Forthcoming conferences

certificate that complements your academic qualifications’ (IB, 2017). While the IB also states that the certificate is suitable for pre-service student teachers and new teachers in addition to experienced IB educators, it notes that the actual courses (many of which can form the basis of a postgraduate degree) are developed by participating universities and not by the IB itself. While eligibility requirements can vary according to the participating university, it is worth noting that these universities are worldwide, thus suggesting that formal recognition of the IB Educator Certificates is growing.

One major consideration is that the IB Educator Certificates and IB-focused university postgraduate courses do not include a component that assesses classroom practice. Up until 2014 CIE offered its ‘Cambridge International Certificate for Teachers and Trainers’ in which a teacher was assessed via one assignment consisting of 1,100 words spanning six units. This was subsequently replaced with the ‘Cambridge International Certificate and Diploma in Teaching and Learning’, the most significant change being that it now includes assessment of classroom practice through observation. ECIS has taken the step of offering its own ITC (International Teacher Certificate) which it promotes as a ‘Standards-based professional development experience assessed by Cambridge International Examinations’ and as being ‘recognised by the IB as a Level 1 Educator Certificate’ (ECIS, 2017). With regard to variation in national teachertraining and qualification required across the globe, there is clearly some attempt at alignment being made here.

While all of the courses referred to here are designed for practising (qualified) teachers, CIE states that PDQs (Cambridge Professional Development Qualifications) “are also internationally recognised as a mark of excellence” for teachers and leaders (CIE, 2017). With regard to this, the following statement by Neal Dilk, Director of The American School of Rotterdam, is worth considering: ‘Each program (should) be properly investigated. Interns need to know to what extent a particular program may or may not provide them with employment opportunities outside of an individual international school. There are a number of programs available that provide teacher training, and while the individual may receive appropriate learning opportunities, many of the programs will not necessarily issue a teaching certificate that will legally allow them to teach in the country where the training program was administered.’ (Dilk, 2017).

While the programmes referred to here culminate in what the awarding bodies describe as an international certificate, most do not involve the assessment of classroom practice – and prior experience, if not an actual teaching qualification, is a prerequisite to joining the programmes. At best, such courses are currently one professional development opportunity alongside others such as article writing and examiner training; they provide teachers with a way of simultaneously gaining additional accreditation and keeping up to date. At worst, they are perhaps a lengthy and comparatively expensive way of achieving what amounts to additional accreditation rather than formal certification.

CIE (2017) www.cie.org.uk/images/171356-teaching-and-learning-2017. pdf Dilk, N (2017) www.searchassociates.com/news-events/earn-yourteacher-certification-on-the-job/ Earley, K (2017) www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljGBXh3gaxs ECIS (2017) www.ecis.org/storage/app/media/ITC/Info%20Pack/ ITC_infopack.pdf IB (2017) www.ibo.org/contentassets/420bd494138746e195fdb48ae4ae b5f3/ibedcertsfaqs.pdf

October 6-8, Alliance for International Education World Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands (see pages 54-55). October 14-17, AISA Educators Conference, Nairobi, Kenya. October 26-28, IB Global Conference, The Hague, Netherlands. October 26-28, EARCOS Leadership Conference, Bangkok, Thailand. November 14-18, ECIS InspirED, Vienna, Austria. December 19-21, COBIS Global Leaders in Education Programme, Shanghai, China. January 4-5, COBIS Personalised Learning Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands. February 5-7, AAIE Conference, New York, US.