Bloomsbury CPD Library

Summer Turner

In the past few years, the way we think about assessment has undergone a revolution. From the re-organisation of qualifications and examinations at national level (including removing National Curriculum levels at secondary school) to the increasing focus on active research to develop feedback strategies with a measurable impact, assessment has never been so much at the forefront of educational thought. While previously assessment was bound to the curriculum, now there is a demand for schools to develop assessment systems that are merely driven by it. Despite raising serious questions and challenges, these dramatic changes provide a reason for teachers to evaluate their practice. Simultaneously, the nature of CPD has been reinvigorated in the 'digital age', with teachers galvanised by online resources, Twitter and educational blogs. The result? Teachers can take their development into their own hands, and re-professionalise teaching! Bringing together these two movements, this book provides an opportunity for teachers to grasp what formative assessment means, how it complements the curriculum when used effectively, how to employ it in their classroom and school, and how they can improve their assessment systems and practice within the classroom. Divided into two parts, train yourself and teach others, this book will dispel concerns, and help teachers and school leaders to embrace and excel in all areas of formative assessment!

Bloomsbury CPD Library: Secondary Curriculum and Assessment Design

José Picardo

Designing a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme can be daunting. Whether you are looking to better your own practice or coach your colleagues, it can be hard to know where to start. But don't worry, the Bloomsbury CPD Library is here to help! Divided into two unique sections, Teach Yourself and Train Others, this book is perfect for individual teachers, middle leaders and those looking to introduce whole-school CPD training programmes. The provision of technology focused CPD is often based on the 'whizz and bang' approach, promoting the use of eye-catching digital tools and equipment in classrooms without due consideration to pedagogical factors and, crucially, the individual school's context. José Picardo's new book will consider how technology is used in schools and provide research-informed strategies to help improve teaching and learning by using technology effectively. It focuses on the need to train staff in the skills required to choose the right technology to have lasting impact and combines not only information about how technology can best work in the classroom, but also what makes great teaching and how technology can complement this. The goal of the book is to help teachers integrate technology seamlessly into daily practice so that technology is used almost reflexively, effectively and without fuss. It also provides guidance on how to integrate this methodology and way of thinking across your school as well as training other teachers to successfully choose and use the best technology for their subject and their students. The book provides ten ready-to-use training plans, equating to a cost of just £2.30 per CPD session!

Bloomsbury CPD Library: Using Technology in the Classroom

Paul K. Ainsworth

Designing a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme can be daunting. Whether you are looking to better your own practice or coach your colleagues, it can be hard to know where to start. But don't worry, the Bloomsbury CPD Library is here to help! Divided into two unique sections, Teach Yourself and Train Others, these books are perfect for individual teachers, middle leaders, and those looking to introduce whole-school CPD training programmes. Striving to become a middle leader in your school? Already in a middle leadership role but looking to excel? Then this book is for you! Taking an easy-to-follow, chronological approach this book takes you through the five stages of your middle leadership career, from interview preparation to those first steps in role. With a focus on long-term development and progression of practice you are also provided with evaluation strategies and questionnaires, plus a full set of training plans to run your own CPD sessions and help train other aspiring middle leaders. The book is accompanied by PowerPoint slides available to download online for free and in total, it offers 11 hours, 30 minutes of CPD, equating to a cost of just £2.00 per hour of training!

Bloomsbury CPD Library: Middle Leadership

John L. Taylor

"Independent learning is an ideal which many teachers aspire to but find difficult to achieve. It is common for school inspectors to comment on the need for students to learn more independently, and from higher education admissions officers and employers there is a constant call for students to be better equipped to be able to learn and think for themselves. Students themselves enjoy and benefit from lessons in which they are given the opportunity to begin to take charge of the learning process, particularly when there is space for them to explore and inquire into topics that grab their attention. At the same time, there is enormous pressure on schools to 'teach to the test', leading many teachers to feel that they have to play safe and cannot risk giving their students genuine responsibility for their own learning, lest results suffer. Critics also argue that students need to be taught directly, as the capacity for meaningful inquiry is not one that most students possess, and even when it is present, the open-ended nature of the inquiry process can make learning inefficient. In this book, John L. Taylor shows how the rhetoric about independent learning can be turned into a practical reality. The book explores the foundations of effective learning and demonstrates how it is possible to implement an approach to learning which encourages students to learn to think for themselves. It shows how by teaching students to think better, teachers can ensure that they both succeed in jumping assessment hurdles and also enjoy a richer, more meaningful educational experience."--Publisher's description.

Bloomsbury CPD Library: Independent Learning

Sarah Findlater

Marking and feedback forms a crucial part of every teachers' daily routine, but it is also a core focus area for CPD, which is closely assessed by Ofsted. This book will enable you to assess specific areas where you could improve your own practice and will also enable you to train your colleagues in this essential area too. Sarah Findlater begins with an overview of the main marking and feedback approaches so that you can really get to grips with the theory behind different methods, before moving on to practical ideas that you can use in the classroom. In addition to these short-term strategies, the book contains suggested evaluation techniques and questionnaires to support long-term development and progression of practice. The book provides a set of ready-to-use training plans and is accompanied by PowerPoint slides available to download online for free. It offers around 16 hours of CPD, equating to a cost of just £1.45 per hour of training!

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