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Continual Professional Development
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Sun, 03/15/2009 - 11:22
Sun, 04/05/2009 - 02:46
#2
Hi
I am myself a teacher who had spent much time and money on polishing my own English teaching knowledge and skills since I am an English teacher. It is a responsibility for me since it is my occupation. Lately, I went to study MA TESOL when I think that I need it. It is true that I can get a raise on the salary with the MA diploma, however, for me, it was more than that, I think I was doing the right thing to improve myself for my occupation and to refresh myself at the same time as well. I will do CPD as long as I am a teacher because it is never enough for me.
But after I came back to my work place, my colleagues rumored that I went to study only because I was escaping from my teaching duty or, probably, some trouble during the year I went to study. They don't think that it is reasonable for a person to cost so much money merely for a teaching ideal goal. So, in my working place, in stead of getting praise of working hard to help my students, they picked on me and labled me as a lazy teacher. They said, I did nothing during the year I went to study. They said that I am just "too rich." They said that my MA study only benefit myself, not my students nor the colleagues. (I didn't give gifts when I came back because I didn't have more money to buy them gifts while it is a kind of informal tradition here. But I don't like this kind of tradition and so I don't want to follow it.) As a result, they couldn't and didn't want to "see" how the teaching quality had been up graded in my class after my attending the CPD programmes. It is also difficult to get my new projects done in the school because they don't understand the value of my plans, such as, organizing an English club for students, applying listening test in English exam..etc . As a result, people who don't like me sent for a parent presenter in our teacher meeting to say that I am a teacher who cause argument and should not stay in the school. It is very complicated. I can't describe the whole situation in very details.
But the whole situation that I came across make me feel that the way the system work out here is not encouraged at all. The system itself could be ok, however, the people who work it out could be selfish and thus dis-function the system itself. Sometimes, I become so unhappy that when I think of how "ugly" they are that I almost lose my strength of being a teacher. I have to cheer up myself from time to time in my teaching area.
So, I really want to know how and what I can do to change people's value of CPD in my school.
As for experienced teachers who alreay equipt with everything, I guess it is ok if they don't want to keep in doing CPD. However, things are changing, and the world is changing all the time, I think it is never too old to learn for everyone especially for a teacher.
Wed, 03/18/2009 - 13:17
#3
Completely agree with your points Kevin, that we need to allow our teachers to continuously develop and that CPD depends to a great extent on the teachers' attitude.
I think the first point seems easier to address, even if your school director is unwilling to invest and provide financial incentives. But on closer inspection, all the following 'traditional' CPD techniques need financial and time investment:
Observation programmes (both Peer and by doses) - time, organisation, availability
Workshops, seminars and conferences - time, money, organisation, availability
Subscribing to EFL journals - money, time to read
Online courses - money, time, organisation, availability
The most difficult investment for our teachers to make is time. As you say, within a school set up time is often very difficult to find and make available. And this impinges greatly on the second point, that of the teachers' attitude.
How can we inspire our teachers' to invest their time and perhaps money in CPD if the teaching load we give them takes up so much of their time and pays them relatively little money?
Wed, 03/18/2009 - 21:55
#4
Hi Neil,
Don't get me started! OK, this probably is the single biggest issue in my opinion in our profession. I doubt there is another professional area where the practitioners are expected to perform at such a high level, in such a difficult field, for next to nothing. To develop in our field you need to invest in CPD, but there is little or no payback except personal satisfaction. Until that is addressed, all involvement in CPD can probably be viewed as a charitable act, either to your students or your employer.
Contrary or supporting arguments gratefully received!
Kevin
Sun, 03/22/2009 - 02:30
#5
Hi
My name is Gerardo and I work at the Anglo in Uruguay.
In my opinion, CPD is all about "attitude." It emerges from within the teacher and encourages them to do more, "to go the extra mile," as Diana says above. I don't think CPD can be imposed on teachers by HODs or DOSs, however, what HODs and DOSs can do is facilitate it by creating the conditions for CPD to take place.
I think that one of the most common problems with CPD, is that language schools and institutes expect all their teachers to engage in the same type of developmental activity. For example, they expect all their teachers to do peer observation. I believe that is a mistake. There is no doubt that peer observation can help all of us to develop; it can be very enriching and awareness-raising. However, it is very difficult to implement massively!
