5 Systematising PLD in your school

So far this unit has assumed that PLD may not be well established in your school and suggests some minor ways to get it started. But you should be aiming for a systematised process of CPD for all staff at all levels in your school. Every member of the school community is part of a learning institution and should therefore engage with their personal development, demonstrating to students that learning is a lifelong process.

If PLD occurs regularly and is seen as a normal activity in a school, it becomes a natural process for teachers to share their own best practice, access formalised development programmes, and, of course, to develop themselves – either formally, informally, as individuals or together in groups. Where staff are learning, they are motivated and creative. When their PLD is planned, monitored and reviewed with them, they can share their successes and challenges with the teaching community, who in turn gain an insight and a further opportunity to develop their own practice.

You should aim for:

• regular dialogue about PLD with and between teachers
• accessible information about PLD opportunities
• teachers working to action plans for their own PLD
• monitoring and support of progress and outcomes of PLD activities
• records of PLD plans, activities and outcomes

Over time, a systematised PLD climate in your school will lead to improvements in learner outcomes.