Professional Growth as a UK Educator

In the ever-evolving landscape of education, the commitment to lifelong learning isn't just a choice but a necessity. As we journey through this article, we invite you to meet our tutors, your trusted guides on the path to professional growth within the realm of UK education. Together, we'll embark on a quest to unravel the significance of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for educators, exploring its multifaceted dimensions and discovering how it can chart the course for the future of teaching.

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What is CPD in Education?

CPD is an acronym you might have heard before in the teaching vocation, but what exactly does it mean? As the title suggests, CPD stands for continuing professional education and specifically refers to an active effort by educators to improve and or keep up to date their knowledge and skills.

Things aren't that simple, of course: As a teacher, one is expected to be aware of the specific kinds of activities that can be classified as CPD and actively record and log this progress throughout the academic year. CPD is just one aspect of teachers' already heavy workload but it is nevertheless important in order to stay up to date on the latest changes in the education industry.

Fortunately, this article, which is aimed at recently qualified or prospective educators, will explain what exactly counts as CPD and how to go about tracking and reporting progress.

As a bonus, we'll also be having a look at some examples of CPD opportunities that are going on this year in the hopes of giving new teachers a place to start, or returning educators somewhere to pick up again as they head into the next academic year.

Why is CPD important?

Whether undertaken in an official capacity or not, and regardless of whether the context is a teaching career, or something entirely different, CPD plays an essential role in being the kind of worker who not only keeps up with the competitive pace of the workplace, but also stands out from their cohort as a team member worthy of recognition and consideration for more senior positions and responsibilities.

A key example of why CPD is essential is the ever evolving standards present within all industries, but especially the field of teaching.

If teachers were still using the same methods that they were even a decade ago, their work would be considered sub-par and not only that, the children in their care would be receiving an outdated education, ill-suited for their future ambitions.

CPD also helps keep up with new equipment and facilities. Teachers have had to become very adaptable in recent years, to match the integration of technology into the classroom along with the ever-increasing value of technological skills.

Understanding this also helps us understand what kinds of personal progression counts as CPD. Taking an IT course and learning how to use an interactive whiteboard is something teachers have become very familiar with over the past few years. In the next section, we'll define some criteria and list some examples for CPD.

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What counts as CPD?

The CPD certification service states that there are several different kinds of activities that count. Here is a similar list to the one they provide on their website, along with some explanations to make things even clearer:

• Training courses and workshops – Certain specialised courses are available and can be a direct and effective way of receiving specific training.
• Studying for a qualification or accreditation – It goes without saying that becoming more qualified as an educator falls under the category of CPD.
• Online courses/webinars/podcasts – In the age of the internet, getting in touch with experts who can share their knowledge and aptitude is a tool that shouldn't be ignored by teachers.
• Observation and shadowing – Seeing and helping a more qualified professional at work is one of the best ways to develop a feel for the next step in your career as an educator.
• Mentoring – Specific mentoring can be given or received, teacher to teacher, and is useful for acquiring skills which need a more interpersonal level of guidance to master.
• Peer group exchanges – Collaborating with peers is a good way to track the standard and level of your teaching as it increases in line with that of your colleagues and can provide many benefits to the social and teamwork elements of the staff.
• Attending exhibitions and conferences – Hearing from the best in their field is a valuable opportunity that teachers should take whenever they have the time.
• International exchanges – Finding out what teachers in other countries are doing might be a good starting point when looking for methods to implement into one's own teaching.
• Self-reflection, personal reading or research – Working on your teaching in your own time is also a valid form of CPD, provided it is properly recorded.

What makes effective CPD?

Now that we have a clear understanding of the types of activities that can be reported as CPD, it's important that we also have a look at the factors that go into high quality, effective professional development. (We'll be borrowing once again from the CPD website, expanding upon their guidelines to give an unambiguous interpretation of what's expected).

Practicality:

Arguably the most important factor is how practical an activity is as CPD. Since the purpose of CPD is to upkeep and maintain the skills and aptitude of a teacher, there's no point looking at it as just another quota to fill.

Sure, a teacher could just list their attendance to a seminar as evidence of their CPD efforts, but if they weren't paying attention, or properly digesting and applying the information being shared with them, it can't be called practical.

In the same way, doing activities that aren't particularly relevant to either the individual, or the vocation as a whole, won't be an effective form of CPD.

A good way to consolidate a CPD activity is for a teacher to think about how what they've learned applies to their classroom in practice; if they are able to come away with a good answer to this thought experiment, chances are, their CPD has been a success.

Basis in evidence:

When choosing material/activity to learn from in the context of CPD, it is important to make sure that the information being shared is supported by evidence and experience.

There's no use in using a speculative technique or trying to reinvent the wheel just to be able to say that one's teaching is contemporary. Instead, educators should be looking to implement tried and tested principles that will produce a measurable improvement to their teaching.

This point mainly applies to CPD carried out independently or unofficially. There is more chance that CPD is valid and evidence based if an accredited provider coordinates it; it's only instances of CPD outside of this environment that need to be carefully considered for their effectiveness.

To give a very simple example of what ineffective CPD might be in this context, think of a teacher reading a book or a piece of academic literature in an effort to improve their own teaching. Even if the book is about teaching, it might not be about the same subject they teach, or perhaps it is aimed at addressing a different year group's educational needs.

Enjoyment/Fulfilment:

Regardless of the previously explained factors, CPD activities are not likely to be effective if the teacher receiving them is not enjoying themselves or at least feeling a sense of accomplishment or fulfilment while completing them. The philosophy of enjoying the journey instead of the destination fully applies to CPD and is a requirement of any high quality CDP.

Science proves that there is a relationship between our enjoyment and our memory creation, which means that we are far more likely to retain the information being taught to us if we are actively enjoying ourselves.

The other added benefit to enjoyable CPD is that teachers will think of it as something to look forward to and therefore be encouraged to do more of it, creating a feedback loop of improvement which will benefit everyone involved and especially the students who will have enthusiastic and motivated teachers as a result.

How to record CPD:

Now that we fully understand what CPD is, it's time to look at how to record it effectively and efficiently. It's important to know that different schools use the online facilities of different organisations to record their CPD, however, the process remains consistent regardless.

What to include?

Below is a list of the information that must be included in records of a CPD activity.:

• Date: the date(s) that the activity took place.
• Time: the time taken to complete the activity.
• Objective: the goal or desired outcome of the activity.
• Method: the means by which the learning was carried out.
• Outcome: a reflective interpretation of the outcome of the activity.

This information can be presented in a folder of physical documents and/or stored as online documents. Depending on your school's CPD provider, they might have their own preferences as to how they want you to present your CPD, so make sure you check with an experienced faculty member instead of making assumptions.

Most schools and their CPD providers will provide educators with a login for an online portal where this documentation can be uploaded for verification and evaluation.

The most important takeaway here is that it is crucially important to ask questions, since there are many possibilities that teachers must be prepared for.

Afterword:

We hope you enjoyed reading this article and that you were able to learn something about CPD, or at least refresh your memory. If you want to read more articles related to the profession of teaching, then make sure to take a look around here on the Superprof blog; we're sure you'll find something you like… Until next time, dear reader.