When contemplating whether I had something to contribute to this exciting special issue, I spent most of my time thinking about the nature and potential of professional development. It soon became clear that I have a range of key reflections to share based both on my ongoing scholarship and on my engagement in learning networks such as the WERA-IRN. Overall, I offer up five broad recommendations which frame my vision of a bottom-up, self-directed, evidence-informed approach to professional learning.
1. Let’s shed/replace the term 'Professional Development'
I align with scholars and educators[1] who propose reconceptualising 'professional development', shifting to focus on individual and collective 'professional learning'. This may seem like a small move, but I see it as carrying large benefits. First, this reframe can help to free us from limiting notions of teachers being developed by outside entities or experts. A shift toward emphasising professional learning implies, instead, that as practicing education professionals we all bring considerable knowledge to the table already, and our main focus accordingly can and should be to elevate and build on this knowledge in the pursuit of continued (individual and collective) growth.[2]
Such a way of thinking also appropriately demonstrates trust in educators as competent and creative professionals, protecting their agency to pose questions, identify strengths and issues and work to address their own (and their colleagues’) prioritised needs.
I write this as someone who lives and works in an environment that has been insufficiently trusting of teachers and other educators, to put it mildly. This lack of trust has been manifested for instance by policies aimed at managing them (e.g. via tightened accountability, teacher-proofing curricula and teacher evaluation policy) rather than investing in, nurturing and empowering them. Such approaches might fit within a 'low teacher agency'[3] approach to educational change.