6 Summary

In this unit you have looked at what constitutes teacher development, what this can involve and what can be learned within the school. Courses and training are not the only route to learning. A teaching career involves continuous learning; school leaders have a role to play in raising expectations for a continually developing staff group, and for facilitating opportunities to develop.

You have tried out some templates that may help you to implement PLD in your school and looked at some case studies to help you think about how to engage staff and keep records. But the exciting part comes next when you lead your staff to improve their practice to benefit the learning experience of students. Teachers who are committed to their own learning will naturally inspire students to feel the same way about theirs.

This unit is part of the set or family of units that relate to the key area of transforming teaching-learning process (aligned to the National College of School Leadership). You may find it useful to look next at other units in this set to build your knowledge and skills:

• Leading improvements in teaching and learning in the elementary school
• Leading improvements in teaching and learning in the secondary school
• Leading assessment in your school
• Supporting teachers to raise performance
• Mentoring and coaching
• Developing an effective learning culture in your school
• Promoting inclusion in your school
• Managing resources for effective student learning
• Leading the use of technology in your school.