Know your stuff!

The Nuffield Curriculum Centre, the Design and Technology Association and the Association for Science Education hosted an invitation seminar in October 2005 to consider the professional development needs of design & technology and science teachers.

The morning featured keynote addresses from the Teacher Development Agency, SETNET and SETPOINTS, Science Learning Centres and the Professional Associations. In the afternoon working groups considered content, progression, delivery and funding.

The full report details the keynotes and feedback from the working groups, presents three studies and describes the role of professional development in educational change and the emergence of a national policy for teacher professional development.

The report makes five recommendations:

1 concerning the clarity of funding;
2 concerning the varieties of provision;
3 concerning learning from industry;
4 concerning the agenda for professional development;
5 concerning the building of communities of practice.

You can down load the full report (2.1 MB) or the executive summary (235 KB).