Teaching English
2. Challenges of the teaching
profession
Nancy Grimm – Michael Meyer – Laurenz Volkmann
1. What makes a good teacher?
0. Table of contents
1.1 The reflective practice model of professional
development
1.2 Personal characteristics
1.3 Principles of good teaching practice
1.4 New technologies, new challenges
2. What makes a good EFL teacher?
2.1 Knowledge and competence regarding oneself
2.2 Knowledge and competence regarding learners
2.3 Knowledge and competence regarding content
2.4 Knowledge and competence regarding pedagogy
2.5 Knowledge and competence regarding context
3. Education in the 21st century
3.1 Paradigm shift
3.2 Teacher professional development and action
research
4. Recommended reading
5. Acknowledgments
Chapter 2: Challenges of the teaching profession
2
Discuss:
Have a look at the cartoon.
Think about the challenges
teachers face today and the
knowledge and competences
teachers should have or
develop to be able to cope
with these challenges.
Chapter 2: Challenges of the teaching profession
3
1.1 The reflective practice model of professional development
Wallace 1991: 94
1. What makes a good teacher?
4
1.1 The reflective
practice model of
professional
development
What one should bring to the
teaching profession
 Multiple perspectives:
 the ability to approach educational issues from a
wide range of perspectives (e. g., personal, regional,
national, global, socio-economic, philosophical)
 Experiential learning:
 the ability to reflect upon practical field experience
and integrate this teaching experience into academic
discourses in lectures and seminars
 Construction of knowledge:
 the ability to keep record of, diagnose, evaluate, and
discuss one’s personal and professional growth (e. g.,
portfolios, reports, presentations, general
coursework, academic interaction)
 Critical inquiry:
 the ability to reflect on the impact of one’s own
teaching practice as well as general school settings
and policies on students, their families, and the
school community
1. What makes a good teacher?
5
1.1 The reflective
practice model of
professional
development
Knowledge and competences
of reflective teachers
1. What makes a good teacher?
6
1.2 Personal characteristics
1. What makes a good teacher?
7
Discuss why these characteristics are important. Choose three
that you consider most important and elaborate on your
choice. Tick the characteristics that you can honestly say apply
to you.
1. What makes a good teacher?
8
1.3 Principles of good
teaching practice
Effective teaching is not the
drilling and trilling of the
less than willing. –
John Hattie
Meyer 2006: 5-8, adapted
1. What makes a good teacher?
9
1.3 Principles of good
teaching practice
Effective teaching is not the
drilling and trilling of the
less than willing. –
John Hattie
Meyer 2006: 5-8, adapted
1. What makes a good teacher?
10
Take a critical look at the table above. Discuss how easy or
difficult (1 = very easy, 2 = rather easy, 3 = rather difficult, 4 =
very difficult) it would be to adhere to this code of conduct.
1. What makes a good teacher?
11
1.3 Principles of good teaching practice
Providing
formative
evaluation
Feedback
Reciprocal
teaching
Know thy
impact. –
John
Hattie
Microteaching
Comprehensive
interventions
Teacher
clarity
1. What makes a good teacher?
12
1.4 New technologies,
new challenges
[I]n many classrooms
around the world, teachers
are still standing in front of
a group of students with a
piece of chalk in their hand.
– Kris Van den Branden
Koehler & Mishra 2009: 63
1. What makes a good teacher?
13
2.1 Knowledge and
competences
regarding oneself
 Reflection upon one’s own values and
views
 views of teaching and inherent values of formal
education
 choice of methods, activities, and classroom
settings
 political, educational, and socio-cultural values
and views
 teaching literature and target cultures
 Sound knowledge of oneself
 creating a positive and productive FL learning
environment
 Interpersonal skills
 cooperating with colleagues
 leadership roles: cooperating with school
administrators, curriculum planners, teacher
trainers, and the parents
2. What makes a good EFL teacher?
14
2.1 Knowledge and
competences
regarding oneself
Case study
Staying in control of the classroom is the most
important thing for Frank, who describes himself
as a perfectionist. In fact, he hates it when things
get out of control and do not run as smoothly as
he planned at home when preparing his lessons.
However, reflecting upon his English lessons today
made him feel very uneasy. It struck him that his
obsession with staying in control had affected his
relationship with his students negatively. Sure, he
was in control of the classroom, his students
received good test results and he got his work
done. The problem was that there was no humor,
no enthusiasm, and no real motivation for learning
English in the classroom. It just wasn’t any fun for
him or his students.
What is problematic about Frank’s code of
conduct in class? What should he change about
himself and his perception of teaching and
learning? What could help him to add fun,
motivation, and enthusiasm to his English lessons?
