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LEAD: Learn – Experiment – Apply – Develop

Please click on the image below to access the flip book version of the Spring 2024 edition of the Pilgrims Teacher Trainer Journal

Dear readers of The Pilgrims Teacher Trainer Journal I am very pleased to welcome you to the 2024 spring edition of The Pilgrims Teacher Trainer Journal.

Our journal is a public face of Pilgrims alongside our sister journal Humanising Language Teaching (HLT). HLT is actually celebrating its 25th anniversary this April, so very happy birthday greetings to HLT. A significant aspect of the celebration for HLT is the beginning of a new (perhaps long overdue) approach incorporating environment, climate change and sustainability into a broader understanding of what humanising language teaching involves and what teachers can do towards contributing to changing the world for the better. More information can be found in the link to HLT towards the back of this issue of the journal.

While we are mentioning birthdays, I am really pleased to announce that 2024 is the 50th anniversary of Pilgrims. Every five years, we have held a birthday anniversary event, and this year will be no exception. Plans are in place for our 50th anniversary celebration event which is to be held in early September. More details will be posted on the website https://pilgrimsttj.com when available with all the exciting information on speakers and how to register. We welcome ideas for contributions on all aspects of humanising language teaching.

This also emphsises what the Pilgrims Teacher Trainer Journal promotes as a voice for teacher educators open to everyone as we promote and support the development of professional learning communities across the world. In doing so we will continue to engage in what might be difficult conversations for some. If Pilgrims can can contribute, even in some small way, to our understanding and support for each other and to making a difference through education then this can hopefully be positive. Of course, in doing so views expressed through the journal articles and interviews will be the views of the contributors and not necessarily that of the Teacher Trainer Journal.

As always, in this issue we have a strong international representation from Argentina, China, Eduador, United Kingdom, Slovakia and Turkey with a (not so little) bit of Hungary in the mix.

If I were to suggest what the themes of this issue are, I would say creativity, mutual support, working through the creative arts and understanding the importance of learning outside the walls of the classroom or training room. We have two video interviews this time which take us into the exciting world of mentoring and teacher support, which I hope you will watch, enjoy and engage with. We have two book reviews with a focus on women’s and gender equality. Equality, diversity and inclusion always feature in our pages in some way.

In this issue we continue with our “From the Archive” section revisiting an article originally published in volume 27 no.3 on “Is language teaching a performance art” by Mark Almond linked to our theme of teaching through the arts.

Our cooperation with the British Council Teacher Education network continues reaching a global audience. You can find the current issue in this link. British Council Teacher Educator Newsletter

In addition to our ongoing cooperation with the British Council we have a new exciting cooperation with the Mentoring Teacher Research Network (MenTRnet). Menbers of the MenTRnet network are contributing articles, interviews and book reviews to the Teacher Trainer Journal and we are pleased to support the MenTRnet festival 2024-25. MenTRnet festival

Much more information on MenTRnet can be found in the video interviews in this issue with Elizabeth Bekes and Seden Tuyan and Mariana Serra

Pilgrims Teacher Training are offering and organising a number one week teacher training courses in the beautiful city of Segovia in Spain. More information on the course and how to apply can be found in the advert at the back of the current issue of the journal and via this link Pilgrims Teacher Training in Segovia If you have access to Erasmus+ funding or indeed any funding we would be delighted if you can join us.

We hope you continue to enjoy The Pilgrims Teacher Trainer Journal and our contribution to encouraging the best of good practice in teacher education. As mentioned above we would be delighted to receive any feedback on any of the articles which you can send to me at the email address below.

We would love to receive contributions – articles, interviews, book and resources reviews from teacher educators globally. A brief description of the guidelines for writers can be found on the website. For more detailed information contact Phil: phil.dexter@pilgrimsttj.com

Pilgrims is also part of a wider language teaching and teacher education family and we are pleased to advertise our sister school in Newbury, UK.

A brief description of the guidelines for writers can be found on the website. For more detailed information contact Phil: phil.dexter@pilgrimsttj.com. Our Teacher Trainer Journal is very much a public face of Pilgrims in promoting excellence in education.

The journal continues to be intended to be YOUR VOICE in reflecting and sharing global ideas on teacher education. In doing this, sometimes an article may seem to be a little controversial and though we strive for everything to be evidence-informed, this also means there may be strong personal views on a topic. We believe that The Pilgrims Teacher Trainer Journal should be a space for this. And, of course, we welcome debate and would very much welcome any responses to articles that we publish.

phil.dexter@pilgrimsttj.com