CPD Matters

Often when I have been exploring CPD in blogs and discussions it comes from a point of view that teachers have been given a raw deal and leaders need to take charge of helping develop something meaningful and impactful and interesting for their team.

Don’t worry, I’m not about to suddenly change tact, it is all still important, but a few recent conversations have made me re-evaluate some of my understanding of what barriers might be in place at an individual level. When you live in a bit of a twitter bubble, if is easy to forget that some people may not know who Tom Sherringdon is (sorry Tom), or what Rosenshine might be about or why Cognitive Science could have an impact in their classroom. Teachers on twitter, even those who might disclaim the proliferation of new books arriving or feel that they are just there for the japes, are often also the ones who do end up exploring elements of their practice or share some ideas about teaching and learning. That is not to say those who are not using social media in this way are not reflecting, learning and engaging in their own development, it is just that they may not be quite so easy to spot amongst the day to day bustle in a school.

However, I’ve paused recently having heard that there are people who either don’t see the point of CPD or don’t think they need any CPD. As someone who intends to be developing in one way or another right up until the day I meet my maker, this did give me pause for thought. I thought that we were all a work in progress, both personally and professionally, and whilst there are times when ‘good enough’ is ‘good enough’ a have often found a sense of restlessness to be able to improve is important to me.

That is not to say do more. I mean do better and I always am reminded of the much quote Dylan Wiliams statement ‘every teacher needs to improve, not because they are not good enough, but because they can be even better.’ Just as I have always wanted to see my students taking their learning further and to do that I have had to reflect on my practices and develop things that work and strip out the things that don’t. Sometimes that has been a massive overhaul, but mostly it has been subtle changes, even in my thinking, which has had the impact. Even thinking about things like the language we use to frame things can have a powerful effect and lead to improvements. I can’t quite understand who wouldn’t want that. The more the students are learning, including about themselves as learners, the better for us. Things get more efficient and outcomes, of all kind, improve.

So why might someone find themselves thinking they don’t want or need CPD?

1. Poor experiences in the past. I have written about the problems with poor CPD and the ways we can fix some of those issues here. However, I think that if we want to move forward with this in our schools, we need to acknowledge this is a barrier. If you have only ever had experiences of CPD which didn’t feel relevant, was fragmented, or you weren’t supported to develop even if you wanted to, then why would you do it?
2. You’ve been left to your own devices. This was certainly my experience at the start of my career. The freedom can sound wonderful, but to a novice it can be daunting and lead you down all sorts of difficult dead ends. Much like with spelling when I was at school, good teaching was something you just ‘caught’, and the tendency to see it as an art form, as opposed to something you could learn more about and craft, was prevalent at that time. I did attend sessions on literacy, and some sessions on using IT systems, but mostly it was just seeing how I got on. It was sink or swim. Sadly, I saw people come through under that same system who definitely sank. 
3. But if you have been left to find your way and just hoping some good stuff sticks, why would you want to suddenly been involved in anything? I can understand that there could even be quite a lot of resentment if someone turns about talking about your development, when you had to struggle through some really difficult times without any of that. You managed to survive so what will this new stuff bring? What’s the point?
4. The other thing here is about automaticity. When you have been working in a particular way and you have automated something, change is hard. That is why we struggle with some students when we are trying to show them how to do something in a new way after they were shown a different process elsewhere or even when trying to address misconceptions which need to be address by disrupting the existing schema. It is hard to change things which are so well embedded and needs to be carefully planned and supported. Tired, busy people need to have a real incentive to do this.
5. Finally, that last line needs more exploration and emphasis. One of the biggest barriers in my view is that teachers, especially in the UK and especially now, are exhausted. They give it their all and often feel they are focusing on surviving term to term as opposed to living. I know that I have spent a lot of my life counting down the moments to when I can feel human again when the holiday arrives. Friday evening events would see me sitting in a semi-comatose state at a friend’s house, unable to engage much in the way of meaningful conversation. We joked I had used up all my word quota in the week. But it’s not a joke really and we tend to accept it far too easily, working through evenings, weekends and holidays, putting our families and our health to one side. Is it any wonder that a teacher being asked to explore their own development may bat it away?

In order to be able to reflect and explore and engage, people need to have the mental space to do so. They need to understand why it matters. They need to be motivated, something which will depend on those around them knowing how to engage them and what drives them forward. They need to be supported.

If staff are to really improve their practice and engage in their professional learning and development, they need sensible policies which streamline what they do and frees up time. They need clear direction of travel and feel part of the process, so they are connected to it. They need to have their time, including time to think and reflect, valued.

I said this wasn’t going to be another piece about leadership of CPD, but we need to create the conditions for improvement, especially where staff may be resistant. We need to understand why that may be and help them to move past it.

And we need to share with people why CPD can be such a wonderful thing. In my experience and the experience of those I have spoken to, it can have so many positives. It can help you to reconnect with your job and put you in control. You can understand more about what works and walk away from what doesn’t. You can engage in important conversations with decision makers and become part of that process. This is especially true in recent years with marking- if it wasn’t for teachers exploring research and practice around this then everyone would still be clutching multiple pens and highlighters and marking every error in every book (sorry those who still are-change is a coming). It can free up time and help you to focus your thinking, considering the best bets we keep hearing about, rather than hoping something will work if you try enough things. Once you begin to embrace the potential it can have for you and your students you begin to realise the truth of what Dylan Wiliam said about improvement and you will find that you become increasingly thirsty for it. Yes, sometimes good enough has to be good enough, but equally we know that we all have the potential to be even better.

Zoe Enser is lead specialist English advisor for Kent with The Education People. Her first book Generative Learning in Action is available now.