Learning, outlined above, but also to a recent Ofsted report, History for All, which set out the shortcomings of Professional Learning in history departments nationwide. The report notes that “an important issue [in recent history inspections] was the near-absence of appropriate subject training.” and goes on to highlight the discovery that the 65 schools visited in which the quality “…in of subject training was specifically inspected, it was good or outstanding in only 15 of them.”. The language here is vague at best; however the core point is hammered home with statistical precision. In one institution for example, there had been no professional development in seven years . These findings by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate clearly present some stark challenges to the history department at Wellspring Grammar, and show at least a political need for the re-evaluation and analysis of effective Professional Learning practices. Over the last two years, Wellspring Grammar has made moves to internalise more of its Professional Learning. In conjunction with this, it has also begun a programme of establishing “Professional Learning Communities” (PLCs) which aim to foster a cross-curricular, collegiate approach to CPD. This is not unusual, and it is not surprising that a growth in school based PLCs has come at a time when reducing budgets is paramount . These communities focus on improving teaching and learning across the school through a shared focus on Assessment for Learning. In many ways they mirror the How to Learn” Project (LHTL) . The challenge with this model of Professional Learning is “Learning twofold. Firstly, the expertise must be available within the school already. Focussing too heavily on internal expertise runs the risk of encouraging conservatism and removing the challenge provided by external sources . The second issue is in establishing an effective model of Professional Learning through PLCs which allows all teachers to develop their own learning and which takes account of their professional needs . The core of this piece will analyse a key article by David Pedder which seeks to assess and evaluate the main challenges of PLCs. This empirical research builds on the work begun by the LHTL project and seeks to analyse the challenges of Professional Learning faced by schools as well as to offer
Learning, outlined above, but also to a recent Ofsted report, History for All, which set out the shortcomings of Professional Learning in history departments nationwide. The report notes that “an important issue [in recent history inspections] was the near-absence of appropriate subject training.” and goes on to highlight the discovery that “…in the 65 schools visited in which the quality of subject training was specifically inspected, it was good or outstanding in only 15 of them.”. The language here is vague at best; however the core point is hammered home with statistical precision. In one institution for example, there had been no professional development in seven years . These findings by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate clearly present some stark challenges to the history department at Wellspring Grammar, and show at least a political need for the re-evaluation and analysis of effective Professional Learning practices. Over the last two years, Wellspring Grammar has made moves to internalise more of its Professional Learning. In conjunction with this, it has also begun a programme of establishing “Professional Learning Communities” (PLCs) which aim to foster a cross-curricular, collegiate approach to CPD. This is not unusual, and it is not surprising that a growth in school based PLCs has come at a time when reducing budgets is paramount . These communities focus on improving teaching and learning across the school through a shared focus on Assessment for Learning. In many ways they mirror the “Learning How to Learn” Project (LHTL) . The challenge with this model of Professional Learning is twofold. Firstly, the expertise must be available within the school already. Focussing too heavily on internal expertise runs the risk of encouraging conservatism and removing the challenge provided by external sources . The second issue is in establishing an effective model of Professional Learning through PLCs which allows all teachers to develop their own learning and which takes account of their professional needs . The core of this piece will analyse a key article by David Pedder which seeks to assess and evaluate the main challenges of PLCs. This empirical research builds on the work begun by the LHTL project and seeks to analyse the challenges of Professional Learning faced by schools as well as to offer