Finding Nemo: The importance of a research community for Doctoral researchers

IPDA England is aiming to provide a series as blogs over the summer from its IPDA England committee to outline the work that the committee is undertaking, and to encourage colleagues to engage with our work. Derek Boyle shared his Read more…


Reflections from an ‘accidental’ Doctoral student’s professional learning journey

Author: Derek Boyle This article documents the journey that I have taken to get to the point where I am about to start a Doctorate while working as a full-time educator developing future teachers.  Hopefully through sharing my journey, this Read more…


Professional Learning Networks within School-Centred Initial Teacher Training in England

Meeting

Within England there are several distinct types of organisations that can provide Initial Teacher Training or Initial Teacher Education programmes that lead to the award of (QTS) Qualified Teacher Status. These organisations are collectively referred to as ‘providers’ within the Read more…


The impact of written feedback to improve students’ performance

by Dr Dev Acharya Feedback is a vital part of the learning process that helps to improve students’ performance as they progress through their studies (Earl, 2003). It is useful for reflective learning and to process the knowledge that students already have. The practice of Read more…


Becoming a teacher by learning in two contexts in the Netherlands and England

Authors: Elizabeth White, Miranda Timmermans We were delighted to receive an IPDA Scholarship for our project ‘Learning from student-teachers’ experiences of school-university partnerships in the Netherlands and England’. We are both involved in school-university partnerships and have seen many changes Read more…


Developing and sustaining professional learning communities within School-Centred Initial Teacher Training in England

Author: Derek Boyle As part of the IPDA 2022 conference proceedings, I presented a practice spotlight session which illustrates how the role of lead mentors within Initial Teacher Training in a school-centred provider exemplifies collaborative professionalism and provides the stimulus for capacity Read more…


Reflecting on IPDA 2021 keynotes

We are entering the reflective space of yet another exciting IPDA Conference, and the 2022 Conference theme is – Reimagining our futures together: The role of Professional Learning.  However, a key part of moving forward, is to look back as well, Read more…


Sources for Learning: The Role of Context in Teacher Professional Learning

Sources for learning: The Role of Context in Teacher Professional Learning – André Koffeman. Earlier this year, I finished my PhD thesis. As I think my findings are relevant for the IPDA community, here it is: my very first blog! Read more…


Grassroots CPD a powerful force to meet individual professional learning needs

Authors: Lizana Oberholzer, Richard Holme, Hannah Robertson and Mag Amond As part of IPDA England’s focus, during this academic year, we explored the key characteristics of continuous professional development (CPD), by discussing the UCET Discussion Paper, by Vare et al Read more…


What are the key characteristics of CPD?

Male High School Teacher Standing Next To Interactive Whiteboard And Teaching Lesson

IPDA England plans to host a debate exploring the UCET CPD discussion paper focusing on what the key characteristics of CPD are. The event takes place on the 17 April 2021 in collaboration with the University of Wolverhampton. Linda Devlin will Read more…


IPDA Scotland reflects on the 2020 IPDA Conference

IPDA Conference on Zoom

Reflections on the IPDA 2020 Conference by IPDA Scotland


Reflections on leadership practice during COVID-19 lockdown in India

This blog post has been contributed by Professor Jaswinder K. Dhillon, University of Worcester. This blog reflects on leadership practice during COVID-19 lockdown in India in response to the global pandemic. The reflections emanate from my experience of visiting India Read more…


Reflecting on what COVID-19 means for my research as a doctoral student

Laptop and mask

This blog post has been contributed by Ryan Williams. The global spread of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns have resulted in schools being shut all around the world. It is estimated that 1.2 billion students have been affected due to Read more…


Is combining research and teaching a way to thrive and survive in Initial Teacher Education?

Yesterday, I was excited about having a conversation about what it means to be a teacher educator. We are nearing the end of the first year in our newly restructured faculty and, faced with the prospect of another merger in Read more…


What is the IPDA International Conference like?

