Design of Teacher Training Programs - Week 3 - Models for Course Design

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 3 of the course Design and Evaluation of Teacher Training Programs and Workshops for the Master's in English Teaching at ULACIT Term IIIC 2023. In this class we will do everal activities to explore different models for course design to see what they have in common, discuss the benefits of taking a systems approach to course design, review the guidelines for your needs and context analysis assignment, and discuss the benefits and challenges of peer and self-observation as professional development strategies.

Today's Goals:

• T: Compare and contrast several classic models for curriculum design.
• T: Discuss the benefits of taking a systems approach to training program design.
• T: Review and clarify the instructions for the Training Needs Analysis Task.
• PD: Share and compare your takeway tip from the chapter "Find out how you teach"

Guiding Questions:

• T: How can curriculum design models inform our approach ot training?
• T: What is a systems approach to course design and why should I follow it when developing teacher training courses?
• PD: How can I find out how I teach?

Task 1: Things that I used to do

CLICK HERE to access the document. Think about your years of teaching experience. What specific examples can you give for each of the following categories?

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• How have your attitudes, beliefs, practices and habits related to teaching changed over the years?
• What drove those changes? Where any of the changes made consciously? If so, what prompted them?
• How might you become more aware of your ongoing growth and change as a professional?

Task 2: Sharing your PD Journal

Last week you read the section "Find out how you teach" in the Richards (2017) book and you selected at least one PD tip to react to. Let's take a moment to share and compare.

• Use lesson reports to monitor your teaching
• Watch or listen to yourself teaching
• Observe each other teaching
• Keep a portfolio
• Keep a journal

Task 3: What is Curriculum?

This is a course on teacher training, not curriculum. However, designing effective training programs requires us to think beyond the limits of a single workshop and consider the design of an overarching structure that our workshops and other learning experiences are a part of. Discuss the following questions with your teacher and classmates.

• Think of a coures that you took as a student (at any level) that you consider to be effective. 
• What made it effective?
• How was the course structured?
• What kinds of tasks were you required to do?
• How did they contribute to your learning?
• Think of a course that you have taken (or taught) that you did not consider to be effective? What structural changes could be made to improve it?
• As teachers we are much more familiar with designing learning experiences at the lesson level. What do we need to consider in order to begin designing courses?

Task 4: Comparing Course Design Models

The following course design models were referenced by Graves (2000) in Chapter 1 "A Systems Approach to Course Design." Briefly look at each one and describe your interpretations. You do not have to be an expert to comment on this.

• What do you think the different stages mean? 
• How are the models similar and different?

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• What does the Graves model have that is also present in the other models?
• What is different about the Graves model?

Task 5: Your Reading Takeaways

Share your takeaways from this reading response task. If you completed the study guide, you should be able to provide intelligent answers to the following questions.

• Designing a course involves ________. 
• What are the elements of course development?
• What is a systems approach?
• How does it help explain the process of course development?
• What strengths does a systems approach have over linear models of curriculum development?
• Why is designing a training course a work in progress?

Task 6: Instructions for Needs and Context Analysis

CLICK HERE to review the guidelines document for your upcoming assignment. 

• Who are your group members?
• What educational institution are you planning to work with?
• What specific focus have you thought of giving your training course proposal?
• What kind of information do you think you will need to gather to adequately consider the needs and context?

References: 

Graves, K. (2000). Designing Language Courses: A Guide for Teachers. National Geographic Learning.

Richards, J. (2017). Jack C. Richards' 50 Tips for Teacher Development. Cambridge University Press.