Abstract
Very little is documented on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ continuing professional development (CPD) agenda in low-resourced contexts such as Cameroon. However, teachers working in these difficult circumstances constitute a large portion of the English-language-teaching landscape. They often leave training institutions with basic awareness of ELT procedures because CPD programmes on offer are limited in scope and provide inadequate institutional support. Faced with myriad challenges, teachers struggle to adapt to ongoing policy innovations, conform to pedagogic innovations, and navigate emerging context-specific constraints—all without a guiding framework for implementation. This chapter seeks to find answers to questions related to: (1) the strategies EFL teachers in Cameroon undertake to develop resilience; (2) their self-perceived value of Cameroon English Language and Literature Teachers’ Association (CAMELTA) CPD activities; and (3) how they struggle to be self-equipped with locally responsive procedures. It analyzes feedback provided by teachers from WhatsApp presentations in CAMELTA WhatsApp chat groups between September 2020 to August 2021 through an open-ended questionnaire to explain how engagement in local CPD activities nourishes their skills in ELT procedures and how their identities are constructed through their commitment to CPD activities. Evidence points to the fact that Teacher Associations and reflective practice stand to fill the gap by helping teachers to appropriate their own CPD from a self-directed, bottom-up perspective. However, teachers are embracing the notion of communities of practice such as the CAMELTA Research Group.
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Recommended Reading
British Council. (2017). Continuing professional development (CPD) framework for teacher educators. British Council.
Elsheikh, A., & Effiong, O. (2018). Teacher development through language teacher associations: Lessons from Africa. In A. Elsheikh, C. Coombe, & O. Effiong (Eds.), The role of language teacher associations in professional development (pp. 71–86). Springer.
Hayes, D. (Ed). (2014). Innovations in the continuing professional development of English language teachers. British Council.
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Focho, G.N. (2023). Learning to Teach: The Continuing Professional Development Realities of English Language Teachers in Cameroon. In: Cirocki, A., Farrelly, R., Buchanan, H. (eds) Continuing Professional Development of TESOL Practitioners. Springer Texts in Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42675-9_5
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