N Sorensen

Whither Postgraduate Professional Development? Towards a theoretical framework to guide long‐term teacher development in England

The introduction of government‐funded Postgraduate Professional Development in England has raised many questions about the true political purpose and agenda of such accredited continuing professional development (CPD). There are conflicting aspirations for a master’s‐level teaching profession between educators and the government, albeit agreement that this represents a new gold standard. Without a proper, professionally agreed, theoretical framework to guide long‐term teacher development it is difficult to resolve these conflicts. In this paper we offer a view of what such a framework could look like and suggest a useful direction for CPD policy.

Improvisation and teacher expertise: implications for the professional development of outstanding teachers

This article reports on the findings of a PhD research project into the improvisatory nature of teacher expertise. The data are taken from a series of comparative case studies of seven experienced teachers working in secondary schools in the South West of England and who have been identified as being expert within their school setting. Constant comparative methods of analysis have been used to draw out themes from the data. This has contributed to a grounded theory that identifies the nature of teacher expertise. The findings that arise from the data are that teacher’s expertise is best expressed as continually evolving practice, a process as opposed to an end state that reflects a prototype model. Teacher expertise is seen as fundamentally improvisatory through being socially constructed and that this has a positive impact on the quality of teaching. A grounded theoretical model of teacher expertise casts new light on how we understand advanced professional practice and this article explores the implications of this contribution to knowledge for school leaders, teachers, researchers and those with responsibility for the initial training and the continuing professional development of teachers.

Catching the sparks: an evaluation of the early development of a novel master’s degree in teaching and learning

The introduction of the Master’s in Teaching and Learning (MTL) was a significant milestone in the continuing professional development of teachers, signalling the intention that teaching could become a master’s-level profession. This initiated a distinctive approach to school improvement requiring schools and higher education institutions (HEI) to work in partnership in order to offer this qualification to teachers. Within the south-west of England, Transform gained the contract to offer the MTL and subsequently developed an innovative collaborative approach to the design and implementation of this new qualification. Against a background of critical, and at times hostile, professional and media responses, the MTL was introduced in January 2010, and Transform began to deliver the MTL to eligible teachers from Easter 2010. An evaluation of Phase 1 of the MTL, commissioned by Transform in October 2010, focused on the three principal stakeholders in the MTL partnership (the HEI co-ordinators and tutors, school-based coaches and MTL participants in the scheme). This paper documents the process and findings of that evaluation and asks questions about what has been gained from an initiative that promised so much, was hindered throughout the process of development and was then stopped before it had any chance of making a significant impact on the nature of teachers’ professional development. Was the MTL ‘a revolution in teacher education or a bright light quickly extinguished?’. This paper argues that the latter was the case and concludes by identifying some ‘sparks’ that could inform future good practice in postgraduate professional development.