New Resource on Professional Learning for Teachers

Last week, the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) learnt that it has been successful in its bid to the Welsh Government to produce an online learning pack for ‘Professional Learning’. This will be hosted on the Welsh Government’s ‘Learning Wales’ website, and will add to a suite of existing learning packs which form key resources for the ‘Masters in Educational Practice’. This is an important masters-level component in continuous professional development for teachers in Wales, and a key part of the ‘National Model of Professional Learning’ announced by Huw Lewis, the Welsh Government’s Minister for Education and Skills, in June 2014. The Wales Institute of Work-Based Learning (WIWBL) at UWTSD will have a key role in authorship, with myself as Project Coordinator and lead author.

Key aspects of this resource will be:

·         the importance of reflecting on practice, posing questions about practice, and undertaking research activity which develops both teacher and teaching

·         the value of data and other evidence, and how it can be used to inform practice, particularly in key areas such as differentiation and personalization

·         ways in which teachers can collaborate and support each other during their careers

·         how teachers can become ‘self-sustaining practitioners’ as they embark on a professional learning journey which may take them in various directions, including leadership