The case for teacher-driven teacher learning

The previous chapter was an exploration of organisation-driven teacher learning, which can often be top-down and hence potentially demotivating for teachers. To ensure that teachers buy into CPD programmes while retaining agency in driving their own professional development, impactful programmes typically incorporate teacher-driven teacher learning.

Reviews of the literature on CPD suggest that when teachers are in the driving seat of their professional development, they are more likely to be invested in their learning than when organisations implement top-down CPD programmes where they have little or no say. For example, Chapter 1 mentioned that Walter and Briggs (2012:4) found that ‘the more teachers are involved in selecting their own professional development activities, the more they report improvements in their subject knowledge, their commitment to teaching, their teaching practice and the learning of their students.’ Put simply, give teachers choice in CPD, and they will feel their own practice and their students’ learning improves.

Another benefit of giving teachers choice about what they want to learn and how they want to learn it is that it enables leaders to generate buy-in and build in personalisation, another two key features of impactful CPD, according to research. This is because choice will allow each teacher to focus on areas that are personally relevant to them, their career progression and the needs of their learners.