The Teacher Development Trust National Conference is fast approaching, and one of the many highlights will be hearing from Unleashing Great Teaching co-authors Bridget Clay and David Weston.
Five years after publication, David and Bridget sat down together to reflect on what’s changed in the CPD landscape and how leaders may respond.
A few key themes emerged that attendees will help them expand on at the conference, including:
Whilst there is greater shared understanding of the value of effective professional development and how children and adults learn, there are also increased challenges around teacher recruitment, retention and school funding which can make capacity for engagement hard to find
We are feeling the positive impact of having common frameworks embedded across schools, creating shared language and collaboration opportunities. This also sparks some healthy debate about the nature of evidence behind those frameworks. Whose knowledge is it? How do we review it? What’s the basis?
We’ve seen a rise in pedagogical and instructional coaching approaches through programmes like the Early Career Framework which is positive, but we need to ensure quality implementation, not just replication
Accelerated use of technology is broadening access to quality CPD but the clear benefits of in-person time and peer interaction is still crucial to our development
There’s a growing understanding that professional learning opportunities offered need to be tailored, both meeting staff needs and explicitly linking CPD to classroom practice, not one size fits all!
David and Bridget’s informed reflections on effective CPD in schools draws on extensive research and practical experience and we can’t wait to explore more.
Don’t miss the chance to hear them discuss the past, present and future of unleashing great teaching in schools
Check out the video excerpt and if you haven’t already, book here to join them at the conference. We look forward to seeing you there!
