18 January 2008

Over 50 classroom teachers gathered at Ty Dysgu, Treforest at the end of November to listen to the professional development experiences of 12 fellow teachers within Bridgend local education authority.

Opening the conference which was jointly organised by Bridgend LEA and the General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW), Gary Brace, Chief Executive of the GTCW said; “Teachers are hidden experts. By encouraging teachers to talk to each other and share experiences from within their own classrooms, we are seeing a culture shift, that is benefiting both teachers and the profession as a whole.”

Barbara Harris of St Robert’s Primary School explained how the introduction of stimuli such as storybooks and artwork encouraged her pupils to participate and enter into discussion about what they were doing. Barbara commented; “I get a lot out of the sessions as the children think they are fun, and as a result the feedback is that the children feel they have improved their skills in the areas of speaking and listening, reasoning and thinking, questioning, group work, creative thinking and overall self confidence. These are not only useful life skills but are very important across the curriculum.”

Catherine O’Brien of Pencoed Comprehensive explained how she has sought to increase the achievement of boys at her school, as part of her existing role as learning manager for a school house group. Catherine identified that boys at the school, especially in year 12 upwards, were underachieving, and devised a programme to assist them whilst continuing to monitor progress being made.

Les Philips of Bridgend Local Education Authority, concluded “Today’s conference has shown some of what teachers are capable of when supported by CPD funding, and the positive impact this has on both teachers and learners.”