At the Anglo we have tried to encourage our staff to engage in peer observation. Only a few of our teachers actually did it, but for them it worked very well and they found it very enriching. Another teacher decided to write an article for an article writing contest. Wouldn't you describe that as a developmental activity as well? Others chose to gather on Fridays to discuss selected articles from ETp, which had been previously selected and recommended by the Academic Department. A few other teachers conducted workshops for their colleagues on topics of their interest, e.g. the use of the internet in language teaching.
My point is, CPD can actually take very different shapes. What HODs and DOSs have to do, I believe, is create the conditions for different teachers to develop in different ways: subscribe to journals and encourage teachers to read and discuss some articles, organise seminars where teachers can share their expertise with their colleagues, organise peer observation, etc. Development need not be time-consuming. Discussing a problem you have with a group of learners with other teachers in the staff room can be developmental!
Hope my words are of some help. I look forward to hearing other teachers' views on the matter.
Cheers
Gerardo
Tue, 03/24/2009 - 01:52
#6
I think that sounds like an excellent approach, Gerardo. Create the right environment, and these things will happen.
Regards,
Kevin
Wed, 03/25/2009 - 08:51
#7
Spot on, Gerardo. I agree entirely.
My own professional development path was opened up when I started training others. At one LTO where I taught, teachers were asked to put on PD workshops - both for colleagues and for local school teachers as part of an outreach programme. The idea scared the hell out of me to start with, but having to do some research, and having to find ways I could best put across the information I wanted to impart made me a better teacher and helped me to become a trainer.
Andy
Sun, 03/22/2009 - 05:02
#8
Hi All,
CPD is necessary thing for all teachers. First we should clarify whom we call by experienced teacher,if we mean years, I think it is not the criteria of defining of the the word "experienced" , for example a teacher has been working for 20 years but can't teach perfectly, we know young teachers who gives an excellent lessons from the first years.
We shouln't have such alternation to develop or not to develop(to be or not to be) , we should( must) develop our level every day, because we are busy with people, we are responsible for their knowledge.
We live in such time where each idea becomes non actual the next day.Each day we have several ideas on methods of teaching :critical thinking, interactive methods, cognitive methods ,learner -centred , content -based, CALL... , if we are not open to these innovations , I don't know who we are with our old content of knowledge in the style of behavoiurism:stimul-reaction, which was 20 yeas ago.
In the process of teaching the two take part in: a teacher is from one side, a learner is from another side,
and their interaction runs on the basis of methods of teaching. Everything depends on a teacher what kind of a leaner will be: proactive or passive and it depends on methods of teaching and this question is so imprtant question to develop himself/herself
Tue, 03/24/2009 - 20:27
#9
Hi
I guess I am lucky that where I work there are lots of workshops and conferences happening which I could participate in for CPD. But, invariably they are at the wrong time, in the wrong place or when I am swamped! Then, there are the workshops I have to do as they are related to something in the curriculum - rather than the ones I'd enjoy for their own sake. There are overseas conferences I'd love to attend, but I can't afford them, can't get time off, someone would have to cover my classes - and is that fair, and I would not necessarily get expenses paid. On the other hand, if people do go to conferences, they don't necessarily cascade...
As a teacher I suppose we all do CPD consciously or unconsciously as every time there is a curriculum or policy change, or some new technology introduced we have to learn about it, incorporate it and adapt to it.. Sometimes these changes can be so thick and fast that they exhaust teachers for additional voluntary PD. Sometimes just coping with new technological applications or administrative procedures that we need for our jobs can take our time - so this should be considered as a form of CPD. CPD does not need to be formal surely - it can arise from an informal chat about teaching x, y, or z, or student attitudes or aptitudes with a colleague - it can equally happen when a new text or exam is introduced and we prep how we are going to deal with it. CPD is maybe something that is part of our working day, arising from something as simple as exchanging worksheets with a colleague. We don't need certificates to prove we are thinking about our delivery and methods all the time, do we?
The working environment, institutional ethos, our colleagues and students may contribute to any teacher's CPD without him/her having attended a formal session all year!
Conversely, if whatever a teacher is doing works and is effective - hey - if it ain't broke, why fix it?
Regards,
Heather
Tue, 03/24/2009 - 23:04
#10
Hi Heather,
I think you have described the reality of many teachers' lives. As an employee, you are swamped with so much marking, administrative work, etc, that you have no mental energy left to do other things. As a freelancer, you are probably paid a relatively low hourly rate and are therefore teaching lots of hours a week, thus putting yourself in the same position as the employee in this respect. Add to that the small chance of a CPD "opportunity" happening at a time you can do it and for a sum you can afford, and there is little wonder that many teachers can't participate in formal CPD.
