Introduction
In September 2023 the British Council hosted a webinar for teacher educators on the topic of key principles in planning effective Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers. This article summarises the principles covered during the webinar.
CPD is here being defined as the process through which practising teachers develop the competences that underpin effective classroom practice. CPD can take many forms and one broad distinction that can be made is between independent and organised CPD. Teachers can engage independently in a range of activities that support their development – for example, reading books and articles, looking for new teaching ideas online, reflecting on their teaching and having informal conversations about teaching with colleagues. CPD, though, is often made available in a more organised form. Here, too, many options are available, but in all cases groups of teachers are aware that they are taking part in a programme or project of some kind. It is the planning and conduct of organised CPD that is the focus here.
Any discussion of how to make CPD effective is based on four premises. These are that:
a. Teacher quality matters
b. CPD is necessary to sustain teacher quality
c. Not all CPD is effective in promoting changes in teaching and learning
d. Global principles for good practice in CPD exist.
In connection with the final point in this list, we are able to identify from international research and good practice several principles which are generally considered to contribute positively to the effectiveness of CPD. There are no formulae or templates which are guaranteed to work in every context, but an awareness and critical application of the 10 principles outlined below will undoubtedly enhance the process and outcomes of CPD.
Principle 1: Define learning-oriented and feasible objectives
When CPD is being planned it is important to identify its objectives. The kinds of questions that can be asked at this stage are:
- What student learning outcomes does the CPD aim to support?
- As a result of the CPD, in what ways will teachers’ competences be enhanced?
- In addition to teachers, who else will benefit from the CPD?
While teachers are the primary beneficiaries of CPD, ultimately the goal of CPD is to improve the quality of learning that students receive. It is important, then, to think about which aspects of learning CPD is meant to support (the first question in the above list). This will facilitate the task of identifying the areas of teacher competence that the CPD will target. Teacher competence is multi-dimensional and choices need to be made about which aspects of it to focus on (for example, background knowledge, specific teaching skills or language proficiency). The third question above reminds us that CPD may contribute more broadly to the work of the school and any such benefits should also be identified at the outset.
This principle implies that CPD will be enhanced when those responsible for it:
- ensure objectives are driven by a concern for student learning
- define feasible objectives (i.e. that can be realistically achieved)
- share the objectives with key stakeholders.
Another benefit of having clear objectives for CPD is that these objectives will then be the reference point when the success of the CPD is evaluated.
Principle 2: Understand the context and the audience
It is difficult to plan an effective CPD programme without knowledge of the target audience and the broader educational and socio-cultural context they work in. At the level of individual context, teachers will have specific experiences, knowledge, beliefs, motivations, needs and wants. They will also work in school contexts which have particular characteristics. More broadly, schools are part of the wider educational system which is defined by policies that shape teaching, assessment and learning. The educational system is, in turn, embedded in a broader socio-cultural context. Effective CPD will take into account these different levels of context. There will be cases where the information about the specific teachers joining a programme is not available until they join a programme and in such cases learning about them will need to be integrated into the programme itself.
This principle implies that CPD will be enhanced when those responsible for it:
- ensure CPD is informed by and compatible with the context.
- learn about audience before and/or during CPD.
The first point about compatibility does not mean that CPD should be conservative. CPD will always seek to promote change of some kind; this is most likely to occur, though, when the change being promoted, and how it is being promoted, are based on an understanding of what is possible in particular contexts.
Principle 3: Build on existing practices and cognitions
Teachers bring to CPD a wide range of experiences and cognitions – i.e. knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and feelings. While these cognitions are not directly observable, they influence what teachers do in the classroom and what they learn through CPD. Teachers will interpret new ideas they encounter during CPD through the lens of what they already do and believe. When ignored during CPD, these prior experiences and cognitions can also act as a barrier to learning. This principle has one very clear implication: that CPD should aim to create awareness (among teachers but also for teacher educators) of teachers’ current practices and beliefs before seeking to change them. It is unrealistic to expect teachers to change aspects of their practices and cognitions they are unaware of. Starting from where teachers are at and building from there is a key element in constructivist learning.
