Developing your skills as a classroom teacher will not only help you deliver engaging and informative lessons to your pupils, but it will also help you to progress your teaching career. Our top three ways of developing your career are:
- undertaking a further education course
- attending a non-university training course
- completing continuous professional development training
how to develop your teaching career.
Continuing professional development (CPD) is a great way of showing employers that you are committed to your industry and willing to keep up to date with new approaches to teaching. Whether you ultimately wish to move into a middle management position, or simply want to be the best teacher possible, developing your skills as you progress your career is crucial.
further education.
One of the ways in which you can develop your skills as a classroom teacher is by undertaking a postgraduate degree in education. Further study and teacher training can provide you with critical, reflective, and innovative ways to approach the classroom environment. Many universities, or their associated institutes of education, offer Masters courses that often vary in emphasis.
Some degrees will focus on specific subject areas, while others will look to develop your leadership, management or assessment skills. Course content will differ by institution, so it’s up to each individual to assess which particular degree programme is best suited for their own professional development. Courses can often be taught either full-time or part-time. Applicants usually have obtained at least a 2:2 in their Bachelor’s degree and are already working in education.
non-university courses.
Aside from university courses, there are other industry-recognised qualifications that can help you to improve your teaching skills. Professional bodies like the NASUWT teachers’ union offer consultation opportunities, seminars and external training courses for its members whether they are newly qualified teachers (NQTs) or more experienced educators.
Attending these training courses are often an effective way of broadening your teaching skill set beyond simply having an excellent knowledge of your subject. Wider aspects of classroom life like health and safety, organisation skills and ICT literacy may all be covered.
CPD tips.
Outside of additional training, a wide variety of other methods can be used to achieve continuous professional development. Firstly, talk to your peers about your profession and ask them if they have any advice or tips on how to improve your teaching methods.
Joining an industry body is a great way of meeting other teachers, many of whom will have years of experience and knowledge that they are willing to share. Similarly, carrying out peer-led observations of your lessons is ideal for generating constructive feedback on your teaching strengths and weaknesses.
Another way of improving your teaching skills it to ensure that you are as informed as possible when it comes to recent industry trends. Subscribe to teaching newsletters and follow relevant accounts on Twitter and other social networks to stay connected to the latest industry research and opinions.
When carrying out development proposals there are also a few key tips to bear in mind. Make sure that some sort of evaluation occurs after each training sessions to identify what went well and which aspects can be improved. At Randstad, we offer CPD courses to all of our staff - click here to find out more.
personal development.
Perhaps the best way for teachers to develop their skills is to ensure that they take personal responsibility for their own CPD.
Evaluate where you want your career to go and what you need to do in order to get there. Read widely on your subject and profession and be inquisitive – these are fundamental attributes in the education industry and are just as relevant for developing your own skills as they are for your pupils. By actively pursuing your professional development you can take your skillset and career to new heights, because there’s always more to learn.
If you would like to find out more about building your career, get CV and interview tips or how to go about finding the right job, then click here.
