Continuous professional development

What?
Professional development of the teaching profession ; other functions in education will be treated
as they occur and prove to be important
Continuous : covers the whole career of a teacher, from the start as a student-teacher until the
moment he or she quits the job

1. To be able to describe the process of CPD (for teachers) we need a clear idea about the goals
education must reach.
To start with : How to foster individual learning of the pupils : this is the main topic against which
we will always evaluate the steps, made in professional development of teachers and schools. If
we are not ameliorating the output pupils can show us in:reading, calculating, writing, acquiring
good learning habits and scientific knowledge, technical insights, life skills, our efforts in
professional development of the teachers and schools did not succeed.
Learning of pupils is depending upon:

The educational goals we set out for the pupils and the educational resources we can
mobilize (the curriculum)
The educational competencies teachers can bring in to reach those goals (the professional
profile)

The curriculum and the professional profile are based on a clear Vision on education. There must
be transparancy in educational goals and a mutual agreement on curriculum. Thus, it must be
made quite clear what education should do, mainly this is :

Enculturation : educational goals focus on the acquisition and continuation of culture

Innovation and development of that culture

This is the main-frame within which the theme of CDP in education must be considered

Scheme : vision on education

pupils curriculum

pupils learning

professional profile of teachers

2. Professional profile and basic competencies of the teacher

Is directly derived from the vision on education : what should a teacher know, do, be, to realize
the curriculum with the pupils that results in pupils learning.
It can be brought together by asking the broad educational community how to translate the vision
on education in teaching competencies acquired by:
An experienced teacher : professional profile = societal demands towards experienced teachers
A beginning teacher : basic competences : specific expectations towards beginning teachers

The teacher has the moral obligation to strive to become a better and better teacher towards the
professional profile of an experienced teacher.
Educational quality standards can be derived from this educational goals and be used by:
The governmental inspection
The school external and school internal coaching capacity

Inspection and coaching of teachers and schools are externalizations of that societal demand.
Teaching training institutes must see to it that beginning teachers are sufficiently equipped with
basic competencies
Scheme : vision on education

pupils curriculum

pupils learning

professional profile of teachers

basic-competencies from beginning teacher

Teacher training institute

senior competencies of experienced teacher

moral obligation of teacher

inspection and coaching

3. CPD
Professional development process to become a better and better teacher, taking into account the
changing nature of the society and the pupils and their families: new knowledge, evolving demands
Professional development of teachers already starts with the own educational experiences as a
child and will never stop because personal reflection always must go on :

Scheme : vision on education

pupils curriculum

pupils learning

professional profile of teachers

...

basic-competencies beginning teacher

teacher

senior- competencies experienced teacher

moral obligation of teacher

training institute

New knowledge, evolving demands

inspection and coaching

4 theory-practice gap

Everytime new knowledge has to be applied in educational processes it has to be :

understood : by reflection
practiced : by performance

We can distinguish 2 moments in the CPD where this appears clearly :

transferring form teacher training to work (practice shock)

accompanying an important educational renewal in which the personal beliefs about
education have to be changed (transition shock), for instance the switch from teacher
centered methods to learner centered methods

At least two processes occur:

4.1. concerns ( M. Fullan)
3 stages of concern can consecutively be noted :
1.

Self-concern dominated by uncertainty about oneself: raised questions :

o
o
o
o

2.

What does the innovation/new class-situation mean to me?

How will I survive the new situation?
To which extent am I implicated?
Is it possible for me to do so?
Concern about the Task

o
o
o
o
3.
o
o
o

How can I perform well,

Where can I find additional information,
What do I need to implement this,
Which coaching is available?
Concern about the Other
What does the children need to be able to fit in the changed situation?
How can I work together with my colleagues as to be more successful with the
innovation?
How can I support others?

There is only mental space for a new concern when the former concern is secured. In every
educational renewal this has to be met. This means
1. a lot of investment in coaching and securing feelings of uncertainty in the first phase,
2. making available all necessary (very concrete) materials with the teacher to make him
comfortable in fulfilling his new duty, demonstrating how it can be done and answering
questions raised with the implementation and finally
3. Giving time and space to really adapt and adjust its own educational interventions to the
needs of the pupils and the colleagues of the schoolteam.

