Cross-pollination in teacher development

Abstract

Cross-pollination in teacher development is an under-researched area partly because of the in-service teacher training model currently in place in a number of educational contexts, including the mainstream school sector in Malta. At the start of the 2014-2015 scholastic year a group of 232 teachers working within the primary and secondary sectors benefited from an in-service course aimed at enhancing their language awareness. All Year III and Forms 3 to 5 English teachers working in state schools in Malta and Gozo participated in this course which was also attended by a number of teachers working in Church schools. The participants in this course numbered 120 primary teachers and 112 secondary teachers. The fact that the course was designed by twelve teacher trainers from the private English Language Teaching (ELT) sector specifically for the needs of mainstream teachers was its foremost innovative aspect due to the crosspollination that ensued. Teachers working in state schools in Malta are obliged to attend a minimum of twelve hours of in-service training every year. This training is either organised by Education Officers (EOs) or by the school itself. The training may focus on subject-related issues or else on other educational priorities. In 2014 there were four EOs responsible for teachers of English at secondary level and one EO responsible for the teaching of English at primary level. One of their main duties consists of organizing annual in-service training for teachers. In the case of primary teachers, training related to the teaching of English cannot occur every year as they might be asked to attend courses organised by the EOs responsible for other subjects.