2. What makes a good EFL teacher?
15
2.2 Knowledge and
competences
regarding learners
 Child and adolescent patterns and stages
of development
 understand student behavior and academic
development
 adjust teaching materials, methods, classroom
instruction and interaction
 Individual learning histories
 pre-school or primary education (different FL
instruction)
 transition: diagnosis of competence levels
 sound knowledge of language learning theories
and processes in pre-school, primary, secondary
education
 Social status, ethnicity, and gender
 Students’ views of English as a school
subject
2. What makes a good EFL teacher?
16
2.2 Knowledge and
competences
regarding learners
Case study
Driving home after a long day at school,
Katharina was at the end of her rope. She felt
that the high expectations she held for
students were interfering with classroom
interaction. All she had wished for her English
lesson today was to have a good conversation
with her students about a short story they had
read the lesson before. But she ended up
getting very angry at some of her students
whose interpretations of the short story were
totally off. Other students just would not talk
at all. Instead of having a productive
conversation about the short story and its
meaning, conversation in class stalled.
What is problematic about Katharina’s
expectations for this lesson on literature?
What should she change about her approach
in order to invite all students into the
discussion?
2. What makes a good EFL teacher?
17
2.3 Knowledge and
competences
regarding content
 Subject-specific content and curricula
 proficiency in a wide range of disciplines
 selection & adaptation: good judgement and
pedagogical expertise
 Principles of liberal education
 empowering learners
 preparing them to deal with complexity, diversity,
and change in the real world
 helping them to develop a sense of social
responsibility
 Other subject-specific curricula
 initiate interdisciplinary projects
 bilingual instruction
 excursions, project weeks
2. What makes a good EFL teacher?
18
2.3 Knowledge and
competences
regarding content
Case study
In order not to disappoint his mentor and make a good
impression at the school, Mark made a point of moving
through the topics exactly as they were outlined in the
curriculum and scheduled in the in-school syllabus for
grade eight. Recently, a couple of his students had
suggested to discuss a popular song in one of his English
lessons. While the students made a convincing case for
discussing the song, Mark turned them down, telling
them that the song did not fit in his overall plan and that
there was simply no time to stray from the syllabus. The
students were very disappointed, word got around, and,
consequently, many of his students gave Mark the cold
shoulder during the next couple of weeks.
Mark is obviously very focused on meeting what is required of
him by the curriculum. This seems to interfere with his
relationship with his students. How could he have handled the
situation differently? Should teachers judge themselves or be
judged by others solely on the basis of whether or not they
manage to comply with curriculum requirements? Elaborate.
2. What makes a good EFL teacher?
19
2.4 Knowledge and
competences
regarding pedagogy
 Sound knowledge of pedagogy
 reflect on classroom interaction
 improvement of the general classroom
atmosphere and learning environment
 ways of giving oral and written feedback
 balance between teacher talk time (TTT) and
student talk time (STT)
 Knowledge of a variety of methods
 Forms of assessment
 appropriate
 transparent
2. What makes a good EFL teacher?
20
2.4 Knowledge and
competences
regarding pedagogy
Case study
In order to improve her students’ oral skills,
Stefanie had set presentation topics for her
students to prepare and present. During the
presentations, Stefanie noticed that many of them
lacked structure and language accuracy. Some of
her students even quoted directly from Wikipedia
and others just read out their notes. After the
presentation days, Stefanie realized that none of
her students had received a good grade. In fact,
most of the grades for the presentations were
average or below. What was even worse, students
were angry about Stefanie’s grading and claimed
that they did not know what was expected of
them beforehand.
What should Stefanie have done differently? Make
suggestions for improvement with regard to
preparing students for presentations as well as
making the grading process more transparent.
2. What makes a good EFL teacher?
21
2.5 Knowledge and
competences
regarding context
 Knowledge of school forms and their
educational principles
 Infrastructure, organization,
management, colleagues, student
populace
 any special focus or field of expertise
 Purposes and conditions of formal
education
 FL teaching as intercultural endeavor
 advancing FL learning environments
 FL learning equipment
2. What makes a good EFL teacher?
22
2.5 Knowledge and
competences
regarding context
Case study
Marie works at a school that has recently begun to
put the concept of inclusion into practice. While
Marie is convinced of this concept, teaching
English in one of her mixed-ability classes was
becoming more and more difficult. The students in
this class were just so heterogeneous and Marie’s
teaching methods did not reach all of them. In
fact, too many students were falling behind. Sure,
she did some pair and group work here and there,
but in order to meet curriculum requirements
most of her teaching was teacher-centered. She
felt that her university education had not really
prepared her for what it meant to teach mixedability classes; she just did not know what to do
and felt completely left alone.
What could Marie do to improve her knowledge about
teaching in mixed-ability classes? What should the school
do to support its teachers? Which adjustments need to be
made to teacher education, if teachers and schools are to
meet the challenge of successfully integrating students with
disabilities in mainstream schooling?
