August 16, 2025 • 24 mins
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Too much professional development feels like a box-ticking exercise with little to show for the time invested. In this episode, Jocelyn unpacks decades of research findings to reveal the seven elements that make PD truly effective, and shows how leaders and teachers can stop wasting time and start creating lasting impact in classrooms.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jocelyn (00:00):
Well, hello there.
Welcome to this episode of theStructured Literacy Podcast.
I'm Jocelyn and I'm so pleasedthat you've joined me today.
We're recording here inTasmania, on the lands of the
Palawa people.
Today we're diving intosomething that affects every
single teacher listening to thispodcast: professional learning.
(00:20):
If you've been listening for acouple of episodes now, you'll
see that there's a theme, andthere absolutely is.
This issue is at the heart ofit, because it doesn't matter
how good the program is, itdoesn't matter how good the
lessons are, if we don't buildthe capacity of our teams, we're
just not going to get theresults we want.
So, whether you're a classroomteacher attending yet another
(00:43):
after-school session or a leaderplanning PD for your team, I
know you've all experienced thatfull spectrum, from the
transformative sessions thatcompletely changed how you teach
to those where you sat therethinking I could be doing any
number of things in my classroominstead of being here.
And so what's the difference?
Well, we can turn to researchfor some answers.
(01:06):
What does research actuallytell us about effective
professional development and howcan we, as professionals, make
sure the time we invest in ourlearning, and the time we ask
our teams to invest, actuallyleads to meaningful change in
classrooms and better outcomefor teachers.
Those are the questions thatwe're going to try and answer in
(01:29):
this podcast today.
So let's explore what decadesof research reveals about
professional learning that trulyworks.
Let's be honest about wherewe've been.
For too long, professionaldevelopment has looked like the
one-off workshop, oftendelivered by someone who hasn't
(01:49):
been in a classroom for years,focusing on that latest
educational trend with littleconnection to your actual
teaching context, followed bythe expectation that you'll
somehow transform practiceovernight.
And we have had an episode ofthe podcast talking about the
difference between transactionaland transformational PD.
So if you haven't had a listento that one, I recommend that
(02:11):
you do.
.
Research consistently shows thatthis approach doesn't work.
The Learning Policy Institute'scomprehensive review of 35
rigorous studies found thattraditional one-shot workshops
produce minimal changes inteaching practice and virtually
no improvement in studentoutcomes.
(02:31):
The Education EndowmentFoundation puts it simply,
"effective professionaldevelopment must be structured
professional learning thatresults in changes to teacher
knowledge and practices andimprovements in student learning
outcomes.
" Notice both parts of thatequation.
It's not enough to feel goodabout a session or even to learn
(02:55):
something new, the goldstandard is actual change in
what happens in classrooms.
So what does effectiveprofessional development that
reflects research actually looklike?
Well, there are seven keyelements that consistently
appear in successfulprofessional development tasks
(03:16):
or activities, and let me walkyou through each one of them.
First up, we have a focus oncontent.
.
Effective professionaldevelopment focuses on teaching
strategies associated withspecific curriculum content.
This means we have to movebeyond generic teaching tips to
(03:40):
deep, subject-specific pedagogy.
When teachers learn withintheir actual teaching context,
whether that's early literacy,maths or science, they can
immediately see how what they'relearning applies to their
students.
I work with a number of schools, and some of them are P to 12
schools, and often there will berequests that the professional
(04:04):
development is for the entireschool and while there are
benefits of this, in someinstances, instances it is
impossible to deliver relevantcontent-focused professional
development when you have such amassive spread.
It's hard enough for theprimary school, let alone for
the entire school, across thepreschool to 12.
(04:28):
So something to think about forthose of us who are leading in
those sorts of contexts.
The most effective programsground their content in robust
theories of how learning occurs.
So, for example, professionaldevelopment focused on reading
instruction might be built onfoundational cognitive science
research, information processing, to understand how students
(04:52):
receive and retain information,cognitive load theory to manage
the demands on working memory,and explicit teaching models and
explicit teaching all alignwith how the brain actually
learns.
The second factor is activelearning.
Just as we know, students learnthrough hands-on experiences,
(05:15):
teachers need opportunities toactively engage with the new
content.
It's not enough to talk aboutit or read about it, we actually
have to do it.