However, as a previous poster mentioned (Gerardo), informal CPD can also be valuable and can be promoted in an institution.
I'm always a bit suspiscious of the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" attitude in teaching. If you are not staying aware of the state of the profession, how do you know it ain't broke? :-)
Regards,
Kevin
Tue, 03/24/2009 - 23:11
#11
Kevin
My point was that I believe CPD happens - unconsciously, as part of the working day, and that we don't get/need certificates to prove it. As for 'if it ain't broke', some activities are timeless - so why chuck out the baby with the bathwater?
I can see this now degenerating into a war of cliches and proverbs! Sorry,
H
Tue, 03/24/2009 - 23:19
#12
I agree with what you say Heather, and I suspect it is just a matter of degree. The thing with the formal aspect is that it enables the teacher to differentiate themselves. Otherwise, what is the difference between somebody who is developing themselves informally, and one who can't be bothered? I'm sure you are one of the former, but I have met lots of the latter.
Regards,
Kevin (sorry, couldn't think of any more cliches :-))
Sun, 03/29/2009 - 21:41
#13
Dear Heather (I gather that is your name)
Welcome to our forum!
As you are contributing quite regularly to the ELTM forum, it would be nice if you could briefly introduce yourself on our Introductions thread. Last time I looked you weren't there yet.
Diana
Tue, 03/24/2009 - 23:42
#14
Kevin,
Yes and no - I've been to conferences where teachers have been promised a certificate for attending say 6 sessions on a certain theme - it has been manic - keynote speakers swamped with people demanding stamps on a form to prove their attendance, whilst people with genuine interest and questions to the speaker have been literally elbowed out of the way ... Unfortunately, and sad to say, what seem to us like meaningless 'stickyfoots' are vital to contract renewal for some. This then raises the question of whether the CPD actually has any impact or whether it becomes a meaningless paper-trail - which some choose to follow and others reject - but does getting the certificate of attendance in such cases mean any change in attitude or application or performance ...?
Cliches to add ... 'teaching old dogs new tricks'?
Regards,
Heather
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 01:30
#15
Dear Heather and Kevin
I agree that certificates do not necessarily imply development, and I also agree that development can take place "informally," e.g. taking part in this type of forums, discussing a problem you have in one of your groups with colleagues.
What I would like to add is that maybe development is all about "awareness". It's about becoming aware of what kind of teacher you are, what you do or what you don't do as a professional teacher. Once you have become aware, you can decide to do something differently in your lessons, you can choose to start doing something you did not use to do, or you can simply decide not to change because you have become aware that what you are doing is fine.
Heather makes a point about developing "unconsciously." I'm not sure I agree . . ., but I'm not sure I disagree either! :-) I can't think of an example of "unconscious development" . . . Help please! :-)
Gerardo
Sun, 03/29/2009 - 19:23
#16
Hi Gerado,
What I meant was - if you go to a conference, initiate a conversation about teaching with a colleague, participate in a forum or research new ways of teaching vocabulary you are making a conscious effort to develop. At other times, you may absorb an idea (unconsciously) from an unrelated conversation, a film, an experience, a museum or a show - whatever - and when you are prepping at a later time you may have a recollection, get an inspriration, make a connection to whatever it was and apply it in your class. That's what I meant by 'unconsciously'. Does that make sense?
Regards,
Heather
Wed, 04/01/2009 - 10:12
#17
Dear Heather
Thanks for the examples. I see the unconscious element in them. However, doesn't your consciousness come into play when "you have a recollection, get an inspriration, make a connection to whatever it was and apply it in your class"?
I insist that I'm not really clear about it, but I feel that awareness is somehow involved in professional development. I think it is the moment you make that conscious click that you develop as a professional.
Cheers
Gerardo
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 03:03
#18
Hi everyone,
I do agree with all points mentioned above. I am as happy as hmbaba, because the place I work in offers the opportunity for CPD. My bosses not only offer this for all teachers but 'demand' for feedback. We kind of work as a multiplier. Once we have attended a conference or workshop, we are responsible for presenting for other teachers who were not able to be there. However it is not easy. It is time consuming if you consider all other tasks you are supposed to do as a teacher.