Principle 4: Make CPD a situated process
CPD is situated when it is connected closely to what happens in classrooms. CPD is more situated when it is:
- localised to the context
- informed by local examples (including content that teachers supply)
- relevant to the curriculum teachers work with.
Additionally, situated CPD creates opportunities for teachers to experiment in the classroom, thus strengthening even further the connections between professional development and teaching and learning.
This principle does not imply that CPD should avoid content and examples from contexts other than the teachers’. Neither is it implied here that theoretical issues should not be addressed during CPD. Overall, though, CPD typically seeks to help teachers perform more effectively in a particular context and should, therefore, be clearly linked to it. Such links also make it more likely that teachers will be able to apply in their classrooms new ideas they learn about during CPD.
Two implications here are that CPD will be enhanced when it seeks to:
- establish strong connections between CPD and what happens in teachers’ classrooms.
- introduce concrete ideas that gradually extend current practices and can be integrated into existing curricula.
In the second point here, the idea of gradually extending teachers’ practices is important; it is more feasible to help teachers do more effectively what they currently do than to ask them to do something completely different.
Principle 5: Focus on the content and process of CPD
Both content (the what) and process (the how) merit close attention when CPD is being planned. The content will reflect the objectives (see Principle 1) and be informed by the context (Principle 2). Choices also need to be made about how extensive (several topics in less depth) or focused (one or fewer topics in more depth) the content will be (I would favour the latter given the time needed for teachers to engage with new ideas and experiment with them repeatedly in the classroom – see Principle 7). How teacher learning will occur during CPD is also vital and planning should include explicit attention to the kinds of processes teachers will be engaged in. There is wide support today for approaches to CPD that have these characteristics: constructivist (Principle 3), dialogic, situated (Principle 4), collaborative (Principle 6), reflective, inquiry-based, extended (Principle 7). This does not rule out a role for more conventional teacher learning processes such as receiving input via lectures or studying theory, but such activities should ideally provide a stimulus for active learning on the part of teachers.
There is, thus, broad consensus about the kinds of processes that support effective professional development and, overall, these imply that CPD should be planned in a way that promotes active learning. It is also important to acknowledge the centrality of teacher learning processes that focus on teaching itself – planning, experimenting in the classroom, inquiring and reflecting.
Principle 6: Make teacher learning a social process
Teachers do often learn alone but it is generally acknowledged that CPD can be enhanced when it is a social process – i.e. where teachers work together and learn from one another. There are many CPD strategies available that have this principle at their core. Peer observation, for example, requires pairs of teachers to observe one another and engage in dialogic and developmental reflections on the process. Mentoring involves teachers working with a more experienced or expert colleague who can observe teaching and support meaningful reflection on it. In reading groups, teachers meet regularly to discuss something they have all read and which provides the basis of reflections on their work. Several other options exist (such as collaborative action research and teacher professional communities) which place great value on the benefits which teachers experience when they learn together. As such approaches to CPD will be new for many teachers, it is important to ensure that support is provided to help them understand what it is they are expected to do and how to do it effectively.
The implication of this principle is that when CPD is being planned and implemented, it is important to create space for teachers to share experience, discuss, reflect dialogically, and to engage in shared planning and even possibly collaborative teaching. Such opportunities acknowledge the value of teachers’ expertise and recognise it as a resource for professional development.
Principle 7: View CPD as an extended process
In this principle, ‘extended’ implies that CPD is not a one-off, short-term event but an ongoing process. Teachers need repeated opportunities over time to engage in key developmental processes such as receiving and processing input, experimenting in the classroom, reflecting, receiving feedback and sharing experience. It is not possible for teachers to benefit fully from such processes when they are compressed into an intensive period of study. Rather, a unit of time such as a semester or a whole school year gives teachers increased space to engage with CPD and increase the chances that it can lead to productive changes in their work. Of course, simply giving teachers extended time for CPD will not necessarily be productive; how that time is spent is also critical.
