report of a review of teacher education in Scotland
Chapter 4 outlined the potential benefits of joint appointments between local authorities and universities. As well as improving collaboration and partnership for new and early career teachers, such appointments could lead to research which is more focused on directly improving services at local level, as well as contributing to contemporary thinking on education at national and international level. The Sutherland Report envisaged university staff from different faculties as having a valuable role to play in refreshing and broadening ongoing teacher education. professional review and development (prd) The framework for performance appraisal or annual reviews for teachers, most commonly known as ‘professional review and development’, CPD (SEED, 2003) makes it clear that: ‘ All teachers should maintain a CPD Profile for the current year and, where appropriate, two previous years. The profile will comprise a CPD Plan, indicating the development objectives and the development activities agreed during the annual professional review and a CPD record, briefly detailing the professional development activities undertaken’. Professional dialogue within PRD is most effective when it is both supportive and challenging and signals practical steps towards improved practice. It can help to stimulate and sustain the development of individual teachers as well as helping them to manage the demands of the dynamic contexts in which they work. However, the quality and impact of PRD varies significantly across Scotland. Nearly half of teachers responding to our online survey did not agree that PRD was effective in identifying priorities for CPD. The results are shown in the chart below. CharT 5.3: effeCTiveness of arranGemenTs for professional review in idenTifyinG prioriTies for Cpd
7%
10%
18% Very effective Effective Neither effective nor ineffective 42% 27%
Ineffective Very ineffective
Credible and effective PRD should guide the selection and focus of CPD. However, the conditions for making PRD effective are not universally in place. Teachers do not always have an
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