PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: HOW INDONESIAN ENGLISH-TEACHERS (SHOULD) RESPOND TO POLICY CHANGES

Abstract

It is well understood that teaching is a complex profession, characterized by a high degree of autonomy as a teaching activity is commonly conducted in an isolation. Knowledge to consume by the teachers is commonly the main feature of many CPD activities, and yet teachers are to face the 21^st century challenges, with specific skills to acquire by their learners. At the same time, policy changes has exacerbated the intricacy the teachers are confronted with in their day-to-day professional involvement. Commonly different reactions would be put forth by teachers at school to a newly introduced policy. In the case of Indonesia, the birth of the 2013 curriculum has brought about dire predicaments on the shoulders of the teachers. TEFLIN as a professional organization welcomed the birth of the 2013 Curriculum, with a caution that efforts of developing a curriculum required such prerequisites as more qualified English teachers and fair distribution of teaching-learning facilities to every corner of the country. In short, pedagogical competencies in their broad sense of teachers and school administrators in all layers of educational settings are the key to professional development that could bring forth positive impacts on the school outcomes.