1. wa.amu.edu.pl A DAM M ICKIEWICZ U NIVERSITY IN P OZNAŃ Faculty of English EFL Teacher Training in Poland: Policies and Practices Weronika Tratkiewicz Mateusz Szmelter

2. wa.amu.edu.pl A DAM M ICKIEWICZ U NIVERSITY IN P OZNAŃ Faculty of English In Poland there are a few ways in which a student can become an English language teacher. A necessity is a diploma with a completed pedagogical course, which itself can be obtained in a number of institutions:

3. wa.amu.edu.pl A DAM M ICKIEWICZ U NIVERSITY IN P OZNAŃ Faculty of English Public Universities- ending with either Bachelor or Master degree granting rights to teach respectively in primary school and junior high as well as high school. Fee is not required as those are financed from the public sector. Postgraduate studies- only for university graduates who lack pedagogical qualifications necessary to become a teacher. Extramural studies- are not financed from the public sector. Extramural studies are paid and the classes are every two weeks (on the weekends). College- those are not strictly universities but rather private schools offering a wide range of subjects and courses. End with obtaining a diploma identical to the one offered by public universities. A fee is required.

4. wa.amu.edu.pl A DAM M ICKIEWICZ U NIVERSITY IN P OZNAŃ Faculty of English

5. 5 The main documents The ordinances issued by the Ministry of National Education (12.03.2009) The ordinances issued by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (17.01.2012) The resolution of the Faculty Council of the Faculty of English (19.04.2013) The bill Law of Higher Education from 27.07.2005.

6. 6 General group of teachers, The ordinances issued by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education The ordinances issued by the Ministry of National Education English teachers The resolution of the Faculty Council of the Faculty of English Division

7. 7 Requirements To complete 3 educational modules: University course on a subject that is to be taught by the student – the fulfilment of the learning outcomes for a particular course; Psychological & Pedagogical: – human’s development and its details at a particular level, pedagogical difficulties, communication, social skills, cooperation with students and parents; Didactic: – teacher’s and student’s roles, learning difficulties, planning a lesson, classroom management, receptive skills and productive skills, testing and assessment

8. 8 The teaching practice [aims in general] The students are to become acquainted with the totality of the EFL teacher at a corresponding educational level The acquirement of the basic skills concerning: – methods and techniques in teaching English as a Foreign language; – planning and executing those plans; – choosing and selecting the proper lesson materials; – developing the reflectional attitude towards student’s work with reference to both didactic and pedagogical roles

9. 9 Teaching practice - organization Overall : 150 hours divided into 2 parts: psychological-pedagogical practice (30 hours) and didactic practice (120 hours). Aims: To become acquainted with the functioning of the school, especially with the work organization and the performed tasks, and observing organized and spontaneous activities of formal and informal groups (including special needs students), group dynamics, the behaviours and attitudes of children, the processes of interpersonal and social communication. Trainees cooperate with the mentor, conducting classes and serving as caretakers-educators

10. 10 Tasks: Lesson observations with reports, Planning and conducting lessons, followed by self-assessment and reflection, Conducting extracurricular activities, Preparation (5 hours) and consultations (3 hours) of the lesson plans with the school pedagogue/psychologist and the preparation of the didactic tools needed for the conducting of the classes, Conducting research that investigates the structure of a given class after the consultations with the school pedagogue/psychologist, and later the analysis of the obtained results Self-assessment of one’s own functioning during the completion of the tasks.

11. 11 Didactic practice - organization Comprises 120 hours, divided into observing lessons (25 hours), doing observation tasks, filling in the practice journal, consultations with the mentor (65 hours), and conducting English lessons (30 hours). Requirements: Deliver teaching practice journal, and a portfolio that includes lesson observation sheets and 5 lesson plans Conduct a diploma lesson observed and evaluated by one of the didactics teachers

12. 12 LOT – Lesson Observation Tasks Along with teaching practice a student fills in LOTs which may be referred to as action research. They focus upon discipline, student’s and teacher’s roles, the teacher’s approach towards giving instructions, the interaction patterns, the error management, the reading comprehension skills, the PPP model, the grammar explanation and the teaching of grammatical items.

13. 13 Diploma Lesson Diploma Lesson is the finale of the teaching practice. Students are obliged to follow the Guidelines for the Diploma Lesson that clarifies what is expected from a student. The emphasis is on the aspects such as: presentation of a new language item, new language item practice, skills development (reading comprehension, listening comprehension), error correction, giving instructions and running feedback to activities.

14. Diploma lesson Having conducted the lesson, a student is invited by the evaluator for an one- on-one session during which the lesson is discussed. The Faculty of English didactics teachers focus heavily on the reflections as much as they do with all the other aspects. The Faculty of English policy with reference to the teaching practice is to form an attitude of reflective teaching. A student is required in his/her teaching practice journal to include his thoughts and conclusions concerning what went wrong and how to avoid such difficulties in the future. That is why a Diploma Lesson self-evaluation sheet puts emphasis on self- reflection when deciding on a final grade. 14

15. Conclusion Future English teachers in Poland can obtain qualifications in a number of institutions The ministry regulates basic structure of teacher training Specific regulations are set by specific institutions: Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education refer to a general group of teachers, whereas The Faculty Council of the Faculty of English specifies the conditions for English teachers. 15

16. Thank you ! 16