TCK Professional Development for International School Teachers in China
5.6 Findings
5.6.1 What is Teachers’ Experience with TCK Professional Development and Learning?
Our findings show that there is no clear answer as to how international school teachers’
receive their learning and training specific to TCKs in the international school context
42 Y. McNulty and M. Carter to then translate this training specific to TCKs in the classroom. Mirroring other findings in relation to general professional development, teachers do not perceive that they are provided with specific and relevant formal training to help them acquire expertise on supporting TCKs, relying instead on their own self-education, from the children in their class, and from peers. Professional development as on-the-job training therefore emerged as a critical, albeit informal and reactive, method of training for international school staff. Some teachers’ noted their experience was gained through student interaction, with “students’ as teachers”.
Additionally, the relationship between parents and teachers is seen by many teach- ers as a form of professional development unique to the international school context, with a greater emphasis on building this relationship than in home-country schools.
Teachers therefore prioritized home-school communication, recognizing that a high level of parental involvement in TCKs schooling is common among most schools they had taught in:
I think parents for TCKs are much more involved in their child’s education. . .and I think we do try to involve them in maybe not so much in all areas of the curriculum but particularly things like reading, we give feedback and parents are involved in those kind of things at home and through the homework and the communication that we have. (Staff, School #1)
5.6.2 What do Teachers Say they Need in Terms of Ongoing Professional Development in Relation to the TCK Issue?
Our second research question explores which areas of professional development teachers in the international schools identified as enabling and empowering them to respond to the needs of TCKs. This includes what they would prioritize in terms of being inducted, mentored, and supported in their professional learning specific to TCKs. From participant responses we identified a number of important training needs.
5.6.2.1 Formal Induction Training for Staff and Students
Staff spoke highly about the practical aspects of induction provided by their school, and that the information given was very helpful. But some staff also spoke about superficial attention to TCK issues during induction at all levels of the school or- ganization, for students as well as staff. Many felt that the TCK phenomenon is trivialized and not given the importance it deserves. Ideas to better prepare teachers for the TCK classroom include:
Something like a bridge, a stepping stone, a little haven. We use to have this back in my school in the UK, a big forum where students could come in and talk about things, not just to the counselor, not like an AA type of thing, but where they are expressing their views and thoughts. But it also factored in their orientation. They are given a period where they are breathing in the school. We are picking up on their experiences and we can talk about that in a friendly environment and explore how they are thinking and feeling. (Staff, School #2)
5 TCK Professional Development for International School Teachers in China 43 5.6.2.2 Curriculum Training and Pedagogy
Teachers working with TCKs would like to honour childrens’ heritage and life cir- cumstances as part of their curriculum. Professional development here needs to be imbedded in curriculum pedagogy professional development more directly:
In Year 3, the topic for the first two weeks is ‘You and Me’. I always make a big distinction between where you identify with as in a country; it is entirely up to you and it’s not determined necessarily by your passport. The reality is, the majority of our children are Chinese, but have a passport of a different nationality. The majority of them probably spend as much time here as anywhere else. It’s down to what they identify with, as opposed to a piece of paper.
(Staff, School #2)
The relevance of the curriculum to cater for the student population was identified by teachers as a conflict and a challenge. Bridging the curriculum gap is a major challenge, especially when children come from a different national curriculum to that at their school.
5.6.2.3 Identity Development and the Learner Profile
Identity was named by teachers as one of the biggest challenges for TCKs. Creating teaching and learning spaces responsive to building TCKs sense of identity was named as a priority professional development need. Teachers acknowledged that students of certain ages struggle with TCK identity issues, e.g. where am I from?
