CPD
You are the expert
‘Tell us about
If you have 10 minutes in the meeting, which is Anticipate people’s questions. Was the event worth Doing this will force you to clarify your understanding
probably about as much time as you can expect, you attending? Should other people in the team consider of the event’s key messages. It might also prompt you
that CPD event
will be able to summarise what the event was about and attending a similar event? Will the programme be of to ask the presenters the difficult questions you know
explain why you attended it, but you will not have time value to people who are more – or less – experienced your colleagues back in school will ask you.
to go into too much detail about your experience of the than you? Was the event so useful that you would like All of that means you will avoid the panic when you
…’ Margaret
activities, the networking you did, and what was good to recommend it is delivered in school, so that everyone are next asked to deliver feedback on your CPD. As a
or bad about the way the event was organised. Map out can benefit? result you will gain more from attending CPD events,
Adams looks at
your presentation with these limitations in mind. Finally, if you really want to be in a position to and so will your school. SecEd
Practise delivering your input, so that you know offer good feedback to your colleagues after attending
cascading CPD in school
how long it will take. Remember to leave a couple of a CPD event, for the future, plan how you will • Margaret Adams is the author of How To Take Charge
minutes at the end of your presentation for questions. cascade your learning while you are actually attending Of Your Teaching Career (Continuum International
a programme. Publishing, 2008).
Stick to your plan
NE OF your school’s senior leaders When the time comes to make your presentation,
O
knows you have just attended a explain your plan as soon as you start to speak. Tell
CPD event. She has asked you people what you intend to cover. Communicate your
to make a presentation about the key points. Then, as you work through those points,
Balance and wellbeing
programme at your team’s staff your audience will know what to expect next.
meeting next week. Although you Doing this will help you to present yourself as a
have agreed to speak, there was just professional person making a professional presentation
a hint of panic in your voice as you said you would. to professional people. You have a plan, which you
Dot Struthers
thing, then something else could suffer. Rather than
finding yourself running out of time, it is better to
If you are not careful, the panic will grow. stick to. You have a clear approach to your task, and you
If you are not careful, you will become stressed deliver what you promised to deliver. offers four
plan a day ahead and be realistic about what can be
achieved with the time you have available.
about what you are going to talk about. You will People in the audience will appreciate your efforts
be worrying about doing something foolish in front to use their time well.
strategies to
Protect time for the things you care about
of your colleagues, and you will be anxious about If you are tempted to worry about being asked People often say teaching is a vocation and not a job!
how you are going to make sure your presentation is difficult questions, then stop now. Think beforehand
interesting, relevant and useful to your team. about the types of questions people might ask you, and
help you focus
Great, but your family, health and friendships are
important too. It is all about prioritising and creating
Push the panic and the anxiety aside now, because prepare your answers ahead of the meeting.
in this situation, you really do have all the answers, and If, when you are making your presentation, you
on the important things
space in your life for the things that you really care
about.
you definitely can make a success of the task you have are asked a question that you cannot answer, simply One way to protect time is to have a picture of
been given. acknowledge this. your family, pets, hobbies or sport on your desk or as
Use the guidance below to help you to make a great At the same time, make a commitment to find MAINTAINING BALANCE in your life is like a screensaver on your PC to constantly remind you
input to that meeting. the answer in the next couple of days. Get back in sitting or exercising on one of those exercise balls, and jog your thoughts before you get too absorbed
touch quickly with the person who has asked you the it requires concentration, constant adjustment, and a in something else.
Be positive about the task
difficult question, and at the next team meeting offer to few skills and techniques.
You have every reason to be confident about your give the answer to the larger group, too. Here are four ways to help you maintain balance
Adopt rules which create positive habits
abilities to complete this task effectively. On this Remember that nobody expects you to have the and create focus in your daily lives. The rule of thumb is that you have to do something
occasion, you are the expert. You are the person who answers to every question at your fingertips. However, 20 times before it becomes a habit. I have found this
has attended the programme. You have been invited it is important to make sure you can answer the
Assess your current level of balance
to be true and would strongly recommend that you
to talk about your experience of the event and to offer questions you have been asked at some point. The good thing about coming back after a half-term start in the manner you wish to continue.
your insights on this particular CPD programme. break is that you have hopefully allowed yourself to A simple example is setting an alarm on your
No-one knows more about your experience than
Add value
relax and unwind, giving you back that balance that is phone or watch, at say 4pm, reminding you that
you do, so you can be confident that what you will say You have been given a slot on what is probably a very so often missing from your daily lives. you have one hour left before you need to leave the
during your presentation is accurate. full agenda. Your input could be sandwiched between The easiest way to assess your balance is to school grounds. If you only have one hour it focuses
Even if other people in the meeting have attended the planning of the next parents’ evening and the review write down the five key things that you believe are the mind and you will achieve more.
the same event, their experience will be different from of the year 7 curriculum. Make sure you add value to essential to your happiness and to then ask yourself After a short time you will no longer have to have
yours, so do not worry about what they might or might your colleagues’ experience of the meeting. how satisfied you are with that aspect of your life. that alarm because it will become second nature.
not think of the event. On this occasion it is your show, Do more than simply give a narrative account of If it is okay, great – but if not, then work out what Creating balance is a personal thing and we
not theirs, so it is your judgement that counts. the CPD event you attended. Be prepared to make you need to change. all know what we have to do to maintain it, but
judgements, too. Explain succinctly and clearly what sometimes we have to remind ourselves of what is
Be realistic about what you can achieve
you found useful in the programme you attended.
Examine the demands on your time
being lost when we let things slip, and this motivates
Find out how much time you have been given and Offer two or three good examples to reinforce your You are not just a teacher, but also a partner, mother, us to stay on track.
do not be too ambitious about what you can fit into message. Say how you will be using your new learning father, coach, counsellor, friend etc. How many
your slot. Think about how much the people in your yourself, and what you will be doing differently as a hours in the day are you prepared to give to each of • Dot Struthers runs workshops and coaching
audience will be able to absorb in a short space of result of attending the CPD programme. Let people the roles you play in your life? sessions on personal efficiency and work/life
time. It is probably less than you think. Do not plan to know about the resources you have brought back into With each role comes a set of expectations which balance. Register at www.merechats.co.uk to get free
bombard them with too much information, however school, where you have placed them, and how they need managing. If you spend too much time on one tools, resources and a monthly CPD newsletter.
exciting you found the event. should be used to gain maximum benefit.
SecEd • November 5 2009 13
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