We’d like teachers to improve. That’s why we don’t like CPD. Peter Goodman and Stuart Trutch argue why CPD can often fail and consider an alternative approach

The traditional model of CPD in schools is failing us. There are three main reasons: it is not normally a “continuing” experience, it is largely “professional” not personal, and teachers (unlike technology) are not generally amenable to being “developed” by someone else.

In short, each of the three letters of the acronym ignores the weight of evidence about effective adult learning and our personal experience of growing alongside other teachers. It is fast becoming another game we unwittingly play. Here’s how...

First, CPD has come to mean a session or course with an expert presenter, informative PowerPoint slides, succinct hand-outs, lots of “best-practice” and a feedback survey at the end. Many teachers would admit there is nothing “continuing” about it. The feedback survey even asks: “How useful was this CPD?” – i.e. it is over now.

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