Aileen Kennedy presenting

Above: Aileen Kennedy presents at the IPDA Conference. This IPDA Scotland blog post was written by Catriona Oates. The IPDA International Conference will take place online, on November 27th and 28th this year. This is the first time the conference has moved Read more…


Professional Learning in and after Covid-19

Laptop conference call

This post for IPDA Scotland’s blog was written by JP Mynott. A challenge for people wishing to be involved in professional learning can be physically attending events. There are always things happening in school, children to pick up and a Read more…


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

conference seating

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 Read more…


Technophobes versus technophiles: understanding the enemy’s position through reflection

It may only take one conversation in academia to discover that there are alternative views and beliefs to those that are your own. For me, it has always been apparent that not every scholar or academic shares the same confidence Read more…


Fake News: the failures of big tech and education

Person reading newspaper

According to the education secretary Damian Hinds, ‘teachers need to better prepare pupils of the risks of “fake news” and disinformation online’. In an increasingly network-driven society, it appears to be the case that pupils are not only part of Read more…


Reflections on the IPDA Ireland seminar: From the inside looking in

It may seem like a distant memory for many, but 20th February 2019 marked a significant date for the newly reformed IPDA Ireland committee. It was the date when we hosted the first of our events: a seminar entitled ‘Re-imagining professional Read more…


Professional learning and its (in)ability to empower professionals to make a difference

Fiona King at the IPDA conference

At a recent editorial board meeting of Professional Development in Education (PDiE) members discussed what it means to be ‘more than a journal’? As a board we want to engage with all those interested in education by asking difficult and/or different questions Read more…


The IPDA conference and its usefulness for health educators

IPDA conference

Many health care professionals may not have heard of IPDA the ‘International Professional Development Association’ – and having just collected our conference packs we read on through the programme abstracts, and are immediately drawn into a world of contemporary issues Read more…


Co-constructing mentoring and its use within a Higher Education Provider

Student mentoring

Over the last five years I have found myself immersed in my PhD research. The focus of the research is to explore the changes in pedagogy at a case-study higher education provider (HEP). The HEP’s shift in teaching has come Read more…


A reflection on external examining in universities

Putting down pen

It looks like 21 years of external examining in higher education in 15 Universities, not to mention validating about 45 programmes, interim reviews and departmental and faculty evaluations is quite an achievement! A friend of mine once asked if the Read more…


If you are a professional educator, what do you profess?

students

In this blog, I reflect on what has happened to FE (Further Education) in England. My first thought is about a book inspired by a Grimm Brothers tale of escape by twelve princesses from nightly imprisonment. They escape to dance Read more…


Reflections on professional learning

Auditorium

Critical Perspectives on Professional Learning: Re-framing the Future, the compelling title of a symposium on Professional Learning held at the Institute of Education, Dublin City University (DCU) and conducted by members of the editorial board of the journal Professional Development Read more…


Are e-portfolios better for CPD than other portfolios?

Laptop and journal

A key goal of higher education (perhaps the key goal?) is to produce graduates who become successful independent learners in their professions. ‘Newly-minted’ graduates have to take the first step, of course: getting a job, or joining a postgraduate programme Read more…


I feel like Sisyphus when I’m doing my PhD on technology, SEN (Special Educational Needs) and professional development in Nigeria!

smartphone

I am passionate about teaching and I am also keen to make an impact in the world of academia, especially with SEN in rural areas of Nigeria. It is this zeal that led to my quest for higher education degrees Read more…


Market forces and professional development

While recent media attention has been focussed on Toby Young, perhaps people have overlooked the real nature of the new ‘Office For Students’?  This organisation has been set up to regulate higher education as ‘a market’. The office sees students Read more…


It’s not all black and white: reflections on a workshop about research impact

water drop

I was delighted to be asked to facilitate a workshop on research impact at the NINE (Northern Ireland North East) ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) Autumn conference in November 2017. The conference was held at St James’s Park, the Read more…


My first examination

It could be argued that The Irish Christian Brothers have at times been in breach of The Trade Descriptions Act. This is because there do appear to be examples when the evidence of their Christianity is questioned. An Irish accountant Read more…


In political education all are teachers and all are learners: A proposal for successful professional development.

For me political education does not mean pouring approved knowledge into human receptacles and then measuring the rate of regurgitation. It is an interactive human activity in which teachers are learners and learners are teachers. In 1971 the now defunct Read more…