Teach Middle East Magazine Jan - Mar 2020 Issue 2 Volume 7 | Page 34

Sharing Good Practice
ENSURING THAT CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT MAKES A DIFFERENCE
BY: COSTA CONSTANTINO
W
e know that effective
teacher
Continuing
P r o f e s s i o n a l
Development
(CPD),
improves teaching and learning and
has the most significant impact on
student outcomes (Hargreaves, 1994
and Craft, 2000, Cordingley, P. et
al., 2015). This means that getting it
right is crucial. Without measuring
the positive difference that training
provides, is it even worthy of the title
of 'development'? As a former school
leader and in my work with Veema
Education, I firmly believe it's a moral
imperative of school leaders and
external providers to ensure professional
development is having an impact and
helping teachers to improve.
With any type of teacher, CPD activity
(whether this is an INSET day/s, twilight,
conference or ongoing programme),
if time isn't allocated to consider and
plan both in the short- term and long-
term, as well as the resources needed
to be in place to ensure success, then
enthusiasm and dedication from staff
for embedding change will be short-
lived. That is why I ensure that my visits
to schools are not seen as achieving a
'quick-gain' or a time filler at the start
or end of year and are more about the
work that has taken place prior to a visit
and the follow-up in supporting school
leaders in meeting the predetermined
professional
development
and
improvement objectives. For me,
support is most useful as a continuum.
This is why I am so passionate about
the type of CPD that is provided. If we
can foster an environment that enables
continuous learning, a growth mindset
attitude,
metacognitive
thinking,
challenge and respect in our teachers,
our schools will always be world-class
institutions. Unfortunately, there are no
shortcuts, but the right CPD and robust
evaluation of impact are essential.
Good teaching is not some form
of mystical gift. It takes time, hard
work, continuous effort and reflective
34
Term 2 Jan - Mar 2020
practice to meet your particular goal/s.
I have always believed that every single
teacher I work with, can improve and
this must be part of the culture we
embed across schools. If we do not,
the danger is that teachers will not
engage for the right reasons. Good
teaching is not something that appears
- the majority of teachers need time,
dedication and the ability to step back
and be reflective. We are not finished
products, and there is always the
opportunity to be better.
With this in mind, here are some
practical ideas you can adopt when
thinking about CPD in your school. CPD
that genuinely nurtures talent, rather
than being tick-box activities.
Effective CPD for Today's Schools
5 5 CPD should be about embedding
impact and not merely 'information
giving'. Remember if there is no or
little follow-up or support, teachers
will soon lose interest in what you
are trying to achieve.
5 5 When considering your CPD model
make sure this is informed by valid
and reliable research and ensure it
is sustained with opportunities for
Class Time
staff collaboration, with a range of
professionals.
5 5 Taking a bottom-up approach to
professional development enables
teachers to get involved in planning
the
professional
development
offered
within
their
schools.
Engage teachers in talking about
the
professional
development
opportunities they would like to see
on offer, and what will have the most
impact on their practice.
5 5 Use
video
technology
to
improve the quality of classroom
observations. Research shows that
video technology is a very powerful
CPD tool for teachers– enabling
them to engage in deep reflection,
where they critique their own
practice and engage in effective
(coaching) pedagogic dialogues
with colleagues (read 'Best Foot
Forward- A toolkit for Fast-Forward
Classroom
Observations
Using
Video' by Harvard University)
5 5 Do
not
see
professional
development time just about in-
service training where the school is
closed to students. Provide teachers
with weekly opportunities to engage
in professional development. These
learning experiences will be more
meaningful if staff are given a