Designing and Implementing an In-service Teacher Training Program for English Teachers

While there exists a richness of the debate about English language teaching practices, English teacher training practices have received relatively little attention. This article is an attempt to develop a framework for a non-residential in-service teacher training program and investigate successes and failures that have occurred in each phase of implementing the program. It stems from work done in 2007, on developing and implementing a curriculum and series of courses and activities as part of a non-residential in-service teacher training program. This article first discusses the rationale for and the make-up of the core component of the program, which is designed to serve two overarching purposes: (1) improving in-service English teachers’ English proficiency and (2) developing their teaching skills. The article then presents an outline of the procedures involved in the program design and implementation, discussing the main features of the program, together with an account of the trails and tribulations involved in each phase of program development. Finally, general conclusions about effective teacher training are drawn.