Principles of Professional Learning
In this post, I'll describe the ways in which my current school (a large comprehensive in Oxford) has tried to use three key principles to underpin and strengthen a culture of professional learning. These interlocking principles were first proposed in a staff meeting in July 2012. Teachers were asked consider the extent to which they reflected their current experience as teachers in the school, at a whole school, faculty, and individual teacher level. Since then, we've used them to guide our approach to organising professional learning, referring to them frequently when planning and delivering INSET, CPD, procedures and policies. Nearly two years later, this post is an attempt to reflect on the thinking behind the principles, informed by the experience we've gained in attempting to put them into practice. The principles in question are: 1 - as teachers, we are also learners 2 - we focus learning on aspects of practice which make the most difference 3 - we value autonomy an...