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“Teaching is a dynamic and rewarding profession. Good teachers provide students with rich, interesting and well-structured learning experiences. Teachers who provide these experiences enjoy the opportunities offered by the profession and recognition of their achievements by the community.”

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

My employer and union have collaborated, supported by the Secondary Principals Council (SPC), with the purpose of strengthening public education for students in NSW.

All teachers in state schools are to align the Performance and Development Framework (PDF) with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers by constructing a personal Performance and Development Plan (PDP).  By the beginning of 2018, all teachers will be accredited by the Board of Studies Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES). Prior to this date it has only been teachers employed post 2003 that have participated in the accreditation process.

These types of frameworks are common in business and certainly familiarity with the outcomes/standards model of education prevalent this century makes teachers comfortable with the process and format. These frameworks can certainly be implemented in very negative ways with perfunctory ticking of boxes or in a cold-hearted, purely managerial fashion but our school would really like to make this work to improve what happens in classrooms for students.

We know schools that genuinely improve are really consciously trying to improve.

With this in mind, our school has agreed to a collaborative approach to implementation which focuses on improving learning in classrooms. We will have a shared school goal, as will each faculty. Assessment, especially effective cycles of feedback, have been a focus for some time and it makes sense to pursue this across the school, whatever your context.

Teachers must set between 3-5 goals, so there’s plenty of opportunity to pursue other professional interests, especially when they align with whole school planning. Our school is encouraging teachers to shape school planning with their ideas and enthusiasms for improving our community of learners.

My own draft goals are awaiting feedback:

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A philosophy that values collaboration in order to learn from each other, as a genuine community of learning, is what we continue to strive for professionally. Feedback welcomed!

How is your school approaching the implementation of the PDF/PDPs?

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