Teacher Development in the Efl Contexts: Principles and Strategies

Learning in any profession is a life long process. The training one gets before starting the profession is not an end in itself. It cannot be complete either. In the EFL teaching profession, the pedagogical knowledge and skills a trainee teacher gets at the training college are not sufficient for her life long career. So, every EFL teacher needs opportunities and environment for her professional growth and development once she starts her career. Such teacher professional development, which is an on-going process, is possible if development strategies are planned and executed as an integral part of school system. This work analyses the existing issues and opportunities for teacher professional development in the EFL contexts. It also establishes that in-service training, observation and feedback, reflective practice, and action research can be instrumental strategies in helping teachers to develop in their profession. A teacher development course design is also presented incorporating these strategies.