Taking Charge Of Your Own CPD
Laura Furmage
Where do you want to be in five years? These nine little words may be used in schools during performance management sessions, but so often the conversation starts and finishes in these meetings. The truth is, many schools have planned their CPD offer for staff over a year in advance as leaders and trusts navigate their way through school development plans to improve the understanding and use of pedagogy within the classroom. The truth of the matter is, for most, where you wish to be in five, ten or even fifteen years is down to you and now with a wealth of knowledge in our pockets there really is no reason not to take ownership of our development. Having a shiny certificate is great, but creating an impact from the use of knowledge is more powerful and will be recognised by leaders more than someone with a certificate in a folder at home.
Briefly, let’s consider what occupational currency is. I get asked this question a lot by people who have only ever worked in education, as it’s not a term that is used day to day. Breaking it down, occupational (professional) refers to your knowledge, skills, credibility, and confidence that keep you effective and employable as professionals. Currency is not static, it can depreciate if it’s not renewed. Schools deliver CPD in alignment with their objectives, whereas occupational currency positions educators as active investors in our own expertise. In all honesty, I would not want a surgeon operating on me, if they were not up to date on new medical research or techniques in their specialty.
I am not suggesting that there is not a place for traditional CPD, but a one size fits all training with little time for reflection, or a carefully thought out implementation plan, does not build individual professional capital. Teachers regularly go on courses and they have to ‘train’ the rest of the staff in the training they have just received. It’s wonderful to share learning, but if ‘Molly’ just went on a course, she cannot be considered an expert in that subject, so all she is teaching her peers are her own key take-aways. Sorry ‘Molly’!
In a world where teachers are time poor, self development does not have to add to this. In fact, with a few tweaks to your daily routines and habit stacking you could be obtaining knowledge easily without the pressure of NPQ tasks and presenting staff meetings about your recent training.
So how do we make this happen? Similar to our learners in our classes we find what works and where our current interests lie. It is important to hold in your mind curation over consumption. Find your focus and dive into that rather than trying to learn everything. A good starting point are some simple questions in order to spark an interest that aligns with your own values: Does this serve my pupils? Does this serve my wellbeing? Does this align with who I want to be as a professional? Once you have answered these questions you can begin exploring the opportunities available to you, of which there are many. You just need to spend some time considering your own learning style and what will work for your lifestyle.
Personally, I love anything I can listen to, so podcasts and ebooks are great for me whilst driving to work or walking the dog. I like that I can easily return to sections for clarification or to make notes on specific elements I would like to raise at school. I know other professionals who like watching TED talks, particularly around leadership. They find the way these are delivered make them more memorable. Other options include, reading books, some prefer articles in magazines or blogs because they are shorter and get straight to the point. Other great development resources are learning networks, which could be online or in person peer networks. Many of these groups are set up to support one another, there is no harm seeking challenge within them – think conversation over certification. In the classroom we always have children who are ready to begin mentoring others as a way of consolidating their understanding, this also goes for professional currency. Writing about our thoughts and learning, or sharing this within a network is a great way to home in on our expertise and build our professional credibility.
As you read these words I have no doubt there are those who feel that this is an impossible task, but it does not have to be an anchor attached to a sinking ship. If you were to begin attaching little habits to your usual routine you would find your interest peak and your thirst for knowledge would kick in. It could start as simple as some reflective moments at the end of the school day – maybe whilst brushing your teeth? Three lots of 10 minutes is 30 minutes a week and, to be honest, who could lose 30 minutes of wasted phone scrolling when you could be building a stronger identity as a professional, developing leadership behaviours and stopping yourself from falling into the trap of professional stagnation (yes it is a thing and there is nothing worse that seeing this happen to a great teacher or leader).
Time to consider the next steps. First, audit your current occupational currency. Next, identify one area you want to strengthen. Then, design one self-directed CPD step this term. Just think, if we were to only put £20 in a savings account once our money would not grow. If we deposit consistently, we will see a big difference in the long run. If you take nothing else from this article, hold onto this final thought. When we, as educators, take ownership of our professional learning, CPD stops being something done to us and becomes something we build for ourselves.Start building your future today.
