We’ve now had a number of Coffee Breaks and the evolution continues…
The Coffee Breaks are a moment for members to get together in an informal way, to connect and to share and, of course, to develop. They have no agenda, no structure… a sort of “dogme” approach as one member said recently. We’re trying to create a new version of a staffroom.
There are usually a number of questions floating around from the conversations on the Facebook page and that often provides a springboard for the chat but certainly doesn’t limit things… this week conversations varied from international professional development groups to puppets with head lice! Quite a mix!
Due to the popularity of the Coffee Break and to allow for closer interactions, in the morning session we played with breakout rooms on Zoom. We quickly moved into small groups and then shared and extended our conversations with the whole group in the second half of the session. It proved popular; although some people missed the unified approach, most people liked the change. The notes are, of course, incomplete, please do share other things you talked about in the thread, it’d be great to share as much as possible from all the groups. Zoom and breakout rooms are to be continued.
The possible conversation starters were…
- What are your top tips for teaching primary and pre-primary?
- What’s your relationship like with the phonemic chart?
- What are your grammatical pet hates?
- How are you thinking about continuing your development beyond the classroom?
- What do you hope is covered in the upcoming webinar “Selling your Skills on Social Media”?
- Are you a puppeteer? How do you or how could you use puppets in class?
- How do you or could you use break times in online classes?
- How can you find a good school?
- What makes a good manager?
- What other groups and professional associations do you like? (Are you going to the TESOL-Spain conference?)
… all providing the opportunity to continue to conversations from the previous two weeks, part of the aim to put the Continuous part back into Continuous Professional Development (CPD), to move away from one-off events and into a longer, more reflective process.
Professional associations
Honourable mentions were given to TESOL-Spain, TESOL Arabia, Nile TESOL (the river not the training organisation!), IATEFL, ELT Footprint as well as groups on social media like “TEFL teachers in… Spain/Seville/etc.”
There is some excitement around the availability of online conferences but “they’re so tiring!” Some people liked taking a “podcast” approach, listening to sessions while doing other things meaning cameras and mics off. Other people preferred to be “present”, being active and taking notes.
A good manager is…
… a good listener, patient, calm under pressure, well-organised. Friendly and professional relationships with staff are appreciated and an adult/adult interaction much preferred. A good manager has vision and is a good decision-maker.
Are ex-teachers better managers? In some ways yes, they often understand teachers better but that’s not always the case.
Do managers enjoy their roles? Normally, yes, but during this COVID time, no!
Expectations and entitlement?
We shared a conversation around “traveller teachers” and “teacher entitlement” where teacher expectation was said to be unrealistically high despite a lack of long-term commitment to the school, the profession and even to the students. Other people said that teachers are often barely paid enough to cover their costs and that recently we’re all being asked to work harder and more for the same money (and in some cases less) than before. Wages have changed very little over the last few years. It was acknowledged that the situation is more and more precarious for everyone; for teachers and managers alike and we were left with the question “Is the golden age of TEFL behind us?”
(Note from Simon: This conversation was sensitive, worrying and beautiful all at the same time. I’ve never been in an environment where people from different sectors of the profession have come together as equals with no hierarchy, no sense of “us” and “them” to listen and to talk about these issues with respect. Moving beyond the binary, beyond the black and white to explore shades of grey feels so important. This is perhaps one of the special things about the TEFL Development Hub.)
A race to the bottom?
The conversation continued… there is a feeling that, especially online, there is an upswell of unqualified teachers who need to create an income, this seems to be contributing to falling wages and a decline in the reputation of the sector. This can also be seen in the change in training provision with the traditional Trinity CertTESOL and CELTA courses being challenged by all sorts of cheaper alternatives (often lacking any teaching practice, etc.) Teachers with little experience are being offered work at 10€/hr while more experienced and qualified teachers can command 20/25€/hr, will online companies continue to pay higher rates when they can pay less? Will it just get worse? Is it a “race to the bottom”? Teachers and language schools are all “scared” about these changes. It’s also worth thinking that cheap classes have always been available, the difference now is that they’re on the internet rather than just shared on lampposts. Perhaps when the pandemic passes, there will be less competition. Will people want to go back to the classroom? We need to consider new models of classroom-based, online and blended courses.
Selling our skills online
It is often said that specialisation and finding our niche is what we need to do to be able to differentiate online. We are TEFL professionals and not good at selling ourselves. Do we need a mindshift? Do we need to value ourselves higher?
And what of puppets?
Some wonderful ideas and experiences were shared… puppets writing letters to the group, the need to make puppets seem real (breathing, moving, not just stuck on the end of your hand!), you can make anything a puppet with goggly eyes and online puppetry can give things a whole new twist. A sad story was shared of the early retirement of one puppet due to a nasty case of head lice! Is it time to pick up your puppets again?
This is just a flavour of the conversations. It would be great if those others could add other things that you talked about. There’s something beautiful about the Coffee Breaks, and that’s down to you for coming and participating, let’s share it with everyone.
Thanks for coming, see you soon!