CPD Team

Rose gave us a 10 minute thought-piece on how New Zealand approached their own curriculum for excellence. The direct link between the Ministry and schools is much stronger in New Zealand, there are no local authorities for example. I loved the quote on slide 9 above! You’ll get more information on the Te Kete Ipurangi!

As ever, Matthew shared some lively and provocative thinking about how we address the current “Conceptual Emergency”.    In doing so he took us on a journey to Queensland (4 New Basics), to America (4 features of the ‘Agile Learner’) and Scotland’s 4 capacities, thus proving Thomas L Friedman’s promise that “the world is flat”. The response in Argyll and Bute to the Conceptual Emergency, prompted by Curriculum for Excellence, places at its core the belief that schools are best placed to navigate their way to the established North.   10 aeroplanes are being rebuilt while flying through the cluster plans which have been developed from the published “Our Expectations and Aspirations” overview paper.

No doubt that Argyll and Bute continues to fly high, is using its compasses to good effect and will have a map that is easily interpreted by its intrepid travellers!

Colin Grant, Director of Schools Services from Dumfries & Galloway, quietly but forcefully set the scene for the conference delegates. Pausing only to quote the legendary philosopher, Homer Simpson, “But Madge, trying is the first step on the road to failure!” he outlined 5 factors that they are taking account of locally:

Quality of workforce. Many private companies would die for a workforce that works as hard as the average teachers

Understand the caution of teachers. Previous initiatives such as 5-14 encouraged strong management not strong leadership

Time for teachers. Time to read, reflect, resolve

Our expectation of teachers. Assume that all your workforce are excellent until you have evidence otherwise!

CPD opportunities must match national rhetoric. Colin outlined steps taken in Dumfries and Galloway including:

• putting more, not less, funds into building CPD capacity
• building teacher learning communities
• introduction to leadership programmes
• leadership master classes.

Welcome to CPD Tig for CPD leaders. We’re looking for ways that the CPD Team can help CPD coordinators and other CPD leaders.

All you have to do is:

• use the Write a comment box at the foot of this page to tell us one thing we can do to help CPD leaders in Scottish education
• then ‘tig’ other people (at least 2 but hopefully 5) by copying and emailing the message below.

Copy and email this message please

Tig, you’re het! You been asked to tell the National CPD Team one way to improve your lot as a CPD leader. Just follow this link (http://ltsblogs.org.uk/cpdteam/2009/04/21/cpd-tig/ ). Thanks!

Photo courtesy of jam343

South Ayrshire Council

I spent this morning with colleagues in South Ayrshire including Fiona Taylor (erstwhile member of the CPD Team) and Alastair Smith. Among many highlights were a discussion on how CPDReflect could be used as a way of supporting the PDR process with colleagues across the whole of Children & Families work in the council.

As a first step, and with some support from the CPD Team, they are hoping to build on a mapping from SAC’s own leadership framework and the Standard for Headship.

Alastair and Fiona also demonstrated the considerable progress made in designing professional communities on Glow that align with CfE and outlined the plans to integrate them into CPD. We finished the formal part of the morning with how CPDFind might be the very tool that helps integrate CPD provision right across the authority. After all this hard work, Fiona kindly treated us to lunch!

A new resource to help schools meet the needs of children with autism has been launched.

The Autism Toolbox, which has been sent to every school and education authority in Scotland, draws on practical examples, literature and research to give guidance to councils and support to schools. It is funded by the Scottish Government and developed by the National Centre for Autism Studies at the University of Strathclyde.
Adam Ingram, Minister for Children and Early Years, said that young people with autism deserve the opportunity to gain the most they can from a supportive education system.
The Autism Toolbox is available on the Scottish Government website and hard copies can be ordered through Blackwell’s Bookshop.

Oh, and you will find it on CPDFind!

This year’s theme is Creativity and Innovation in School Leadership: Realising the Potential of a Curriculum for Excellence. The venue is the same as last year – Surgeon’s Hall in Edinburgh but the good news is that in order to build on the success of the summer schools held in 2007 and 2008 and to highlight the importance of educational leadership, the Scottish Government has decided to waive the attendance fee and meet the costs centrally for all participants

The invitations have now been sent to Directors (2 places per authority) and other agencies. If you want to be considered for one of the places, or if you know someone who would appreciate this opportunity, then now’s the time to put your hand up.

It’s shaping up to be a great week with some interesting and challenging speakers. You can see some of them on the website, or you can read about last year’s summer school and see the presentations.

Re-designed to coincide with the launch of the Experiences and Outcomes, the new look CfE site

• delivers the Experiences and Outcomes in a friendly format
• provides essential support for all educators in building the curriculum
• gives pointers to further CPD available.

CPDFind links

1.        try searching for CfE or curriculum excellence on CPDFind