CPD works when it is matched to the teacher and gets protected time.
Where the sources disagree
- Research vs craft knowledge: Jordan says trainers must teach the SLA research on interlanguage; Thornbury (commenting) says experience is a legitimate basis and research is “ancillary”. Dellar (“nothing as practical as a good theory”) sits closer to Jordan, Ur closer to Thornbury.
- Observation: Griffin and TDSIG: separate developmental observation from evaluation and describe before judging. Most school observation systems mix the two.
- What counts as PD: Loseva and Polosatova count informal, unplanned learning; course-and-certificate checklists don’t.
Notes
- Matching CPD to the teacher - Teacher’s Choice Framework
- Five things new teachers wish they’d known
- The PDA on intensive DELTA - six fixes
More notes (by source)
Book - Learning Teaching (Jim Scrivener)
- What does a teacher add - self-study, immersion and classroom work
Cambridge World of Better Learning - Flipped learning works when teachers mediate unprepared students
Demand High ELT - Doable demand at the learner’s next step
ELT Rants, Reviews and Reflections (Mike Griffin) - Observation for development - describe before you interpret
- Reflective journals and critical friends
- Teacher talk - reduce it, then choose it
English with Jennifer - Linguistic self-love - value learners’ home varieties
Geoff Jordan (applingtesol) - Check trainers’ SLA claims against primary sources
- Research mediators vs craft knowledge - the Penny Ur debate
- Teacher trainers should teach the research on interlanguage
Hugh Dellar - Nothing is as practical as a good theory
IATEFL TDSIG blog - CPD portfolios - What, So what, Now what
- Coaching vs mentoring - teachers showing up for teachers
- Mentoring teacher-research through Exploratory Action Research
- Reflection is a recurring cycle
- Sustainable PD - decide what should stick
Sam Shepherd (ESOL, Learning, and FE) - Justify every teaching decision - why, with references
Side Notes on ELT (Lina Gordyshevskaya) - Intelligibility as the goal, accent as the learner’s informed choice
TeacherTrain - Choose PD with a plan - the STEEL steps
- Teacher confidence is built - plan, connect, buddy up, be kind
TeachingEnglish (British Council) - AI guidelines for teachers - six principles
- British Council CPD framework - professional practices map
- Sustained CPD with communities of practice
That ELT Blog (Sanchia) - Formal observation - agree aims, triage notes, traffic-light feedback
Wednesday Seminars (Zhenya Polosatova) - Feedback on content - make the writer feel read
- Run a reflective practice group
- Treat excuses in mandatory PD as information
- Unplanned CPD counts - ask what else you did instead
From my books (highlights)
- Source - Book - First Class Teaching (Michelle Emerson)
- Source - Book - How to Take Smart Notes (Sönke Ahrens)
- Source - Book - Learning Teaching (Jim Scrivener)
- Source - Book - The Art of Being a Brilliant Teacher (Cope, Toward & Henley)
Key terms (DELTA M1)
reflective practice · exploratory action research · lesson study · peer observation · mentoring · critical friend · teacher cognition (Borg)