Portfolio Final

Introduction
Do professional teachers need training? Should they refresh what they have already imbibed? Is it mere a
wastage of time to train the literati? We can’t deny the fact that teachers are the most learned people of a
society. They play a vital role in the development of a country. They are like candles that burn themselves
but provide light to others. However, their professional training is very necessary. If they don’t recapitulate
their professional knowledge, they definitely will forget what they have learned. Someone has aptly said,
“Stagnant waters get filthy.” Professional Development Committee in the English language Centre Ibra
College of Technology works very hard to provide maximum training facilities to its teachers. The
Committee in the ELC works zealously under the auspices of Mr Basim Al Mushafri – the Head of English
Language. The committee searches for the presenters like a beach comber to keep the teachers abreast with
the new pedagogical techniques and methodologies for the better understanding of the students. The
members of Professional Development Committee work beyond the call of their duty to provide the teachers
with training facilities. Its aim is to identify the specific training needs of the staff in the Center based on the
staff and students’ feedback, staff appraisals report and need analysis surveys. The committee also suggests
ways to fulfil the identified needs (topics/themes/sharing good practices for workshops, seminars,
symposiums, conferences etc. It finds out the ways to establish relationship with other educational providers,
colleges of technology and universities etc. in Oman. The committee works under certain process and
follows a specified track which is as under:
Selection of Topics
Topics for the presentations are selected in two ways; identified areas of improvement based on Staff Appraisal and
Training Needs Analysis Survey. Staff Appraisal is the need of the English Language Centre and Training Needs
Analysis Survey is the need of the teachers working in the ELC. During the Staff Appraisal, the topics are selected
from different sources. They are as under:
a) Students' Feedback on Teaching
b) Students' Feedback on Advising
c) Lesson Evaluation