4.2. educational change has to be learned by the teacher

CPD is about the content but also about the belief a teacher has that the new content will really
deliver better results with the pupils.
Demonstrating that a new approach really is more powerful than a former one is very important.
Action research, completed by some colleagues together can play an major role in convincing the
whole team of altering their old-fashioned educational practice. There is need to prove the
educational change as to be able to alter the beliefs of teachers about what works and what
doesnt work.
Early adapters will convince themselves very easily, others are very tough to alter ideas.
Demonstration, inviting them to come and see how it works is a very powerful means of adult
learning. You never can alter ideas-beliefs-convictions- of some-one! He only can make
himselve of herselve the mental switch.
He will be more easily be convinced if the results of the pupils are better and he/she gets that job
done in a more easy way.

How?
1. Theoretical and practice-oriented approach
Two approaches :

Traditional teacher training with focus on theoretical approach in psychology, pedagogy,

methodology, content of live-skills
Practice based approach with a considerable parts of teacher education have been moved
into the schools

None of these are apparently sufficient if made available separately from each other:

The pure theoretical approach leads to an immense practice shock and there is need for
grounding the process of learning in practicing
The only-practice based approach leads to an unreflective socialization of student teachers
into the teaching profession rather than stimulating professional development; creates a
dislike for reflection and theoretical deepening

Both this theoretical oriented and the practice oriented approach carry a risk, instead of
questioning what approach is the best, the core question is to focus on how to integrate both.
How to integrate the best from both worlds?
Student teachers:

Organizing practice-oriented exercise at the TTraining institution:

demonstration of a played lesson by the lecturer and analyzing didactical topics with an
analysis checklist ;

analyzing filmed lessons with different teaching styles on pupils behavior;

attending demonstration lessons in a school in the neighborhood; group discussions about

own preferred teaching style;

lesson preparation;

micro-teaching with peer-evaluation;

study and discussion about class and school week planning ;

Organizing of practice periods during teacher training in real life classes and schools from very
easy tasks up to taking the whole responsibility of a class during a certain time:

Observing and analyzing activities of the mentor;

preparing lessons together with the mentor;

taking up some first, well prepared lesson activities; making day planning, organizing half a
class-day;

reflect on class-practice and connecting experience to theoretical study of educational

processes in TT-institute;

writing down reflections and discuss them with peers at teacher training institute;

asking for (positive and constructive) feedback from mentor;

bringing tog

ether work points in a personal development plan;

preparing for longer periods in teaching;

beginning to take part in all aspects of school-life : teambuilding-parents-health educationclass administration- play ground policy-

This needs :

Good knowledge in teacher training institutes about what is really happening in neighboring
schools
Capacity of teacher trainers to concretize theoretical courses in practical exercises
Ability of teacher training staff to activate self-reflection and group-reflection with the
students
Selection of some well organized neighboring schools to the teacher training institute
Facilities for instructing students in the neighboring schools: demonstration lessons with
group-discussion
Partnerships between TTinstitutes and schools with following characteristics :
o Formal collaboration rather than fortuitous contacts
o Transparent responsibilities rather than vague and instrumental tasks
o Shared power rather than accepting established status differences
o Negotiation about engagement rather than imposing involvement

Starting teachers :

Policy to make it easier for starting teachers to cope with the practice shock and their self
concern and task concern

reduce their school-responsibility and let them focus on their class-responsibility

give room to their questions in peer-groups : school based or cross-school groups

provide a mentor (content) and coach (reflection) for each starter, possibly organized in
groups

provide them with the best materials and the best infrastructure
Install a Human Resources policy

organize regularly feedback-sessions with beginning teachers and the school management

start to develop a system based on the evaluation cycle : defining task, performance
appraisal, personal development plan, formal evaluation, re-defining task,
Support their power to bring in new ideas about education and methodology

Organize for teacher groups that focus on new didactics, methods and content

Let the beginning teacher bring in at first what he/she learned at TT-institute

Organize for an open line with teacher training institute or other external advisors to bring
in external coaching on content and methodology if necessary
Gradually give beginning teachers school based tasks in accordance with their talents

Look up what talents beginning teachers demonstrate in their professional and private life

Ask beginning teachers to develop an own project corresponding to a specific talent

Allocate time and facilities to realize the project of the beginning teacher

Evaluate together in terms of benefit and costs and re-plan talent-based projects

