My Background
I am a co-Director of TransformELT, which I set up in 2017 together with Sarah Mount and Alan Mackenzie. I have worked as a teacher trainer in Canada, Germany, Italy, Russia and Spain, and as a trainer trainer in Algeria. I am a co-author of a number of coursebooks, including The TKT Course. I have published widely, including in ELT Journal, Modern English Teacher and British Studies Now; and in 2015, two chapters in Assessing Language Teachers’ Professional Skills and Knowledge.
Why Globe?
Why did you decide to become a Globe PLC mentor?
I welcomed the opportunity to animate a forum in which practitioners can enjoy the free flow of ideas and benefit from each other’s experience. Professional Learning Communities exist in many different fields and are not a new idea. But Globe has built into it a purposeful action orientation, which I think could be very productive.
What can people expect from the Training Processes PLC?
The chance to develop a shared toolkit of process options for teacher training. Training that is memorable and embeds itself in teachers’ practice often works as much because of the ‘how’ as the ‘what’. Members of this PLC, whether they are experienced or novice trainers, will be exposed to a variety of creative and innovative approaches to training, and will have the chance to expand their training repertoires.
Why would you encourage people to join Globe?
I see Globe as a chance to engage in professional dialogue with fellow practitioners, to share ideas and experiences, and learn from each other. That may be as far as it goes, but Globe PLCs also offer the potential for something more tangible to evolve, which could be anything from an article or conference presentation to a course or a resource book for trainers.
