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Aslı Saglam's Blog about CPD in ELT

INSET; Imagining Never-ending Support for Education of Teachers

March8

I hope that you liked my explanantation for what INSET stands for :))

In my mind I have a metaphor for in-service training (INSET) which is that of a beehive. I think that a beehive represents the benefits and rewards that could be associated with an effective INSET such as working together towadrs and aim cooperatively. In the end there is honey…

But also there are some points to consider in order to have the optimum conditions for a group to share common goals and walk towards the same direction. Therefore in my mind INSET has the picture of a beehive.

Definitions of INSET

There are various focus points when scholars provide definition of in-service training (INSET) courses. Cited in Bayrakci (2009),
Locke defined INSET as continuum of the teacher’s education upon receiving their certification, highlighting the life-long learning aspect of teacher training (p.10). Cimer et. al (2010) reported Bolam’s definition which perceived  INSET as a series of training
activities that engage secondary and primary school teachers and principals, and these professional endeavours are intended to further their professional knowledge, skills and attitudes in order to provide children with more effective instruction. Also INSET is commonly perceived as teacher training which aims to bridge discrepancy between theory and practice as well as operationalizing
the curricular innovations.

Professional development and INSET

After pre-service training, many teachers feel the need for further training because teacher knowledge is multi-faceted demanding life-long
learning and pre-service training is often inappropriate to provide the teachers with real-life skills in the class. Keiny (1994, In Simsek 2007, p.32) defined professional development as “a process of professional growth” and claimed that professional development requires teachers to examine their practice in order to build their own theories of teaching. Simsek (2007) cited the following to stress this continuum:

“Lange (1990, p. 253) states that teacher development is a term used in the literature to describe a process of continual, intellectual,
experiential, and attitudinal growth of teachers. This growth is caused by the pre-service and in-service programs teachers attend. However, development is when teachers continue to evolve in the use, adaptation of their art and craft.
It is the continuance of that evolution that teacher education programs seek but rarely establish” (Simsek 2007, p. 32).

Knowledge for Teachers vs. Teacher Knowledge

Connelly and Clandinin (2000, In Simsek 2007) make a distinction between knowledge for teachers and teacher knowledge. “The
teachable knowledge is labelled ‘‘knowledge for teachers’’ and can be identified, put into a curriculum, taught so that it becomes an inherent
characteristics of the teacher, and may be tested”(p.32). As teachers gain experience in the profession this kind of knowledge merges with teachers’ self-perception and their personal practical knowledge. Simsek (2007) equates this transformed knowledge, teacher’s personal practical knowledge, ‘‘teacher knowledge’’.

Why is INSET important?

According to Cimer et. al (2010, p. 31) “teachers are provided with the knowledge and skills required for teaching in schools during their pre-service education. However, there is no pre-service education or training programme that can offer a codified body of knowledge or recipe to warrant success during the teaching career in different contexts. Therefore, in order for teachers to accommodate changes and innovations and to keep informed about developments in education, they need to be educated during their career too”.  In this sense, in-service training (INSET)
courses are of vital importance not only in catering for gap in teachers’ knowledge but also in introducing changes and innovations to teachers and facilitating change.

Do you have INSET courses at your institutions? If not, what could teachers-US- do to support development? How?

Would you agree that INSETs benefit us in terms of professional development? Which conditions are necessary for optimum environment that is conducive to learning? It would be great to hear different voices.

 

 I hope that you share your experience… 🙂

 

 

References

Cimer, S., Cakir, I. And Cimer, A. (2010) Teachers’ views on the effectiveness of in-service courses on the new curriculum in Turkey
European Journal of Teacher Education, 33 (1), 31–41.

Bayrakcı, M. (2009). In-Service Teacher Training in Japan and Turkey: A comparative Analysis of Institutions and Practices. Australian
Journal of Teacher Education, 34(1), 10-21

Simşek, H. , Yıldırım, A. (2001). The Reform of Pre-service Teacher Education in Turkey.”Challenge and Change in the Euro-Mediterranean Region: Case Studies inEducational Innovation”, 411-432

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