Putting Quality into Teacher Development
1 December 2008
Chief Executives of the independent professional bodies for teaching in England and Wales debated the future of teachers’ professional learning at this year’s Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) conference. Keith Bartley and Gary Brace shared a public platform for the first time to discuss their approaches to supporting teacher development and the standing of the profession in England and Wales.
Gary Brace of the General Teaching Council for Wales opened the joint keynote speech, which was given on the first day of the conference on Friday 7 November, with reflections on career-long professional development, and he talked about the Welsh Chartered Teacher Programme being piloted by GTC Wales.
The Chartered Teacher programme in Wales is designed for highly skilled classroom practitioners and middle leaders. Providers will be accredited by GTC Wales against the profession’s own national standards and teachers who successfully meet the standards will be awarded Chartered Teacher status.
Providers are partnerships of LEAs, higher education and other organisations, ensuring that the development of professional practice is rooted in sound educational theory.
Gary described how evidence from the pilots is showing that the Chartered Teacher programme is providing high quality teaching and support, professional learning across the primary/secondary phases and having a good impact on teachers’ classroom practice.
GTC England Chief Executive Keith Bartley updated delegates on the progress of the Teacher Learning Academy, a national framework for professional development that offers practice-based learning opportunities and national recognition for teachers. The TLA is also used for school-wide initiatives including school improvement and supports teachers to test and develop new approaches in the classroom, with a strong focus on coaching and sharing the results of their work.
There are currently more than 13,000 TLA enrolments with teachers benefiting from the TLA’s approach based on robust evidence of what makes for the most effective teacher learning.
Keith reported how the TLA connects pupil and teacher learning and drives practical, tangible change in the classroom. It brings together school self evaluation, school improvement and teacher development. It creates opportunities for collaboration and coaching between individuals and vitally, assessment and evaluation of professional development is integral to TLA processes.
He also drew out the connections between high quality professional learning; pupil achievement; greater confidence in teaching by both the wider public and the profession itself, and creating higher professional standing for teachers.
Gary and Keith jointly discussed the value of effective teacher learning and what the organisations have learned from the development of the Welsh Chartered Teacher Programme and the TLA. Delegates were then invited to ask questions, offer their ideas and experiences and discuss and debate the issues.
GTC England and GTC Wales have distinct remits and operate separately but both have a responsibility for advising Government about teaching and learning. They also register qualified teachers and regulate the teaching professions in England and Wales.