Working Together on Effective Professional Development
Saffron Teaching School Hub’s NPQLTD programme members have been learning about effective professional development. Drawing on the Teach First NPQLTD online learning on Designing Effective Professional Development, programme members have been evaluating different primary and secondary CPD programmes and measuring these plans against what we now know is the latest evidence on effective teacher professional development. The report 'Effective Teacher Professional Development' by Darling-Hammond et al. (2017) was useful in shaping our collaborative thinking about what effective PD looks like in schools.
LINK TO REPORT: EFFECTIVE TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Some of the principles we explored were:
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CPD programme/processes built into to school life with clear standards for effective professional development made clear to all stakeholders
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Change in teacher practice and student outcomes (always at the forefront of our thinking)
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Linked to a needs analysis (school/year/departmental priorities)
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Linked with curriculum content/our teaching
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Active learning for our teachers
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Collaboration
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Modelling of best practice from the experts
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Coach/external support
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A critical friend and time for feedback and reflection
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Sustained - time to learn, practice, reflect and refine
We reflected on the fact that giving more time to CPD programmes does not guarantee success and considered how CPD time can be best used for maximum impact in our schools.
The EEF Guidance Report 'Putting Evidence to Work' (link here) shaped our discussions in terms of thinking about the importance of the expert, coach, or critical friend in ensuring teachers find time for the active, collaborative learning aspect and guided reflection.
Some excellent reflections and ideas for effective professional development programmes were shared and it was great to work with such reflective and talented colleagues.