And this might mean analysingstudent work samples, practising
new techniques or workingthrough curriculum materials as
learners themselves.
It also includes having theopportunity to try things out
(05:37):
for real with the students, toreflect on that attempt and come
back and talk with colleagues.
Effective programs ensureteachers participate in the same
style of learning they'll bedesigning for their students.
I don't think there's anybetter way to create an Aha!
moment for a teacher than to putthem in their students' shoes.
(06:02):
So teachers might use practiceslike think-pair-share or text
annotation, and they might usemetacognitive strategies during
their own learning.
This can be followed up withwork with real scenarios from
actual teaching contexts andreflections about their own
classroom.
(06:25):
The third factor that researchhas identified is collaboration,
and we've just had a wholepodcast episode about
collaborative professionallearning that's done with people
and not to them.
High quality professionaldevelopment creates space for
teachers to share ideas andlearn together, often in those
job embedded contexts, and it'snot just about feeling supported
(06:47):
.
Collaboration actually changesthe culture of entire teams and
schools.
When teachers work together oncommon problems, when they use
shared language and approaches,when they build shared vision,
their impact extends far beyondindividual classrooms, and you
may have heard of the termcollective efficacy.
(07:07):
This might happen through wholestaff learning sessions that
build shared understanding,team-based work within existing
professional learningcommunities, collaborative
reflection on practice orcross-school networking
opportunities that foster peerlearning.
So there can be somethingreally terrific about having a
Year Two teacher reflecting witha Year Six teacher on the
(07:32):
application of the informationprocessing model, because having
to really explain your owncontext and your own thinking
pushes us to a place of greaterinvolvement in the work.
Fourth, we need models andmodelling.
(07:53):
So teachers need to see whatgood practice looks like.
This might include lesson plans, some student samples, peer
observations and a range ofother things, but I think that
there's nothing that quite beatsseeing modelling happening in
your own classroom, and this iscertainly a key factor for
schools who are using ourcurriculum resources as their
(08:16):
school's chosen approach.
Seeing someone model it andthen being able to debrief and
connect that to what they'reseeing in their data is a
powerful lever for helpingteachers to understand what
they're looking at.
The key is providing clearvisions of best practice that
teachers can adapt to their owncontext.
(08:38):
That is, once they've learnedabout what makes the practices
robust.
But I keep talking about it,and I'll continue to talk about
it, that we need to be able toadjust instruction to meet the
needs of our students.
So being able to see someoneelse teach, particularly if that
person is highly skilled, andthen being able to use that
(09:02):
example to make suitableadjustments to their own
practice for their own students,is really wonderful.
Fifth, we have coaching andexpert support.
Now here's where the researchgets really interesting.
Studies consistently show thatcoaching, or expert scaffolding,
(09:23):
can support the effectiveimplementation of new curriculum
tools and approaches, and thisisn't just nice to have support,
it is the missing link betweenlearning something new and
actually implementing iteffectively in the classroom.
It's also the hardest toresource and I don't mean
(09:44):
resource as in just dollars, butI mean to find the people who
are able to do this work well.
So that's a challenge, but notone that can't be overcome.
Joyce and Showers describecoaching as the missing piece
that helps professional learningtransfer to actual classroom
practice, and if you've been alistener of the podcast for a
(10:05):
while, you will have heard mespeak about their research.
This support might take variousforms, there could be
one-on-one coaching inclassrooms, group workshop
facilitation and even remotementoring using an online
platform.
The key is sharing expertiseabout both content and practice,
focused directly on teachers'individual needs.
(10:29):
Just as we do not have one sizefits all in the classroom, we
don't have one size fits all inour teaching teams.
We're all at different pointsin our experience and
understanding, and the responsefrom leaders needs to reflect
that.
So effective programs build theskills and knowledge of the
(10:50):
leadership teams and theinstructional coaches, providing
them with frameworks toidentify where each teacher sits
developmentally and the toolsto facilitate quality coaching
conversations.
So it's not just about helpingteachers to grow, we also need
to help build the capacity andthe confidence of our leaders,
(11:15):
and if we don't get that balanceright, then we may not see
those outcomes.
The sixth area is feedback andreflection.
So the research shows thateffective professional
development builds in time forteachers to think about, receive
input on and refine theirpractice, and this might happen
(11:39):
through analysing lessonobservations, through reviewing
videos, through talking with theteacher and discussing data.
