Effective Professional Development: Principles And Best Practice

Rationale and characteristicsof effective CPDVarious systematic reviews into teachers’ professionallearning have centred on the impact of CPD on students’learning via enhancements in teacher learning – in otherwords, they have found that developing teachers’ abilityto teach well made a significant difference to students’progress and led to improved learning outcomes. A casein point is Robinson et al.’s review, which in conclusionemphasizes that not only do general student outcomesand teacher morale improve when CPD is a focus, butalso that those previously weaker students becomestronger and teachers feel empowered to improve theirknowledge and performance.4 This review also pointsto the importance of leaders supporting the continuousprofessional development of teachers, and identifiedmanagers promoting and taking an active part inteacher learning and development activities as the mostimpactful dimension of leadership. The attitude andactions of leaders are a fundamental driver of effectiveteacher development. In the most effective institutions,professional development is a leadership priority and CPDprogrammes balance alignment to high-level, organisationwide development goals with individual needs.5Studies on the benefits of English language teachers’engagement in CPD have reported that teacher learningthrough CPD results in deeper and more nuancedunderstanding of their learners, their needs and lifestories, and that this deeper understanding allowsteachers to fine-tune their teaching so that it is more inline with their learners’ needs. New learning has beenfound to have positive effects on the teacher’s identityand agency, leading to increased levels of autonomousdecision-making. Studies have also documented teachers4 Robinson et al. (2009). See also Walter and Briggs (2012), whichanalysed the results of 35 evidence-based studies of teacher professionaldevelopment conducted in the first decade of the 21st century.5 Weston (2015).6 Atay (2008); Burton (1998); Canagarajah (2012);Wyatt and Oncevska Ager (2017).6gaining renewed enthusiasm for the profession and theirrole within it, as well as developing greater self-confidencein their teaching and instructional decision-making.6The findings of these various systematic reviews ofthe CPD literature and research studies in the fields ofTeacher Education and ELT have provided a core setof principles that characterize effective programmes.To help the reader remember these features, theyhave been organized around the word nedPeercollaborativeReflectiveIn-practice

Rationale and characteristics of effective CPDImpactfulThere seems to be consensus in the literature that the maingoal of CPD is to effect changes in teaching so that it resultsin enhanced students’ learning. To this avail, programmesthat have been reported as effective capitalize on teachers’strengths as a way of providing insights into what needs tobe changed in their teaching so that students learn more.Because different teachers will have different CPD needs, itstands to reason that programmes are impactful when theyaddress the diverse needs of teachers and their learners.obvious motivational gain of making CPD programmescontextually relevant and needs-based – that teacherswill be more likely to want to take part if the programmerelates to their experiences in their classrooms8 – onemeta-analysis has found that ‘the more teachers areinvolved in selecting their own professional developmentactivities, the more they report improvements in theirsubject knowledge, their commitment to teaching, theirteaching practice, and the learning of their students.’9SustainedNeeds-basedThe literature stresses that impactful CPD respondsto the daily challenges that teachers and studentsface. Depending on the situations and problems theyencounter, each teacher has unique learning needs,different from those of their peers. Then it followsthat teachers should have a say in the construction oftheir CPD programme and in setting CPD goals.While teachers’ engagement in evidence-informed CPDprogrammes leads to improved learning outcomes fortheir students, it is important that this evidence is usedjudiciously to inform the design of contextually relevantprofessional learning programmes.7 If evidence-basedprinciples are applied without consideration of (1) thesocio-political, educational and cultural contexts where theteaching and learning is situated; (2) the institutional cultureand its needs – i.e. what the organization has identified asits priorities for teacher learning, given its characteristicsand constraints; and (3) the reality of teachers’ workingconditions, their learners’ needs, and what is feasible,the resulting CPD programme may prove ineffectiveor unrealistic for such contexts. Ultimately, the impactof a CPD programme depends on understanding andapplying the available research evidence with referenceto the needs of the local context. The question CPDproviders need to answer when designing programmesis not just what works, but what works in this context, forthese learners, teachers and leaders, at this point in time.Involving teachers in choosing the areas and activitiesfor their own professional development has beenidentified as a key feature of effective CPD. As well as theThere is consensus in the literature that one-off sessionsand short courses are not effective in creating thenecessary conditions for deep and lasting changes inteacher cognition and performance, and that for a CPDprogramme to be impactful, it needs to be prolonged. Thisis because teachers need considerable time to learn newstrategies in sufficient depth to apply them confidently andeffectively in the classroom and embed them systematicallyas part of their practice. Duration in itself, however, doesnot guarantee effective teacher learning: the nature ofthe activities and the availability of support throughoutthe duration of the programme is equally important.10The question CPD providersneed to answer when designingprogrammes is not just what works,but what works in this context,for these learners, teachers andleaders, at this point in time.Peer-collaborativeThe process of teacher learning for transferability – i.e.learning a new strategy or approach to implement it inpractice to enable impactful student learning – is not justlong, but also complex. Throughout this process regularsupport and feedback from colleagues and experts iscrucial, and should therefore be a key component of aCPD programme.11 Effective peer collaboration has been7 Coe (2017).8 Higgins et al. (2015).9 Walter and Briggs (2012: 4).10 Higgins et al. (2015).11 Op. cit.7

