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 (2021). According to the recent UCET CPD discussion paper (Vare et al 2021), CPD should seek to develop teachers as: 

• Competent and confident professionals 
• Epistemic agents 
• Critical and reflective practitioners 
• Responsible professionals

In addition, the paper also points out that teacher agency needs to be encouraged, and that CPD needs to be individualised and personalised (Durrent, 2019 and Vare et al, 2021). In the IPDA England Podcast Holme et al (2021) discuss how grassroots CPD also has a place in the professional learning and development landscape. It is driven for teachers by teachers, and it aims to meet the needs of those engaging with it. The speakers acknowledge that this form of CPD is not for everyone, and this perspective aligns well with Vare et al’s (2021) point that CPD needs to be individualised and personalised. 

In addition, Holme (2021) acknowledges that often grassroots CPD stems from teacher and educators addressing a specific need, or event at times, respond to the lack of needs being met. In the discussion, this need, or response is referred to by Holme et al (2021) as ‘Guerrilla CPD’, driven for teachers by teachers (Bennett, 2012). It is very personal, and interpersonal. The emotional investment into this movement cannot be underestimated. The collaborative professionalism, and co-constructive nature of grassroots CPD is powerful, and through the research and studies conducted by the panel, it can have a deep and lasting impact on professional learning for those who engage with it. 

The value of meeting with others during the pandemic was highlighted too, and that grassroots CPD provided a great opportunity to work collaboratively and learn in communities of practice. It is flexible, mobile and often more cost-effective than other forms of CPD too.  

The value of the variation and novelty of these different ways of learning, and collaborating was highlighted too (Hargreaves and O’Connor, 2018). The importance of trust and letting go, to allow others to lead on their own learning, was acknowledge during the exploration of this form of CPD too, and how there is at times little control over what is shared or produced. However, the richness of the interaction and engagement reflected the benefits outweighed the ‘trust’ challenge. In addition, the speakers also explored the richness of online engagement, and that it can be as effective as the face-to-face opportunities. The interactive nature, and the online ‘chat’ enables others to have a higher conversation and opportunities to reflect on their practice and learning, which encouraged greater reflective and reflexive practice too (Door, 2015). 

The speakers emphasised that there is great value in this form of CPD and that there is certainly a great need and place for it in the professional development landscape, as it enables teachers and educators to meet more informally, and more often to work as collaborative professionals. 

To learn more about grassroots CPD please click on the link provided to engage with Richard Holme’s paper: 

Holme, R. (2021). Thought piece – grassroots teacher professional development: how and why practitioners are taking ownership for their development and learning: how and why practitioners are taking ownership for their development and learning. PRACTICE: Contemporary Issues in Practitioner Education, 3(1), 37-42. https://doi.org/10.1080/25783858.2021.1882265

Listen to the IPDA podcast

References

Bennett, E. (2012) Teachmeets: Guerilla CPD. Educational Developments, 3 (4). pp. 23-27. ISSN 1469-3267

Door, V. (2015) Developing creative and critical educational practitioners. UK: Critical Publishing.

Durrant, J. (2019), Teacher agency, professional development and school improvement. Oxbridge: Routledge. 

Hargreaves, A. and O’Connor, M. (2018), Collaborative Professionalism: When Teaching Together Means Learning for All, UK: Corwin. 

Holme, R. (2021). Thought piece – grassroots teacher professional development: how and why practitioners are taking ownership for their development and learning: how and why practitioners are taking ownership for their development and learning. PRACTICE: Contemporary Issues in Practitioner Education, 3(1), 37-42. https://doi.org/10.1080/25783858.2021.1882265

Vare, P., Dillon, J., Oberholzer, L. and Butler, C. (2021), UCET Discussion Paper: Continued Professional Development, UCET Working Group, January 2021, UCET.

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