The key is creating systematicopportunities for reflection and
improvement.
Now I hear what you're saying,I'm sure that you're at least
thinking, "Jocelyn.
That's all very nice, but don'tyou know how busy we are?
(12:01):
" And yes, I do.
So.
The key here to holding spacefor this is not to try and do it
through the addition of extrameetings.
It's looking at your existingstructures.
Many schools already have PLCor PLT structures within the
school.
(12:21):
That can be improved and youcan build on what you already
have.
Often, with a few tweaks, withsome different kinds of
questions and structures, youcan increase the effectiveness
of that time to help teachers intheir development.
The most successful programsbuild in structured reflection
(12:42):
protocols, and the PLC and PLTtime is where the easiest
opportunity is to apply those.
Perhaps teachers analyse withtheir colleagues, they evaluate
experiences, they discuss, theydraw out the knowledge and
experience of more experiencedpractitioners to help support.
(13:08):
We're able to support eachother, and an instructional
coach who's sufficiently trainedand has the knowledge to do so
can use that opportunity as ateachable moment for the
teachers around them.
Seventh is sustained duration,and this is perhaps the most
important finding of all.
(13:29):
Effective professionaldevelopment happens over weeks,
months and even years, not inone-off sessions.
Teachers need adequate time tolearn, practise, implement and
reflect on the new strategiesthat facilitate real changes in
their practice.
Sometimes that means you needthe time to make mistakes.
(13:51):
You need the time to celebratethe wins that you get, but
sometimes you don't really knowsomething until you've tried it
out yourself and it didn't work,and then you say, ok, now I
accept what they're telling me,that didn't work, and I'm sure
that we've all been there.
This could look like programsoperating across a full school
(14:12):
year or more, with multiplepathways, having comprehensive
planning meetings, regular staffsessions, ongoing team-focused
learning, coaching sessions forleaders and continuous support
that includes retrieval of corecontent during everyday work.
And if you're thinking, thissounds a little bit like how we
(14:34):
run our classrooms, yes, yes, itdoes.
Research shows that whenprofessional development
incorporates most or all ofthese elements, it produces
measurable improvements in bothteaching practice and student
outcomes.
After all, if we're not seeingstudent outcomes, we don't have
(14:55):
effective teacher development.
So how do we apply all of thisresearch into our own context?
First, when you're attendingprofessional learning or
weighing up professionallearning opportunities, look for
(15:16):
these seven elements.
We're putting the link to thepapers that we've referenced
here in the show notes so youcan find that open access and
have a look at that for yourself.
If the elements are missing,well, advocate for them, ask the
question.
The research indicates that weneed sustained duration,.
what What will that look likefor this learning?
(15:38):
Ask for the follow-up sessions,request coaching support or
organise organize peercollaboration to fill the gaps
where you can.
Second, if you're leadingprofessional learning in your
school, school design with theelements in mind, use them as a
bit of a checklist, and thismight mean fewer topics covered
(15:59):
more deeply, with more time forpractice and reflection and
ongoing support rather thanone-shot sessions.
And I know that Mildred is veryloud when she's telling you
that you're not doing enough,but sometimes you have to slow
down to go further.
If you do bring a consultant into deliver the same recycled
(16:25):
presentation they've delivered10 times with With no follow-up
and no personalisationpersonalization, the chances
that the work will lead tolasting change are low.
You would be better offinvesting that money in support
for leaders to build theircapacity in the space than you
would be in having someone comein as a .
(16:47):
, Because because even the bestdesigned professional
development can fail ifimplementation barriers exist.
So we need to make sure thatwe've got the conditions right
for the learning to happen.
If we have inadequate resources, such as time resources, we
haven't set enough time asideand I'm sorry, but one literacy
(17:10):
session a semester because ourPL calendar is full of whole
school meetings is not going toget you where you want to go.
So it's a little bit of toughlove on this one .
If we don't have the timedevoted to the actual learning,
well we shouldn't be surprisedif we don't get the outcomes
that we want.
The same goes for shared vision.
(17:33):
If we don't all know what we'relooking for, if we don't know
what success looks like, ifwe're all operating with
different ideas of what strongpractice is, we're not going to
get where we want to go.