Rationale and characteristics of effective CPDreported to be amongst the highest indicatorsof effectiveness in CPD,12 as it is conducive to theco-construction of contextual knowledge which isbeneficial to individual teachers, specific groups ofteachers and the organization. However, while thereis consensus that collegial support is a key ingredientof effective teacher development – particularly whenit involves teachers in solving problems or refiningapproaches together – what makes collaborationeffective is still disputed.13 Some collaborative supportstrategies, such as Peer Coaching, foster not just thedevelopment of teaching skills, but also large gains intransfer to classroom practice and a deepening of teachers’capacity to reflect and make informed decisions.14In-practiceAnother often cited condition for effective CPD is that itinvolves a classroom-based focus on teaching practice,which means teachers learning through doing, tackling realissues and developing practical solutions.15 One synthesishas found that programmes that ask teachers to try out newpractices and see the effects on their students tend to bemore successful than those that focus on changing attitudesfirst in the hope that this will lead to changes in practice.16Effective peer collaboration has beenreported to be amongst the highestindicators of effectiveness in CPDReflectiveThe practical component of CPD programmes has beenfound to be more powerful when it is framed within actionresearch or inquiry cycles of investigation, action, evaluationand refinement17 which offer teachers opportunities toreflect critically and systematically on their practice andimprove it as a result, while developing new perspectivesand research skills. Teacher engagement in reflection andthe use of CPD strategies which promote reflexive practicehave been found to lead to changes in pedagogical beliefs,enhanced teacher knowledge and transformative growth.18EvaluatedCPD programmes which prioritize impact support teachersto develop a greater awareness of the effect that theirteaching has on their students’ learning. They make thispossible by teaching teachers to understand learningsystematically through the eyes of their learners, whichinvolves helping teachers understand that one of theirmost fundamental tasks is to become evaluators of theirown impact, and equipping them to become activeand ongoing seekers of feedback on the effect of theirteaching.19 As well as teachers, institutions also need toevaluate the quality and impact of their CPD programmeson a regular basis. This will enable them to diagnose whathas and has not worked, capitalize on those strategiesthat best promote teacher learning, and provide evidenceof progress, thus becoming more accountable.The next section of this paper proposes practicalrecommendations that institutions could consider implementingto develop more impactful teacher learning programmes.12 Sparks (2002).13 Higgins et al. (2015).14 Joyce and Showers (2002); Vacilotto and Cummings (2007).15 Higgins et al. (2015); James et al. (2006).16 Ingvarson, Meiers and Beavis (2005).17 James et al. (2006); Walters and Briggs (2012).18 Atay (2008); Díaz Maggioli (2012); Farrell (2012); Sahinand Yildrim (2016); Wyatt and Oncevska Ager (2017).19 Hattie (2012). This implies a sustained focus on Assessmentfor Learning as part of the CPD programme.8

