Pragmatic professional development

When time is of the essence.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Thoughts and musings

Child-initiated learning, personalising the learning journey and creating learning experiences which promote awe and wonder in our students. For the majority of teachers (and educational establishments) this is at the core of their ethos. However, can the same always be said for our own professional development? Although there are inarguably a number of meetings and training opportunities where it is integral for all staff to attend, I have often wondered if the remainder of this precious time is put to best use. I have described today’s post about professional development as ‘pragmatic’ as this adjective can be defined as, ‘solving problems in a sensible way that suits the conditions that really exist now, rather than obeying fixed theories, ideas, or rules’ (Cambridge Dictionary Online).

So, when might a professional development programme appear to be less than pragmatic? I am certain that I am not the only educator who has sat in a room at 4pm (or replace with an equally yawn-inducing time) on a Monday afternoon (or insert an equally undesirable day) trying to desperately ingest content, ideas or theory that may or may not relate to or enhance my day-to-day role. Now, I am a respectful listener and an eager learner, however too many times (mostly and thankfully earlier on in my career when approaches were less dynamic) have I questioned the one-size fits all model of the ‘staff meeting’ which embodies the way it has ‘always been done’.

Once again, I will take this opportunity to shout-out, celebrate and express my gratitude to the many dynamic and inspiring colleagues I have been lucky enough to share my journey as an educator with. Perhaps even more importantly for today’s post are the open and flexible leaders, who embrace, promote and support models for professional development which are personal, autonomous and engaging. If this is not your current experience of professional development it is my hope that some of today’s suggested ideas and practical suggestions could be shared with your leaders in the spirit of providing staff with the same opportunities to learn, grow and thrive as we diligently and proudly provide for our pupils.

Ideas and practical suggestions

So, what do pragmatic opportunities for professional development look like? Below are two suggestions which I hope can be actioned with minimal time spent preparing. Think of these more as a shift towards intentionality as you consider ways to curate and deliver your PD programme in terms of content, organisation and resourcing.

1. Promote staff autonomy

One of the biggest bug bears of educators which I have heard a number of times (and am certain along the line will have uttered myself) is the relevance of the professional development being shared. As mentioned before, there are a number of areas in which it is integral that all staff members take part in training, however beyond these instances, is there not an argument for handing over the reins to the people who are going to benefit the most from the time carved out specifically for their learning? The educators themselves. Just as our pupils cannot contain their excitement when they have the choice over what they are writing about/researching/creating a project on, many of us as adults experience the same motivation. Being time poor is a challenge faced by many teachers and often reaches the top of surveys about what impedes us most in the profession. Therefore, is it not a surprise that frustration (and quite possibly a feeling of resentment) is felt when the PD on offer is not relevant for a number of staff members in the room?

• Below are some ideas to promote an individual professional learning journey for staff:

  • Audit staff’s ideas and opinions on what they feel they would benefit most from learning about.

  • Purposefully and intentionally use performance management cycles to offer practical ideas and resources which will then have a measurable impact.

  • As mentioned in last week’s post, ‘Leading by example’, utilise expertise amongst staff who are not necessarily on Leadership Teams. These staff members may feel motivated to lead a PD session, or if a platform is created where staff can access learning at their own pace and in their own time (see below) invite these teachers to contribute to this.

  • Support staff in sourcing their own PD opportunities. Intentionally spend PD budget (where available) to invest in staff members’ suggestions for outsourced training. Not all of this has to come at an extortionate cost. For example, if you are part of a MAT or Local Authority, there may be opportunities for shared PD with other schools. Sending one or two staff members on a course/conference and booking in PD time for them to feedback to the rest of the staff body, maximises money spent against wider impact. Research into potential savings with different packages/subscriptions provided by companies/consultants - there may even be room for negotiation!

  • Look out for free PD opportunities. Peps Mccrea publishes fantastic weekly emails called ‘Evidence Snacks’ which focus on a pertinent area of education and list ‘Little updates’, which often include free webinars.

  • Be research-informed. Evidence Based Education’s ‘A Model for Great Teaching’ published as part of the ‘Great Teaching Toolkit Evidence Review’ is a fantastic resource to support teacher’s professional learning. Focusing on four identified priorities which have a direct impact on student learning, this model is not only evidence-informed but provides an excellent framework for self and directed study into areas which will enhance an educator’s understanding about what makes ‘great teaching’.

2. Purposefully design the delivery and enhance engagement with the content

As previously discussed (although sometimes necessary) a mass-gathering of educators, sat listening to a speaker sharing even the most potentially riveting of content, may not be the most engaging vehicle for professional development.

• Below are a number of ways in which professional development opportunities can be dynamically curated to promote inclusivity:

  • Organise a carousel! For those of you who have read my previous post on ‘Carousel lessons’ you will know that I am an advocate for designing individualised learning opportunities which maximise the time attributed to them. Often for a ‘staff meeting’ this is around the 1 hour mark. Therefore, if your staff are quick-movers and your workshop spaces are in a fairly close vicinity, this could be x3 twenty-minute sessions. Or, perhaps more viably, x2 thirty-minute sessions. Couple this approach with the content being informed by staff’s input, and with a range of team members leading the learning, and you create a set of pacy, engaging workshops which promote autonomy and shared responsibility.

  • Trust is key - and appreciated. If there is not a need for professional development to be completed at the end of the school day, and on site, self-directed learning is an empowering option to provide staff with. Create a bank of learning. This may be in the form of subscriptions, content shared and/or created by staff (for example on a website or using a platform such as ‘Padlet’) or ‘by staff, for staff’ - a collection of webinars, books, blogs for staff to peruse and engage with. Perhaps you use your shared staff spaces to display recommendations, for example using QR codes, and possibly a shared PD library (once again thinking creatively about your PD budget).

  • Create learning teams. This may link back to my previous suggestion of staff audits or purposeful connections with appraisal cycles. As you would with your class, provide these teams with a project which culminates in an outcome. Professional conversation is elevated through discussion and there is a tangible purpose beyond individual/team learning. Presenting findings from a project to the rest of the staff members (once again, consider how this can be done dynamically) increases the number of areas of education explored and considered.

  • Instructional coaching. There is SO much I would like to say about the benefits of this method of professional development - so look out for more on this in next week’s post! As a warm-up I have included this week’s ‘Mind The Gap’ podcast on ‘Professional Learning Skills for Teachers’ where Jim Knight is interviewed by hosts Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner. An interesting and though-provoking discussion.

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Explore! Beyond ‘A Model for Great Teaching’, Evidence Based Education provide high-quality professional development programmes, which can be explored on their website.

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