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Introduction In
Appendix 1 of the document 'Helping you Develop: Guidance on Producing
a Professional Development Record' there are examples of CPD for
teachers in the UK. The list is extensive and it is obvious that no one
method of collecting and collating data on the impact of this range of
activities can enable schools to record impact evidence. Using
statistics to display impact eg in pie charts is invaluable but what
about other kinds of CPD activity (such as working towards gaining
accreditation at a university)? How can we collect and disseminate
impact evidences which require a sensitive and personalised approach)
and how might the evidence be shared? This web-page presents a model of
several innovative ways.
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What is the focus of investigation in this 'snapshot'? Mapping: * How can teachers record impact evidence of CPD (continuing professional development) on their professional practice? * How can their school track the impact evidence of these activities in relation to School Improvement Plans? * How can teachers assess the impact evidence of their CPD activities on pupils' learning? Developing * A simple web-based template for teachers to record impact evidence from CPD activity Modelling * Teachers using web-based technology to record impact of their CPD activities on teaching and learning in school. Trialling * A web-based template to assist teachers in recording impact evidence of CPD activities In
this web-based template, we explore some of the ways to record impact
evidence of CPD on teachers lives and their school context. These are
in addition to and not a replacement for conventional survey methods
carried out with paper questionnaires and structured interviews:
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Thanks to teachers for providing CPD impact evidence Westwood St Thomas School, Salisbury: Mark Potts (Deputy Headteacher) Bob Ainsworth Cath McKenna Symon Leech Bob Wardzinski Bitterne Park School, Southampton: Simon Riding (Deputy Headteacher) Donna Chipping Rachele Gregg Bishop Wordsworth School, Salisbury: Karen Collins Hanham High School, Bristol Emma Kirby
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Teachers discuss CPD impact with a research mentor
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Representing the impact of teachers' CPD in schools The
key objective of this project is to help school teachers to use
web-based technology to record the timing and content of their CPD
activity, and details of its impact on teaching and learning. This
impact evidence could be embedded in performance management portfolios
and the SEF (Self-Evaluation Form) ready for OfSTED inspection. The
TDA is encouraging its regional officers to develop web-pages to
disseminate effective CPD practice and the teachers' websites
constructed using freely downloadbale Carnegie Foundation KEEP Toolkits
would be networked to build a rich, dynamic and accessible resource for
LAs', university and school-based colleagues' and TDA use.
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Teachers talk about the impact they want from CPD Click
on the links below to access the research accounts by Rachele Gregg and
Donna Chipping. Look for the spidergrams and Professional Learning Task
Accounts which have been developed by Coombs, S. (2000) to enable clear
elicitation of practitioners' knowledge.
Rachele Gregg's web-based research account
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Teachers write about the impact of their CPD activity Donna
Chipping and Rachele Gregg are studying for a school-based mentoring
award in action research mentoring with Bath Spa University. They have
used web-based templates to assist them in eliciting and sharing their
knowledge. Many of these have been created by Dr. Steven Coombs, who is
the head of Continuing Professional Development at Bath Spa, as an
integral part of Master's level study. The web-based template created
by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an
invaluable tool for teacher researchers to present their knowledge in a
form that can be shared and validated. These KEEP toolkit snapshots
allow teachers to upload text, images, audio and video files and in
construction seem to encourage teachers' creativity. Emma
Kirby has written several accounts about the impact of her MA study in
the Teachers' Research section of http://www.TeacherResearch.net In
this web-based resource there are numerous accounts by teachers
locally, nationally and internationally contributing to knowledge and
understandings about effective CPD in schools.
Donna Chipping's web-based account of her CPD activity
Rachele Gregg's web-based account of her CPD activity
Donna Chipping's professional learning task account
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Here
we see a photograph of Simon Riding, the school-based convener of
Bitterne Park School's Teacher Research Group, discussing his work
towards a PhD with Sarah Fletcher, at a meeting of the school's teacher
researchers and a colleague from Creative Partnerships.
