Continuing professional development is vital for staff development, but it differs between schools depending on their individual needs
The implementation of continuing professional development (CPD) in schools is changing Whilst CPD is important, it is also vital to also remember the existing responsibilities of school staff. Competing pressures, deadlines and commitments are all possible barriers that might come between school staff and professional development.
Investing time in CPD needs to be planned carefully. If you want your staff to be able to implement new approaches and strategies, what must be taken away put in place to bring this new approach or strategy into play, and how are they going to be given the time to practice it, and gain competence and confidence to know when best when to deploy it?
Fortunately, schools are recognising this more and more. Following an Education Endowment analysis it is recommended that schools need to focus on four actions to develop an effective CPD programme.
Building knowledge
- Managing cognitive load.
- Revisiting prior learning.
Motivating staff
- Setting and agreeing goals.
- Presenting information from a credible source.
- Providing affirmations and reinforcements for staff as they progress.
Developing teaching techniques
This includes:
- Instruction.
- Social support.
- Modelling.
- Monitoring and feedback.
- Rehearsal.
Embedding practice
- Providing prompts and cues.
- Prompting action planning.
- Encouraging monitoring.
- Prompting context-specific repetition.
However, CPD programmes should be implemented with care, and take into considerations the context and needs of the school and staff. To do this, you should:
- Provide guidance on how participants can adapt professional development.
- Ensure that professional development aligns with the needs of the school and is fully supported by school leadership.
- Recognise the time constraints faced by teachers, and adapt the professional development accordingly.
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