Teachers, Training and Continuing Professional Development
As there are constant changes in the Education, Teaching and Training sector, it is crucial that teachers keep up to date in order to be competent at their job. Teachers need to have the skills to communicate with others in an effective way. Completing your education and training course will be the start of a long journey to becoming a better teacher or trainer.
So how would you do this? Training days are one thing that you can complete. But you can also complete a CPD record. What is CPD? Here we’re going to go into detail about what it is and what you can do to create one.
CPD, what is it?
CPD stands for Continual Professional Development. This is how you maintain and improve your skills, knowledge and understanding, as a result it should have a positive impact on your practice. Practice of CPD is not always attending courses or gaining qualifications. It should however be about taking charge of the aspects you need to improve upon. Your CPD record should not only relate to teaching, but also the changes in education policies, how to use technology and the developments regarding your subject or sector.
Continual Professional Development can be informal or formal. It can also be planned or opportunistic. Every aspect of CPD should help you grow as a professional as well as an individual. It can also be personal, this would be improving something for yourself that will also affect your practice. Maybe it’s improving your multitasking skills or how you communicate.
You should reflect on your experiences, evaluate your effectiveness and also document how this record has improved your practice. Doing so will help you see the impact that the CPD record had on you.
Should You Do Anything Before Taking CPD?
It could be beneficial to check if the organisation that you’re with has a procedure when it comes to CPD activities that might be considered of value, when improving standards. Before starting any CPD activity you may want to think about a few questions first.
What activity can I complete that will have a positive impact for me? How will this activity benefit me professionally and personally? How will the activity benefit my organisation? Finally, what will the impact be for my learners or others?
These questions will benefit you a great deal, as they will make you think harder about the types of CPD activities that you will complete.
Types of CPD For Teachers
When it comes to CPD, it is anything that helps you improve your practice and teaching. Showing growth within your profession will show that you are committed and you are serious about your role and sector. Some organisations allow for teacher training days, which allow teachers to gain new skills, develop new skills in technology and learn new standards and procedures.
Some activities of CPD could include:
- Researching developments in your sector.
- Updating your knowledge.
- Reading relevant materials.
- Improving your own skills in language or literacy.
- Learning about new technology you can use.
You might also find it helpful to link your ongoing developments to the ways your students benefit form it as well. Keeping records of your CPD will not only provide details of your competence in your sector but it will also make your CV look better as well, it will also make sure that you are familiar with the latest trends going on in your sector as well as teaching, which is in line with the expectations of most awarding bodies.
How Can We Help You?
If you don’t have a education and training qualification and it seems like something you would benefit from, now may be the time to start thinking about becoming a teacher! It can sometimes be a definite career progression if you’re already an assessor, having your CV look more employable. You can also have a look at our Tutor Training courses on our website. if you need more information you can always give our a team a call on 01205 085 155.