Description of Activity
Empowering Teachers as Inquiring Professionals: Project-Based CPD for Sustainable Educational ImprovementStenhouse (1975) asserts that teachers must study their own work, yet traditional models of continuing professional development (CPD) often fail to provide meaningful opportunities for inquiry. Despite significant investment in CPD, its impact remains inconsistent, raising concerns about its efficacy. Many CPD programmes rely on prescriptive, top-down approaches that overlook contextual nuances, diminishing teacher agency and engagement (Ball, 2003; Coffield, 2017). This approach fosters a compliance-driven, risk-averse culture that prioritises external accountability over genuine pedagogical development.
In contrast, a ground-up, project-based approach to CPD fosters ownership, risk-taking, and innovation within a structured yet flexible framework. Recognising the importance of teacher agency, the "[College] Projects" initiative was launched in 2021, inviting educators to identify, explore, and implement pedagogical innovations relevant to their contexts. This initiative resulted in over 160 independent projects and culminated in a showcase event celebrating teacher-led enquiry. The success of this model then inspired further initiatives, including collaborative teaching, practice development groups, and a shift away from traditional graded observations towards teacher-requested lesson visits.
This study argues that project-based CPD subverts the limitations of traditional models, empowering educators to drive meaningful, context-sensitive improvement. By enabling teachers to engage in self-directed enquiry, we create conditions for sustainable professional growth and enhanced student experiences. In an era dominated by accountability measures, this approach highlights the transformative potential of teacher-led inquiry in fostering genuine educational advancement, whilst balancing the market driven needs of education provided.
| Period | Nov 2025 |
|---|---|
| Event type | Conference |
| Degree of Recognition | National |