The Charter describes high quality professional learning as relevant, collaborative and future-focused. Teachers should be reminded to consider this when selecting professional learning.
To enable this, the following conditions can be considered:
- Staff are aware of different types of professional learning, noting that education setting embedded, collaborative and longer-term professional learning is more effective.
- Staff are guided and supported to select and undertake appropriate professional learning.
- Staff are involved in planning education setting professional learning.
- Staff are encouraged to challenge their thinking and enhance their teaching practice for better learner outcomes.
Reflection
Have you considered different professional learning approaches that best meet the professional learning needs of staff?
How do the identified professional learning needs of staff align with the initiatives and improvement plans of the education setting?
How are teachers informed about different types of professional learning and guided to select appropriate ones?
Are staff aligning professional learning needs with the Standards?
How can you leverage current expertise within the school to support each professional learning approach?
What school structures and processes can be utilised for different professional learning approaches?
Professional learning is high quality when opportunities are provided to teachers to apply, reflect and refine, and even share their learning. A strong culture of learning in the school, service or education setting is crucial to support this stage. To enable this, the following conditions can be considered:
- A common understanding of effective teaching is established and teachers are supported to apply their learning to enable this.
- Staff are given adequate time and support to assess, reflect and refine their learning through the process, while being encouraged to be innovative.
Reflection
How are teachers made aware of what effective practice should look like in the classroom?
How are teachers supported to apply their learning in phases in order to experience gradual and incremental professional growth?
How has the application of learning contributed to education setting improvement goals?
What systems and processes are in place to support teachers to be innovative, try new strategies, refine them and reflect on their learning?
What formal or informal opportunities are there for teachers to receive feedback, reflect and to challenge their thinking?
It is important to evaluate the professional learning experience formatively, on three levels:
- education setting support for professional learning
- a teacher’s learning and application of the acquired knowledge and skills
- learner outcomes – whether the professional learning results in the intended change.
Measuring at multiple levels will assist in identifying areas for development and improvement at different stages of the HQPL Cycle. This can guide future refinements to next steps and inform ongoing professional learning needs.
Leaders can gather data from a variety of sources, including learner data and feedback, moderation of learner assessment tasks using work samples, peer/supervisor feedback, parent feedback, teacher self-assessment and reflection, classroom observation reports and teacher perception through surveys etc.
Reflection
What indicators have been selected to measure change in practice from the professional learning?
Do you know which professional learning approaches had the greatest impact on teachers’ and children’s learning and the reason for it?
How are staff being encouraged to review their professional learning experience and share it with their colleagues?
How are you tracking the types of professional learning approaches being undertaken by staff and the content of their professional learning?
What school structures and processes need to be in place to better support teacher professional learning? How can these be evaluated to maximise support for teachers?