We previously looked at the importance of having a peer-collaborative teacher development programme. Today, we are going to look at implementing these programmes in-practice, and over the next two weeks, we will discuss the remaining principles that can lead to more successful professional development in practice.
‘I for In-practice’
In the Cambridge Papers in ELT research paper, 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 the fifth letter: ‘I for In-practice’, can inspire your teaching.
What does ‘in-practice’ mean?
Has a trainer or colleague ever shown you a teaching technique, without the opportunity for applying it?
Simply hoping that your teaching will change as a result, without the chance to implement the new methods in your classroom, means you are less likely to embed it in your own teaching practice.
‘In-practice’ means you learn through doing – trying out new teaching practices and seeing the direct effects on your students.
How does it work?
For the ‘in-practice’ element of your institution’s professional development programme to work, it needs to:
- have a direct application to your daily tasks as a teacher
- ensure initial input is structured and sequenced so it results in deeper understanding
- give you the opportunity for sustained implementation of the skill or technique, so that you can:
– refine and consolidate the new strategies you have learned
– adapt the new strategies to suit your teaching context.