Professional learning position statement
Professional learning is at the centre of teacher professionalism. The Western Australian College of Teaching recognises the centrality of professional learning to building status and fulfilling a professional commitment to improving student outcomes. As professionals, teachers need to update their skills and knowledge continuously, not only in response to a changing world, but in response to new research and emerging knowledge about teaching and learning. There is a growing recognition that highly skilled and knowledgeable teachers have the greatest impact on student achievement.
Professional learning is a continuous and personal commitment to the process of inquiry and reflective practice, supported by activities and programs that enhance skills, knowledge and engagement. The College seeks to build on the commitment to professional learning already established by the current members of the teaching profession. To assist teachers to maintain their membership they will demonstrate engagement in effective, ongoing professional learning and define how this has developed their expertise.
The College has a charter to promote and enhance the teaching profession. It recognises the need for teachers to fulfil a complex role in a dynamic working environment and community. The College will promote professional learning that is based on substantial research and leads to improved practice and engagement.
Through the process of renewal of membership, consultation with membership reference groups and through commissioned research, the College is building a comprehensive picture of the professional learning needs of Western Australian teachers. This information will be used to ensure that the College policy on professional learning and the requirements for renewal of membership are relevant and linked to the Western Australian Professional Standards for Teaching. The College will work to promote high quality, readily accessible and targeted professional learning programs that build the profession and lead to improved student outcomes.
Over the next three years the majority of Western Australia’s teachers will renew their membership. Provision was made in the College regulations for professional learning to be documented in fifteen categories, with teachers required to record a minimum of three professional learning activities. It is expected that, as data related to the availability of professional learning and teachers’ needs is collated, requirements for the renewal of membership will be refined.
In undertaking ongoing professional learning, teachers will demonstrate a collective commitment to maintaining teaching standards, continued development of skills, the acquisition of knowledge, and the commitment to continue to engage with research into teaching and learning. The College acknowledges that this will be most effective when the spirit and professionalism of committed teachers is captured in the renewal documentation that will be used to support and guide the professional learning of teachers.
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Download the College position statement on professional learning |