This needs:

School leaders with sufficiently developed capacities as a human resources manager

Belief in the talents of young people
Sufficient school internal educational leadership with school head and senior teachers
Mentor-training especially in spite of developing the coaching capacity of mentors
Sufficient reflective attitude of beginning teachers, developed in initial teacher training
institute
Teacher training institutes that are at top level regarding to educational methodology
Open teacher training institutes that respond easily to questions for further guidance of
new methods
An allocation policy for the teaching profession with a lot of decentralized responsibility in
recruitment and selection

Juniors becoming senior teachers

Teacher training groups led by senior teachers with good mentoring capacities

School based for school-related matters

Subject groups in cross-school context

Management (school head + staff) must coordinate the educational orientation of the
school
Permanent attention for educational development at school level

School management team follows the educational market and networks with external
providers of educational knowledge and methods

Internal monitoring of new challenges with the pupils and families

This needs:

Training especially aimed at developing senior teachers capacities towards facilitators

capacities
Good working together with schools in the neighborhood and a structure for it
Time! That has been given a place within the annual school planning
Good working together with school-external organizations : local NGOs in education,
inspection, guidance services

2. Bottom up and top-down approach

Two approaches
Top down:
We organize CPD from a central, national, ministerial, point of view. We raise national issues in
the curriculum to develop, we choose a strategy to work them out, we look for good materials or
develop them ourselves and we organize workshops for lowering down all the good ideas and
materials developed. Those workshops are meant to inform and to involve all stakeholders such as
national curriculum developers, national exam commissions, the inspectorate, national, provincial,
district and local coaching services, heads of schools and the like. Everybody receives the
appropriate materials. Teacher training institutes are very well informed about the innovation as to
implement them compelling and directly in the Teacher Training programs
At every level facilitators are busy cascading down information and materials. Both national and
international NGOs are urged to participate in the mass-oriented movement.

The inspectorate controls if the information reaches the class-teacher and is used in daily teaching
practice.

Bottom-up
CPD is treated at school level. Local priorities are chosen within the large range of challenges a
school meets. The team, under the educational leadership of de management team, decides to
reach a certain goal, within a certain time frame. Resources such as time, money and
organizational matters are made available. A learning and leading team is brought together; they
look for opportunities within the school (who are the early responders? who is already working with
the new ideas? which written or audio-visual sources are available?,) and for external coaching
that would fit within the own planning. A choice is made between following techniques of school
based CPD:

Observe colleagues lessons

Give and receive feedback from colleagues
Coach each other
Plan lessons together with colleagues
Do action research
Mentor novice teachers
Assess pupils work together with colleagues
Reflect together with colleagues
Teach together in team-teaching
Find a good (internal or external) critical friend

It would be a pitfall to make a choice for one of the above mentioned approaches. A combination
of the two is essential. Nevertheless the first option is very widespread whereas the second option
can hardly be found. At least in an formal way. Informally there is a lot of learning between
colleagues but formally :

The central government dictates what has to happen and they do it in such a hurry that the
school and especially the teacher can not follow
The teacher is never as well informed as the levels above him
The teacher gets no coaching when he gets stuck with the innovation, becomes demotivated and quits the innovation
So a lot of innovation-force never reaches the children

For the second option a list of conditions must be taken into mind:

There must be facilities to work about innovation for instance time but also good and
sufficient materials and other resources such as a little money
There must be al good educational leadership to bring together the whole team , make one
choice and one strategy and a good communication plan.

In each of the two approaches 4 control functions are essential:

to give direction (to give meaning)

to develop an internal supporting network (to support & to assist)

to exert focused pressure (to stimulate)

to indicate and to guard room for manoeuvre (to control)

3. Motivation and accountability

There exist two approaches for the taking up of CPD by individual teachers:
Teachers have the individual moral duty to innovate because they work with pupils as a human
capital. To establish the best educational practices for those children is only just enough for a
teacher. Every teacher must be accountable. He/she gets paid by society, so he/she must
achieve the best he/she can.

