CPD: Support strategies for professional learning,national initiatives and major curriculum reform

Abstract

This article outlines developments in continuous professional development (CPD) for teachers, within the Scottish context. It discusses some examples of both bottom-up and top-down structures, approaches to, and opportunities for CPD within Scotland, contextualizing the importance of professional learning within global issues of educational effectiveness and the improvement of student learning outcomes. The article focuses on two major national initiatives, Assessment is for Learning (AifL) and a Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), comparing and contrasting their relative successes in terms of strategic planning, leadership and support, effective roll-out, implementation, impact and stakeholder buy-in. It highlights that well targeted CPD activity and partnership work offer real opportunities for teachers to develop professional learning and their capacity for leadership. The article concludes with the discussion of current issues and opportunities related to CPD, including some of those raised in the recent Donaldson Report on Teacher Education in Scotland (2011).