The Teaching Practice Portfolio Scheme
Benefits of the scheme
The Teaching Practice Portfolio Scheme (TPPS) is an innovative approach to teaching practice which can be done in cooperation with ACTDEC. Through this scheme, you can choose to do teaching practice either during or following your Tesol Certificate course. This scheme makes it possible for teachers with our TESOL Certificate to obtain an ACTDEC Certificate of Teaching Practice Development at the end of the programme.
Teaching practice is not a requirement of the Tefl / Tesol course and you will receive your teaching certificate without having to complete this teaching practice element. However, if you wish to, you can complete this optional addition to the course while you study for your certificate, or after you have received it.
For anyone without teaching experience, it is now possible to undertake this teaching development programme abroad or in the UK through the completion of a Teaching Practice Portfolio maintained by you and a teaching institution. This institution may be the place where you are teaching, or it may be an institution where you live that you have approached for assistance. It will normally take between 6 weeks and two months.
The Teaching Practice Scheme
The ACTDEC fee of £95 (€120 $153) covers:
- registration
- administration of the scheme
- monitoring of the programme
- assessment review of the audio cassettes and provision of external tutor comment for the participant and the supervisor
- external tutor recommendations
- review and approval of submitted lesson plans
- provision of observation tasks
- provision of lesson plan forms
- provision of forms for use by the school's practicum supervisor
- award of the teaching practice development certificate.
The Teaching Practice Development Scheme requires you to submit a portfolio to ACTDEC containing evidence of the following completed elements. You will:
- observe teachers in the school where you are completing your portfolio scheme and carry out the tasks related to the observations.
- plan a sequence of 6 lessons for your class, teach them and complete self report feedback forms for each. The lesson plans for these lessons are included with the self report feedback forms on them.
- teach 4 lessons which should be observed by a senior member of the organisation where you are completing your practicum, who will give you oral feedback. These should be recorded and two of the recordings sent to the ACTDEC external teaching practice supervisor. A further 6 lessons will be taught, observed and graded by the school's practicum supervising teacher. You will be required to submit a lesson plan for each of the lessons taught and observed. You will also choose any 4 of these lessons and self report.
- submit 6 completed tasks from the observation of experienced teachers.
- submit a piece of writing reflecting on the effect the procedure has had on your development as a teacher and drawing conclusions from this.
In order to ensure that the Principal of the organisation where you are completing the scheme is clear as to what is involved, it will be necessary to ask him or her to complete a signed undertaking. This will sensitise the Principal to what is involved in the Teaching Practice Portfolio Scheme and also what will be required in terms of observation, feedback and grading, and of you, the participant, in terms of work and preparation.
On completion of the form it should be returned to the ACTDEC external teaching practice supervisor who will then provide:
- observation tasks to be used by the participant when observing teachers
- lesson plan forms
- observation forms to be completed by the school's supervisor when observing the participant which will provide data for the oral feedback session
- observation forms to be used by the supervising teacher.
Any school can act as a centre for teaching practice providing it is able to meet the following criteria.
- The school employs senior teachers holding recognised TESOL/TEFL diplomas.
- The sponsoring school is prepared to abide by the principles and procedures set out by the ACTDEC Council governing the teaching practice development scheme.
Institutions interested in learning more about the Teaching Practice Development Scheme should contact the ACTDEC Registrar at registrar@ACTDEC.org.uk .
Sample Certificate of Teaching Practice Development
If you would like more information on the Teaching Practice Portfolio Scheme, please complete the form on the ACTDEC website. Alternatively, you can apply to follow this programme here.