In this article we explore issues around the
sustainability and appropriateness of professional
development for secondary teachers of English
in China offered by overseas providers from the
perspective of teachers who completed courses at
the University of Reading between 2003 and 2010.
We start by offering an overview of English teaching
in China. We then describe the collection and analysis
of interviews and focus groups discussions involving
former participants, their teaching colleagues and
senior management, as well as classroom observation.
Evidence is presented for changes in teachers’
philosophies of education directly attributable to
participation in the courses; for improved teacher
competencies (linguistic, cultural and pedagogical)
in the classroom; and for the ways in which returnees
are undertaking new roles and responsibilities which
exploit their new understandings. Finally, we discuss
the implications of these findings for both providers
and sponsors of CPD for English language teachers.
We conclude that the recognition of English as
an essential element in the modernisation of
China, together with the growing awareness of
the weaknesses of traditional approaches to the
teaching of the language, has opened up new spaces
for dialogue concerning pedagogy and professional
practice. It is clearly important, however, that new
approaches to the teaching of English are presented in
a way which allows teachers to decide which elements
should be incorporated into their teaching and how
