In a language school, certification of English teachers is an important point for teaching. This is because a certified teacher goes through not only a qualification test, but also preparation to teach.
In Brazil, for reasons that go back to colonization, there is a tendency to believe that everything that comes from abroad has more value. And this also affects language teaching. Many people prefer to take classes with teachers who are native to the country where that language is spoken. Others opt for exchange teachers and, upon returning to Brazil, begin teaching.
Without a doubt, these professionals can be extremely capable. That is not the central issue. The important point is the didactic certification of English teachers. Being a teacher requires more than knowledge of the subject. It is necessary to have methodology and be a knowledge manager.
Therefore, regardless of whether they come from outside Brazil, do an exchange program or graduate here, we believe that teachers must be prepared and qualified for teaching. Next, we point out the importance of didactic certification of English teachers and how it can occur.
The training of English teachers
Language teachers in Brazil come from different places. Some are just immigrants who chose to live in the country and have a native command of a certain language. Others are Brazilians who have had experiences abroad and use them to teach. There are, on the other hand, professionals trained in letters who teach a foreign language.
These are the types of English teachers we have in Brazil. As we pointed out, it is very common to see people opting for native teachers or with foreign experience, without worrying about pedagogical training. This is a fact that even puts us in a bad position before the world when it comes to English proficiency.
The low level of English proficiency in Brazil
According to data from the 2020 EF English Proficiency Index , Brazil occupies the 53rd position in the ranking, behind European countries and some Latin American neighbors such as Argentina. only São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília are in the moderate proficiency range.
Even with thousands of English schools across the country, our low level of proficiency is symptomatic. One of the reasons is precisely the training of teachers. The EF index even pointed out that 12 countries in Latin America improved their English proficiency between 2018 and 2019 quite significantly due to greater investment in teacher training.
Brazil, on the contrary, dropped some positions. We have thousands of schools with teaching methods that are not efficient. There are short courses that promise fluency in English in the short term , but that produce students who do not pass good certifications.
Within the deficiency of methodology, there is the difficulty of schools in carrying out good knowledge management, which directly depends on experienced and qualified teachers for teaching. Once again, the didactic certification of English teachers appears as proof of this qualification.
After all, teachers with certified English proficiency and teaching are up to date and have experience with the age group they teach. They are concerned with adopting the best market practices, seek to improve their own knowledge and develop in terms of methodology.
All this to overcome the issue of poor teacher training in pedagogical practice.
The poor training of teachers
The linguistic-communicative training of a teacher is not always efficient. When it comes to teaching practice, the situation gets even worse. This is because this practice should not only be addressed during courses at the faculties of education, but also in the first years of professional life.
At this point, we see many unassisted teachers in the school environment where they work. Instead of being trained to teach, they are just put in front of classes that, in many cases, are challenging. Once again, the didactic certification of English teachers assumes enormous importance to prepare them for the various possible scenarios in practice.
In addition to this difficulty, we deal with the fact that formal foreign language teaching in Brazil does not always consider what is essential in training.
The gap in important skills
In an ideal scenario, formal teaching in the Literature course should problematize situations that involve academic-scientific, technical, technological, artistic, literary and other dimensions that guide the formative axes of the course programs.
And what would that be for? So that the didactic could talk directly with the connection with the students. Education theorists point out that students learn more when they feel directly touched by the subject at hand. Simply put, there needs to be a sense, an emotional connection for the student to assimilate knowledge.
A good teacher, therefore, does not only dominate the content of his/her area of expertise. It makes sure that content is used and transmitted from the perspective of its recipient.
However, the training of foreign language teachers in Brazil is excessively theoretical or excessively methodological. There is a deficit of practices, reflection and work on these practices.
This is because the good training of a qualified teacher involves a set of skills that are rarely addressed in university courses. Are they:
Professional competence: awareness of the teacher as a formative, professional and political role;
Applied competence: experience of theoretical concepts in the daily life of the classroom;
Linguistic-communicative competence: satisfactory use of the language being taught;
Theoretical competence: knowledge of teaching and learning theories;
Implicit competence: beliefs, intuitions and acquired experiences.
