5. Sustaining and developing professional learning

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Professional learning is informed and supported by professional standards and education policy and must focus on the education professional as a learner and how this is related to and impacts upon the learning of all children, young people and adults.

The educator’s professional learning should be informed by the learner’s experience, voice and needs. In turn, the professional learning of the educator should impact positively upon the experiences of learners.

Professional learning should take account of and reflect the unique circumstances of the learning community. Given the prevalence of dyslexia, learning communities will include dyslexic learners and therefore establishments and practitioners will need to develop an awareness of dyslexia and knowledge of appropriate inclusive approaches for dyslexic learners and their families.

Professional development for dyslexia

The 2014 Education Scotland's Review ‘Making Sense: Education for Children and Young People with Dyslexia in Scotland’ highlighted 5 recommendations which support the report's interlinking aims to improve the outcomes for children and young people who have dyslexia.

  • Improve the outcomes for dyslexic learners
  • Provide high-quality professional development for teachers
  • Support effective and equitable post school transition

Recommendations 1 and 2 focus on high quality professional learning.

  1. Teachers, support staff, learners and parents should have access to up to date practical advice and guidance on dyslexia.
  2. Teachers, support staff and local authority staff should have access to a wide range of high quality career-long professional learning opportunities at school, local and national level related to meeting the needs of children and young people with dyslexia.

The Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit can itself be used as a resource for:

  • Professional Learning
  • General Teaching Council Scotland (GTC) Professional Update and Professional Recognition
  • Initial Teacher Education
  • Advanced study in dyslexia

Within the Toolkit there are a number of free resources to support practitioners with their professional development in Dyslexia and Inclusive Practice.

Section 3 explored the 5 roles of a Support for learning/ASN teacher and one of those roles involves contributing towards professional learning within the school community.

Activity 35 Reflective task

How can you support colleagues within your primary school, department or faculty?

The reflective questions within this module can support professional dialogue to improve the understanding of dyslexia and inclusive practice.

This may be an area you wish to support and focus on in terms of your own professional development and professional practice and can be discussed with your line manager.

  • Engaging in an audit to find out how accessible the curriculum is for learners with dyslexia
  • Leading collegiate sessions to share the information gained from module 1 and this module
  • Sharing your local authority guidance/policy on dyslexia and inclusion.

5. Professional learning

6. Summary and next steps