A Study On The Professional Development Of Junior Middle School English Teachers In Sichuan Rural Areas

Teachers’professional development is a topic which has a great significance in current educational reform. With the further reform of basic education, the problems of teachers’ professional development become prominent. New Curriculum Standard has proposed clearly that the key point of course reform is teacher. Rural teachers have occupied a large part of Chinese teachers and their professional development has been given more and more attention in recent years. However, English is always the weak subject in rural education. According to the English educational reform, English teachers need to master the new educational beliefs, new teaching principles and new teaching methods. Thus, promoting the rural English teachers’ professional development plays an important role in the improvement of rural education.Based on the research of experienced Junior middle school English teachers in Sichuan rural areas who took part in the2012National Teachers’Training Plan in Sichuan Normal University, the author analyzed their situation of professional development by using questionnaire and interview. The results are presented in the following:(1) Most of the teachers have positive consciousness of professional development, and hope to improve their professional levels through various approaches. However, they are not familiar with the contents and methods of teachers’professional development. (2) Although they are experienced English teachers, their professional knowledge and competence need great improvement.(3) The educational authorities don’t provide enough training opportunities and capital for teachers’ professional development.In summary, the professional development of the experienced junior middle school English teachers is not satisfactory, and the ordinary English teachers’ professional development should be paid more attention. Thus, through investigating on the professional development of experienced English teacher in Sichuan rural areas, the author proposes some suggestions in order to promoting rural English teachers’ professional development.