9. Coordinating CPD in School
Tasks of a Staff Development CoordinatorTasks of a Staff Development Coordinator
"Perhaps the most important task of a Staff Development Coordinator is to identify the needs of all staff within the school..."
Jim O'Brien describes the importance of needs identification in CPD
Jim O'Brien, Edinburgh University
"Identifying staff development needs is a critical first step before planning a programme of CPD. Such needs may be personal and/ or professional. Potentially a large list of such needs may be identified or generated and inevitably they will need to be prioritised in some way..."West Lothian is developing strategies for future CPD
Colin Hutcheon, West Lothian
"I think the main way that is delivered is through the annual review and the identification, for each individual, of their CPD needs having discussed that with their reviewer. It's then a responsibility of the reviewer to ensure that these development needs are met..."Needs Analysis
Effective professional development is based on a Needs Analysis so that whatever is offered or designed reflects the needs of participants. In small schools there can often be existing collegial approaches to this, but larger schools might invest time in auditing needs, issuing individual questionnaires and reflecting the outcomes of staff development and review sessions.
There are essentially three types of need evident in schools:
Individual needs
These will involve developing skills and knowledge to teach more effectively
How Good Is My Learning and Teaching' is the title of the teaching review in Angus
Neil Logue, Angus
"It's 'How Good Is My Learning and Teaching' because that title has been wittingly chosen in order to say we've got to make sure that 'How Good Is Our School' does not become - if it ever has become anywhere in Angus - simply a senior management tool where Head Teachers go in and observe with their lovely wee leather checklist, who's doing what against the 33 QIs..."Team needs
Developing common understandings, expertise and approaches for Departmental teams, Stage teams, or SMT
Whole-school needs
Establishing common values and agreeing and implementing policy.
Raymond Jowett outlines the benefits of making all part of the process
Raymond Jowett, Meldrum Academy
"I would certainly, from my experience of it here and from previous working arrangements where I've had some experience of similar systems, I would certainly recommend it as a way which genuinely involves staff; makes people feel like they're part of the system; makes people feel like they can shape the school..."Matching Needs to Provision
Terry Woolley describes the strategic CPD approach used in his school
Terry Woolley, South Australia
"Our school, and it's not untypical I'm pleased to say in terms of south Australian schools, when we plan a professional development programme, it's based on identified needs, that either the system imposes upon us or the school has because of it's context, or the teachers themselves perceive as part of their own professional needs..."
Building Capacity, Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