If we have a dysfunctionalschool culture where there's a
(17:53):
lack of trust, where we can'thave open conversations, where
there are political decisionsmade, made and when I say
political I mean decisions wemake because other people are
watching, not because they'rethe right decision to make to
get the outcome, then thosethings are all barriers to us
having effective professionaldevelopment.
(18:15):
And finally, on this point,your principal needs to be the
driver of the improvement agenda.
Principals have to be at theheart of instruction.
They have to know why they'redoing what they're doing so that
they can enable and lead theteam in the work.
(18:49):
And all of this research hasdirectly informed how we've
designed Leading LearningSuccess.
Now, this is a program thatI've created that operates
across a full school year atminimum, with multiple pathways,
incorporating evidence-basedcontent grounded in the
cognitive sciences.
We embed practice withinschools' existing contexts.
We help schools achieve theirstrategic goals, not add more
(19:13):
goals onto their plate.
We support collaborationthrough existing PLC structures,
provide coaching forinstructional leaders and build
internal capacity forsustainability.
There's no point in doing thework if we're not building
capacity of leadership to beable to take that work forward,
(19:34):
doesn't help us to be dependenton someone from outside in the
long term.
We've structured the programspecifically to address the
partnership factors researchshows are critical for success:
strong principal-providerrelationships, clear
communication, school-levelcontrol (and that's an important
(19:54):
one) and sustained support.
If Leading Learning Success issomething that you think you
might like to pursue, you canvisit our website
jocelynseamereducation.
com, click on ProfessionalLearning and you will find
information about it there.
(20:15):
The bottom line for all of us,regardless of which path we
choose for professionaldevelopment, is that we know
what it looks like to get itright.
The research is pretty clearand consistent.
The question isn't whether wecan improve professional
learning, it's whether we'rewilling to stand up and demand
(20:37):
better for our schools and forour teachers, to just say no to
the one-off, to be aligned withour strategic vision and our
goals for our students, and towork with our teams in a way
that's meaningful andlong-lasting.
Your time and your team's timeis precious.
(20:59):
Make sure it's being investedin professional learning that
truly leads to professionaldevelopment, which is all
grounded in action in theclassroom.
That is what's going to get youimproved outcomes for every
student you serve.
Until next time, that's allfrom me.
(21:20):
Happy teaching everyone.
Bye.
Well, hello there.
Welcome to this episode of theStructured Literacy Podcast.
I'm Jocelyn and I'm so pleasedthat you've joined me today.
We're recording here inTasmania, on the lands of the
Palawa people.
Today we're diving intosomething that affects every
single teacher listening to thispodcast: professional learning.
(00:20):
If you've been listening for acouple of episodes now, you'll
see that there's a theme, andthere absolutely is.
This issue is at the heart ofit, because it doesn't matter
how good the program is, itdoesn't matter how good the
lessons are, if we don't buildthe capacity of our teams, we're
just not going to get theresults we want.
So, whether you're a classroomteacher attending yet another
(00:43):
after-school session or a leaderplanning PD for your team, I
know you've all experienced thatfull spectrum, from the
transformative sessions thatcompletely changed how you teach
to those where you sat therethinking I could be doing any
number of things in my classroominstead of being here.
And so what's the difference?
Well, we can turn to researchfor some answers.
(01:06):
What does research actuallytell us about effective
professional development and howcan we, as professionals, make
sure the time we invest in ourlearning, and the time we ask
our teams to invest, actuallyleads to meaningful change in
classrooms and better outcomefor teachers.
Those are the questions thatwe're going to try and answer in
(01:29):
this podcast today.
So let's explore what decadesof research reveals about
professional learning that trulyworks.
Let's be honest about wherewe've been.
For too long, professionaldevelopment has looked like the
one-off workshop, oftendelivered by someone who hasn't
(01:49):
been in a classroom for years,focusing on that latest
educational trend with littleconnection to your actual
teaching context, followed bythe expectation that you'll
somehow transform practiceovernight.
And we have had an episode ofthe podcast talking about the
difference between transactionaland transformational PD.
So if you haven't had a listento that one, I recommend that
(02:11):
you do.
.
Research consistently shows thatthis approach doesn't work.
The Learning Policy Institute'scomprehensive review of 35
rigorous studies found thattraditional one-shot workshops
produce minimal changes inteaching practice and virtually
no improvement in studentoutcomes.
