A few years ago, as a new head of department, I ran what I thought was a strong PD session on questioning techniques. I’d spent hours preparing it: carefully selected research, polished slides, group discussion prompts. The session landed well. Staff were engaged, nodding and contributing throughout. I’d made change happen – or at least I thought…
But the following week, during learning walks, I didn’t see any of the strategies being used. Not one! When I asked a colleague about it, she said something that stuck with me: “It sounded great — but I wasn’t sure how to actually do it.”
That comment was a turning point. I’d fallen into a common trap: assuming that sharing information was the same as developing practice. Since then, I’ve come to realise that the real work of professional development doesn’t end when the session does—it begins when teachers try to translate it into their own classrooms.
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) says something similar in its 2021Effective Professional Development report. It identifies 14 mechanisms that make CPD more likely to change practice. Two of them: modelling and feedback that sits under Developing Teaching Techniques resonated deeply with my experience. These are the mechanisms that turn good intentions into lasting habits.
Why Modelling and Feedback Matter The EEF summarises it well: “Professional development is more likely to be effective if it builds knowledge, motivates staff, develops teaching techniques, and embeds practice.” For that to happen, teachers need more than awareness — they need worked examples, opportunities to rehearse, and feedback that helps them refine their approach.
In other words, it’s not enough to tell people what to do. We have to show them how, support them while they try it, and help them improve.
To support leaders in their PD implementation, the EEF have provided a useful planning tool for leaders to consider the mechanisms in turn in order to create a balanced PD design plan.
EEF Effective Professional Development - Developing Teaching Techniques
Mechanism 8: Modelling the Technique “Seeing a technique modelled can support teachers to understand how to enact new approaches,” says the EEF. This is particularly important for complex strategies: things that sound simple in theory but are hard to execute well in the flow of a real lesson.
Why it works: Cognitive science shows that novices benefit from worked examples. Modelling reduces cognitive load and helps teachers develop accurate mental models and this should be planned for when designing any PD session for staff.
How leaders can build this in: • Live Classroom Demonstrations: Encourage peer observations focused on specific techniques — e.g., cold-calling or scaffolding responses; using agreed success criteria. • Video Libraries: Build a bank of short clips showing different teachers applying strategies discussed in PD. These don’t need to be perfect, they need to be real. • Micro-Modelling in CPD Sessions: Don’t just describe a strategy be sure to demonstrate it live. For instance, if introducing “no-opt-out” questioning, run a short routine where you cold-call staff, scaffold answers, and revisit responses. • Role-Play and Rehearsal: Particularly useful for behaviour routines. Teachers can watch, then try out the approach in a low-stakes setting.
Example in action: Imagine you’re introducing retrieval starters. You might: 1. Model one live, narrating your thought process. 2. Pause to highlight key decisions. Explain why you’ve sequenced the questions a certain way, how you’re checking for misconceptions. 3. Invite staff to build their own and share back.
The modelling doesn’t have to be flashy. It has to be clear. And it has to make thinking visible!
Mechanism 9: Providing Feedback Even with strong modelling, teachers need help to refine their use of new techniques. The EEF highlights that feedback should be “specific, actionable, and linked to clear goals.” Without it, even well-intentioned efforts can drift off course.
Why it works: Feedback is one of the most powerful tools for improvement in any domain, and that includes teacher development. But only when it’s focused and constructive.
How leaders can build this in: • Instructional Coaching: Use coaching cycles where teachers focus on one specific area at a time. Coaches observe, give feedback, and co-plan the next steps. • Praise-Question-Suggestion Format: A simple but effective way to frame feedback: ◦ Praise: “Great clarity when modelling the first step.” ◦ Question: “How might you support students who don’t get that far?” ◦ Suggestion: “You could pause for a hinge question before step two.” • Use Checklists: Create short observation tools tied to your PD focus areas to help feedback stay specific. • Structured Peer Feedback: During PD, get staff to rehearse techniques and give each other feedback using agreed criteria.
Example in action: During a session on modelling worked examples, teachers pair up. One explains how to solve a GCSE maths problem. The other uses a checklist to note things like “verbalising thinking” or “highlighting common errors.” Feedback is immediate and specific:
“You clearly narrated your process — really helpful. Maybe pause next time after each step to check understanding.”
A Shift That Worked Later in my career, I supported a Sixth Form aiming to embed retrieval practice across departments. Staff had already had the training — readings, talks, slides. But it hadn’t translated into classroom change.
We took a new approach: • Weekly live modelling sessions where teachers demonstrated retrieval starters. • Staff practised designing their own, using a simple feedback framework (“clarity,” “challenge,” “check for understanding”). • Leaders gave short, focused feedback in lessons within 48 hours.
By the end of term, over 80% of lessons included effective retrieval. But more tellingly, teachers said they felt confident using the strategy and not because it had been explained, but because they’d seen it, tried it, and been supported as they refined it.
Key Takeaways for Leaders • Model first, always. Don’t assume understanding. Show what ‘good’ looks like and break it down. • Make feedback targeted. General praise won’t drive improvement. Link feedback to the technique you’re embedding. • Build in repetition and rehearsal. Give teachers time to practise and refine. • Train your middle leaders. They’re the ones who will coach, model, and give feedback day to day. • Normalise the culture. Make modelling and feedback part of everything — from INSET to informal conversations.
Final Thought We often invest time and effort into designing PD that’s informative and inspiring. But if we want it to stick, we have to go further. As the EEF’s evidence shows and as I learned the hard way, it’s not what teachers hear in the session that matters most. It’s what they try, what they refine, and what they grow confident doing. And that only happens when we model clearly and feedback thoughtfully.
Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) – Effective Professional Development Report (2021).