Implications andrecommendationsThe following implications and recommendationsfollow the INSPIRE order used in the previoussection for ease of reference.ImpactfulMoving from CPD that is less concerned with improvedstudent learning to a focus on impact requires:1. Leaders to develop, share and sustain an inspirationalvision that encourages teachers to believe that betteroutcomes for their learners are both possible20 anddesirable, and to work hard to achieve such outcomes.2. Leaders and teachers to work together to identify whatchange and impact they want to achieve within theirinstitution both for teachers and for their learners, andto have a clear understanding of what that change willlook like in concrete terms, and how it can be achieved.3. Leaders and teachers to be clear about whatevidence-informed strategies teachers will needto learn and implement in their classes to drivethe desired improvement in learner progressand outcomes. This in turn requires leaders andteachers to be up-to-date and conversant with thebest available evidence on impactful strategies.4. CPD providers to implement evidence-informedeffective CPD approaches, as in order for ateacher learning programme to achieve impacton student learning its design needs to includethe features of CPD that lead to impact.5. Leaders and teachers to set clear objectivesfor teacher learning and development linkedto improved student learning, and later assesstheir progress against those objectives.Needs-basedDesigning contextually-relevant, needs-based, differentiatedCPD programmes requires a deep understanding of each ofthe following dimensions of context, ordered here from themacro to the micro, as each dimension influences the next.1. The global context – Understanding the demands thatcontemporary global phenomena such as globalisation,massive transnational movement of the population,multilingualism, the widespread use of technology, etc.make and will continue to make for the foreseeablefuture on learners. An example would be the globalspread of Information and Communications Technology(ICT) and its impact on all aspects of contemporary life.2. The national and regional contexts – It is imperativeto understand where policies not only influence oreven dictate the direction of teaching and learningbut also determine the funding available for theprofessional development of teachers. Hence, itis crucial that CPD designers make judicious andprincipled use of the research evidence, both tocounteract the effect of ideologically-driven initiativesfor which there is little or no evidence of theireffectiveness, and to design evidence-informed CPDprogrammes that are suitable for their contexts.3. The institutional context and culture – Identifyinginstitutional priorities and high-level goals for CPD –which largely depends on the change and impact theinstitution sets out to achieve – requires understandingwhat change is needed at different levels and fordifferent groups:(a) The institution as a whole – Developing a solidunderstanding of an institution’s culture can bedifficult for both in-house CPD providers and externalexperts: the former may be used to the organizationalculture and struggle to recognize what needs to20 Higgins et al. (2015).9