When CPD is being planned, then, it should take into account the view that change in teaching is more likely when teachers are able to engage meaningfully (and in situated ways) with pedagogical ideas over time.
Principle 8: Provide ongoing teacher support
There are at least two points during CPD where support for teachers is important. The first is early in the process, particularly where teachers are being encouraged to engage in novel teacher learning processes. As explained under Principle 6, if teachers are expected to engage in collaborative action research, much support will often be needed to enable them to do so effectively: they need to understand what collaborative action research is, how it can help them, how to do it, and how to do it collaboratively. They will also need ongoing support for their efforts as they experience this form of CPD for the first time. The second point at which teacher support for CPD is vital is when they are ready to innovate in their classroom – i.e. to make a change to what they normally do and to try something different. Many teachers will find this a challenging, uncertain and even risky process, yet unfortunately it is often the time when they are left to cope alone, sometimes in the face of unfavourable responses from school leaders, supervisors, colleagues and possibly parents too. This lack of support can reduce teachers’ capacity or commitment to change or limit the sustained nature of any changes they do make.
In contrast, CPD which recognises the importance of teacher support for pedagogical change will take steps to increase it. In practical terms, this means that CPD planners should work to gain support from the key stakeholders mentioned above who can discourage change. CPD can also seek to create structures – such as peer support among teachers – which minimise teacher isolation as they seek to innovate and make this is a more collective and shared endeavour.
Principle 9: Prioritise teacher educator competence
The quality of CPD teachers experience will be significantly affected by the competences of teacher educators (i.e. anyone who is responsible for supporting teacher development, including within schools). Given that organised CPD of the kind we are focusing on here is typically led, supported, facilitated or co-ordinated in some way, it is important that the individuals who have such responsibilities possess the required attributes. One analysis of such attributes is the British Council’s CPD Framework for Teacher Educators. This defines the knowledge, skills and approach to professional development that effective teacher educators require.
There are clear implications here for the planning of CPD:
- it is important to recognise that effective teacher educators need specific competences that extend beyond being an experienced teacher
- the specific competences teacher educators need on specific CPD initiatives should be identified early in the process and used to inform recruitment and/or the preparation of teacher educators
- teacher educators require ongoing job-based support to develop the required competences.
Principle 10: Optimise practical arrangements
The final principle highlights the effect that practical arrangements can have on how effectively teachers engage with CPD. Examples of factors that can make a difference include:
- WHEN CPD takes place
- How much TIME it requires
- WHERE it takes place
- the MODE of delivery (face-to-face/online)
- the RESOURCES teachers are assumed to have.
For example, if CPD is held at times teachers find inconvenient, is seen by teachers to take up too much of their personal time or requires them to travel far or to congregate in premises which they feel are not conducive to learning, it will be difficult for teachers to sustain their commitment and engage fully with the CPD process.
The clear implication here is that CPD planning should consider the impact that practical arrangements may have on teachers’ motivation and on their ability to participate in CPD in a sustained way.
Conclusion
Collectively, these 10 principles (which can be applied at scale or with small teacher groups) provide a strong basis for the design and implementation of CPD that has transformative potential for teaching and learning. Additionally, by emphasizing a concern for teachers’ needs and student learning, relevance to the local context, and a suitable balance between external guidance and teacher-led effort, these principles also enable CPD to be approached in a manner that is ethically sound. The list discussed here could undoubtedly be extended to consider, for example, the roles of teacher autonomy and motivation and how to evaluate of CPD and readers are directed to this short blog for further thoughts on such matters. The principles summarised here, though, provide an excellent starting point for individuals and organisations responsible for supporting CPD to enhance the effectiveness of their efforts.
The Author
Simon Borg has been involved in language teaching and teacher education for 35 years. Academically, he is internationally recognised for his research on language teacher education and development. As an educational consultant, he specialises in the design, implementation and evaluation of professional development programmes and policies and has completed assignments for educational organisations in over twenty-five countries.
e-mail: s.borg@simon-borg.co.uk
website: http://simon–borg.co.uk/