Primary staff professional development

At BIS HCMC we embrace and celebrate learning, not just for our children but for everyone within our community. We believe that investing time and commitment towards our own personal and team development helps to promote positive engagement which, in turn, further supports our passion and strengths within our learning environment. Whilst he is quoted often, Dylan William, sums this sentiment up succinctly by stating,

 ‘Every teacher needs to improve, not because they are not good enough, but because they can be even better.’ 

That is a mantra we truly believe in here at BIS HCMC and that is backed up by the data which demonstrates that the quality of staff and collective efficacy have some of the largest effects on student progress.

What’s the difference?

Continued professional development (CPD) and continued professional earning (CPL)

At BIS HCMC, we make a clear distinction of the difference between Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and Continuing Professional Learning (CPL).

To us, CPD refers to: those opportunities provided which have a more defined path and endpoint. This may involve whole school development, or external short-term courses/conferences. This is necessary to ensure our commitment to professional development which drives our school priorities, so that all staff need to hear a similar message - this year Maths and developing our middle leaders were foci.  

At its core, CPL takes a more personal approach (we call this element our Personal Learning Pathways) during which ongoing and collaborative engagement with the teaching community is key. CPL is multi-faceted, with trial and reflection at its core and may include learning forums, Pedagogy & Practice Reading Groups, etc. Moreover, CPL also includes opportunities for personal growth, with courses sought that develop an individual’s practice/pedagogy – NAU is a great example of the opportunities for personal CPL routes.

Celebration of learning

Over the course of a year, we in the Primary School commit to creating collaborative learning environments. Staff provide opportunities to work together on a common theme engaging in professional dialogue and using research-informed practice, to create better learning opportunities for our students. In this regard, it has been a very successful year. To share the great work that has taken place both collectively and personally, this week BIS HCMC Primary had our annual ‘Celebration of Learning’ event with all teachers joining together to celebrate the width and breadth of adult learning that has occurred within BIS HCMC this year. 

Teachers shared professional learning opportunities and successes that they have experienced this year. They acted as experts in their new learning to allow their colleagues an insight into areas that they could potentially explore next year. A large range of experiences were offered through quick-fire presentations as well as round table learning experiences.  On offer were ideas for restorative behaviour strategies, MIT STEAM inspired challenges as well as creating a coaching community. Added to that was a great curry meal from a local restaurant! 

Already we are considering ways in which we can help support our teachers even further next year, not because we need to, but because they are eager to learn!