National Institute of Teaching Evidence Portal - strengthening professional development through evidence
Time and resources for teacher professional development are limited, yet we all know that the impact of effective professional learning can be highly significant. A range of approaches have been championed – but how do schools select the right one?
To help schools answer that question, the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) has launched its Evidence Portal, a resource for teachers and leaders involved in the training and development of others. Designed to help school and trust leaders make evidence-informed decisions about professional development, and bringing together rigorous international research alongside insights from schools and trusts in England, the Portal provides practical guidance on what makes professional learning effective and how to implement it successfully.
“Built by a dedicated team at the national institute, the evidence portal brings together rigorous, high-quality research and expert perspectives from schools and trusts, and exists to empower teacher educators to be able to make evidence-informed decisions when designing and delivering professional learning and support.”
In summary, the Evidence Portal currently includes two major features. Firstly, there is the NIoT Evidence Toolkit. Reminiscent of the Education Endowment Foundation’s Teaching and Learning Toolkit, the portal brings together evidence from the latest global research on professional learning approaches – for example coaching, lesson study and professional learning communities – and evaluates them on its dashboard in terms of:
- Impact on pupils
- Impact on teachers and
- Strength of evidence
Selecting any specific approach – referred to as ‘strands’ – provides access to further detail, under these headings:
- What is it?
- Key findings
- How effective is the approach?
- How to implement it well
- Barriers to effective implementation
- Other considerations
- Summary
- In practice
- References
The In Practice section in particular aims to bring practice to life through video-based case study style ‘expert practitioner exemplification’.
“We share practical ways teacher educators have used the evidence to inform the training and development of others, and a range of recent relevant research and resources. These examples come directly from real schools and settings. They are shared to illuminate practice rather than prescribe it, recognising that professional learning must always be shaped by context. They provide honest glimpses of practice to support reflection, discussion and adaptation.”
The Summary provides useful and concise ‘key takeaways’.
The second feature is the Your Questions area. This is an interactive area where practitioners are invited to submit questions about professional learning for an ‘evidence-informed’ response, including links to further evidence and reading.
The Evidence Portal is a work in progress, and will continue to grow. Practitioners are invited to register to receive alerts when new strands are added to the Toolkit, and the Your Questions area will be updated as new questions are submitted.
“As the portal develops, new strands and more resources will be added, including new interactive features and opportunities to share sector expertise.”
Overall, the Evidence Portal aims to combine evidence with practitioner expertise, both of which are essential to supporting schools to make choices about professional development that are right for their specific context.
The Portal can be accessed here: Home – NIoT Evidence Portal
Direct link to the Toolkit: Toolkit – NIoT Evidence Portal
Direct link to Your Questions: Your Questions – NIoT Evidence Portal
Introductory video about the Evidence Portal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLGx3SaNphY