The elaboration, adaptation and administration of self-assessment tools for use with novice teachers during their practicum at the Language Center (CL) of the Espirito Santo Federal University grew out of primary needs for supportive approaches to teacher training and development. By far, the student teachers who apply for trainee teacher positions in the two-year teacher training program outnumber our management and mentoring staff. Being our team of supervisors short-staffed, we are constantly seeking for support. Thus, these tools have been complementary to novice teacher follow-up, rather than a replacement to other forms of supervision, such as classroom observation or one-to-one feedback.
The self-observation checklists, were first implemented in 2010 and have been in use ever since. After so many years in regular use, these self-monitoring tools turned out to be a significant component of young teachers’ professional development and an aid to help us trainers with our daily overload of pre and in-service supervision responsibilities.
We have been EFL teachers and teacher trainers at the Language Center (CL) of the Espirito Santo Federal University since the Center was instituted in the late 1980’s as a university extension project. The Center’s object is twofold: first, to give trainees in-service experience to develop their teaching skills and, ultimately, to become better professionals; second, to give the community inside and outside the university an opportunity to learn foreign languages at a low cost.