A Study of Teachers" Feedback on a Primary English Teacher Training Program

A Study of Teachers" Feedback on a Primary English Teacher Training Program

  The conceptualization of teacher education should be expanded from a narrowly-based training or educational model towards a broader developmental approach. In this study, a three-stage teacher education session was designed and administered to 30 Korean primary English in-service teachers with a focus on teaching English pronunciation and learning styles in language learning and teaching. The session attempted to help trainees engage in the process of professional development through reflection on their beliefs and teaching practices, provide them with a knowledge base, and increase their abilities to link theory with practice. In this session, reflective practices and loop input techniques, along with other process options, were adopted in order that they would help attain the aims of this study and meet the needs of primary English teachers in Korea Although there were aspects that needed improvement, the trainees" feedback gathered through a questionnaire showed that the three-stage session was effective. The awareness-raising stage helped trainees revisit and reframe their existing beliefs in language learning and teaching. The theoretical background stage provided them with the knowledge and skills on which they build their teaching practices. The learning-by-doing stage helped trainees enhance their abilities to interpret theory and apply it in their teaching practices. Implications for teacher education are suggested based on the findings of this study.