Hi Silvia,

As there has been no reply to this important question, perhaps I can start the ball rolling.

First of all, I don't think any widely available teaching qualification is a good test of teaching. Certainly CELTA and DELTA aren't. They are a good qualification to have, but their approach is limited and the testing system for the DELTA higly dubious (I only know about the old system, so I don't know how the new system has changed from an assessment perspective).

In my opinion, any assessment of teaching has to include an assessment of the teacher in action in their own working environment. This can clearly be supported by testing of theory, etc. Obviously this requires an experienced, informed, non-partisan assessor who is trusted and well-trained.

I personally feel that the students should play only a very small role in this assessment.

I know I have been wonderfully non-specific, but I am willing to be more specific once we have more reaction :-)

Kevin

You're so right Kevin, when you say "any assessment of teaching has to include an assessment of the teacher in action in their own working environment".

Personally, I have never ever seen this kind of thing. In Italian state schools, teachers are selected according to a list that is drawn up sticking to a graduation mark and to the number of years one has been teaching.Your method and your skills as a teacher do not count, nor does your English level.

This is so disappointing.

Hello Dear Moderators!

The question about  teacher assessment is extremly important considering that a lot of governments want to improve people skills and there are a lot of expectations especially in teaching English .It's very demanding.In my country,Chile,there is a system  called "National Evaluation of Teacher Performance"Each teacher has to prepare a portfolio containing evidence of his/her work.It has two parts:The first part consists of a lesson plan for a whole unit,the evaluative instruments that he/she has designed for the unit,and the materials he/she used.Part 2 includes a  video that shows his/her practice inside the classroom,how he/she communicates the contents,how the students   behave,reacting to the tasks ,You can analyse his/her teaching in action.After all these steps  a  detailed report with all the results is given to the teacher who can knows his final qualification:outstanding,competent ,satisfactory and   insatisfactory.The next evaluation happens each four years.This system has been applied since 2003 and there was  a lot of discussion  and opposition against this kind of procedures because there are no common standards to train teachers.It depends on each university,and aged teachers can't manage the new concepts and methodologies.The role of the students is very essential,too because the success of the portfolio and the lesson plan depends on the learning environment that the teacher has previously created and the good relationship between him/her and his/her students.I want to ask you :How often can we test our daily practices?Do we really have time to do it?

I hope my example can illustrate the needs for better improving measures.!

I'm looking forward to the conference!

Marcela-V

Marcela-V

Dear Marcela,

thank you for sharing with us the evaluation system of teachers in your country! 

Is the main assessment of teacher performance usually done just after university? When it was first introduced in 2003, did older teachers have to do it or were they able to continue teaching with their "older" degree?

Dear Silvia:

In my country there is a lot of concern about the quality of teaching practices and its impact on the learning achievements of the students.At primary level there is a national exam called SIMCE which measures abilities in different subjects like Spanish Language Maths and Science.The best achievements of the students are the result of constantly  good teaching-learning experiences and meaningful learning.For these reasons teachers play a very essential role in this process and they should be evaluated aiming at improvements of their practices.The main assessment is done after the university and it is compulsory for all those who work at state or  halfstate schools,this includes teachers with older degrees. At this moment there is a bill for newly graduated teachers that will demand   a final written examination that will cover the entire scope of methodology,assessment and didactic theory,if they pass it,they will teach,if not,they won't.As you see we need to  be well prepared if we  continue teaching.In my opinion there is certainly a  relationship between student success/achievement/performance and teaching practices,what do you think about this?

Marcela-V

Hi Marcela, 

 If Methodology and didac theory are  included in assessment process  are

they given as theory questions or in applied form ?

Hi Dear Moderators:

Fazira welcome to our forum,I want to explain more extensively and precisely this project in fact ,there is a pilot project called in Spanish" Inicia" and last year there was a diagnostic evaluation applied to all the pedagogy students who were in the last year of their studies that includes pedagogic theory and questions related to applied theory.This information is given to the universities in order to improve the curriculum they are offering,by this way the future teachers will be well prepared and they will start more confidently in the world of teaching.

Hi everyone,

I have recently participated with a group of teacher trainers under the supervision of a British expert in a training ssesion  and we came up  with a number of standards,namely professional knowledge,professional dispositions and professional experience.We split the said  standards  into a set  of indicators to make any measurement valid,objective and reliable and to help evaluators in my country align their evaluation with.

Hi Abdelillah,

thanks for sharing your experience with us. Once the 3 main groups were done, what indicators did you use?

Best,

Silvia

Hi Silvia,

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:a teacher should be able to :

• identify clearly the teaching-learning objectives
• devise/select/adapt activities in accordance with the said objectives
• check students understanding
• encourage interaction,self and peer assssment identify learners needs
• assess their teaching
• encourage collaborative learning to pave the way for effective individual learning

PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE

Professional knowledge includes knowledge of the English language, knowledge of the curriculum as well as other technical knowledge teachers need in order to fulfil their professional duties.

Teacher should: show satisfactory mastery of the language,know the missions of the educational system of the country,rights and duties,relationship with other stakeholders(parents,authorities...),read and comprehend the curriculum...

PROFESSIONAL DISPOSITIONS:1)ethics:be an active member of the school community,show respect to stakeholders,be flexible...2)teacher development:be ready to learn,to attend in- service training sessions,...3)leadership:teacher should be able to manage conflicts,set up good atmosphere and rapport,have positive influence...

Cordially,

Abdelillah