There is even a great concern about the linguistic-communicative competence on the part of newly graduated teachers. Licentiate courses in Letters are able to certify the teacher to act in their native language and in a foreign language. But the workload of subjects related to the vernacular language is much greater than the workload of foreign language, which also contributes to the low proficiency in the English language, for example. This compromises their linguistic-communicative competence in the classroom and beyond. Therefore, the teacher, aware of these deficiencies, must try to remedy it with a linguistic improvement , a continuing education. It is in this context that the didactic certification of English teachers appears. After all, even though there is the teacher's desire to transmit knowledge of the foreign language, there is no knowledge to transmit it, an effective way that helps the student to understand. The books, theses and authors studied are not organized in a coherent practice, at the same time that he does not feel secure enough to use the language. The importance of didactic certification of English teachers Proficiency and pedagogical practice are two sides of the same learning coin. A teacher can be an expert English speaker, as is the case with native speakers. However, if he does not manage to overcome the barrier of theory and practice, it is no use. In the same way, a professional can be endowed with great theoretical knowledge, but it will not help if he cannot transmit this knowledge. This is why the didactic certification of English teachers becomes so important. Through them, the professional prepares to unite mastery of the language and new technologies with didactic updating and teamwork. Possible certifications for English teachers Now that we've seen the importance of certifications for English teachers, we can approach them in a more individualized way. Initially, it is necessary to highlight that each professional has a profile and an objective. Certifications are tools that validate knowledge about language proficiency, teaching skills and mastery of teaching techniques. Since the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) was established, international validation certificates have been available. This means that a certified teacher in Brazil can use their certification in other countries. For example, people who intend to study at European universities, which require certification in English, must take the Toefl (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the Ielts (International English Language Testing System). The University of Cambridge, through Cambridge English, has several proficiency tests, such as the Key English Test, Preliminary English Test, First English Certificate, Certificate of Advanced English and Certificate of Proficiency in English. These exams validate a person's linguistic quality in accordance with the Common European Framework. But what are the possible certifications for English teachers? Does a professional who teaches to children need a different certification than a translator? Certainly, they will have different paths of qualification, but they require validations that privilege linguistic aspects, which gives them good quality of use and knowledge of the language. For this reason, the didactic certification of English teachers must also be seen as an investment in their professional quality. Below are possible certifications for English teachers. CAE CAE or Cambridge Advanced English is a didactic certification for English teachers that validates the advanced level of language competence. A course that prepares the professional for this certification enables the teacher, whether from the regular teaching network or from language schools, to develop the skills required for the exam, which are communication and listening, writing and reading . For greater assertiveness, this preparation involves practical strategies that can be used at the time of the exam, in addition to exam simulations on real assessment conditions to analyze your performance. This didactic certification of English teachers is aimed at those who aim at professional development, in addition to having an international certification of lifelong language competence. TKT The TKT (Teaching Knowledge Test) is a didactic certification for English teachers ideal for those who want to test their knowledge of teaching English. The preparatory course is divided into modules that focus on different aspects. In practice, each module covers a specific area of English language teaching. That is, each semester of the course the student receives a Cambridge English certificate, in addition to preparing for the TKT certification. With expository and practical classes, students find it easier to assimilate theoretical content and have the chance to apply all knowledge in practice. The methodology of the preparatory courses for the TKT certification also involves exam simulations with real assessment conditions to analyze the student's performance. This didactic certification of English teachers, whether from the regular teaching network or from language schools, is also lifelong and contributes to professional development. It is also aimed at the general public, interested people who intend to become English teachers. Other certifications There are other teaching certifications for English teachers at Cambridge English that are aimed at diverse audiences. The CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), for example, is interesting for recent graduates, for teachers who want to have a formal qualification or change careers. If the practitioner has little or no prior teaching experience, this is an interesting certification. The DELTA (Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) combines theory and practice in the knowledge of English and is suitable for more experienced teachers. It is one of the advanced TEFL/TESOL qualifications and can be taken at any career stage to update teaching knowledge and improve teaching practice. The didactic certification of English teachers is a necessary path for those who want to enter the market safely. At the British Center , our aim is to make our students reach levels C1 or C2 of English proficiency (advanced levels). And, for that, we need sufficiently qualified professionals, with at least level C1 of proficiency. However, we know that the didactic certification of English teachers is essential to go beyond proficiency. For this reason, we offer preparatory courses for CAE and TKT, preparing those interested in teaching English to obtain lifetime certifications recognized worldwide. For us, qualified teaching depends on the combination of factors such as an innovative teaching method and experienced and qualified teachers. This is exactly how we guide our professionals and our students to excellence in English and to the select group of 4% of Brazilians who speak English .
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