Exploring Continuing Professional Development: English Teachers’ Clubs in Central India

Abstract

In this chapter we present a study of a ‘bottom-up’ Continuing Professional Development (CPD) initiative in the form of English Teachers’ Clubs (ETCs). It is based on two ETCs operating in two different places in Central India, namely Bhandara and Wardha. ETCs are self-help groups formed by English teachers working in ‘deprived environments’ (Mushayikwa and Lubben, 2009) to support their own CPD, and demonstrate their attempts to find alternative ways of developing professionally in a centralised and prescriptive system with limited provision for professional development. The chapter is divided into four broad sections. In the first, we present a brief description of the genesis of the ETCs and their impact on members and try to generalise about their nature and function. In the second section we discuss the overall CPD context in India and try to place ETCs in this context. In the third section we present some insights and lessons from the ETCs experience, which may have important implications for CPD theory and practice. We conclude with a fourth section including observations about some unaddressed issues in ETCs and about their future. We have been associated with ETCs from the outset as members, mentors, facilitators and leaders. Our personal observations, experience and understanding of the ETCs underpin the analysis and the arguments we present here.