PP Professionalism PGCE Mar14

Introduction
 Exploring ‘Professionalism’ in FE by way of:
 Standards
 CPD
 Subject expertise and links to industry

Professionalism in education Defining professionalism:

Cambridge dictionary

Dual professionalism
 Qualified in subject
 Qualified in teaching

Standards in subject / field of work 
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Industry standards
Qualifications
Research
Experience
Membership
Links
Practice
Involvement (authority, contributory e.t.c)

Qualifications in teaching
 Withdrawal of requirements –
Sep 13 Government removal of requirement that teachers of colleges and independent learning providers have to be qualified
 Standards –
How are standards maintained with removal of teaching qualifications?
Lord Lingfield, Professionalism in further education: Interim report (2012)

www.feweek.co.uk

Other ‘Standards’ in teaching  Individual institution to implement their own requirements – Could be good or bad
 Maintaining our own practice – only if applicable  Having the thirst for learning and developing in our industry and / or teaching – motivation required  Ways to do this / are they successful - looked at by Gitte and Joel

Profession or vocation?

A question………..
 Therefore I leave you with the question – should we refer to our teaching as a vocation or profession? Teacher = Professional
1. Meeting standards
2. Performing professional tasks
3. Staying professional =
CPD
“A commitment to CPD is an essential part of being a professional”
(Armitage et al, 2007)

According to Hattie...
Deep knowledge of learning process (+ subject integration)
= Expert teacher
= Excellent teacher
= Professional teacher

.. and is required of IfL membership
(Petty, 2009)

What CPD? –

Continued/Continuous Professional Development

Professional development activities
Reflecting on learning
Evidence of difference made & impact
What counts as CPD?
Examples:
Reading relevant journal articles or reviewing books
Taking training courses or formal development or study
Peer review, mentoring or shadowing Online learning incl. engagement in discussion forums and blogs
Viewing and reviewing television programmes, documentaries and the internet

Top 5 CPD strategies
Reflective practice
Online resources
In-house team working
Peer observation
Mentoring

(IfL, 2012)

Collaborative and sustained CPD
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Shared learning and support between at least two teacher colleagues on a sustained basis
Sustained CPD: programmes of at least 12 weeks or one term

(IfL, 2012)

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INSET
Teacher
Development
Groups
?

Mini survey - highlights
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Positives
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CPD available
Useful
Effective (impact)
Online resources top Peer obs/reflective practice 2nd
25-50 hours/year
Dual

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Negatives
(comments)
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Lack of time
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To implement
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For subject esp.
Lack of budget
Only internal
Repetition of PGCE

Successful teaching in Finland

“They teach only four lessons daily, with two hours a week devoted to "professional development" – and their professional autonomy is sacrosanct.”
"The freedom to teach without the constraints of standardised curricula and the pressure of standardised testing; strong leadership from principals who know the classroom from years of experience as teachers; a professional culture of collaboration; and support from homes unchallenged by poverty.”

Who is responsible?

The British Council Education defines our duties;
 We provide Employers with a workforce.  UK further education providers have strong links with industry.
 Many courses are designed in partnership with, and taught by, industry professionals.
 Some offer you the option of a year in industry too, an excellent way to prepare you for the world of work

The Institute for Learning stipulate the highest standards for teaching, training and leanring:
“having deep knowledge, conceptual understanding and expertise in teaching and learning processes and contexts for diverse learners, matched with expert subject knowledge and skills
IfL 2012

Who do we work for?
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Our strong connections to our industry / networks
Providing employers with employees
Our institution needs to believe in us.
Ourselves?

“Teachers, trainers and learners have to recontextualise theoretical and occupational knowledge to suit specific situations. Both types of knowledge are highly dynamic. So individuals need to carry on learning through being exposed to new forms of knowledge and practice in order to make real the line of sight to work.”
CAVTL (2013)

Investment
We need to make sure we have the skills we need to drive an economic upturn and thrive in an increasingly competitive global economy.
BIS and its agencies, colleges and training providers must all prioritise co-investment, in conjunction with the quality and responsiveness of provision. Banks 2010

 Government
 Businesses
 Employers
 Individuals

References / Bibliography
Armitage, A. et al (2007) Teaching and Training in Post-Compulsory Education, 3 Edition
Maidenhead: Open University Press
Institute for Learning (2012) 2011 –12 IfL review of CPD: Making professional learning work London:
IfL. [online],http://www.ifl.ac.uk/media/109771/2013_03_26_2011–12_IfL_Review_of_CPD.pdf
(Accessed on 31 March 2014)
Petty, G., (2009) Evidence-Based Teaching: A Practical Approach, Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/finland/10489070/OECD-education-report-Finla nds-no-inspections-no-league-tables-and-few-exams-approach.html
(accessed 27 March 2014)

Banks, C (2010). Independent Review of Fees and Co-Funding in Further Education in
England: Co-investment in the skills of the future. London
CAVTL (2013) The summary report of the Commission on Adult Vocational Teaching and
Learning: Excellent adult vocational teaching and learning. Learning and Skills
Improvement Service (LSIS)

References: Maidenhead: Open University Press Institute for Learning (2012) 2011 –12 IfL review of CPD: Making professional learning work London: IfL. [online],http://www.ifl.ac.uk/media/109771/2013_03_26_2011–12_IfL_Review_of_CPD.pdf (Accessed on 31 March 2014) Petty, G., (2009) Evidence-Based Teaching: A Practical Approach, Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/finland/10489070/OECD-education-report-Finla nds-no-inspections-no-league-tables-and-few-exams-approach.html (accessed 27 March 2014) Banks, C (2010). Independent Review of Fees and Co-Funding in Further Education in England: Co-investment in the skills of the future CAVTL (2013) The summary report of the Commission on Adult Vocational Teaching and Learning: Excellent adult vocational teaching and learning