A model for continued professional development: knowledge, belief and action

Abstract

In this article the authors are concerned with the role of continued professional development (CPD) in the exploration and development of teachers' professional identity. Evidence from the literature paints an intriguing and complex picture, that which shows teaching as a kind of professional action that has to be built upon values, beliefs and knowledge. During some programmes of CPD, after only minimal input of science content, we see instances of transformation in the practice and perceptions of primary science teaching. Thus, one is required to look beyond the often quoted ‘content hurdle’ to uncover the catalysts for such a change. We present a new model to examine how teachers make sense of the CPD experiences they undergo. We argue that successful CPD should centre on means of enabling professional judgement (and thus identity and values) to flourish alongside new science knowledge, through opportunities for combining its application with an evaluation of practice.