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How can an in-house MA group provide effective CPD? The
success has been the level of engagement of staff. That is the key
issue. If you provide the opportunity and take away the barriers not to
do it that is when you get people involved. For us it is engaging with
HE as an organisation. For us it engages that extra element which was
the learning at staff level. That is very often something that gets
taken for granted or does not fully get developed. It is also about
providing professional development that is on site and is relevant.
That is about taking the individual forward developed via the whole
school initiative. It is emerging improvement from the bottom up rather
than taking it from the top down. Simon Riding, Deputy Headteacher, October 2005
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In
March 2005, Simon Riding, Karen Riding and Sarah Fletcher presented
their findings about the usefulness of collaborative enquiry between
students, teachers and HEI to teacher researchers, policy makers and
university-based researchers at the Action Research Conference for the
British Educational Research Association.
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Teachers' research impacts on classroom practice Karen
Collins studied for her MA with the research group at Westwood St
Thomas School. In addition to MA tutoring, Karen had research mentoring
(Fletcher, 2005) She encouraged some of her students to join the
teacher researcher group. When she and, coincidentally, two students
moved to Bishop Wordsworth's School, the impact of her research-based
actions was to develop a move to introduce students' research. The 6th
form students and Karen with support from Sarah Fletcher began to
research mentor a group of five pupils in year 7. Collaborative enquiry
began in February 2005 into the effectiveness of presenting KS3
objectives in French lessons. In November 2005 the students Shane and
Alex with pupils from year 7 (and assistance from Karen) led a
presentation to teachers at Bishop Wordsworth's School.
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Students talk about the impact of teachers' research
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What kinds of opportunities assist teachers in showing the impact of CPD on teaching and learning? * Talking with other teachers, perhaps from other schools. * Talking with colleagues from LAs and other outside agencies. * Talking with senior colleagues formally and informally. * Talking with students before, during and after lessons. * Undertaking study towards MA accreditation in-house.
Mark Potts describes the impact of an 'in-house' MA group.
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What questions assist teachers in explaining the impact of CPD on teaching and learning in school? This
chart is an example of how Bath Spa University is assisting collection
and collation of impact evidence: the areas identified on the grid are
taken from OfSTED documentation and although at present the questions
comprise Assumptions? and Evidence? model questions are being
identified and will soon be added.
Outcomes Evidence Chart
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Andrew
Camp (Bath Spa University Affiliated Tutor) explains how he uses
web-based technology with teacher researchers at Westwood St Thomas
School How can technology assist teachers in showing the impact of CPD on teaching and learning in school? Fletcher, S. (2005) Using Digital Technology for Practitioner Research, in Research Intelligence, The British Educational Research Association, P. 23
British Educational Communications and Technology Agency
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Literature about recording impact evidence of CPD on teachers' classroom practice and school improvement DfES (2001) Helping You Develop: Guidance on Producing a Professional Development Record DfEE (2000) Performance Management in Schools OfSTED (2004) A New Relationship with Schools: Improving Perfomance through School Self-Evaluation The
CPD Advisers' Forum of the South West Region LEAs.A Framework to aid
assessment of the effectiveness of CPD leadership in schools, Non Government sources: Coombs, S. and Fletcher, S (2005) Mentoring, Action Research and Critical Thinking Scaffolds,
presented to the British Educational Research Association September
2005, University of Glamorgan. This paper was presented as a
poster/discussion session by Fletcher, S. & Coombs, S. Teacher Development Journal Volume 8 Number 2 & 3 Day, C. (2004) Passion for Teaching, London, Routledge Press Fletcher, S. (2005) Research Mentoring: The Missing Link? in Bodone, F. (2005) What Difference Does Research Make and for Whom?' New York, USA, Peter Lang Fletcher, S. and Whitehead, J. (2003) 'The Look of the Teacher', in Clark, A. and Erickson, G. Teacher Inquiry: Living the Research in Everyday Practice, New York, USA, Peter Lang Stringer, E. (2004). Action Research in Education, London, Pearson Press.
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