it always more helpful for me personally than for my class use.

VS

[desultude]