Choosing to undertake an NPQ can be a difficult decision. Do you have the time? Will it be worth the effort? Will it benefit the children and young people you work with? So far, feedback from thousands of graduates around the country is a resounding yes, so if you are wavering, we’d encourage you to take part this year whilst funding is still guaranteed.
Once you’ve made the decision and secured yourself a sponsor, you’ll need to choose who you want to study your NPQ with and where. The evidence base underpinning all NPQs is consistent, but the experience you’ll receive depends on which Lead Provider and Delivery Partner you choose. Not all NPQs are created equal.
TDT has been at the forefront of teacher development for over a decade, and 99% of our NPQ participants say they would recommend their NPQ to a colleague. Our Delivery Partners are locally based experts who share our commitment to delivering the most effective CPD in the most effective ways, always putting you as a learner first.
Everything we do reflects our charity values – we are smart, all of our work is deeply rooted in evidence. We have heart – we believe teaching and learning is about people and connection. And we are humble – we are always curious, we are always learning.
The learning platform matters
An important part of the learning experience is the learning platform. How do you know if it addresses your needs in a way that matches your lifestyle and time allocation? And if it doesn’t, do you know if the provider will listen to your needs and make it more accessible?
As we remain true to our “Humble” selves here at TDT, we always welcome feedback from our participants. We do our best to continue responding to learners’ needs, providing the best possible experience for all who engage with our programmes.
You said so we did!
Louise Worgan (Curriculum Associate) and Ariana Wells (Curriculum Designer) are members of the Programmes Team at TDT. They reflect on the team’s recent work in enhancing the delivery of the NPQs and designing a fresh, new learning experience that they hope will reach more learners’ needs.
Smart, Heart, Humble
Anyone who has worked with TDT knows that we live our values of Smart, Heart, and Humble in all that we do. On joining TDT as a newcomer, it is easy to become suspicious of how thoughtful, considerate, and helpful everyone you encounter seems to be. Still, TDT really is that unicorn of a company where you can see everyone lives the vision. This translates to our work with our delivery partners and NPQ participants because we care about the facilitator and participant experience, and we have often been commended on how responsive we are to the feedback we collate.
That’s why when participants and facilitators said that they found the asynchronous (online) content not as easy to engage with as they would have liked and, if we are honest, a little onerous to read, we were committed to making the experience better.
So, what did we change?
We have changed the learning experience, but don’t worry; the content remains at that top-notch evidence informed TDT standard it has always been.
To embody the “Smart” aspect of our values, no change has been made without some solid design theory and research on what makes great CPD. The Education Endowment Foundation’s guidance on what makes great professional development supports the use of retrieval practice in strengthening the coding of the information and retrieval strength of the material. Gagne’s proposed nine events of instruction help to inform the instructional design of the new platform so that content is presented in multiple formats and a variety of ways to engage learners and support them in their NPQ learning experience.
Using questions, quizzes, and tests in various formats on the new learning platform allows learners to make sense of any new information and access deep-learning opportunities without feeling overwhelmed.
To lead with the “Heart” in all that we do, long gone are the static pages of text that are read. Instead, learning is far more accessible for a wider range of learners and their needs. The content is far more interactive after considering the cognitive load on, let’s face it, extremely busy teachers and leaders.
The original format has been replaced with some swanky new-look content, with a focus on the following features:
Interactivity
We know it’s important to help you stay engaged with the learning, so we have included several interactive activities in our content.
Interactive images allow you to investigate information associated with an image. We know that images can attract and engage your attention and, oftentimes, improve your comprehension of a concept. So, if something can be better said with a diagram, we have provided that for you.
Card sort activities encourage you to think deeper about the information presented by sorting it into the appropriate categories.
In the new-look content, you will also encounter scenarios where you will apply the theory you learned to an educational setting. It’s good to remember that TDT’s NPQs contain plenty of real-life examples, which have been lived and breathed by teachers and leaders in their contexts.
Flashcards and accordion blocks present the content differently, allowing you to investigate information by clicking on the card to turn it over or expanding the section to read more. This way, you can be more in control of how much information is presented to you at a given time. 
Retrieval practice
As with any qualification, the NPQs are challenging and require you to engage with so much theory and research. To help you navigate this, we have included retrieval questions either at the start of a section or embedded throughout the programme to allow you to consolidate your learning.
Audio
No one is busier than a teacher, so in recognition of this and the fact that we are a nation that loves a podcast, we have created an audio version of each unit to be downloaded and listened to on the go. We also know that some of our participants wanted an audio version to access the learning better, so we have responded to this need.
You can find the audio alongside the printable version of the unit in the unit overview. Now you can access your NPQ content while travelling to work, hoovering, and working out…the endless possibilities! Not only have we done that, but we have used some ever-so-clever AI technology to generate the audio file. We aren’t called #joyfullynerdy for nothing!
Visuals/Graphics
As well as interactive pictures, we have included more visuals and graphics throughout the programme content to accompany the information. This way, your learning can be presented to you in bite-sized chunks and give your brain a rest. Sometimes an image shows you what too many words seem to be saying!
We continue to evaluate the changes to the learning platform and the new interactive features we’ve developed – we hope you like them! Please get in touch with any feedback; we’re always happy to talk.
Start your NPQ journey today! Register your interest for Autumn 2024