Research School Network: How can we help teachers to build knowledge? With our ​‘Getting evidence into the classroom’ programme starting soon, Amy Carlile explores Effective Professional Development.

When it comes to professional development (PD), we all know that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. However, there are some key mechanisms that have been shown to be effective in improving teacher practice and pupil outcomes.

These mechanisms are explored in the Effective Professional Development Guidance Report (2021) – an invaluable addition to the resources available from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF).

The report identifies four key mechanism categories of effective PD:

• Building knowledge – Presenting new knowledge in ways that support understanding.
• Motivating teachers – Encouraging teachers to put their new knowledge into practice.
• Developing teacher techniques – Providing the tools and techniques that teachers need to improve their practice.
• Embedding practice – Supporting teachers to effectively embed practice in order to encourage continual improvement.

As we start the new academic year, it is a great time to consider what these mechanisms could look like in practice and how we can help to ensure that planned PD opportunities are as impactful as possible.

The guidance report encourages school leaders to consider a ​‘balanced design’ when planning PD opportunities by aiming to include at least one mechanism from each category.

In this blog post, we will focus on the ​‘Building knowledge’ category with a focus on managing cognitive load (the second mechanism in this category is revisiting prior learning).

Improving PD requires careful consideration of how new knowledge is presented.

Sweller et al (2019) explained that human cognitive processing is constrained by our working memory, which can only process a limited number of information elements at a time.

It is important therefore that when planning PD opportunities, we consider strategies that help to reduce the strain on working memory.

The guidance from the EEF recommends the following strategies to support colleagues in building knowledge, in relation to managing cognitive load:

- removing less relevant content
- focusing only on the most relevant content
- varying presentation via the use of multiple examples; or
- employing strategies such as dual coding.

We’ll now explore these strategies in turn.

Remove less relevant content and focus on the most relevant content

When exploring a new teaching strategy or technique as part of a PD programme, it is important to focus on the most essential information and to reflect on how this helps in achieving the planned outcomes.

In order to do this successfully, it is important that we are really clear from the outset about the actual purpose of the training by asking ourselves the following questions:

- What is it that we want our colleagues to know?
- What is it that we want our colleagues to be able to do?
- What is it that we want our colleagues to be able to understand?
- What are the key components of the strategy or technique?

Once we know the purpose, we can start to identify the content that is most relevant to achieving that purpose. Alongside this identification, it is also vital to consider the prior knowledge, skills and understanding of those attending the PD opportunity. This will enable us to best meet the specific needs of the group that we are working with.

Less is often more, particularly on the first encounter with new material.

Vary presentation via the use of multiple examples

Another recommendation made in the guidance report is to use multiple examples to help participants to understand new concepts, providing them with different ways to think about the information.

For example, it may be helpful during PD sessions to outline how an effective teaching strategy works through case studies, video clips, role play activities and modelled examples. Through each interaction, colleagues will take something from it to build a more coherent picture.

It may also be helpful to explore what this strategy looks like in different subject areas. Would there be any differences or similarities across subjects or any alterations that need to be made?

As these examples are shared and explored with colleagues, time should be built-in for discussion and reflection as to how this strategy could work most effectively in their own classrooms.

Employ strategies such as dual coding

Dual coding is a further strategy recommended by the EEF as an effective way to manage the cognitive load of participants. Oliver Caviglioli describes Dual coding as the ‘…simultaneous presentation of information in both verbal and visual-spatial formats.’ (2019).

In PD opportunities that we plan in schools, it is important that we consider both verbal and visual information in order to enhance the learning taking place. By having the same information in both words and visuals, it will allow colleagues to process the information in two different ways, which can help them to hold more information in their working memory.

When choosing to visually represent materials we may consider the use of infographics, diagrams, timelines and graphic organisers to name only a few. The work of Oliver Caviglioli is a fantastic place to start if you are interested in finding out more about dual coding and how to use this effectively when planning PD sessions.

The benefit of guiding principles

The Effective Professional Development Guidance Report provides us with a useful set of guiding principles to help us to ensure that PD is as effective as possible in improving teacher practice and pupil outcomes.

While including mechanisms does not guarantee the effectiveness of PD, the research suggests that the more mechanisms it includes and effectively implements, the larger its likely impact on pupil attainment.

By considering the recommendations above, we can best support our colleagues in effectively building their knowledge.

Join us at our Getting Evidence into the Classroom Twilight Programme: Effective Professional Development sessions to explore the role of PD and key considerations. Three free sessions are taking place on Mondays between 2 – 16 October.