Which location is meaningful to me? In terms of professional development, teachers recognised that this was a significant issue for older students in particular, but there is no formal training or system in place to assist them to respond and address student identity issues. Some addressed it based on personal and private experience (as the parents of TCKs or being an adult TCK), some referred them to the school counsellor, and others relied on prior experience at other international schools:
I see it from this one student, she says it straight out, she sees herself coasting from one thing to another and she can’t truly and internally represent who she is. She is struggling with that so she is always experimenting with different belief systems, different cultural values. What is she meant to do? She is continually struggling with that in her head but she does know that in the paradigm of things there is a western culture that is a dominant running system, and then there’s a sub-culture that she may belong to. (Staff, School #2)
5.6.2.4 Mobility and Transitions for Students
A consistent issue for teachers inherent in the international school context is the high mobility and transitioning of students in and out of the school system. Repatriation or re-assignment to another location was found to be a major source of stress for teachers because they often felt ill-equipped to prepare students, the class and themselves for the sadness and grief that accompanies the regularity of students transitioning out of the school. The reality of being an international school teacher is nonetheless that students do have high mobility and will be transitioning in and out of the school
44 Y. McNulty and M. Carter setting. In the absence of formal training to cope with this aspect of their role nor a formal process within the school to draw upon, many teachers implement informal pastoral care based on personal or prior experience. Part of this focus centers on recognition and respect of TCKs and issues surrounding their life journeys:
I think staff are quite constantly on alert that there are new children. We do have certain periods in the year where there are big influxes but we have new children arriving every week too and it’s not uncommon to see a staff member walk down the hallway and stop and speak to a child because they have that look of ‘oh my god’. They’ve got a shiny new uniform and so on. I think in maybe a home UK school it wouldn’t occur to you, it wouldn’t be on your radar that that child’s new—but here, because they’re new constantly, we as staff are all aware of that and all try as best we can to help them. (Staff, School #1)
Acknowledging and supporting student transitions was a priority for many teachers.
Many devised environmental systems, creating a sense of security and belonging.
How this culture was achieved varied between teachers’, curriculum areas, and developmental levels:
I have really clear routines in my classroom, and the clearer the routines, the easier it is for TCK children. . .I think it’s good for any child but I think it’s even more vital for those children who don’t have a clear understanding of how this place called ‘school’ works in this system. So I’ve always found in my experience that not deviating from those routines, which sounds really inflexible, but then they know exactly where they sit. It gives them a sense of security. (Staff, School #1)
5.6.2.5 Staff Workload
There is a strong sense that parents to not understand the workload of an international school teacher in comparison to their home-country experiences with local teaching staff. Managing this workload is a major concern in order to avoid burnout:
I have a larger workload here than I did in the UK, but it comes with a lifestyle that I wouldn’t have had in the UK. (Staff, School #1)
5.6.3 What Professional Learning Do Parents’ Perceive Teachers of TCKs Require?
5.6.3.1 Mid-term Entrants
The time of the year TCKs enter the curriculum program warrants particular attention.
Parents identified many problems with mid-term starters in relation to them being embraced into the classroom culture, curriculum gaps, and cracking friendships and social groups:
You would think because they’ve got kids slotting in all the different time through the year that there’d be this continuum of “Alright, we’ve got a new person, this is where we’re at”
5 TCK Professional Development for International School Teachers in China 45 and have someone focus on that child to say “Right, have you got this? Have you got that?
Have you got that?” But there isn’t. (Parent, School #1)
5.6.3.2 Curriculum Gaps
Bridging the curriculum gap is a major challenge for children and parents, especially when children come from a different national curriculum. Gaps need to be addressed and clearly communicated to parents to assist in each child’s learning and to reduce stress at home which can sometimes be ongoing for a number of months or years until a child has ‘caught up’:
This is a [national] school and therefore it is fine to study [its currency] and all of that, but let’s also acknowledge that there are renminbi. We don’t go to the shop with US dollars or whatever. We go with RMB. (Parent, School #2)
5.6.3.3 Employing High Quality Teachers
While parents perceived that professional development in relation to TCKs is essen- tial for international school teachers, many also felt that ‘being a great teacher’ is more than simply receiving training. During the focus groups, there was frequent discussion about the motivation for teachers’ to commit to an international school career as a profession, either as a deliberate career choice or a fall-back job for those wanting to travel and work overseas:
Part of getting what the TCK is about is just being a great teacher who can understand each child’s needs individually and cater to that. (Staff, School #2)