Continuing Professional Development for Teachers: What Works?

Mark Martin (@urban_teacher) has taught ICT for over 10 years and supports teachers in using technology to improve teaching and learning. Here Mark shares ideas on how schools can deliver impactful CPD for both new and experienced teachers.

What would you like to see more of in CPD for teachers today?

I would like to see more of a focus on design thinking and co-creation. We need to change the type of CPD sessions where presenters just talk at passive observers. I’m not a fan of the top-down model of training where more ‘experienced’ staff talk about generic teaching resources and one-size-fits all answers. What you’ll find is when people are more actively involved in the learning process, they are more motivated to take ownership of their professional development. We need to work with new teachers and support them with coming up with tangible solutions for specific teaching challenges. Schools could also provide opportunities for key stakeholders in education such as trainee teachers, experienced teachers, the senior leadership team and edtech companies, to get together to discuss current issues in education and collaboratively design real strategies to overcome these challenges.

Can you remember a particularly impactful school CPD session?
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There was one where groups of teachers had created market stalls. They shared good practice on the new strategies they had trialled in their lessons. Everyone walked around the school and saw the amazing things that were being done within particular subjects. It provided a great opportunity for teachers to discover and experiment with something they might not have tried with their students. It also opens up opportunities for interdisciplinary teaching.

How can schools avoid delivering CPD sessions on content that teachers already know?
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It’s a shame when teachers go to a CPD session and they hear about something that they’ve already learned previously. Schools need to strive to keep CPD sessions new and fresh. Before you deliver the CPD session, skill check your team. Create a short survey to find out exactly what they would like to develop. Carefully word the questions and allow teachers to self-assess their strengths and areas for development. Using this information, teachers can be grouped according to their interests then targeted CPD sessions can be delivered to these groups. You’ll find that there will be less resistance and more openness from most teachers when their opinions are used to design the sessions.