(02:31):
The Education EndowmentFoundation puts it simply,
"effective professionaldevelopment must be structured
professional learning thatresults in changes to teacher
knowledge and practices andimprovements in student learning
outcomes.
" Notice both parts of thatequation.
It's not enough to feel goodabout a session or even to learn
(02:55):
something new, the goldstandard is actual change in
what happens in classrooms.
So what does effectiveprofessional development that
reflects research actually looklike?
Well, there are seven keyelements that consistently
appear in successfulprofessional development tasks
(03:16):
or activities, and let me walkyou through each one of them.
First up, we have a focus oncontent.
.
Effective professionaldevelopment focuses on teaching
strategies associated withspecific curriculum content.
This means we have to movebeyond generic teaching tips to
(03:40):
deep, subject-specific pedagogy.
When teachers learn withintheir actual teaching context,
whether that's early literacy,maths or science, they can
immediately see how what they'relearning applies to their
students.
I work with a number of schools, and some of them are P to 12
schools, and often there will berequests that the professional
(04:04):
development is for the entireschool and while there are
benefits of this, in someinstances, instances it is
impossible to deliver relevantcontent-focused professional
development when you have such amassive spread.
It's hard enough for theprimary school, let alone for
the entire school, across thepreschool to 12.
(04:28):
So something to think about forthose of us who are leading in
those sorts of contexts.
The most effective programsground their content in robust
theories of how learning occurs.
So, for example, professionaldevelopment focused on reading
instruction might be built onfoundational cognitive science
research, information processing, to understand how students
(04:52):
receive and retain information,cognitive load theory to manage
the demands on working memory,and explicit teaching models and
explicit teaching all alignwith how the brain actually
learns.
The second factor is activelearning.
Just as we know, students learnthrough hands-on experiences,
(05:15):
teachers need opportunities toactively engage with the new
content.
It's not enough to talk aboutit or read about it, we actually
have to do it.
And this might mean analysingstudent work samples, practising
new techniques or workingthrough curriculum materials as
learners themselves.
It also includes having theopportunity to try things out
(05:37):
for real with the students, toreflect on that attempt and come
back and talk with colleagues.
Effective programs ensureteachers participate in the same
style of learning they'll bedesigning for their students.
I don't think there's anybetter way to create an Aha!
moment for a teacher than to putthem in their students' shoes.
(06:02):
So teachers might use practiceslike think-pair-share or text
annotation, and they might usemetacognitive strategies during
their own learning.
This can be followed up withwork with real scenarios from
actual teaching contexts andreflections about their own
classroom.
(06:25):
The third factor that researchhas identified is collaboration,
and we've just had a wholepodcast episode about
collaborative professionallearning that's done with people
and not to them.
High quality professionaldevelopment creates space for
teachers to share ideas andlearn together, often in those
job embedded contexts, and it'snot just about feeling supported
(06:47):
.
Collaboration actually changesthe culture of entire teams and
schools.
When teachers work together oncommon problems, when they use
shared language and approaches,when they build shared vision,
their impact extends far beyondindividual classrooms, and you
may have heard of the termcollective efficacy.
(07:07):
This might happen through wholestaff learning sessions that
build shared understanding,team-based work within existing
professional learningcommunities, collaborative
reflection on practice orcross-school networking
opportunities that foster peerlearning.
So there can be somethingreally terrific about having a
Year Two teacher reflecting witha Year Six teacher on the
(07:32):
application of the informationprocessing model, because having
to really explain your owncontext and your own thinking
pushes us to a place of greaterinvolvement in the work.
Fourth, we need models andmodelling.
(07:53):
So teachers need to see whatgood practice looks like.
This might include lesson plans, some student samples, peer
observations and a range ofother things, but I think that
there's nothing that quite beatsseeing modelling happening in
your own classroom, and this iscertainly a key factor for
schools who are using ourcurriculum resources as their
(08:16):
school's chosen approach.
Seeing someone model it andthen being able to debrief and
connect that to what they'reseeing in their data is a
powerful lever for helpingteachers to understand what
they're looking at.
The key is providing clearvisions of best practice that
teachers can adapt to their owncontext.
(08:38):
That is, once they've learnedabout what makes the practices
robust.
