[ELTWeekly Volume 6, Issue 33 | December 28, 2014 | ISSN 0975-3036]

The British Council in partnership with English and Foreign Languages University (EFL-U) Hyderabad will come together again to host the fifth International English Language Teacher Educator Conference (TEC15) in Hyderabad from 27 February – 1 March 2015. The underlying theme of the previous conferences was improved learning outcomes through quality teacher education and teaching. This year, we will focus on ensuring quality in teacher education in the belief that quality in teachers’ learning leads to better learning outcomes for our learners.

The bottom line of teacher education is the quality of teacher performance in terms of its impact on the learner and indirectly on larger social transformation. (National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education 2009/10 p. 4)

The theme will allow a wide-ranging exploration of teacher education in India and beyond, with a focus on quality in both pre-service education and in-service training. Key policy initiatives and documents in India such as the Teacher Education Mission launched in April 2013, the NCFTE (cited above) and the Planning Commission of India’s 12th Five Year Plan highlight issues of quality as fundamental to all aspects of the initial and continuing professional development of teachers, whether it is delivered face to face or online, moderated or self access.  (more…)