What we know about the contribution of effective CPD to

pupil progress and school improvement (CPDL)

Philippa Cordingley, Centre for the Use of

Research and Evidence in Education

This session • The evidence for leading teacher learning and its

contribution to school improvement

– A case study

– Resonances?

– Systematising what works for pupils re professional learning

– What do leaders do?

– What strong schools do & what gets in the way?

– Some examples of tools

– If time, professional learning environments & a metaphor

– Q&A

A CPDL case study - Kenton school

• Deputy head and CPDL leader designs and leads a Professional Learning Programme (PLP) for all colleagues

• A range of approaches eg specialist and co-coaching, enquiry/R&D groups, departmental groups sustained via – PLP pm sessions each mid term Wednesday & 2-3 whole day sessions

Kenton School • Extensive consultation &

mapping on to SDP and PR goals

• Lots of e.g. micro enquiry & coaching tools to build shared language

• PLP also involves a mix of approaches/ contexts – Interactive whole school

sessions focussed on groups of students

– Phase/Departmental sessions to contextualise

http://www.curee.co.uk/block-content/route-maps-sample

Kenton School • Extensive consultation &

mapping on to SDP and PR goals

• Lots of e.g. micro enquiry & coaching tools to build shared language

• PLP also involves a mix of approaches/ contexts – Interactive whole school

sessions focussed on groups of students

– Phase/Departmental sessions to contextualise

CPDL a metaphor

The new review highlights the importance of planning for Continuing Professional Development and Learning (CPDL)

Evidence about effective CPDL and coaching

• A recent systematic review of all reviews of evidence about (CPDL) Developing Great Teaching ( Cordingley et al, 2015 TDT) http://bit.ly/23WTvw2

• Shows that benefits for pupils as well as teachers from CPDL are linked with: • A sustained ( over at least two terms) • A rhythm of iterative, structured, evidence-

rich activities; that are • A carefully aligned combination of activities

Effective CPDL involves: • Recognising and building on colleagues’ starting

points and their aspirations for pupils

• Opportunities

– to develop a shared sense of purpose; and

– for structured peer support - reciprocal vulnerability

• Exploring / reviewing/ challenging existing beliefs and practices supportively via:

– Iterative cycles of trying new approaches: and

– Collaborative reviewing of pupils’ responses to refine practices

Effective CPDL involves:

• Understanding why things do and don’t work as well as what’s involved from e.g.

– Multiple cases, interrogating your on and wider evidence and contextualising for different contexts/ students etc

• Working with specialists who provide expert support to secure depth via:

• challenging orthodoxies

• illustrating practices from other settings

• evaluating and designing CPDL activities

AFL for teachers

– Formative assessment is key to CPD facilitation

– Effective CPD for school improvement means E.G:

• Illustrating new approaches via AfL tools

• Asking to see evidence about how pupils respond to new approaches to refine your support for teachers

• Asking teachers to design AFL tools for subject contexts and sub-groups of pupils

• So that AFL for CPDL is – an input - a form of instruction and a learning process – an output: and – A way of capturing and exploring outcomes

The performance review cycle

The professional standards/ SDP

A tool for aligning CPDL

Development plan

Development Strategies

Sauce for the Goose

Too much CPD done to teachers

CPDL that works for leaders, staff and pupils also means

Reviewing, and building on what we know and do

Understanding why and what

It means

Systematising and structuring CPDL

Effective and efficient integration in day job

“I’ll have what he’s having!”

http://www.curee.org.uk/content/sauce-goose-learning-entitlements-work-teachers-well-their-pupils

Effect sizes for leadership interventions

Ensuring an orderly and supportive environment

Establishing goals and expectations

Planning, coordinating and evaluating teaching and the curriculum

Promoting and participating in teacher learning

Strategic resourcing

Effect sizes for leadership interventions

Promoting and participating in teacher learning (0.84)

Planning, coordinating and evaluating teaching and the curriculum ( 0.42)

Establishing goals and expectations (0.35)

Strategic resourcing- alignment and tools ( 0.34)

Ensuring an orderly and supportive environment (.27)

They all matter - Which of these are most significant for our already strong partnership ad the next wave of development? http://www.curee.co.uk/resources/publications/robinson-summary

Other kinds of tools

• Micro enquiry tools – http://www.curee.co.uk/block-content/route-maps-sample

• Research Lesson Study – http://lessonstudy.co.uk/about-us-pete-dudley/

• Mentoring and coaching

– National framework - http://www.curee.co.uk/files/publication/1219925968/National-framework-for-mentoring-and-coaching.pdf

– Coaching questions and videos and questions for people being

coached too! http://www.curee.co.uk/mentoring-and-coaching/effective-mentoring-

and-coaching-emac-suite

What strong schools do – how would you help them become exceptional ?

Coaching and mentoring is fluid and relatively spontaneous

Support for new teachers is distributed across departments

Leaders focus on providing expertise and establishing systems

Pedagogic skills and expertise are seen as the core of improvement

Performance management reviews happen twice a year and is shaped within phases/ departments

Leaders prioritise in- school capacity building

CPD is centrally led In strong schools some phases /departments do develop specific models of pedagogy

Department phase leads and CPD leaders take responsibility for systems

Characteristics of Exceptional Schools

Coaching and mentoring is structured, formal and coaches and mentors are trained and assessed

Developing curriculum & practice, pupil engagement and CPDL aligned

Leaders focus on modeling own structured professional learning inc via partnerships

Emphasis is on professionalised CPDL not CPD and leadership is distributed whilst SLT monitor and ensure coherence

Performance management is frequent, robust, tightly linked to CPDL and leads to exit if no progress

Support for all colleagues is extensive & structured around the model of pedagogy

Systems well established and monitored and geared to core purpose of identifying removing barriers to learning

Shared and monitored model of pedagogy to ensure coherence for pupils organised around identifying and removing barriers to learning

Depth of content knowledge key to making curriculum relevant; Pedagogic skills anchored in coherent model

http://www.curee.co.uk/files/shared/GSM_report_public_version.pdf

Effective learning environments v Professional Learning Communities?

The quality of teaching is the key to change

Teacher learning and support for it drives that

Leadership of CPDL is key contribution that leaders make - “tools” help systematise this (Robinson)

Leadership + tools + pedagogy/curriculum for CPDL – combine to create a learning community...

Design and operation of the learning environment is what makes this happen...

“Culture” and “Community” are outcomes more than inputs – & environment easier to evidence

Translating the evidence into a research tool for calibrating PL environments that:

Focuses on what makes a difference for staff and pupils

Evidences effectiveness and efficiency in 5 key areas:

collaboration as a professional learning strategy

use of expertise to ensure depth and accuracy/ challenge orthodoxies

use of evidence within the PL process to link staff and pupil learning

Formative and summative needs analysis to personalise learning

leadership of professional learning via

Modelling effective professional learning Strategic prioritisation of CPDL Effective evaluation Securing coherence via tools and monitoring progress http://www.curee.co.uk/node/2445

A metaphor

Contact Details

philippa.cordingley@curee.co.uk

www.curee.co.uk Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education 8th Floor Eaton House 1 Eaton Road Coventry CV1 2FJ

024 7652 4036 @PhilippaCcuree @curee_official