English classes typically present teachers with learners who are different from each other in many ways and this applies equally to classes of teachers on trainer training courses. We will consider using the principles of learner differentiation to make our trainer training courses more accessible and relevant to present and potential teacher trainers with different experience, knowledge, skills and needs.

1. Briony Beaven brionybeaven1@t-online.de
54th IATEFL International Conference 2021
 ‘
1

2. What areas of professional
development are you most interested
in?
Anything new for me - I am a good
learner
Designing in-service training for
different institutions
Meeting colleagues
I am interested in all aspects of
teacher training
2

3. 3
Trainer trainers
Teacher trainers – as
learners
Teachers
Learners

4. Differentiation is an organized, yet flexible way
of proactively adjusting teaching and learning
methods to accommodate each teacher trainer’s
learning needs and preferences to achieve
maximum growth as a learner.
Adapted from Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of
all learners. New Jersey: Pearson Education.
4

5. Edward Hicks, The Peaceable Kingdom, c. 1833, Oil on canvas. Worcester Art Museum (USA: MA)
Learner differentiation in trainer training: Why do it?
5

6. 6
1 Differentiation needs and wishes as shown in a survey of
teacher trainers
2 Differentiation in practice – ideas for how to meet the
varied needs of teacher trainers on trainer training courses

7. Two weeks for your own training needs, with pay,
in one block, or broken up into other units of time
7

8. 8
What kind of training
needs emerged?
Practical
Cognitive
Interactive
Affective

9. 9
PRACTICAL Learning from observation
of peers - teacher trainers or trainer
trainers 7
PRACTICAL Digital skills training for
research and to use in training 7
PRACTICAL Technical or micro-skills
training for planning and running
different training courses 9
Practical
training needs

10. 10
COGNITIVE TRAINING NEEDS
Learning from or about
academic research 6
INTERACTIVE TRAINING
NEEDS Emphasis on
international peer
interaction 7
AFFECTIVE TRAINING NEEDS
Psychological matters
such as coaching for teachers, giving
negative feedback, ‘awkward’
participants, mindfulness 4

11. Range of wishes and
needs unsurprising
Teacher trainers
arrive at their
perceived training
needs according to
contextual
understanding and
experiential
knowledge built up
during their years of
working as teacher
educators.
11

12. “The notion of job complexity is one that
emerged constantly from their stories. ..... Their
jobs were a complex mix of the pedagogical,
pastoral, scholarly, interpersonal, managerial,
administrative, advisory and consultative.
Moreover, they often had to operate across
these quite different roles at the same time.”
Davey.R. 2013. The Professional Identity of Teacher
Educators: Career on the cusp?
12

13. Needs Roles
Teacher trainers have
practical, cognitive,
interactive and affective
training needs
The same people may be:
Teacher trainers
Teachers
Administrators
Managers
Methodology experts
Mentors
Consultants
13

14. This will necessarily involve differentiation
in the training, which requires flexibility
and attention to teacher trainers’ needs
and wishes.
We need to base training for teacher
educators on authentic situations that
arise in their training rooms or in their
other work with teachers.
Bayar 2014
Two key principles
My needs are related to real
training room situations.
That is why when
professional development
activities are conducted
based on real life situations,
we can talk about effective
professional development
activities.
14

15. How?
Trainer trainers can differentiate
through …
Outcome Affect
Learning
environment
Content Process
15
Concept map based on one from Differentiation Central, University of Virginia

16. And they can differentiate according to teacher
trainers’…
Interests Learning preferences
Professional
knowledge
landscapes
16
Concept map based on one from Differentiation Central, University of Virginia

17. Activities for individual teacher trainers
Shadowing
Mentoring
Observing
Peer coaching (technical or collegial)
International visits
17

18. Critical incident 1 3 4 6 7 8
Relate a story about a training experience:
• What did the actions reveal about me?
• What would you have done instead?
• How did my actions reflect what you know
about me?
18
Differentiation through
1. Content
2. Process
3. Outcome
4. Affect
5. Learning
environment
6. Interest
7. Learning preferences
8. Professional
knowledge
landscapes
Identity
Voice
Community

19. 19
Critical incident
In a recent trainer training course I ran a session on mentoring with a two-
person role play; harassed, busy mentor and tricky mentee. There were ten
participants, including three who did not fit in well as their English was very
weak. I knew these three would struggle to understand the role-play so I set
up pre-role-play preparation groups, all mentors together and all mentees.
The groups read their role description and clarified to each other the
situation and problem. Then the participants left their groups, joined a
person with the other role and acted out the situation. Nevertheless, one of
the more capable participants complained in her end-of-course feedback
that this role-play had been a waste of time for her, since her partner could
not adequately take part, owing to his low level of English. Should I accept
that if administrative requirements created such a group my options were
limited? Or could I have organised the session differently to make it more
fruitful for all participants?
In this situation, what would you do and why?
What values would lead to your decision?

