Professionalizing TEFLIN:
What Will It Take?
Bachrudin Musthafa
Using general criteria for professionalism as
a point of reference, this paper discusses current condition
of English teaching force and teacher training institutions in Indonesia and
examine their present standing. Problem areas are located and possible
ways for improvement charted. Strategic options are then fleshed out and potential
costs and benefits delineated. Practical recommendations are proposed to
conclude the discussion. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines a
profession as “a paid occupation, esp. one that requires advanced education and
training”, and conceives of professionalism as “skills or qualities of a
profession or its members. From this two-part definition we can derive several
interrelated requirements for being a professional and the essence of
professionalism: advanced education and/or training, expertise, and qualities. More
specifically, David Nunan (1999), in his role as the president
of the TESOL Organization, has identified four criteria to examine if an area
of activity qualifies as a profession: (a) the existence of advanced education
and training, (b) the establishment of standards of practice and certification,
(c) an agreed-upon theoretical and empirical knowledge-base, and (d) the work
of individuals within the field to act as advocates for the profession. To see
if what we do as an English teacher qualifies as a profession and whether our
collective practice as an occupational group has the required professionalism,
the ensuing section will elaborate on each of the criteria and use them as a
lens to examine what we currently do and have as a collective.
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Musthafa, B. (2005, March). Professionalizing
TEFLIN: What will it take?. Paper presented at LIA International
Conference, Jakarta.
Website: www.geocities.com/eltindonesia
Email:
eltindonesia@yahoo.com