In the 21st Century, a broad range of skills and knowledge are required by learners and teachers to survive in a competitive society. This brings rapid development and changes within teaching and learning systems across the world and in China.
In China, reforms in curriculum, teaching and assessment demand an upgrading of teachers’ practical skills in the classroom to better enable the learning process and outcomes. In order to achieve this, teacher training programmes have been planned at different levels, e.g. national, provincial, municipal, district and school levels, to allow teachers opportunities for professional development. However, what kind of teacher training planning or teacher development systems address the real needs of teachers? Do we have an effective continuing professional development (CPD) framework in place to guide the planning of teachers’ professional development initiatives? How do we measure the success and impact of teacher development initiatives? Do we get value for money? Can teacher training really impact learner outcomes? And what role can technology play in supporting CPD initiatives?
With these questions in mind, the British Council and the Ministry of Education in China will be co-organising a CPD training programme for in-service teacher education planners, decision makers in the education authorities and key professional players in teacher development. The purpose of this symposium is to provide an opportunity for key stakeholders to share their challenges and possible solutions in relation to teacher development in China, and agree shared principles for effective in-service teacher development.
- Education agenda, needs and challenges of teacher development in China
- CPD frameworks and their importance to teacher development
- How CPD informs and guides teacher development, and case studies
- Evidencing the impact of outcomes and the impact of successful CPDs
Whilst the subject focus will be on English, it is our aim that many of the sessions will have a broader application to a more general CPD for all teachers.
By sharing and discussing our experiences, our aim is to better inform the decisions and planning of teacher development initiatives in China in order to better support the government educational reform agenda.