Report on the GTC Professional Development Bursary Scheme

Report on the GTC Professional Development Bursary Scheme

Section 1 – The professional development activity undertaken, including how the need was identified.

I was appointed Head of Department in September 2004. Prior to this my management responsibility within the school had been of a pastoral nature (Head of Upper School). Despite my experience in teaching and leading others since entering the profession in September 1990 this new role brought fresh challenges. I had received no specific training that would enable me to evaluate how successfully I was managing my department. I was keen to investigate how those in similar positions in different schools function.

Section 2 - The outcomes in terms of improved practice by the teacher.

The visits reassured me that the work that is being carried out by my department on a daily basis is relevant to the needs of the curriculum and more importantly the needs of the pupils. A lot of the structures and strategies evident in other schools are also clearly evident in our own, though perhaps more formally. The need to structure this more formally into a handbook became obvious. This task has been completed in light of the visits and has been endorsed by the Diocesan Adviser as a model of good practice. The style of teaching observed in St. Bede’s College was similar to that in my own classroom and I felt the pupils were both engaged and on task continually. This offered great reassurance. I also found their approach to summative assessment interesting. Each pupil at GCSE is supported until they successfully complete an end of unit test for each of the 10 areas of study. This has been cited as a major reason for the outstanding results at GCSE level.

Section 3 – The outcomes or benefits of the activity in terms of improvements in pupils’ learning experiences.

The idea of formal end of unit testing will be brought to the department and its appropriateness for our pupils. We may undertake a pilot to see if it is effective. Similarly extension of some of the Assessment for Learning tools will be a feature of departmental improvement planning for the 2007-08 year. The handbook should also galvanise teacher awareness of the need for consistency and application of standards in terms of frequency and nature of homework.

Section 4 – How the success criteria of the professional development activity has / will be evaluated.

A departmental handbook has been produced and approved by the school CMG, the department itself and the Diocesan Adviser. The homework policy has been updated and agreed. Assessment for learning strategies have been used in the classroom as part of the PRSD focus and these will be enhanced in the forthcoming year. Different approaches to teaching are used in the classroom environment, in terms of strategies and styles.

Section 5 - How will experiences, skills and the knowledge gained be shared with other teachers?

Literature from the schools visited was brought back for reflection in the department. The observations were shared in departmental meetings and a handbook was provided for each member of the department. We discussed our own teaching methods and shared ideas on good practice. This has been particularly useful in preparing our revised scheme of work for use in year 8 in September 2007.

Section 6 - Reflection by the teacher on the value and effectiveness on the activity

The activity proved extremely useful as teachers do not get enough opportunity to liaise with other like minded professionals and investigate elements of the practices that can be implemented in their own school. It was encouraging to see that much in the way of organisation and implementation is common to many schools. It was also reassuring to see that elements of our own practice, such as the availability of important assessment and revision materials on the School Learning Resources part of the ICT Network, had been developed further. It was also encouraging to find that elements of our planning such as how to deliver the GCSE course were used by other schools as the result of our reputation of expertise in this area. Overall it was satisfying to realise that our department is strong, well organised, well resourced and able to meet the needs of the pupils. The completion of the handbook is also a very pleasing outcome.

Section 7 – Future plans / suggestions for further development.

Having completed an MEd. in 1994 I have always enjoyed the challenge of personal study and research. I have also been involved in setting standards through the writing of examination papers as well as devising and delivering INSET in my role as a Principal Examiner with AQA. These management experiences, combined with my pastoral and curricular experience in school, have strengthened my desire to progress to study the PQH course.

Joe McCann