2. What makes a good EFL teacher?
23
3.1 Paradigm shift
3. Education in the 21st century
24
Discuss the proposed changes and modifications to education
with regard to, for example, questions of implementation,
practicality, effectiveness, and long-term success.
3. Education in the 21st century
25
3.2 Teacher professional
development and action
research
Action research
3. Education in the 21st century
 Philosophical assumptions: people within
social situations can solve problems through
self-study and intervention
 Purpose: to develop solutions to problems
identified within one’s own social
environment
 Main methods: qualitative, interpretive;
cases studied reflectively through cyclical
observational and non-observational means
 Outcome: action to effect change and
improvement, and deeper understanding of
one’s own social situation
 Criteria for judgment: subjectivity,
feasibility, trustworthiness, and resonance
of research outcomes with those in the
same or similar social situation
26
3.2 Teacher professional
development and action
research
Plan of action
Burns 2000: 6, adapted
3. Education in the 21st century
27
3.2 Teacher professional
development and action
research
If we are to have a
revolution in education, it
probably won’t come from
the top down but from the
bottom up. –
Sir Kenneth Robinson
Learner growth &
output
Modern
technology
Communicative
teaching methods
3. Education in the 21st century
28
Get a clearer idea of the teaching profession and assess
whether your personality, experiences, and interests match a
career in teaching: www.cctgermany.de.
3. Education in the 21st century
29
Recommended reading
Foord, Duncan (2009). The Developing Teacher: Practical Activities for
Professional Development. Surrey: Delta Publishing.
Hattie, John (2009). Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses
Relating to Achievement. London et al.: Routledge.
Hattie, John (2011). Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on
Learning. London et al.: Routledge.
Lipowsky, Frank (2006). Auf den Lehrer kommt es an: Empirische Evidenzen
für Zusammenhänge zwischen Lehrerkompetenzen, Lehrerhandeln und dem
Lernen der Schüler. In: Cristina Allemann-Ghionda & Ewald Terhart, eds.
Kompetenzen und Kompetenzentwicklung von Lehrerinnen und Lehrern:
Ausbildung und Beruf. Weinheim et al.: Beltz, 47-70.
Meyer, Hilbert (2014). Was ist guter Unterricht? 10th ed. Berlin: Cornelsen.
Richards, Jack C. & Thomas S. C. Farrell (2005). Professional Development for
Language Teachers: Strategies for Teacher Learning. Cambridge et al.:
Cambridge University Press.
Chapter 2: Challenges of the teaching profession
30
Acknowledgments
Burns, Anne (2000). Action Research. In: Michael Byram, ed. Routledge
Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning. London et al.: Routledge,
7-12.
Koehler, Matthew J. & Punya Mishra (2009). What Is Technological
Pedagogical Content Knowledge? In: Contemporary Issues in Technology and
Teacher Education 9.1, 60-70.
Meyer, Hilbert (2006). Criteria of Good Instruction: Empirical Findings and
Didactic Advice. Transl. Dave Kloss. http://www.member.unioldenburg.de/hilbert.meyer/download/Criteria_of_Good_Instruction.pdf.
Wallace, Michael J. (1991). Training Foreign Language Teachers: A Reflective
Approach. Cambridge et al.: Cambridge University Press.
Chapter 2: Challenges of the teaching profession
31
Acknowledgments
The cartoons at the beginning of each ppt were designed by Frollein Motte, 2014. If not otherwise
indicated, the copyright of the figures lies with the authors. The complete titles of the sources can
be found in the references to the units unless given below. All of the websites were checked on 10
September 2014.
 Slide 4: The reflective practice model of professional development, Wallace, Michael J. 1991: 94
 Slides 9/10: Principles of good teaching practice, adapted from Meyer, Hilbert (2006)
 Slide 13: The TPACK framework and its knowledge components, Koehler, Matthew J., & Mishra,
Punya (2009). “What Is Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge?” Contemporary Issues in
Technology and Teacher Education 9.1, S. 63. Available online http://tpack.org; Reproduced by
permission of the publisher, © 2012 by tpack.org
 Slide 24: Paradigm shift, incl. picture on the left from Onderwijsgek@nl.wikipedia,
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Empty_classrooms?uselang=de#mediaviewer/File:
Empty_classroom.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl, on the right from Metropolitan School,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unterricht.jpg?uselang=de#/media/File:Unterricht.jpg,
CC BY-SA 3.0
 Slide 28: http://k584sportcommleadership.wikispaces.com/chapter+1+leadership+and+communication+models;
http://education-2020.wikispaces.com/Financing; http://www.meganford.net/lifelonglearner.html
Chapter 2: Challenges of the teaching profession
32