Reflection+on+IATEFL2012+GLASGOW+by+Emine+Düzövüt

 The conference session that I watched on IATEFL 2012 GLASGOW was “How to move from being a teacher to becoming a teacher trainer” by Silvana Richardson. The topic attracted my attention because it is a big challenge to go from being a teacher to a teacher trainer and I wondered her explanations, findings and ideas related to it. Mrs. Richardson starts her presentation by giving general information about the topic. The session aims to explain that this process is not just a matter of linguistic preference since it both reflects and constructs understandings about how we perceive those roles. According to her, progression routes can be different in different regions or sectors. I am totally agreed with her at that point since there are local progression route(s).  I really liked her quotes and the idea lying behind them. For example, she indicates that being a good teacher is a necessary but not sufficient condition for becoming a teacher trainer. When we come to that point, it is visible that there is a consensus in the field and the Trainer Training literature. For that reason it is very important to provide evidence of upskilling. As well as upskilling, suitability for the role and different skills are also significant, because for instance, not all very good or even outstanding teachers are suitable for a career in teacher training. There are some different and needed skills that teachers need to develop. Successful teachers are not capable of making the transition of training. Just as good linguist or native speaker of a language is not necessarily a good teacher of the language, a good language teacher may not be able to transcend the boundaries of her own classroom in order to perceive the wider issues which are involved in the professional preparation and development of teachers (Wright and Bolitho, 2007). According to Mrs. Richardson one of the most difficult challenges that teacher of teachers-in-training face is this change of professional activity, to stop thinking of themselves as teachers of EFL learners and to start thinking as teacher of teachers. In order to prevent this, they need to diagnose learning needs, plan schemes of work, select, adapt and design materials and resources and finally use approaches, techniques and strategies to facilitate. Here comes the crucial question: How can I find out if I'm ready to become a trainer? At that point, getting honest feedback from your line-manager and the experienced people around you may give the most helpful answer to this question.  As a result, I really enjoyed the presentation because it appeals to eye and includes quotations those are very nice. Also the information is very useful and applicable to different levels in Turkey.  REFERENCE Richardson, S. (n.d). How to move from being a teacher to becoming a teacher trainer. The 45th Annual International IATEFL Conference & Exhibition. Retrieved from: http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2012/sessions/2012-03-22/how-move-being-teacher-becoming-teacher-trainer