The new national database tool for CPD opportunities went live this week. We are calling it CPDFind. Please help us promote its use before its launch in the new session.

We have a number of providers who have started (albeit tentatively) to populate the database. We will be working over the summer to contact CPD providers of all shapes and sizes to join us. Also, to make access to the database simpler for educators across Scotland, we will be asking local authorities to link to CPDFind from their online CPD systems.

So help us please! If you are a CPD provider, come join us! If you know of a good CPD provider tell them we are here or let me know and I will contact them. We look forward to making access to CPD easier for everyone!

One of my most pleasant duties is to serve as Vice Convenor of SELMAS, supporting the Convenor Judith McClure, a good friend of the CPD team. Plans are now well advanced for this year’s  annual  conference, which  will be on the theme of “Tomorrow’s Leaders” and will take place at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on September 7th.

Judith writes:

“This will be another stimulating and inspiring event. Last year we had a waiting list, so do not delay! Much that is exciting is taking place in Scottish education for the benefit of all our children and young people. We need to lead the necessary changes and we shall be better leaders if we learn from each other and are mutually supportive.”

If you are interested, let Judith know very soon by emailing head@st-georges.edin.sch.uk

A huge thank you to Patricia Lennon who completed her secondment to the CPD Team this week and has returned to Notre Dame High School in Glasgow as Head of School. Tricia did a great job over the last 9 months working on the CPD booklet and the leadership self-evaluation continuum,  and we all wish her well in the future.

I have just ‘popped in’ to say “hello” at a CPD event in Dundee. The fact that I am in Glasgow and the presenter, Andrew Brown, is in Helensburgh will tell you I was using some sort of web conference.

 The event is a mentor training pilot for Glow in Dundee. Andrew is leading a session on e-mentoring, using techniques based on the work of Ellen Moir and Janet Gless at the New Teacher Center, University of California Santa Cruz.

 And the tool?  Glowmeet which will be part of the Glow provision starting next session. Can’t wait!

Graeme Finnie, who has been doing a sterling job in managing the SEED initiative on coaching and mentoring asked me draw this to your attention.

21 teachers from all over Shetland have received professional recognition by the GTCS for their work in coaching and mentoring. Hazel Sutherland, the new executive director of Education and Social Care, joined Helen Budge, Head of Schools, at a very special occasion on Wednesday evening at Herrislea House.  The certificates were presented on behalf of the GTCS by Tom Hamilton, the Policy and development officer.

There are only 123 other teachers in Scotland with this accreditation, so Shetland has certainly made its mark with this group of 21 going through.

The coaching and mentoring project was SEED funded and was run in partnership with the Scottish Leadership Foundation.

Scottish Education Awards 2007

What a brilliant atmosphere at Glasgow City Halls last week, with hundreds of excited and happy pupils, and just as many happy and excited teachers. It was a joy to be part of such a positive and happy atmosphere, and on behalf of the team, I offer our warmest congratulations to everyone who reached the finals, and in particular to the individual award winners. For those of you who couldn’t be there, these were:

• Kent Pledger of Mid Calder Primary, Educational Supporter of the Year, an ICT technician who is making a real difference in his school
• Laura Cooper of Larbert High School, Probationary Teacher of the Year
• Iain Hirschfeld of Inverkeithing High School, the enthusiastic and inspiring Teacher of the Year
• Patricia Kennedy of St Mark’s Primary who is our Headteacher of the Year
• Ann McLanachan, headteacher of Longniddry Primary, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Good luck to all of them in the National Finals in London later this year.

Full details of all the winners can be found in the Education Awards web site

One of the CPD team projects that’s not yet featured on the CPD Scotland site has the working title of CPDReflect.  

CPDReflect (other suggested names are welcome!) will be an online toolkit to help with reflecting on, planning, recording and evaluating of CPD. It’s been developed in partnership with 3T Productions Ltd and is due for release in 2008.

You can get a flavour of the functionality it will offer in the article on CPD Scotland I wrote for Connected 17. It’s early doors yet but comments are always welcome from those many people who have already been involved in the specification and those new to the project.

What stage are we at?

3T have already developed the high-level design of the product and we start the usability work tomorrow (June 20th) with an intensive workshop with 8 kind volunteers, who have various interests in the PRD and CPD processes. I’ll fill you in on how the workshop went and future plans soon.

Con

Network Meeting – 4/6/07

Yet another great Network meeting; Matthew Boyle and Sharman Muir led us through a Collaborative Enquiry around CPD for A Curriculum for Excellence.  Sharman spoke about the partnership working between West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute setting the context for the day.  Matthew then explained the principles of a Collaborative Enquiry and proceeded to take us through the process involved.  The main findings from each group were reported back at the end of the day; these will be typed up and posted later in the month.

A big thank you to both Matthew and Sharman for their hard work in facilitating a very successful day.  Comments welcome.

Under cloudless Edinburgh skies almost 300 chartered teachers made their way to the second annual national Chartered Teacher conference. Edinburgh’s finest fire brigade even turned up – summoned by a false fire alarm! At least they could be confident it wasn’t one of the fourth years this time.

The conference was opened in typically witty and thought-provoking style by Walter Humes, Research Professor in Education at the University of Paisley, clearly enjoying