Enhancing Teacher Proficiency for Effective ELT
Willy A Renandya, 22 Feb 2025
It is widely recognized that the English proficiency level of language teachers is essential in shaping students’ learning experiences. As the demands of language teaching continue to grow, enhancing their level of proficiency becomes increasingly important. This article explores both the challenges and opportunities in this area, drawing on key research insights to examine why proficiency matters, how it impacts teaching, and practical strategies for improvement.
What is Proficiency? Why Does It Matter for Teachers?
Proficiency refers to the ability to use language effectively and flexibly for a wide range of communicative purposes. This includes everyday tasks like telling a story, sharing good news, or complimenting someone, as well as more complex activities such as writing reports, delivering speeches, or navigating difficult conversations. For teachers, proficiency goes beyond personal language skills—it’s about being able to model correct and fluent language use, provide meaningful feedback, scaffold student learning and create an immersive language-learning environment for students.
Proficiency is often measured against standards like the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), which sets clear benchmarks for language ability at different levels. For example, in Hong Kong and Malaysia, the target for English teachers is C1 proficiency, which signifies advanced language skills. But what about other countries like Indonesia? While there is no universal standard, the need for high proficiency among teachers is universally recognized.
Why is Proficiency Important for Teachers?
Proficiency in the language being taught is a key factor in a teacher’s effectiveness. It not only helps create a positive learning environment but also ensures that teachers can guide their students toward mastery of the language. Here are some reasons why language proficiency is essential for teachers.
First, a teacher with high language proficiency is more confident in the classroom. This confidence translates into better classroom management, clearer explanations, and a more authoritative presence. Students are more likely to trust and respect a teacher who demonstrates strong language skills.
Second, teachers serve as language models for their students. If a teacher uses English fluently and accurately, students are more likely to emulate this behavior. Conversely, a teacher with limited proficiency may inadvertently pass on errors or poor language habits.
Third, one of the hallmarks of a proficient teacher is the ability to conduct classes in English. This not only provides students with constant exposure to the language but also helps them develop their listening and comprehension skills in a natural way.
Fourth, proficient teachers can provide more accurate and nuanced feedback. For example, instead of simply correcting a student’s grammar mistake, a proficient teacher can explain why the mistake occurred and how to avoid it in the future.
Lastly, language classrooms are unpredictable. A proficient teacher can think on their feet, adapt to unexpected situations, and improvise when necessary. This flexibility is crucial for maintaining student engagement and addressing diverse learning needs.
Proficiency and Teaching Effectiveness: Is There a Link?
While proficiency is undeniably important, it’s not the sole determinant of teaching effectiveness. Research suggests that proficiency up to a B2/C1 level is essential for effective teaching, but beyond that, other factors come into play. These include:
- Pitching and Pacing: How a teacher adjusts the difficulty of the lesson and controls the speed of their speech can greatly affect student understanding. It’s crucial to match the lesson’s level to students’ abilities, ensuring it’s challenging yet accessible.
- Engagement: A teacher’s skill in engaging students is crucial for active learning. This can be achieved through interactive activities, thought-provoking discussions, and the use of real-life examples that relate to students’ interests. When students feel engaged, they are more motivated to participate, retain information, and apply what they’ve learned.
- Classroom Management: Effective teachers maintain a positive and disciplined classroom environment. This includes setting clear expectations, managing student behavior calmly, and using strategies to keep students focused and on task. Classroom management ensures that all students feel respected and can learn in an orderly space.
- Personalization: Tailoring lessons to meet the diverse needs, learning styles, and interests of students enhances engagement and comprehension. When students see that the lesson is relevant to their own experiences or goals, they are more likely to invest in their learning. Personalization can involve adjusting activities, content, or even assessment methods to better support each student’s individual progress.
In short, while proficiency is a key ingredient, it must be combined with strong pedagogical skills to create truly effective teaching.
How Can Teachers Improve Their Proficiency?
Improving language proficiency is a continuous process, and there are several strategies teachers can adopt:
- Extensive Reading: ELT experts generally agree that extensive reading is one of the most effective yet underutilized methods for improving proficiency. Extensive reading involves reading large amounts of material that is both interesting and comprehensible. This approach helps teachers develop implicit knowledge of the language, which is essential for fluency and ease of communication. For example, a teacher who regularly reads English novels, newspapers, or academic articles will naturally internalize grammar structures, vocabulary, and idiomatic expressions.
- Extensive Listening: Just as reading improves vocabulary and grammar, listening to podcasts, audiobooks, or lectures in English can enhance listening comprehension and pronunciation. For instance, a teacher who listens to TED Talks or English news broadcasts regularly can improve their ability to understand different accents and speaking styles.
- Professional Development: Attending workshops, webinars, or courses focused on language proficiency can provide teachers with new strategies and insights that can help enhance their own English skills. These activities expose teachers to diverse teaching methodologies, interactive exercises, and expert advice, helping them refine their language use in both professional and everyday contexts.
- Practice and Immersion: Regularly using English in real-life situations, such as conversations with colleagues or participation in English-speaking communities, can boost fluency. Teachers can also join online forums or social media groups where English is the primary language of communication.
Researching Proficiency: What Do We Need to Know?
Understanding teacher proficiency is essential for improving teaching and learning outcomes, as it helps identify areas that may need further development or support. With a clearer understanding of teacher proficiency and its impact on student learning, schools and institutions can more effectively address teachers’ professional growth needs. Research in this area can focus on several key aspects, including the following:
- Mapping Teacher Proficiency: In countries like Indonesia, Japan and Thailand, there is a need to map the current proficiency levels of English teachers working in diverse contexts (e.g., public and private schools; well-resourced and under-resourced provinces). This data can help identify gaps and inform targeted training programmes.
- Proficiency tests for teachers: Designing proficiency tests that are both reliable and valid remains a significant challenge for language educators and test developers. These assessments should effectively evaluate the language skills essential for teaching while also offering meaningful feedback that supports improvement.
- Teacher Development and Support: Research on teacher proficiency should look into the most effective ways to support teachers’ ongoing development. This could include examining the impact of mentorship, peer collaboration, and specialized training programs on improving proficiency over time. Studies might explore how ongoing support, like coaching or communities of practice, helps teachers address proficiency gaps and continue to grow. Additionally, research could focus on how different types of professional development lead to improvements in teaching effectiveness.
- Teacher Proficiency and Student Learning: It is important to examine whether higher teacher proficiency leads to better student learning. Research suggests that proficient teachers provide clearer explanations, model accurate pronunciation, and enhance communication. However, proficiency alone may not be enough—teaching skills and engagement also play key roles. Understanding this relationship can help improve teacher training and student outcomes.
Conclusion: Raising the Bar for English Language Teaching
Improving EL teachers’ proficiency is not just about personal development—it’s about improving the quality of language education for students. By leveraging on extensive reading and listening, utilizing digital resources, and conducting targeted research, we can help teachers reach higher levels of proficiency and, in turn, become more effective language teachers.
As we’ve seen, proficiency is key to effective teaching. Confident, fluent, and knowledgeable teachers can foster a learning environment that motivates and empowers students. Together, we can raise the standards of English language teaching, paving the way for a better future for our students.
Finally, investing in teacher proficiency isn’t just about improving individual skills—it’s about transforming classrooms and empowering students in the English language learning journey.
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