The main problem with that point of view is that a teacher often needs a second job in
order to be really self sufficient in life. At that point a very heavy time problem occurs.
Teachers that cannot invest in their own professionalization beyond class-time with the
children, cannot keep abreast
Second problem is that the teacher is offered too little information or good materials and
effective coaching while he has to implement new methods.
Another issue is that the teachers capacity for self-reflection has not been developed during
teacher training. He was told to do this and that, with this and that method. He was not
invited , even forced, to think about the reason why to do so. If we like him now to take
up new challenges, he must be given at first very appropriate learning materials and
coaching for self reflection while working with those materials.

Although those problems taking teachers and school accountable, and proving that you take that
one serious by using constant inspection, monitoring and (national) assessment of pupils results
are indispensable measures of quality insurance. Quite some countries hold the school as a system
responsible for the pupils output. The schools themselves must put on a system of internal quality
control.

Internal motivation of teachers can also be the main focus in CPD

Most scientific sources mention that the good relationship of teachers with pupils and the fact that
they really can make the difference in pupils growth are the main factors of job satisfaction of
teachers.
The proof to teachers that an innovation will still ameliorate that process is important in the schoolwide-spreading of educational change and will take the critical mass on board.

2% are pioneers
14% have a large receptivity
34 % are early followers
34 % are late followers
16% are feet draggers

It is widely spread to work first and most with those who are more easy to convince of the benefits
of a new approach and that we waste as little time as is really necessary with the feet draggers.
Individual motivation can be won if following strategies are worked out:

Secure a quick win

Diversify strategies
Be aware of the implementation dip and give emotional support

Remove obstacles
Celebrate small steps

External motivators
Money : such as an allowance for being present in an activity of CPD is a bad system. There is no
problem with an repayment of costs that have been maid in order to attend an activity of CPD, but
the pure payment for being present is no guarantee at all that the content of the CPD activity will
be remunerative for the pupils. On the contrary, if you once pay, the second time the teacher will
not longer attend the session without payment. So the practices of a lot of (international) NGOs to
get people at their trainings are blameworthy. Better is to go with the training towards the teachers
in the schools.
Regulations in employment :
Some systems ask for an evidence of followed days of CPD each year, in order to stay nominated
in a position. This system is much better than a financial rewarding but guarantees nothing about
class implementation. Also in much countries it is very difficult to dismiss a teacher once he has
been appointed. Regulations of transferring that bad teacher to a good school or a distant school
are not very pleasing that new school especially if a good teacher is at the same occasion
transferred to a bad school. Same happens sometimes with heads of school.

Function improvement (including wage raise)

People who get a higher degree trough additional study often can get a better job with a higher
pay rate. This is a good measure of stimulating personal CPD. Mostly people with this kind of
personality are also eager to function better in their current job. So this is surely a good idea. A
new (higher) diploma can be reached with a system of acquiring credits. A credit is a measure of
study-time needed to reach the competencies that are covered by the credit.

4. The school as a learning environment for professionals

A school culture that is an standard of a learning organization
a.
b.
c.
d.

Mistakes are everyday and are meant to learn of instead of being punished for it
No one is fully accomplished; learning is a daily duty
Learning together gives deep-level learning
Peer-learning is the strongest learning-environment

Building of capacity and coherence

Low order change and high order changes

The essential role of the school manager

5. 10 Commandments

1.

Select a limited innovation but mobilize everybody of the educational community to work
together to reach result in that innovation. After a first full implementation take then a second
2. Be aware that an innovation doesnt run following a linear path. It runs following a spiral path.
One has to be present to re-start and deepen out every step: analyzing, implementing,making
the change sustainable
3. Work systematically together bottom-up and top-down at the same time (if top level is
available)
4. Innovations in education have to do with new content for about 20% of the effort; the other
80% has to do with coaching the implementation at school and class-level
5. Focus on what the innovation means to the pupils; If we can not notice a better result at class
level, we have to reconsider the innovation
6. Reduce the going out of teachers for CPD up to between 5-10 days/year and focus on classimplementation
7. The peer group of teachers is the strongest learning environment, organize for peer groups
that mobilize already existing forces and resources within their own group
8. Organize CPD as near as possible to the schools and teachers. Teacher Resource centers can
only be useful if they are easily reachable. They can offer hands-on courses and a meeting
place to those responsible for the school based coaching.
9. Good teaching materials that hold essential educational principles in it, are essential to those
that have to implement them
10. A good coached (group-)reflection about the how question during implementation encourages
teachers to go on