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TEAP Accreditation: Features and Requirements

The above short video summarises the key features of TEAP accreditation, its value, and the expectations. Full details can also be found in the BALEAP TEAP Handbook (2022 edition)

Conducting TEAP Observations

Observations of your teaching practice constitute the core of a TEAP portfolio.  One of the main purposes of a TEAP observation is for you to demonstrate your competencies in teaching and learning. Observation records (and comments from observers) must therefore relate explicitly to the TEAP criteria to enable the relevant competency to be evidenced.

Full guidance on conducting observations can be found in the TEAP Handbook, and a copy of the suggested observation proforma can be accessed here: TEAP Observation guidelines 2023.

Alternative observation forms (eg. those normally used within your institution) may be used where the relationship to the TEAP criteria is made explicit.

Although suitable teaching material for observation will be clear for most practitioners, those with fewer classroom based teaching responsibilities (or none) can consider options beyond the traditional classroom to demonstrate their skills. Such options might include the candidate’s involvement in:

  • CPD sessions for staff
  • EAP workshops or teacher training sessions
  • 1 -1 tutorials or consultations with students
  • Conducting observations

TEAP Portfolios must include 2 current observation records, one of which has been prepared by a recognised TEAP Observer (ie a TEAP assessor or a practitioner who has attended TEAP Observation standardisation training). A list of these practitioners can be found here:

TEAP Observer list

Organising evidence for your portfolio

The above short video summarises some considerations when using padlet, the most common platform for the portfolio of evidence.

 

Events & Groups

Online TEAP events take place regularly to support you in your journey towards TEAP accreditation and help you connect with others. These events are announced via the BALEAP mailing list. To subscribe to the mailing list, click here and select ‘subscribe’.

You may also wish to join the BALEAP TEAP Facebook group

Writing your RAPP

The above video is a summary of a workshop on TEAP accreditation, and covers some of the typical features of a RAPP. Further guidance can also be found in the TEAP Handbook.

An assessor’s perspective on RAPP writing and evidence collection has also been provided by TEAP Assessor and Senior Fellow Bee Bond at a TEAP workshop. Those slides can be accessed here.

Financial Support: the TEAP Scholarship

The TEAP scholarship aims to reduce the financial barriers to BALEAP TEAP accreditation for EAP practitioners in the UK or overseas who would benefit from additional support.

Up to five successful applicants for the award will have the fee for Associate Fellow accreditation covered each year. The award also covers any mentoring fees, and in some circumstances may also cover the cost of a TEAP observation by an external assessor.

You are eligible to apply for this award if you are a BALEAP member and one or more of the following apply:  

  • You are employed on a precarious contract
  • You are not employed by a BALEAP member institution
  • You are not employed in an EAP setting but can demonstrate elements of EAP practice (e.g. in FE)

Other conditions:

If your application for the TEAP scholarship is successful, your candidacy for TEAP accreditation must be submitted within 12 months of the date of the award. Following your accreditation, you will be invited to use your knowledge to contribute to the BALEAP community in some form. Examples of such contributions might include providing feedback on the TEAP scheme, writing a short blog post, or contributing to an online TEAP event.

To apply for the TEAP scholarship:

Please submit the following to the TEAP officer at: teap@baleap.org

1.      A brief explanation (up to 100 words) of how you meet the eligibility criteria for this award;

2.      A statement of 200-300 words in which you reflect on:

·       Your key skills as an EAP practitioner, with specific examples from your practice

·       The knowledge (theory, concepts, references etc.) that informs these skills.

The deadlines for submission are 30th June and 30th November each year.

Mentoring

Mentoring is a 4 stage process supporting you towards TEAP accreditation. Each stage is an exchange with your mentor via email or a 1 to 1 meeting (including online via zoom or Teams). In these exchanges, your mentor will discuss your progress towards accreditation, and provide insight into collecting evidence, organising observations, writing your RAPP and setting a realistic deadline for submission.

Please note that working with a mentor is not a guarantee that your TEAP application will be successful – their role is to provide guidance and support as you collect evidence and produce your application.

If you request your mentor to conduct a TEAP observation of your teaching, they may or may not be available to do so. Check first with your institution whether there is a local TEAP observer who can perform a TEAP observation without charge as part of your institution’s professional development programme. If your mentor is external to your institution and agrees to observe your teaching, a fee of £70 will apply. This covers the mentor’s time for a pre observation meeting with you, the observed lesson itself, a developmental post observation meeting with you, and the production of observation notes and feedback provided to you as evidence for your portfolio. If you would like your mentor to conduct a TEAP observation and a fee applies, please check with your institution whether they can cover the fee for you. If your mentor is unavailable to conduct an observation, please request an observer from the TEAP officer at: teap@baleap.org.

Your role as a mentee

To make the most of TEAP mentoring, prepare thoroughly for each consultation and take a lead role in setting the direction of your discussion. Please see the table below for the recommended preparation for mentees at each stage. Expectations can be discussed with your mentor in your first consultation.

In preparation for interim reviews,  it is recommended that you batch questions and uncertainties into a single document for your mentor to read, rather than a series of short emails over time. This is simpler and creates greater focus for your discussion.

The 4 stages of the mentoring process are:

  1. Initial consultation: clarify task; set timescale for application; plan observations & evidence collection.
  2. Interim review: address uncertainties; discuss progress towards application
  3. Review of draft application: Identify areas for development
  4. Preparation of application: provide specific elements or aspects of portfolio/ RAPP for mentor to review before final application.

General Information

Looking for more general information about the BALEAP TEAP Fellowship Scheme? Click here.

TEAP applications can be made twice a year, by 30th June and 30th November. You will need to be a BALEAP member or associated with a BALEAP member institution to submit an application. If you are unsure whether your institution is a member, or you have questions about membership, please email admin@baleap.org.

When you are ready to submit your application, please click here. You will be prompted to submit your RAPP and to pay the fee, either by card or by direct bank transfer.