But I keep talking about it,and I'll continue to talk about
it, that we need to be able toadjust instruction to meet the
needs of our students.
So being able to see someoneelse teach, particularly if that
person is highly skilled, andthen being able to use that
(09:02):
example to make suitableadjustments to their own
practice for their own students,is really wonderful.
Fifth, we have coaching andexpert support.
Now here's where the researchgets really interesting.
Studies consistently show thatcoaching, or expert scaffolding,
(09:23):
can support the effectiveimplementation of new curriculum
tools and approaches, and thisisn't just nice to have support,
it is the missing link betweenlearning something new and
actually implementing iteffectively in the classroom.
It's also the hardest toresource and I don't mean
(09:44):
resource as in just dollars, butI mean to find the people who
are able to do this work well.
So that's a challenge, but notone that can't be overcome.
Joyce and Showers describecoaching as the missing piece
that helps professional learningtransfer to actual classroom
practice, and if you've been alistener of the podcast for a
(10:05):
while, you will have heard mespeak about their research.
This support might take variousforms, there could be
one-on-one coaching inclassrooms, group workshop
facilitation and even remotementoring using an online
platform.
The key is sharing expertiseabout both content and practice,
focused directly on teachers'individual needs.
(10:29):
Just as we do not have one sizefits all in the classroom, we
don't have one size fits all inour teaching teams.
We're all at different pointsin our experience and
understanding, and the responsefrom leaders needs to reflect
that.
So effective programs build theskills and knowledge of the
(10:50):
leadership teams and theinstructional coaches, providing
them with frameworks toidentify where each teacher sits
developmentally and the toolsto facilitate quality coaching
conversations.
So it's not just about helpingteachers to grow, we also need
to help build the capacity andthe confidence of our leaders,
(11:15):
and if we don't get that balanceright, then we may not see
those outcomes.
The sixth area is feedback andreflection.
So the research shows thateffective professional
development builds in time forteachers to think about, receive
input on and refine theirpractice, and this might happen
(11:39):
through analysing lessonobservations, through reviewing
videos, through talking with theteacher and discussing data.
The key is creating systematicopportunities for reflection and
improvement.
Now I hear what you're saying,I'm sure that you're at least
thinking, "Jocelyn.
That's all very nice, but don'tyou know how busy we are?
(12:01):
" And yes, I do.
So.
The key here to holding spacefor this is not to try and do it
through the addition of extrameetings.
It's looking at your existingstructures.
Many schools already have PLCor PLT structures within the
school.
(12:21):
That can be improved and youcan build on what you already
have.
Often, with a few tweaks, withsome different kinds of
questions and structures, youcan increase the effectiveness
of that time to help teachers intheir development.
The most successful programsbuild in structured reflection
(12:42):
protocols, and the PLC and PLTtime is where the easiest
opportunity is to apply those.
Perhaps teachers analyse withtheir colleagues, they evaluate
experiences, they discuss, theydraw out the knowledge and
experience of more experiencedpractitioners to help support.
(13:08):
We're able to support eachother, and an instructional
coach who's sufficiently trainedand has the knowledge to do so
can use that opportunity as ateachable moment for the
teachers around them.
Seventh is sustained duration,and this is perhaps the most
important finding of all.
(13:29):
Effective professionaldevelopment happens over weeks,
months and even years, not inone-off sessions.
Teachers need adequate time tolearn, practise, implement and
reflect on the new strategiesthat facilitate real changes in
their practice.
Sometimes that means you needthe time to make mistakes.
(13:51):
You need the time to celebratethe wins that you get, but
sometimes you don't really knowsomething until you've tried it
out yourself and it didn't work,and then you say, ok, now I
accept what they're telling me,that didn't work, and I'm sure
that we've all been there.
This could look like programsoperating across a full school
(14:12):
year or more, with multiplepathways, having comprehensive
planning meetings, regular staffsessions, ongoing team-focused
learning, coaching sessions forleaders and continuous support
that includes retrieval of corecontent during everyday work.
And if you're thinking, thissounds a little bit like how we
(14:34):
run our classrooms, yes, yes, itdoes.
Research shows that whenprofessional development
incorporates most or all ofthese elements, it produces
measurable improvements in bothteaching practice and student
outcomes.
After all, if we're not seeingstudent outcomes, we don't have
(14:55):
effective teacher development.
