Over the past few months, I have been delivering CPD workshops for maths teachers in FE colleges as part of Get Further’s CPD programme. This experience has been very rewarding and refreshing. Our team started this journey thinking mainly about what teachers need from a CPD programme. Having previously worked in FE colleges, first as a maths teacher and later as a curriculum manager I know how powerful it can be when CPD is subject-specific and promotes shifts in thinking. However, what I had not anticipated was how much I would also learn from the teachers themselves. Here are three lessons that have shaped how I now think about professional development.
Teachers are curious and want to improve and leadership support matters.
Before running the sessions, I assumed that motivation might be a challenge. That’s mainly because at times, when I was a teacher, I remember being caught up with everyday routine and losing my motivation. This, however, has not been how I have experienced teachers’ participation in our workshops at all. FE Maths teachers have a wealth of knowledge; they are deeply committed to their students and genuinely want to improve their teaching. When leadership creates the right conditions and gives teachers time and space to engage with CPD, teachers respond with enthusiasm and curiosity.
What I have seen again and again is that teachers are ready to think hard about their practice. They care deeply about their students and want to find better ways to support them. This has been incredibly inspiring and has reminded me that effective CPD is not about fixing teachers. It is about supporting them and giving them space to grow.
Less is more: depth beats coverage
When we first started designing the workshops, we wanted to include as many ideas as possible. There are so many great strategies and resources available, and it felt important to share most of them. However, we quickly realised that trying to cover too much can reduce impact. For instance, when we were planning a workshop around modelling, explanations and feedback we soon realised that each of the three elements requires a workshop on its own. Including them all in one session would not do them justice, so we decided to offer two options instead: a focus either on modelling for deeper understanding or on feedback to promote student progress. This approach allows us to explore each area in greater depth and provide more meaningful opportunities for discussion and application.
Teachers do not need endless ideas. They need time to explore a small number of ideas deeply and think about how they will work in their own classrooms. The most powerful moments in our sessions have come when we slowed down, focused on one idea and allowed time for discussion and reflection. Good CPD is not about how much content we deliver. It is about the thinking and change that happen afterwards.
Listening is more important than talking
I would say that the biggest lesson has probably been the importance of actively listening. Teachers want to be heard. They develop their understanding when discussing their ideas, sharing experiences, and reflecting on their practice.
One moment that I vividly remember is during a workshop on Questioning & Checking for Understanding. A teacher openly admitted that the questions she currently asks in her class rarely have a clear purpose, and that she has never really thought about this before. Her honesty opened up the space to a fruitful discussion and encouraged others to reflect on their own practice.
These conversations have shown me that CPD works best when it creates a safe space for reflection. Often, the most valuable learning happens when teachers collaborate and engage in conversations.
I am so grateful for the lessons I have learned, and me and my team will keep using these to refine the programme. Our aim is to keep listening, keep refining and keep building a programme that supports teachers in meaningful and practical ways. When teachers are given the time, trust and the opportunity to collaborate, powerful professional learning and implementation can happen.