Where next and how do i get there? little and often, thats the secret! the place of the professional development record for teachers in physical education and school sport.

Introduction

The national Professional Development Board for Physical Education (PE) was set up with funding from the DfES with part of its remit to further Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for all qualified teachers in Physical Education
and School Sport. This research identifies the importance of the Professional Development Record (PDR) for qualified teachers in England. Many ‘teachers’ in PE and School Sport were not aware of the wide variety of opportunities available to them. It was felt that a document identifying the various posts would be beneficial to their CPD. Also, ‘teachers’ need to record their CPD for future aspirations and promotions, but do not necessarily record these on a regular basis. Many did not have a method of collecting evidence for CPD.

Methods

Data was collected using open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to analyse the structure of the PDR, its use as a tool for recording CPD and its impact for teachers of Physical Education (PE) and School Sport.

Results

The results clearly show that it is a useful tool and would have an important role to play for CPD for ‘teachers’. Subjects identified the usefulness of recording evidence for future aspirations, as this gave guidance and framework to their own CPD. It was also evident that the PDR would also help managers of ‘teachers’ in PE and School Sport to facilitate the CPD of those they manage.

Discussion/Conclusions

The PDR is a flexible, but valuable document that is an effective format for collating CPD and could be used as a starting point for other subjects to follow. It is therefore suggested that all teachers of PE and School Sport would benefit their careers, those they manage and most importantly the positive impact they will have on young people’s learning, by using the PDR.

References

[1]. DfES:0647/2001. Teachers’ Standards Framework.
[2]. GTC. Professional Learning Framework. September 2001.
[3]. BAALPE. Achieving Excellence - Physical Education Exemplification of Subject Leader Standards. 2nd Edition. 2003