20. Arrows 1 3 4 8
20
Differentiation through
1. Content
2. Process
3. Outcome
4. Affect
5. Learning
environment
6. Interest
7. Learning preferences
8. Professional
knowledge
landscapes
Particular
characteristic
of one teacher
Teacher training
course goal (for all)
Will have learned
to generate
self-designed
instructional
practices.
Interested only in tips
and ready-to-use
materials.
Goal strategy?
Goal
strategy?
Based on an idea for initial teacher training
In Korthagen, F. Linking Practice and Theory.
Teacher trainer works
on profile of teacher
they work with
Teacher trainer works
with typical goal on
their courses
Goal strategy?

21. Peer re-teaching in mixed experience groups 3 4 5 6 8
1. Make groups of three.
2. Collaborate to re-teach each other the key points in a workshop so
far. Produce one short summary. All three should have the
summary in head or on paper.
3. Assign roles A, B, C to group members.
4. Leave group and find ONE person with the same letter as
you. Share summaries. Choose the more accurate one.
5. Plenary. What are the benefits of this approach to information
input?
21

22. Articulation by trainers of practical
theory or ‘maxims’ 1 2 6 8
Planning workshops/courses
for own context 1 3 5 6 8
Role play 1 2 3 7 8
22
Differentiation through
1. Content
2. Process
3. Outcome
4. Affect
5. Learning
environment
6. Interest
7. Learning preferences
8. Professional
knowledge
landscapes

23. ‘Folk’ stories 3 4 6 7
1. Listen to the story.
2. Think how you might use the
story in trainer training or
teacher training.
This story can be used to challenge habits
and to question procedures, or to challenge
assumptions and belief systems.
23
Differentiation through
1. Content
2. Process
3. Outcome
4. Affect
5. Learning
environment
6. Interest
7. Learning preferences
8. Professional
knowledge
landscapes

24. Space Time
24

25. 25
And so to a
minimalist idea for
the development of
teacher trainers in a
trainer training
course …

26. “When done well it can be ‘close to nothing’. This
means thinking like an artist and paying attention
to the ‘negative space’ which lies in between and
around the main elements. …. The rhythm and
cadence of the whole is shaped by the relationship
between sessions and spaces. Content plays a
role, but it is not the most important thing.”
Poynton, R. 2019. Do Pause: You are not a to-do list. p.61.
(RP is a fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford University)
26

27.  Establish long pauses
 Consider a ‘no new content’
day
 Defend the boundaries of
empty space
27

28. 28
Critical incident Arrows
Articulation by
trainers of practical
theory or ‘maxims’
Planning
workshops/courses
for own context
Role play Peer-reteaching ‘Folk’ stories
Minimalism: Empty
space and time

29. Bayar, A. 2014. ‘The components of effective professional development activities
in terms of teachers’ perspective’. International Online Journal of Educational
Sciences. 6/2: 319-27.
Clandinin, D.J. & Connolly. F.M. 1995. Teachers’ Professional Knowledge
Landscapes. Teachers College Press: New York.
Clark, C.M. 2001. Talking Shop. Teachers College Press: New York.
Davey, R. 2013. The Professional Identity of Teacher Educators. Career on the
cusp? Abingdon: Routledge.
Johnson, K.E. 2009. Second Language Teacher Education: A Sociocultural
Perspective. Routledge: Abingdon.
Korthagen, F. 2008. Linking Practice and Theory: The Pedagogy of Realistic
Teacher Education. Routledge: Abingdon.
Poynton, R. 2019. Do Pause: You are not a to-do list. Works in Progress Publishing
Ltd: London
Tomlinson, C. A. 1999. The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of
all learners. New Jersey: Pearson Education.
http://differentiationcentral.com/ Differentiation Central, University of Virginia.
Accessed 14/05/2021.
29

30. Briony Beaven brionybeaven1@t-online.de
54th IATEFL International Conference 2021
 ‘
30
Thank you . Have a good
conference!