In this session, we discussed how we could move away from a top-down PD programme towards more needs-focused in-house training, which offers teachers more choice and encourages them to engage more deeply with their development.
Action Research
Annabella discussed a shift in their centre’s PD programme last year which involved teachers working on individual action research projects. She said this shift enabled teachers to identify an area of development which was most relevant to them and was happy with the efforts of the teachers to develop their projects. The shift came about after the management team noticed that ideas being shared in input sessions weren’t being put into practice in the classroom, despite requests for input coming from the teaching team.
Communities of Practice
Building on the work of the teachers last year, Annabella is now looking to develop communities of practice for this academic year, identifying four or five main threads from the action research projects so that teachers can continue to develop their learning and also support other teachers who are interested in that area. We talked about the logistics of setting up CoPs. For example, aside from the in-person scheduled meetings, will there be a second channel of communication. Clare noted that asking teachers to use a social media channel (such as WhatsApp) for their CoPs could be counterproductive as teachers may not want to use their free-time apps for work purposes. Annabella said the school has a communication channel which teachers could use, thus setting clearer boundaries between work and freetime.
Additionally, although teachers were involved in the action research projects last year and have developed their knowledge of a particular topic, Annabella noted their was reticence among the team to take on leadership or mentor roles within the CoPs. We discussed imposter syndrome, although didn’t reach any conclusions as to how to combat it.
Another challenge with having a number of groups working on different projects could be around group numbers. Clare asked what might happen if one thread is particularly popoular, whereas another group on has two or three people in it. Annabella suggested that teachers could rate their preferences and then be assigned groups to ensure that there is more balance in group size.
Threads
The idea of offering choice was also developed by Dani’s team. At the start of the year they offered teachers a choice of three threads: working with advanced learners, teaching phonology or routines with young learners. Teachers could choose which of the three threads to follow, with different trainers leading the input sessions to offer a variety of voices and experiences within the sessions. As well as the live sessions, the teachers were also given optional extra reading to help them develop their knowledge of their chosen thread. Dani commented on the positives of the approach – that teachers felt the content was more immediately relevant to their needs. However, she also mentioned that as the team were divided into three groups for the sessions, the social bond of the team as a whole was affected.
Making it relevant
Robert had commented in the group about surveying staff to identify need and this idea of how to choose topics also came up in the discussion. Clare highlighted the importance of choosing topics which are relevant beyond the teacher’s current context, i.e. identifying areas to develop which would benefit a teacher in any future roles rather than organisation-based training (though there is of course a need for this through the onboarding process). Clare added that a topic such as Ai is very current and could also be developed into different threads, such as how learners use AI in and beyond the classroom, AI in lesson planning and materials development and AI in supporting teacher’s administrative workloads.
A centre’s PD culture
Another aspect of in-house training we discussed was the centre’s ethos and management / teacher expectations around professional development. There is of course a question around how PD is paid and what trainers can reasonable expect teachers to do within their working week. In some centres, there is a requirement for progress through PD to be evaluated and we talked about the importance of making teachers aware during the interview process of what the centre offers and what is expected.
Reflection questions
- How could you prepare your teaching team to carry out action research projects?
- What would be the benefits and challenges of setting up CoPs within your centre?
- How can you manage imposter syndrome and encourage teachers to take on leadership roles within your PD programme?