Besides, we are supposed to create projects in the classrooms. At the moment we are working on readers in the lessons. It means some time for researching and finding ways to bring students along with you in the activities. Can you imagine how 'hard' it is to search for interesting tasks to 'make' students read? Specially our student who do not like reading even in Portuguese.
All in all, CPD is part of our job at the institution I work in. I assure it is demanding but it is essential to move forward in ELT, specially at this 'era' of digital learners.
Rômulo
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 23:30
#19
Hi Romulo,
I have exactly the same problem with graded readers - my Arab students are not experienced in reading in Arabic, let alone English. It simply isn't a habit. I find encouraging them to do rewaders very difficult - I suppose spin-offs include the movie of the book, Youtubes, webquests, profiles of the original author/actors, theme-based activities ...A colleague did a presentation on reading circles - where groups of students focus on different angles and that looked like a good idea... but that depends on the type of book you choose.
Regards,
Heather
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 03:52
#20
Hi Diana,
The difficulty is that experienced teachers think(not all of them,but majority)
that they know everything and they have their own "path", that is why
they needn't change something in their methods of teaching
( I think this is a dangerous thought which prevents from developing and this is a problem also!).
If workshops or conferences are interesting from the point of theme
and ideas and contents I think even experienced teachers take something for their
teaching process and they are open for such workshops , conferences ,
but there are so many workshops which are conducted for the sake of workshops,
where we spend our time in vain.
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 23:23
#21
Hi Fazira
I agree that there is definitely a tendency amongst some to think that they know what they need to know - and that they have sussed the situation and have all the answers! However, with all of the developments with Web 2.0 etc, that is unlikely - and I am sure there's always something new to learn re technology - and not just re technology re teaching in general - always a new spin on old ideas...
Heather
Sun, 03/29/2009 - 09:30
#22
Has it occurred to anybody that taking part in Cardiff Online is exactly that, Continuous Professional Development? Undertaken voluntarily, in our own "free" time, picked out individually, done without getting a certificate at the end of it, but for all that, perhaps particularly effective?
Just think what is happening on this site: We click on a posting, read up the background material, think about the topic, voice our comments, read those of others - very possibly top experts in the field or people with special experience - revise our opinions, argue things through, and at the end of it we all go back to our individual teaching or managing situation and implement some of what we have been learning.
Isn't that CPD in a nutshell?
Diana
Sun, 03/29/2009 - 19:19
#23
Hi Diana,
I agree that Cardiff Online is an excellent opprotunity for CPD for the reasons you state but also because we have to formulate our thoughts in writing in order to post. This is much harder than sitting in a lecture or dicussing ideas f2f with colleagues. We have to try to capture what has gone before in the thread and then write something that moves the debate on - very difficult but worth the effort.
Several people have mentioned the pressures of work getting in the way of CPD. Do you ever think that just once or twice it would be OK to teach not badly but not 100% so that you could wing it in the classroom that day and spend the preparation time you didn't take doing a bit of reading or trying a new online tool?
People have also mentioned the issue of being a teacher with 20 years experience but they were exactly the same year repeated 20 times. I would die of boredom if that were the case. For me CPD happens when I take on a new kind of class I haven't taught before. The first pass is just survival but then I begin to enjoy it and look for ways to improve. This has been the main driver for CPD for me.
Olwyn
Sun, 03/29/2009 - 21:37
#24
Dear Olwyn,
Your point about writing is exactly right. I mean, there are Native Speakers and non-NS contributing to our forums (although it is not always possible to tell the difference), and for both groups putting one's thoughts into words is a challenge, or at least something which requires care and effort to do well, and personally I think this is a skill which is becoming more, not less important in the digital age. It is a sign of my relative elderliness (over 50!) that I don't write emails, I write LETTERS which I then send by mail.
Taking part in this project has meant for me that I can learn some of the latest specific ELT vocabulary items being used in context by people who know what they are doing and then I can go on to use them myself; not to speak of some recent slang (what does "wing it"mean?)
Diana
Mon, 03/30/2009 - 09:18
#25
Hi Diana,
I'm originally from New Zealand but have lived in Scotland for a long time. However, I still get into difficulties with slang which doesn't transfer. Wing it must be a case in point. For me it means doing things without any preparation - on the fly would be another term I guess. If you have experience you are more easily able to wing it and sometimes it can produce really authentic communication in the classroom.
The Dogme approach [Teaching Unplugged] sometimes feels like winging it but actually I think you have to do quite a lot of preparation if you are going to go materials-lite.