Implications and recommendationschange, while the latter may not have the opportunityto get to know the organizational culture well enoughto design a programme that could effectively addressthe problematic aspects of its culture. Hence, it iscrucial that CPD designers work closely with leadersfrom the beginning to ensure their full support,explicit endorsement and participation in the CPDprogramme. When in-house staff are tasked withdeveloping the CPD programme, it is important forthe CPD designers to supplement their own and theirleaders’ assumptions about the organizational cultureand the institution’s learning needs by gatheringinformation from many stakeholders using differentmethods, such as lesson observations, focus groupsand interviews with students, teachers and leaders,examining students’ work, etc. Where this is feasible,doing so might also help external consultants. Whilepotentially time-consuming, this can be a worthwhileinvestment, as the resulting CPD programme will belikely to be more grounded in the real culture andlearning needs of the organization, and therefore morerelevant, contextually appropriate and impactful.(b) Specific groups of teachers – As well as establishingwhat all the teaching staff need to learn, whendesigning CPD programmes it is also important toconsider the learning needs of specific groups ofteachers within the institution. An obvious exampleis newly qualified teachers, who have very differentprofessional development and support needs to thosewho are more experienced. Other examples of groupsof teachers with specific learning needs in the sameorganization include teachers teaching different: age groups (e.g. very young learners,young learners and adults) course types (e.g. General English, exam classes,English for Academic Purposes (EAP), Contentand Language Integrated Learning (CLIL),English-Medium Instruction (EMI), BusinessEnglish, English for Specific Purposes (ESP), etc.) student types (e.g. EFL students, studentteachers, qualified teachers, etc.) blends (100% face-to-face courses; blendedlearning courses; 100% online courses) class sizes (large classes, small groups, one-to-one).The distinctive features of such teaching contextsrequire that teachers develop specific typesof expertise through a differentiated menu of10development options that cater for all teachers’needs. This differentiation may take various forms: Targeted specific training – Organizing orcommissioning in-house, blended or onlinetraining events or a complete trainingprogramme for a specific group of teachers. Electives – In addition to mandatory CPD eventsfor all the teachers in the organization, theCPD programme can also include a range ofoptions for teachers to choose from accordingto their learning needs or preferences. Special Interest Groups (SIGs) – As part of their CPDprogramme, teachers teaching the same course types,age groups, etc. can have opportunities to agree on acommon professional learning strand to develop theirexpertise in a specific area, ideally aligned to high-levelCPD goals. These could take many forms dependingon the participants’ learning orientations. Here are afew examples:o reading groupso standardisation or moderation groups, e.g. forteachers who teach exam classes or are examinerso engagement with external SIGs, e.g. attendingspecial-interest webinars or seminars organized byteaching associations or other CPD providers andreporting back.In addition, in many institutions teachers are offereddifferent terms and conditions – i.e. full time or parttime with permanent or temporary contracts. WhereCPD programmes rely mainly on attendance atin-house face-to-face seminars, extra provisioncan be made by offering repeat sessions, short‘bite-sized’ sessions at times when part-time staff areat work, or videoing the sessions and making theseavailable online, supplemented with reflection tasksand feedback to engage teachers who are viewing thematerial by themselves in their own time.(c) Individual teachers – If the one-size-fits-all CPDmodel, based on teachers learning together in thesame room at the same time with the same materialsat the same pace is often inadequate for addressingthe needs of specific groups of teachers, it can beeven more ineffective in fostering the developmentof individual teachers, as it often overlooks the manydifferences that exist among them. Effective CPDneeds to make provision for the unique learning needs

Implications and recommendationsof each individual teacher, catering for both theircurrent needs and any relevant areas of expertise thatthey will need to develop for future career progression.Institutions can support teachers to identifypriorities for them to work on as part of the CPDprogramme by involving them in creating individualprofessional learning plans (see Appendix 1).SustainedGiven that effective teacher learning programmes need tobe prolonged to give teachers the time and support theyneed to learn new strategies well enough to apply themin the classroom and embed them as part of their dailypractice, CPD designers need to find ways of moving awayfrom one-off or short CPD events. One way of achieving thisis to create long-term CPD plans (e.g. between one to threeyears) informed by needs analysis and high-level prioritiesthat identify learning outcomes, success criteria, potentialimpact, resources needed, stages, timelines and measures.Another approach is to focus on impact over quantityand information transfer, selecting fewer topics,creating thematic threads across the year, takingmore time on each, with multiple activities focusedon deep, sustained learning and transferability.21While increasing the number of hours of a given programmemight not always be possible, CPD programmes canbe structured to ensure that the total number of hoursis utilized to support teachers’ development over alonger period of time. Here are a few examples:1. A one day face-to-face event can be broken intothree shorter sessions spread over two terms or anacademic year. This would allow CPD providers to: Set experimentation, reflection and evaluation tasksthat teachers can work on in the interim to processthe content of the sessions in more depth, applythe taught strategies in their practice, assess theirfitness for purpose in their context, and identifyissues that they can bring to the next session. Support and coach teachers throughout thedifficulties of the implementation process.2. The model above can be adapted to includesynchronous webinars instead of face-to-face sessions.3. One-off, face-to-face events can be supplemented withonline components to create a more prolonged andsupportive blended learning programme. For example: A one-day face-to-face session can be supplem

teacher learning and development activities as the most impactful dimension of leadership. The attitude and actions of leaders are a fundamental driver of effective teacher development. In the most effective institutions, professional development is a leadership priority and CPD programmes balance alignment to high-level, organisation-