According to New Zealand researcher John Hattie, the teaching profession should be characterized by continuous and systematic learning. A key issue is to encourage teachers and principals to systematically develop forms of professional development based on research and proven local experience at schools. Something that must also be incorporated into the organization. To achieve this, an environment must be created in schools where teachers can talk about their teaching, feel safe to learn and teach, and be open to giving and receiving.
When teachers together with colleagues discuss, analyze and evaluate their teaching, it results in a better result for the students. What is called collegial learning is a summary term for different forms of competence development where colleagues through structured collaboration acquire knowledge and skills. There are a number of different methods that could be gathered under the term collegial learning, such as learning study, lesson study, auscultation with feedback and collegial tutoring. Which model you choose for your school must depend on the conditions and what fits best.
John Hattie’s research colleague Helen Timperley et al., In a metastudy, has identified a number of factors that are important for continuing education to influence student outcomes:
- education lasts longer
- with the help of external expertise, you get better results
- education is supported by school management
- teachers have time to process new information
- teachers are committed to the learning process for their teaching to become profound
- teachers are challenged in their earlier education of teaching
- teachers get opportunities to discuss