I’m researching the relationships between school cultures and teacher professional development and learning. My interest in this area has evolved over time, but one particular incident stands out for me. I once sat through a talk by an inspirational speaker who had been brought in by my school to kick off the Spring term on a positive note. I was seething by the end. The speaker wasn’t the direct problem (I regularly listen to his podcasts), but the message, totally disconnected from the lived realities of my day-to-day experiences as a teacher, made my blood boil. How on earth could I implement the strategies that well funded, dedicated teams use? I can’t even go to the toilet when I want! My ears were beyond deaf to the message; I was in arms-folded, face like I was chewing on a wasp, defiant rejection mode. Funnily enough, I didn’t implement the suggested strategies.

CPD that just doesn’t ‘land’ can get to teachers like that. During the course of my research, I have collected many stories from a range of teachers who report similar experiences. They respond with defiance, anger, tears, disengagement and rejection. But here’s the thing; they also tell me how much they love to learn. They’re self-funding courses, attending conferences, signing up for MOOCs, listening to podcasts and reading books. Just because you reject a some CPD, you’re not rejecting professional development and learning. There’s something about the imposition of it, I think, and the root of it can (at least partially) be explained though teacher professional identities. Broadly speaking, we’re either traditional (experience = professionalism), managerial (measurement against standards = professionalism) or democratic (making professional activities open and explicit = professionalism) (Sachs, 2001). We’re also (again broadly) inclined to be restricted (experience, again), or extended (research engaged) (Evans, 2008) in our professional identities. If you’re ‘democratic’ and ‘extended’, you’re likely to be more open to new ideas than if you’re ‘traditional’ and ‘restricted’. If the latter, new interventions can feel like an attack on your professionalism. When you’re already time-poor and pressured, your best defence is rejection or, at a push, superficial compliance.

I wanted to find out more about what’s going on with teachers and their perceptions of CPD, and developed the survey instrument described in my Impact article (Taylor, 2023). If you use my survey (watch this space), it will give you a structured way to think more about your perceptions of the cultural conditions in your school. I hope that this will also help you to think a little bit more reflexively about your professional identity. What do you value? What makes you tick? What helps you to learn and develop, and what’s getting in the way? My data so far indicates that this is what teachers experience when they engage with the survey. But then comes the question, ‘what should I do about it?’

I’ve been thinking about what my research is for, what people think my culture insights survey is for, and what people think my survey should be for. When I explain how I designed it (I’m super proud of my methodology, but appreciate that that’s not for everyone), what people really want to know is what to do with the results. I’m not ready (qualified or experienced) to make claims about being a consultant or expert. This isn’t a positivist ‘if this, then that’ kind of logic. I think this can be a frustration to some people looking for solutions to problems. Instead, I have designed a kind of mirror. You can look into it and notice things about yourself and your organisation, but you’ll need to decide what your next steps are. Just like getting ready for your day, the mirror allows you to perceive how you look, but you’ve got to style your own hair.

References:

Evans, L. (2008). Professionalism, Professionality and the Development of Education Professionals. British Journal of Educational Studies, 56(1), 20–38. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8527.2007.00392.x

Sachs, J. (2001). Teacher Professional Identity: Competing Discourses, Competing Outcomes. Journal of Education Policy, 16(2), 149–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680930116819

Taylor, K. (2023). Are We All on the Same Page with Professional Learning? Exploring the Relationship Between Organisational Cultures and Teacher Professional Learning in Secondary Schools. Impact, 17. https://my.chartered.college/impact_article/are-we-all-on-the-same-page-with-professional-learning-exploring-the-relationship-between-organisational-cultures-and-teacher-professional-learning-in-secondary-schools/