IPDA England hosts online event around current issues in teacher professional development

IPDA England hosted an online open twilight event exploring Current issues in teacher professional development.

The event took place on 11 May 2020 from 16:00-18:00, and offered an opportunity to reflect on research, with the aim to explore key issues in education, which includes a focus on effective CPD for practitioners.

Current issues in teacher professional development 

There is a wide-ranging body of evidence around teacher professional development, which is informing teachers’, schools’, professional development providers’ and policy makers’ approaches. There are also some gaps in our understanding of what makes professional development effective, and what that might mean in different contexts and/or for teachers of different subjects or at different stages of their career.  In this online seminar, colleagues from IPDA England shared and discussed some current research and development initiatives which aim to provide information to fill some of these gaps, reflecting on their implications for practitioners.  

The first initiative discussed is an ongoing series of studies exploring the practice, knowledge and learning of professional development facilitators. The aim is to better understand the role of those who design, deliver and facilitate professional development and how to support those carrying out this role.  Earlier findings from this series of studies have been published in Professional Development in Education (Perry, E. & Bevins, S., 2019;  Perry, E. & Boylan, M., 2018). 

The second initiative is focussed on quality in the provision of teacher professional development. In this project, a partnership between the Chartered College of Teaching, Sheffield Institute of Education and the Teacher Development Trust, a system of quality assurance of teacher professional development will be designed and tested. To find out more or to get involved in this work, visit: https://chartered.college/programmes/#cpdqa.

The seminar was hosted by Lizana Oberholzer of the University of East London and led by Dr Emily Perry of Sheffield Institute of Education, Sheffield Hallam University.  Dr Liz White of the University of Hertfordshire introduced the session on behalf of IPDA England. Practitioners including teachers, post graduate research students and academics attended from across the country.  The session was well received and we hope to continue developing these themes around the role of professional development facilitators and the quality of professional development in future events. Thank you, Emily for leading a stimulating event.

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