Olwyn
Mon, 03/30/2009 - 11:43
#26
Dear Olwyn,
This may be a bit off the point, but it is a trueism to say that you can only wing it (thanks for the addition to my vocabulary!) successfully if you have the experience to back you up. Other sorts of "performers" (comedians, musicians, public speakers, politicians) can also only extemporise if they have their knowledge and know-how at their fingertips.
I must find out about this Dogme approach. Do you talk about it on the EAP forum?
Diana
Mon, 03/30/2009 - 17:12
#27
Hi Diana,
I agree that you have to have experience to wing it but also confidence not to mind if things go tragically wrong. Incidentally I've noticed that as my teacher friends get older (and I'm in the 50+ bracket too) they need to write more extensive lesson plans in case they forget what they wanted to do - so winging is inversely proportional to age it seems.
The Dogme approach is the brainchild of Scott Thornbury among others and you can find lots of information about it here http://www.thornburyscott.com/tu/description.htm. It works very well for EAP but didn't start off there.
Scott is busy going head to head with various people in the Learning Technologies forum where there is a rant against interactive whiteboards and also in the materials development forum where there is a rant against coursebooks. He's excellent value and if his presentation is videoed for the online conference I'd recommend watching
Olwyn
Mon, 03/30/2009 - 17:55
#28
Dear Olwyn,
Thanks for the link, have filed it and will look at it in peace after the conference (wishful thinking?).
On which day is giving Scott a presentation and on what topic? Perhaps you can give us the link here.
Afraid I can't join in any rants or other threads on your EAP forum as my students are never above B2 level.
Diana
Wed, 04/01/2009 - 13:44
#29
Hi,
I agree completely with this and also with the comments above regarding available time. I would absolutely love to spend the next few days glued to the internet to watch the sessions on video, participate in blogs and read the twittering. Unfortunately, I have to teach a 25 hour a week timetable, mark dozens of tests and write dozens of reports before I finally get a holiday next week!
A comment or teachers' attitudes - I believe that many teachers have been forced as part of teaching contracts to attend workshops that they feel are uninteresting and timewasting by well-meaning schools who care about professional development. A a result of this, the very expression 'professional development' can become as off-putting to a teacher as the words 'grammar exercise' can be to students. What do you think?
Ok, back to lesson planning...
R
Mon, 03/30/2009 - 07:06
#30
I agree with Diana, our participation on this forum is a kind of CPD because it allows us to update our knowledge and discuss our different interests but for me CPD is mainly to develop the ability to reflect in our daily performance and try to overcome any difficulties by researching for a solution or trying different approaches according to the diversity of our environment (classroom, office, institute, university, etc.) so we will never have to repeat a class or an activity, we just try to keep improving every day.
Carla
Mon, 03/30/2009 - 10:45
#31
Hi everybody,
I would like to start a discussion on pronunciation and get your expert opinions. I teach German, French and Spanish students and although each one has a different accent, they pronounce some words in English as they would in their own language. Usually there is no time to teach them phonetics in a business English class. so what do you do?
It would be helpful if some of you gave me your opinions and advice as to how you deal with this problem.
Meher
Mon, 03/30/2009 - 11:34
#32
Dear Meher,
Your aim is certainly to go on developing professionally and a very important area is indeed to think about how to deal with teaching pronunciation. However, you will get more expert opinions and more quickly, I think , if you join one of the discussions on the Pronunciation forum. I am sending your posting to the Introductions section of the Pronunciation forum. Please look there and maybe one of the 10 or so discussion threads will be the right one for you.
Enjoy our site!
Diana
Mon, 03/30/2009 - 12:14
#33
Dear Diana,
Thanks for your reply, but how do I get to the pronunciation forum? I've tried to look for it in search with no results. Can you help?
Meher
Mon, 03/30/2009 - 12:28
#34
Follow this link, Meher
http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2009/forums/special-interest-area-forums/pronunciation-area
Kevin
Tue, 03/31/2009 - 02:28
#37
This is certainly invigorating stuff, and I have to agree with Diana that what is going on here on the forums is CPD. I also agree that even if one is lucky enough to be given PD opportunities, as I am with conference and other PD project funding and even time release opportunities, the time it takes often seems hard to find! I also think, as someone else mentioned earlier in the thread, to paraphrase, if it's there, they will come - or at least those that want it will come, and those that don't won't, and they will happily continue in the same vein as in the last 'x' number of years. I don't think it is an age thing - it seems to be more of an attitude thing.
