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Professional Development & Teacher Training
• coaching or mentoring
• buddying
• peer support and networking
• professional development days
• staff or team meetings
• observation, such as watching a colleague teach
a lesson
• discussing a lesson or group activity
• collaborative planning
• teaching as a team
• listening to pupils’ views
• observing pupils
• trying to see school life through the eyes of a
pupil
• action research and school-based enquiry
• trying new ways of working
• taking on a new role on a temporary basis to find
out what it involves
• providing advice and support to colleagues,
particularly those on initial teacher training
placements, early career teachers and new
members of staff
• Watch some Teachers TV clips demonstrating
opportunities for coaching, mentoring and
observation within schools.
• job swapping between schools for a short period expertise not available within the school.
Opportunities through cross-school of time Examples include:
networks • shadowing colleagues with similar roles in other • one-day events
Cross-school collaboration provides opportunities to schools • courses leading to a qualification or status
share and develop good practice. • networks of local schools or ones set up for a • blended learning programmes, combining
Cross-school networks include: specific project external expertise with school-based activity
• formal or informal networks • developing people from other schools • conferences
• visits to schools similar, or different, to your own • working with, or seeking advice from,
• online discussion forums, such as the Times Accessing further expertise consultants, local authorities or community
Educational Supplement online staffroom External continuing professional development groups, universities, Government agencies and
• working with staff from other schools opportunities can provide a source of professional associations
Professional development just got personal by NCFE’s David Grailey
I
t can be difficult for employees to career and life. sometimes people can feel
separate their work and personal Equality and diversity are demotivated and unsure of where
lives, each being heavily influenced important considerations for they are heading. Courses aimed
by the other, however by acquiring employees in positions of authority, specifically at individual progression
new skills and applying them to particularly within the education can help people get back on track,
both areas of their lives, workers sector and those that work closely enhance career prospects, leverage
master how to maintain a healthy with others. A current topic in all progression onto other vocational
balance between the two. industries at present, many courses courses and highlight the factors
Qualifications are available which are available in understanding and affecting work practices. Time
build up skills both professionally managing equality and diversity, management and organisational
and personally – such as NCFE’s which explore the principles skills are enhanced and the overall
own range of qualifications in underlying social prejudice and standard of an employee’s work
preparing for work and life. discrimination, attitudes, beliefs and
supporting others, can provide a improves by encouraging more
Qualifications and courses should values, as well as learning about
great sense of achievement and effective working practices.
be designed to meet the needs of people’s rights and responsibilities.
play a large part in people’s Professional development is a
learners and organisations equally, In a multi-cultural society,
professional development. NCFE, two-way process that not only takes
and recognise that personal understanding these issues can
for example, provides a range of into account workplace issues, but
learning styles are unique, so they provide learners with a fantastic
qualifications in peer mentoring and also personal circumstances and
should be fully flexible. skills-base, which in turn increases
support skills, which may, upon relationships. Breaking down
Adult learning can cover a employability. Qualifications in this
completion, give learners ideas for barriers to achieve effective working
breadth of topics and workplace area are particularly important to
implementing a mentoring system. practices and productivity need not
issues where learners identify areas managers and heads of
This can help harness a supportive become an embarrassing psycho-
in need of improvement and department, as well as other
environment where skills and analytical exercise, placing people in
develop skills that will enable them personnel as part of a
expertise are shared, which itself unfamiliar, awkward situations.
to take on more responsibility at comprehensive training
provides a sound basis for Rather it lies with effective
work and facilitate their progression programme.
professional development across communication and valuable
to a higher level. It is important to provide support
the board. training courses, which, if engaged
Communication skills are vital in or guidance within an organisation,
In addition to the benefits that with correctly in a way that suits an
all walks of life and by learning how whether that is within an
staff training brings to a company, organisation, can generate huge
to effectively communicate with educational setting or a global
quality courses aim to bring out the benefits for employees and
different levels of personnel, staff enterprise.
best in the individual. After a few businesses alike – with the added
can develop transferable skills that Learning how to draw upon
years in the same job it’s easy to benefit that everyone gets to stay
are applicable throughout their experience, while advising and
become comfortable and fully clothed throughout!
30
www.education-today.co.uk October 2009
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