The symposium was attended by members of our Community (teacher educators from our communities of practice, engagement leads and British Council staff).
Programme
The outline for the day provided a variety of content and different engagement formats – linked to our fundamental interest as teacher educators in being professionally and socially connected. Download the symposium booklet.
- 08.00 – 8.20 UK time: Introduction
-
John Shackleton talks about the concept, principles and activities of the teacher educator community, highlights some of the early milestones, and lays out the programme for the day.
Watch a recording of this session. - 08.20 – 9.00 UK time: Connection and Resilience – A global perspective on how communities come together for mutual support
-
Tony Capstick explores the relationship between connection and resilience for language educators in marginalised communities. He presents case studies of specific groups to help understand how the groups came together, what they collaborated on and how successful these networks were at achieving their goals. He ends by illustrating how these connections enhance, as well as hinder, resilience.
Watch a recording of this session.
9.00 – 9.15 Break
- 09.15 – 10.15 UK time: Group presentations and networking – Community collaborative outputs
-
Teacher educator groups present and discuss their collaborative outputs, and reflect on their first experiences within the Teacher Educator Community.
Watch a recording of this session. -
10.15 – 10.35 UK time: Panel – A Day in the Life of an Engagement Lead
-
Doina Fleanta, Nelson Arditto, Suzanne Mordue and Zhenya Polosatova talk about their role as Engagement Leads and their experiences and insights so far in facilitating collaborative exchange and learning within their small groups of teacher educators.
Watch a recording of this session.
10.35 – 11.00 Break
-
11.00 – 11.40 UK time: Essentials of sustainable online communities of practice
-
Beverly and Etienne Wenger-Trayner discuss the nature and value of communities of practice, their place within other forms of professional and institutional development activities and the factors that influence their success.
Watch a recording of this session. -
11.40 – 12.40 UK time: Group presentations and networking: Community collaborative outputs
-
Teacher educator groups present and discuss their collaborative outputs, and reflect on their first experiences within the Teacher Educator Community.
Watch a recording of this session. -
12.40 – 13.00 UK time: Communities of practice and country-based CPD programmes
-
British Council colleagues Hala Ahmed (Egypt), Julia Stanton (Sub Saharan African region), Lesley Dick (Sri Lanka) and Davide Gilmartin (Vietnam) talk about the role of communities of practice in their teacher development programmes in-country, and provide insights into the challenges and rewards of peer-to-peer learning and development.
Watch a recording of this session.
13.00 – 13.15 Break
-
13.15 – 13.55 UK time: What’s next?
-
Network resources, learning opportunities and skills recognition
Ellen Darling presents the broad range of professional development opportunities available for teacher educators through the TeachingEnglish website, and provides details of a new qualification for teacher educators - the Assured Certificate in Teacher Education (ACTE).
Plans for 2023, getting involved and next year’s symposium
John Shackleton talks through future developments for the community, invites members to join the Community Affairs Group and provides some early ideas for the December 23 symposium.
Watch a recording of this session. -
13.55 – 14.25 UK time: Closing reflections – the Power of Groups
-
Alan Maley revisits the stories of some of the groups he’s been involved in setting up and helping to run, spanning the period 1970 to the present. These include LEND, EAQUALS, The C Group, The Asian Teacher-Writer Group and Worlds into Words. Some have been relatively successful, others complete flops. He analyses and presents, through these examples, the features which have favoured success.
Watch a recording of this session.