Remit of the Primary Professional Development Service

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PPDS

• Remit of the Primary Professional Development
  Service
• Mary McAuliffe

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Aim of the presentation

• To introduce and locate the PPDS
• To highlight the support on offer
• To consult with you and receive feedback on how
  the PPDS can best serve and support your school

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The Primary Professional Development Service


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Aims of the PPDS

• To support the development of schools as
  professional learning communities, in which
  teachers professional development is closely
  linked to school development and improvement and
  pupil progress
• Enhanced pupil progress and continuous
  improvement in schools are central aims
• Respond to school needs and system needs

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Guiding principles

• Empowerment of schools
• A focus on improved learning outcomes for pupils
• Development of schools as professional learning
  communities
• Emphasis on quality support activities

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Composition of the team

• 121 personnel, including 20 DEIS advisors and 27
  Gaeilge agus Tús Maith comhairleoirí
• 6 regional co-ordinators who manage the service
  at local level
• Regional poster to issue to every school in near
  future

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Support 2008/9

• Main focus of work is in schools
• All schools invited to indicate up to six areas
  for development
• Possible areas included
• Curriculum
• Methodologies
• Organisational

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Nature of support

• Curriculum
• Meeting/s with principals, post-holders and
  groups of teachers
• Demonstration of resources/advice on resources
• Advice on planning
• Facilitation of school planning day
• Facilitation of school based workshops
• Facilitation of off-site workshops/clusters
• Tailored support to develop teachers confidence
  and competence in Gaeilge (Tús Maith) ciorcal
  comhrá, siúlóid sa pháirc, Skype as Gaeilge....
• In-class support modelling

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Nature of support

• Organisational
• Meeting/s with principals, post-holders and
  groups of teachers
• Advice on planning and implementation of policies
• Facilitation of school planning day
• Facilitation of school based workshops
• Facilitation of off-site workshops/clusters
• Distance support phone, email, website....

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Other forms of support

• EAL 2 days training for Language Support
  teachers(Seminar 1 before Christmas, Seminar 2
  between Christmas and Easter)
• Intensive training for 36 Language Support
  teachers, so that they can in turn deliver
  evening workshops and summer courses to
  mainstream class children in EAL
• Child Protection Guidelines all schools invited
  to nominate a second teacher to attend training

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Analysis of applications to end of October

• 1, 743 schools applied
• Priority areas to date ?

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Priority areas to date
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Accessing the service

• www.ppds.ie
• Contact your regional co-ordinator
• Contact your local education centre
• Contact the office at 01 4642227
• Contact any advisor you know, who will process
  application for you

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The future

• Commitment to the maintenance of a core service
• Focus of work will be in schools
• Formulation of a strategic plan

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Planning for the future

• How can the PPDS support YOU and YOUR SCHOOL?

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Feedback from the group

• PPDS to come to the schools, instead of teachers
  going to seminars sub issues
• Help in organisation of Language Support teachers
  and Special Needs teachers team teaching v
  withdrawal, case loads
• Team teaching and co-teaching
• How can we persuade the DES to row back on the
  pupil teacher ratio and the language teachers

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Feedback from group

• Staff welfare caring for the carer in order to
  improve teaching
• Improve the PPDS website
• Facilitation of schools taking the back seat,
  acting in advisory capacity, match facilitation
  to needs of school at particular time
• Help with struggling teachers
• Organisational support for PoR team as a
  management group

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Feedback from group Child Protection

• Substitute cover for teachers attending CPG
  seminars
• Child Protection Guidelines all students must
  have a minimum of 2 days training in final year
  in college
• Child Protection Guidelines need for full staff
  to receive training together

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Feedback from group DEIS

• Extend DEIS support esp in English and Maths to
  include staff from non-DEIS schools with cohorts
  or pupils under DEIS profile
• Special schools and DEIS support can special
  schools be included?
• Funding for DEIS training in non-DEIS schools, as
  all schools have pupils who experience
  disadvantage

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Feedback from group EAL

• Help for schools in communicating with parents of
  pupils with EAL
• More training in EAL for parents and teachers.
  Access to translation service
• Could names of agencies and contact details of
  agencies who could translate international
  languages be put on website. Advice on dealing
  with emergencies/illnesses would be very welcome

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CPD Multiplicity of Terminology

• In service education
• INSET (In-service education and training)
• In-career development (ICD)
• Staff development
• Professional development (PD)
• Continuing (Continuous) professional development
  (CPD)
• Continuing personal and professional development
  (CPPD)
• Any other?

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Defining professional development..

• ..those processes and activities designed to
  enhance the professional knowledge, skills and
  attitudes of educators, so that they might, in
  turn, improve the learning of students
• (Guskey, 200016)

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• Professional development takes many forms, from
  the solitary, unaided daily reflections on
  experience, to working with a more experienced or
  knowledgeable practitioner, observing and being
  observed, professional discourse, and attendance
  at workshops, courses and conferences. (Campbell
  et al, 2004)

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• The most influential element of professional
  learning is the sharing of teachers own
  experiences in groups that can operate as a
  learning community. (Hoban 2002, citing large
  bodies of research during last decade of C20th)