So how do we apply all of thisresearch into our own context?
First, when you're attendingprofessional learning or
weighing up professionallearning opportunities, look for
(15:16):
these seven elements.
We're putting the link to thepapers that we've referenced
here in the show notes so youcan find that open access and
have a look at that for yourself.
If the elements are missing,well, advocate for them, ask the
question.
The research indicates that weneed sustained duration,.
what What will that look likefor this learning?
(15:38):
Ask for the follow-up sessions,request coaching support or
organise organize peercollaboration to fill the gaps
where you can.
Second, if you're leadingprofessional learning in your
school, school design with theelements in mind, use them as a
bit of a checklist, and thismight mean fewer topics covered
(15:59):
more deeply, with more time forpractice and reflection and
ongoing support rather thanone-shot sessions.
And I know that Mildred is veryloud when she's telling you
that you're not doing enough,but sometimes you have to slow
down to go further.
If you do bring a consultant into deliver the same recycled
(16:25):
presentation they've delivered10 times with With no follow-up
and no personalisationpersonalization, the chances
that the work will lead tolasting change are low.
You would be better offinvesting that money in support
for leaders to build theircapacity in the space than you
would be in having someone comein as a .
(16:47):
, Because because even the bestdesigned professional
development can fail ifimplementation barriers exist.
So we need to make sure thatwe've got the conditions right
for the learning to happen.
If we have inadequate resources, such as time resources, we
haven't set enough time asideand I'm sorry, but one literacy
(17:10):
session a semester because ourPL calendar is full of whole
school meetings is not going toget you where you want to go.
So it's a little bit of toughlove on this one .
If we don't have the timedevoted to the actual learning,
well we shouldn't be surprisedif we don't get the outcomes
that we want.
The same goes for shared vision.
(17:33):
If we don't all know what we'relooking for, if we don't know
what success looks like, ifwe're all operating with
different ideas of what strongpractice is, we're not going to
get where we want to go.
If we have a dysfunctionalschool culture where there's a
(17:53):
lack of trust, where we can'thave open conversations, where
there are political decisionsmade, made and when I say
political I mean decisions wemake because other people are
watching, not because they'rethe right decision to make to
get the outcome, then thosethings are all barriers to us
having effective professionaldevelopment.
(18:15):
And finally, on this point,your principal needs to be the
driver of the improvement agenda.
Principals have to be at theheart of instruction.
They have to know why they'redoing what they're doing so that
they can enable and lead theteam in the work.
(18:49):
And all of this research hasdirectly informed how we've
designed Leading LearningSuccess.
Now, this is a program thatI've created that operates
across a full school year atminimum, with multiple pathways,
incorporating evidence-basedcontent grounded in the
cognitive sciences.
We embed practice withinschools' existing contexts.
We help schools achieve theirstrategic goals, not add more
(19:13):
goals onto their plate.
We support collaborationthrough existing PLC structures,
provide coaching forinstructional leaders and build
internal capacity forsustainability.
There's no point in doing thework if we're not building
capacity of leadership to beable to take that work forward,
(19:34):
doesn't help us to be dependenton someone from outside in the
long term.
We've structured the programspecifically to address the
partnership factors researchshows are critical for success:
strong principal-providerrelationships, clear
communication, school-levelcontrol (and that's an important
(19:54):
one) and sustained support.
If Leading Learning Success issomething that you think you
might like to pursue, you canvisit our website
jocelynseamereducation.
com, click on ProfessionalLearning and you will find
information about it there.
(20:15):
The bottom line for all of us,regardless of which path we
choose for professionaldevelopment, is that we know
what it looks like to get itright.
The research is pretty clearand consistent.
The question isn't whether wecan improve professional
learning, it's whether we'rewilling to stand up and demand
(20:37):
better for our schools and forour teachers, to just say no to
the one-off, to be aligned withour strategic vision and our
goals for our students, and towork with our teams in a way
that's meaningful andlong-lasting.
Your time and your team's timeis precious.
(20:59):
Make sure it's being investedin professional learning that
truly leads to professionaldevelopment, which is all
grounded in action in theclassroom.
That is what's going to get youimproved outcomes for every
student you serve.
Until next time, that's allfrom me.
(21:20):
Happy teaching everyone.
Bye.
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