Validate professional development activities

Teachers value professional development (PD) activities which connect them to the wider teaching profession. PD activities enable teachers to access research, educational theories and historical and international approaches to learning and teaching with their own interests and the interests of their students as a guide.

For teachers to fully benefit from PD activities, critical reflection is essential. Teachers need to appraise the source of ideas and ensure that they derive from solid and reputable research. Teachers then need to relate these ideas to what they learn, what they know and what they do. The standards of professional practice provide a framework for this reflection. The standards enable all teachers to think about what they learn professionally in relation to their teaching practice and the learning of their students.

Professional standards for competent teachers in the NT

1. Professional engagement:
   
   • Teachers are active members of their profession
   • Teachers reflect on, evaluate and improve their professional knowledge and practice.
     
     
2. Professional knowledge:
   
   • Teachers know their students
   • Teachers know how students learn and how to teach them effectively
   • Teachers know the content they teach.
     
     
3. Professional practice:
   
   • Teachers plan, program, assess and report for effective learning
   • Teachers create and maintain safe and challenging learning environments
   • Teachers use a range of teaching practices and resources to engage students in effective learning.

Some questions to guide your reflection

• Which standard(s) is most clearly related to this PD activity?
• Which ideas from the PD activity could you use to develop your teaching practice?
• How will this PD activity contribute to your ability to meet the learning needs of your students?
• Which ideas from the PD activity will assist you in challenging/engaging your students more effectively?
• What obstacles might you find to applying these ideas?
• What do these ideas contribute to the broader learning of students within your subject/grade area?
• How could these ideas be shared with colleagues or applied by you and your colleagues to contribute to teaching and learning in your school?
• What further learning does this activity prompt for you?