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Professional learning planning guide

A practical guide to support school leaders to use the HIPL model when planning professional learning.

About the Professional learning planning guide

This guide is designed to support school leaders to use the HIPL model when planning professional learning at a whole school or team level.

Use this guide to plan for, select, implement and evaluate professional learning that is focused on the needs of students within your school context. Using this process will ensure your new learning will have maximum impact on student progress and achievement.

This process supports teachers to engage in a cycle of continuous professional learning as described in the Professional learning for teachers and school staff procedure.

The professional learning you access might be sourced from the department or external vendors. It might include microlearning to support curriculum reform, literacy and numeracy learning or subject-specific content.

Other resources, such as CESE guides, academic papers and resources on the Universal Resource Hub might also provide a foundation for the cycle of professional learning or add content and support to the learning program.

    Purpose of resource

    This guide is designed to support school leaders to use the High Impact Professional Learning model to plan, implement and evaluate professional learning at a whole school or team level.

    This process supports teachers to engage in a cycle of continuous professional learning as described in the Professional learning for teachers and school staff procedure within the School Excellence policy.

    This resource supports school leaders to plan, implement and evaluate a cycle of continuous professional learning that is focused on strengthening teaching practice. It will support the application of the High Impact Professional Learning (HIPL) model and ensure professional learning will have maximum impact on student growth and performance.

    Target audience

    School leadership teams and aspiring leaders can use this resource to lead and plan professional learning focused on strengthening teaching practice.

    When and how to use

    The resource should be used as part of school planning to support coherence in the planning of professional learning aligned with school improvement measures. It will support the development of plans that consider resourcing and structural requirements to implement high-impact professional learning.

    School leadership teams and aspiring leaders might use this guide:

    • to plan for, select, implement and evaluate professional learning that is focused on strengthening teaching practice and the needs of students within a school context

    • to ensure professional learning will have maximum impact on student growth and performance when applied in practice

    • at the start of a planning cycle to embed professional learning within the SEP and IPMs

    • when working with specific teams to address key goals or priorities – eg implementation of new K-2 curriculum

    The resource includes an implementation guide, a planning template and an illustration of practice which provides an example of what application of the resource looks like in a school context, including suggested time frames.

    Research base

    This resource is informed by and aligns to the department’s High Impact Professional Learning (HIPL) model which is embedded in the Professional learning for teachers and schools staff procedure within the School Excellence policy. The HIPL model is underpinned by extensive research about teacher professional learning to ensure that professional learning in schools has maximum impact on student growth and performance.

    Alignment

    Alignment to system priorities and/or needs – This resource supports teachers and school leaders to implement the department’s Professional learning for teachers and school staff procedure within the School Excellence policy.

    Alignment to School Excellence Framework – This resource aligns with the following elements and themes within the School Excellence Framework:

    • Teaching domain > Learning and development > Professional learning

    • Leading domain > Educational leadership > Leading, teaching and learning

    Alignment to Our Plan for NSW Public Education – This resource aligns with the following themes:

    • Support staff development through high-quality and accessible professional learning

    • Support schools to deliver school excellence through continuous improvement

    • Strengthen educational and instructional leadership

    Alignment with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers – 6.1.4, 6.3.4, 6.4.4

    Consulted with: Literacy and Numeracy, Curriculum and Reform, LEED and Quality Teaching Practice teams

    Reviewed by: Director, Quality Teaching Practice and Executive Director, Teaching Quality and Impact

    Related resources

    Contact

    Provide feedback on this resource by completing this short survey.

    Email questions, comments, and additional feedback about this resource to professionallearning@det.nsw.edu.au using the subject line ‘Professional learning planning guide’.

    Access the tool

    Click 'Next' to continue to use the online tool.

    Or ...

    This step aligns with the HIPL element: Professional learning is driven by identified student needs.

    Step 1: Why?

    What is the problem you are trying to solve?

    Analyse school and class data and consider:

    • What are the student needs that we intend to address?
    • How do you know?

    Evaluation plan

    What evaluative processes can you use? For example: Logic modelling

    What data sources are you using? For example: Formal assessment data, work samples, observation

    This step aligns with the HIPL element: Professional learning is continuous and coherent.

    Step 2: What?

    What professional learning or universal resources could you use to build the professional learning cycle?

    Gather information about the professional learning or resource options and consider:

    • What are the learning intentions of the professional learning?
    • How does this professional learning course or universal resource address the identified student needs?
    • What is the research or evidence behind this professional learning or resource?
    • How does the professional learning connect to school practices, your school's SEP/IPMs, staff PDP goals and strategies, and DoE practices and resources?

    Evaluation plan

    • Connect evaluation to existing processes and systems in the SEP, IPMs and other school systems.
    • Identify how you will use your findings from this step to inform your inquiry and your evaluation questions.

    This step aligns with the HIPL elements: School leadership teams enable professional learning; and Collaborative and applied professional learning strengthens teaching practice.

    Step 3: How?

    How will the professional learning cycle be implemented?

    Identify key aspects of the implementation cycle, including:

    • Who will be involved in the professional learning (which leaders and teachers)? Who will lead it, who will participate?
    • When will this happen? How much time will need to be allocated to engage in the professional learning process?
    • How will collaboration be embedded throughout the professional learning?
    • How and when will new learning be applied in the classroom?
    • What data will be gathered to identify evidence of impact on student learning?
    • How will the professional learning cycle be funded?
    • How will learning from the professional learning cycle be shared with other members of staff? Who will be responsible for sharing? What is the time frame?

    Evaluation plan

    What data sources and evaluative processes will you use to identify evidence of process quality? For example:

    • surveys/exit slips to gauge how the professional learning was received by participants
    • teaching and learning programs or classroom observations to identify if learnings from the professional learning have been incorporated into practice

    This step aligns with the HIPL element: Teachers and school leaders are responsible for the impact of professional learning on student progress and achievement.

    Step 4: What was the impact?

    How will we know if the professional learning has changed teacher practice and had impact on student progress and achievement?

    Plan for how evidence of impact will be used:

    • What criteria will we use to analyse the data? For example:
      • Learning Progressions
      • syllabus outcomes
      • rubrics
    • What will we do with our analysis? For example:
      • identify further professional learning to build on this learning or address emerging needs
      • scale the learning to other groups
      • determine if the professional learning goals have been achieved and a new goal identified or prioritised
    • What is the time frame for this process?

    Evaluation plan

    What evaluative processes or tools can support this step? For example:

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