From a Teacher to a Trainer

I have been mentored by diverse approved teacher trainers whose roles and professionalism varied exponentially. It is not my place to judge or resent the way they presented themselves or the methodological approach they adopted. I have recently finished the Train-the-Trainer course, and I now can see both the input trainers get as candidates and the output they manifest as in-service practitioners. In this article, I talk about crucial qualities, I believe, a trainer of English language must possess.

The ability to listen

As Jordan Peterson puts it, "Assume the person you are listening to knows something you don't." Trainers' roles are not different from teachers' in the classroom. Just like learners, teachers come in with a plethora of experiences, and different perceptions and beliefs about teaching and learning. Thus, "good" trainers should be those who listen noncritically to what teachers have to say, who offer more space for teachers to speak up, and whose presence in the session is only to support learning and not to pass on and project their agendas.

Continuous development

One of the main reasons I am pursuing this senior role, teacher trainer, is because it imposes a need for constant learning, expanding, researching, and adopting new concepts, even if they sometimes contradict existing ones. English language teaching is a continually changing profession, and hence trainers need to explore different aspects or specialize in one that is specific. Attending seminars, observing and being observed, giving and receiving feedback, carrying out action research, taking up a new context (e.g., ESP, Young Learners, etc.) and designing materials are some examples of development.

Keep teaching

Marie Therese, lead teacher trainer on the Train-the-Trainer course emphasized, "Practice what you preach." She once took a break from teaching learners and when she came back to the classroom, she realized that she had achieved only one-tenth of what she had planned for her lesson. It is way easier to guide teachers to unlock a certain skill or to advise them on a certain approach than to practically do it in a real classroom environment. Trainers need to keep their hands-on work as language teachers in various contexts so they can draw upon their experience in the training session.

Inspire excellence and professionalism

I have come across two teacher trainers as a trainee on two different Cambridge courses. One would always treat everyone with the same amount of respect, and would always start and finish the session on time, and therefore nobody was ever late. This trainer would always show enthusiasm and responsibility for their work and for teaching generally as a profession. The other one was completely the opposite concerning the aforementioned qualities. Bearing in mind the latter was a more experienced and well-known figure in the ELT. The moral of this story is that knowledge and experience don't inspire professionalism, and experience is solely useless.