Reflection: has accessing professional learning changed for everyone in the last few weeks?

This blog post was written by IPDA Scotland Vice-Chair Suzie Dick.

This time last year I gave a presentation featuring the infographic below at the Learning for Professional Learning Symposium at the University of Cambridge. 

The purpose of the symposium was so that each presenter could bring an issue to the table and those attending could discuss and suggest a way forward that you may not have thought about, or bring about a change in/ of perspective.

The issue I brought forward was around the challenge of attending professional learning events that were almost always inaccessible if you live on an island, due to distance and ferries. As JP Mynott highlighted in his last blog post, COVID-19 has also created an opportunity that has moved many of the professional learning events into the virtual world, which has also enabled a wider range of education staff to have access, including those of us on islands. 

So, if the barrier of inaccessibility was removed, would we all actually attend more events? The infographic I took to the symposium identified the ‘hurdles’ that my staff on a Scottish island as needing to be overcome before they could attend a professional learning event. Reflecting on it, a year later, I don’t think these hurdles have changed in any great measure. For the time being, during the pandemic, the physical practicalities have been removed, and I would suggest that the level of confidence needed to attend events may have also changed – you can be a quiet/ silent participant when the delivery is online, but the other parts of the pyramid remain intact.

This brings me back to the answers from the symposium. What did the great minds that descended upon the symposium from around the world suggest as a way forward you may ask? They suggested that we stop looking at what you cannot do and focus on what you can. If you can’t get to a professional learning event, then create your own. Use the expertise you have on the island, including yourself. Work with who and what you can access and make the professional learning sustainable and your own. That is the journey we have started on here on our island and one we will continue.

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