MODULE 1 Task 4a Transforming from Teacher to Trainer
Emilia: Hi everyone! Welcome to Week 1 of Ready, Set, Train! We are so glad you
could join us today!
John: Yes, welcome. Emilia and I have been discussing teacher training. Actually, I
have a confession to make.
Emilia: Well, don’t keep us in suspense. What is it?
John: So, as you know, I’ve been teaching for a few years, but I just found out that I’m
going to be conducting a teacher training.
Emilia: Don’t worry, John. Try not to focus on the NUMBER of teachers. Instead, think
about the IMPACT that your training will have. Anyway, that’s why I’m here. I’m going
to walk you through this process and help you to prepare. By the end of this course,
you’ll feel confident and ready for your training. So, how are you feeling now?
John: Well, I must admit, I AM nervous, but I feel better knowing that you’ll be with me
every step of the way. It’s always better if I can work with a mentor, someone I can
share my ideas with and get advice from.
Emilia: Exactly, John. We can learn from each other. No matter how many years of
experience teachers have or how many classes they’ve taught, they can always learn
something new.
© 2017 by Arizona Board of Regents. Module 1, Task 4a- Transcript for Transforming from Teacher to Trainer for the AE E-
Teacher Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by FHI 360. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons
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The AE E-Teacher Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, administered by FHI 360, and delivered by ASU.
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John: And that brings up my first question. What is the difference between classroom
teaching and teacher training? I mean, I’m sure that you love being in the classroom,
just as much as I do, but having an audience of colleagues is completely different than
having a classroom full of students.
Emilia: Yes, it is. And you just brought up the main difference-- the audience. You’re
still teaching and preparing lessons, but you’ll design those lessons for your audience
of other teachers.
John: So, how do I do that?
Emilia: Well, since you’re training adults, your classroom management skills will be
put to use in different ways. In the classroom, you might have to make sure students
stay in their seats.
John: Oh yes. I've definitely had that issue with my students before. Especially right
before lunchtime.
Emilia: Right. So, you probably won't have that issue in a teaching training, but you
could have a different type of issue. For instance, you might have to make sure that
one teacher doesn’t dominate the discussion.
John: Okay, so I’m still using my classroom management techniques, but I’ll be using
them for different types of issues. Thinking of that, I’ll probably have to change the
way that I speak to my participants. They would respond best to a request or a
question, rather than ordering them to do something.
Emilia: Right. Another point you’ll want to think about is attendance. Sometimes
teacher trainings are required and other times they are voluntary. When they are
voluntary, we get to choose which ones we sign up for.
John: Yes, I love it when we get to choose which ones we go to! I signed up for a
reflective journaling one last year, and I’m still journaling!
The AE E-Teacher Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, administered by FHI 360, and delivered by ASU.
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Emilia: That’s great! I’m sure you’ve grown as a teacher through that reflective
journaling process. That is the perfect example of a voluntary workshop that you were
motivated to take. But what about when you’re forced to take a teacher training
workshop?
John: That’s definitely something that I’ll think about as I’m planning my training. I
really want my participants to stay motivated.
Emilia: I think you’re a natural, John. Yes, think about how you will design your training
to make the teachers’ lives easier. An important point to remember is that as teachers
we’re often very busy. We’re always lesson planning, grading, and thinking about our
students, even when we’re not in the classroom.
John: Isn’t that the truth? I often find myself writing down lesson plan ideas as I’m
getting ready to go to bed.
Emilia: Exactly! So, your goal as a teacher trainer is to give your participants practical
ideas, tools, and activities that will make their lives easier. We all love getting new
ideas, right? Actually, John, I have an excellent article about the teaching toolbox that
will give you something you can use right away in your teacher training.
John: Great! That’s exactly what I’m looking for when I participate in professional
development, but it’s also important to explore ALL of the different reasons why
teachers engage in professional development.
Emilia: To grow as teachers, to learn new things, to present and share new ideas with
colleagues…
John: ...to publish research and tips from our own classroom experience…
Emilia: The list could go on and on!
The AE E-Teacher Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, administered by FHI 360, and delivered by ASU.
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John: I feel like I’ve got a good start here. I’m pretty excited that I get to plan the
dream workshop for all of the teachers in my school. It doesn’t feel so scary anymore.
Emilia: I’m glad to hear it. I hope all of our participants are feeling just as comfortable
as you.
John: I’m sure they are. I’m going to get started by reading that article that you
mentioned earlier. I definitely want to find out more about the teaching toolbox.
Emilia: That sounds good. We’ll meet up at the end of this lesson. See you then!
The AE E-Teacher Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, administered by FHI 360, and delivered by ASU.