International Teacher Education Conference 2014 1

International Teacher Education Conference 2014
Even though they acknowledge the importance of the training, 25% of the participants admit missing some of
the training sessions of the 2011 program. When asked for the reasons, 75% asserted that the content did not
meet their professional needs and that they did not find the trainers to be skilled enough. Interestingly enough,
87.5% say they have not benefited from the program and 12.5% have a mitigated feeling. In fact, no participant
asserted that they have benefited from the program. One participant reflecting on why s/he did not think s/he
benefited from the program noted:
[The training program was too general in some cases, and in others too specific dealing only with a
couple of disciplines. In addition, the trainers did not show a lot of interest in what they were delivering
which made their sessions boring.]
In fact, 66.67% admit that the available training programs did not fulfill their professional and personal
development needs. 66.67% find that their institution did not offer quality-training programs, and did not bring
specialists in teacher training, pedagogy and communication. Interestingly, 100% of the participants admit that
even though they were quite satisfied with their performance as teachers, they still thought they needed some
improvement. Thus, it is clear that despite the fact that they were intrinsically motivated, all of the participants
were quite dissatisfied with the available teacher-training programs.
One of the most recurrent motifs of the trainees’ dissatisfaction with the teacher training programs they
attended was the fact that the content did not fulfill their needs. Actually, 72.22% did not think that their
respective institutions conducted a needsanalysis study beforeimplementing the training program. As a matter
of fact, the second part of the questionnaire was specifically designed to address the trainees’ teacher-training
needs. The latter were divided into two major parts. The first addressed the topics and areas they needed to see
more present in the training program. 72.22% of the participants considered teaching methodology as their most
needed topic to be covered (4 to 5 on a Likert scale). Likewise, 62.21% expressed a high interest in developing
communication skills, whereas 55.56% of the participants thought that research methodology were what they
needed to see the most in the training program. Finally, 50% of the participants chose syllabus design and
conducting students needs analysis as their most important areas for further development.
The second part is divided into six different sections according to major teaching core competences (SPAN
Consultants, 2013). In each section, the participants were asked to assess the importance of a number of
competences for teaching and other school related activities of teachers and their corresponding level of need for
improvement. The first section addressed the core competence of “facilitating learner-centered innovative
learning and work.” 75% thought that providing learning experiences that promote problem solving, critical
thinking, inquiry and creativity was of the highest importance and 58.33% expressed a high level of need for
improvement in that area. 58.33% thought that fostering the development of independence in student learning
was of the highest importance and 50% expressed a high level of need in that area.
Table 1: Core Competence 1: Facilitating Learner-Centered Innovative Learning and Work
IMPORTANCE
NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT
0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3
Develop student learning independence 0% 0% 41.67% 58.33% 0% 8.33% 41.67% 50%
Promote problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry
and creativity
0% 0% 25% 75% 0% 8.33% 33.33% 58.33%
Create opportunities for students collaborative work 0% 0% 75% 25% 0% 16.67% 66.67% 16.67%
Make use of ICT and audio-visuals 0% 25% 41.67% 33.33% 0% 8.33% 66.67% 25%
Clearly define and present the aim of the lesson 0% 8.33% 41.67% 50% 8.33% 25% 50% 16.67%
Identify and respond to students learning needs 0% 8.33% 58.33% 33.33% 0% 16.67% 66.67% 16.67%
Develop and implement a program that targets
students needs
Evaluate work strategies used to address specific
students learning needs
0% 16.67% 33.33% 50% 0% 16.67% 50% 33.33%
0% 33.33% 25% 41.67% 8.33% 25% 16.67% 50%
The second section addressed the core competence of “assessing and monitoring learning processes and
outcomes.” 58.33% of the participants thought that sharing knowledge and experience of using exemplary
assessment strategies with colleagues was of the highest importance and 41.67% expressed a high level of need
for improvement in that area. 58.33% declared that formulating learning outcomes, collecting a range of
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