Wed, 04/01/2009 - 10:11
#38
Dear Heather
Thanks for the examples. I see the unconscious element in them. However, doesn't your consciousness come into play when "you have a recollection, get an inspriration, make a connection to whatever it was and apply it in your class"?
I insist that I'm not really clear about it, but I feel that awareness is somehow involved in professional development. I think it is the moment you make that conscious click that you develop as a professional.
Cheers
Gerardo
Wed, 04/01/2009 - 12:55
#39
Hello,
Greetings from Cosmos International University. Is it possible to see the conference on LIVE BROADCAST available online?
Prof.Dr.David Ngin Sian Pau
Wed, 04/01/2009 - 18:44
#40
Dear Dr Pau,
Welcome to Cardiff Online
Some parts of this conference are certainly being broadcast online.
Click http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2009/live-sessions for more details.
Do come back to our forum, the ELT Management Forum, as well and join in our discussions!
Diana
Online Moderator
Wed, 04/01/2009 - 13:10
#41
I think teachers should work on educating themselves first and read as many books as they can.
Wed, 04/01/2009 - 13:53
#42
I agree.
Also, the amount of information online now and the interesting blogs and discussion forums that are out there are a reat opportunity for all teachers to join a global community and share experiences, which I feel is extremely important in teacher development.
Richard
Wed, 04/01/2009 - 19:23
#43
Hello again,
Does anyone else feel overwhelmed? I mean, there are so many new tools to use, so many new ideas and approaches that sometimes you feel like you can't take it all on board and you are lurching from one seemingly great idea to the next?
I suppose where I work the limiting factors are the curriculum, the targets/coursework specs we have to meet, the type of exams we give (pen-paper) and student attitudes/motivation levels and notions about learning - and various cultural factors and the blocking of things such as Skype by the local internet provider.
I am faced with juggling these factors and various coursebooks and a laptop/wireless environment, and my beliefs and experience and knowledge about the learning/teaching environment here (and previous experiences elsewhere - and my MA studies), with facilities I've had time to investigate like blogs, internet, wikis, discussion forums, and then feeling uinder pressure to incorporate IWBs and podcasts - and latterly Twitter has been mentioned (it's presumably now been unblocked) - and then there's stuff out there I haven't had time to get my head around like 2nd Life - and more new facilities coming along regularly - and suddenly I am feeling swamped and there are too many choices and directions, and I don't want to head into unchartered waters by jumping on some bandwagon - but I don't know which option toi choose - and I want to keep up with the times, but ...
Does anyone else feel like this? Am I making sense?
Regards,
Heather
Sat, 04/04/2009 - 23:49
#44
Does anyone else feel like this? Am I making sense?
Yes, and no, but that is probably a symptom :-)
But seriously, I adopted a policy some years ago to not even attempt to "keep up". I try to keep informed, but generally I think of something I want to do, and then search for a way to do it. Anybody who is earning their living from teaching is probably already investing more hours in their work than many other jobs demand, so there isn't time to be fully informed, and implement, everything.
I hope that I can produce effective learning environments. If I can, I am satisfied. I don't allow myself to be put under pressure to use this or that method, technique, resource, etc.
Kevin
Sun, 04/05/2009 - 04:50
#45
Hi Heather
Yep, you're making sense!
robert
Sat, 04/04/2009 - 03:05
#46
Hi to you all,
I´m a newcomer to this forum, but I feel strongy CPD is an attitude: for the ones of us who find teaching a challenge, learning how to improve in our profession also means a challenge, and there will be no excuses not to face it.
We are a weird lot, teachers-at-heart, and we seem to be always aiming at the best we can achieve, and that is a life attitude, independent of the institution we may work in.
Hoping to hear more opinions or find out about chances to learn!
Graciana
I only worked within a school setup for 6 months, so I can't comment on that aspect, but one way to encourage teachers to implement CPD is to allow them to. This means giving them the time to do it and the incentive. Why should I spend a few thousand pounds on a DELTA or MA if it won't mean anything to my income and I have to do it all in my free (hah!) time? As a freelancer I can make this kind of investment work for me, but in an employed environment, I wouldn't have done my MA, for example.
On the other hand, CPD is a state of mind. Do you want to improve? Have you got 10 years' experience or have you had the same year 10 times? The increasing number of online courses may also help.
I'm starting to wander, so I will stop there :-)
Kevin