Last #TDWednesday we introduced our INSPIRE acronym which consists of the basic principles that underpin our approach to teacher development programmes. Over the next seven weeks, we are going to look more closely at how each of these principles can lead to more successful professional development in practice.
‘I for Impactful’
In the Cambridge Papers in ELT research paper due to be published later this month, Effective professional development: Principles and best practice, we’ve set out some basic principles that provide the foundation for successful CPD programmes.
These principles form the handy acronym: INSPIRE. This week, we show you how that first letter: ‘I for Impactful’, can inspire better practice.
Impactful means that your professional development programme doesn’t just stop at enhancing your teaching knowledge and behaviour. It also has a real impact on your students’ learning.
But how does it work?
Moving to professional development practices that focus on impact requires:
1.Your school’s leaders sharing an inspirational vision.
2. A shared understanding between teaching colleagues and school management –
- What change do we want to achieve?
- Do we have a clear idea of how that change can be achieved?
- What strategies are suitable, to achieve that change?
3. It also relies on you being able to learn and implement in classroom practice, those evidence-informed strategies.
4. You need to have clear objectives for your professional development, including the impact it has on your students’ learning.
5. As a result, your professional development progress can be measured against those objectives.
Look out for next week’s post where we’ll look at the Needs-based principle from our INSPIRE acronym, and discover the implications and recommendations for applying this principle in practice.