Malderez uses props to tell a story when delivering her keynote speech.
KUCHING: British Council’s English Language Teacher Development Project (ELTDP) has brought change to the teaching of English in Sarawak beyond professional development.
“It is not just teaching styles that have changed but the people too have changed. Communities and lives have changed as a result,” State Education Department director Serina Sauni said during the opening ceremony of ELTDP 2015 symposium at Hilton Hotel here recently.
Under the theme ‘Keeping it going: Sustaining professional growth’, the three-day symposium that kicked off yesterday is being run by British Council in partnership with the Ministry of Education (MOE).
The ELTDP forms part of the MOE’s Project Penutur Jati Bahasa Inggeris under the 10th Malaysian Plan.
The ELTDP employs 120 highly trained English Language mentors across Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan, working in 600 schools and with 2,000 teachers. The project involves one-to-one mentoring to help teachers explore and reflect on their own professional practice and develop their own approaches in teaching English.
Each mentor works in a sub-cluster of five schools, usually a mixture of both Malay and Chinese primary schools throughout East Malaysia including Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Sibu, Kapit and Beluran.
In ELTDP’s first phase which began in January 2011 until September 2013, the project focused on encouraging Malaysian teachers to develop their own reflective practice and enable them to take ownership of their professional development.
The project was then extended a further two years until September this year, with the second phase focused on sustaining that professional growth.
“We know that ELTDP is going to end soon. But we will try our best to make sure it will stay after September. No promises but we will try our best,” Serina said.
The symposium which includes talks and workshop gathers more than 300 Malaysian teachers and education officers, as well as British Council mentors and managers.
Delivering the first keynote speech was Dr Angi Malderez, an Honorary Senior Fellow of the University of Leeds and an independent education consultant who enlightened the audience on how to keep going without the availability of mentorship.
She spoke about why and how keeping the momentum going in teaching can benefit not only their students but teachers too in both professional and personal aspects.
According to Malderez, peer support groups was one of the ways to create conditions for teacher learning when a mentor has moved on.
“You need willingness and abilities to learn from one’s own and other experiences through peer support groups. And you need space and support to do so.”
Malderez emphasised: “Keep learning together because that will motivate you to keep on going as teachers.”
Other renowned education consultants invited to speak were Jim Scrivener and Jamie Keddie.