PGCE Reflective Practice and CPD 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'continuing professional development' (CPD) involve for teachers?
- Ongoing engagement with research, training, collaboration, and reflection to improve teaching quality throughout a career (Correct answer)
- Only attending mandatory training days
- Completing a postgraduate qualification every five years
- Reading Ofsted reports annually
Correct answer: Ongoing engagement with research, training, collaboration, and reflection to improve teaching quality throughout a career
CPD is a career-long commitment to improving practice through multiple channels — research, coaching, collaboration, formal training, and reflective practice — not just mandated annual events.
Question 2: What is 'coaching' as a form of CPD and how does it differ from mentoring?
- Coaching draws out the coachee's own solutions through questioning; mentoring passes on the mentor's experience and advice (Correct answer)
- They are the same process
- Coaching is only for struggling teachers
- Mentoring involves no professional knowledge, coaching does
Correct answer: Coaching draws out the coachee's own solutions through questioning; mentoring passes on the mentor's experience and advice
Coaching is non-directive — the coach facilitates the coachee's own thinking and problem-solving. Mentoring is more directive, sharing the mentor's experience and expertise.
Question 3: What is a 'professional learning community' (PLC)?
- A group of educators who collaborate regularly to improve their practice through shared inquiry, reflection, and data analysis (Correct answer)
- A social group within a school
- A union representation structure
- An online forum for teachers
Correct answer: A group of educators who collaborate regularly to improve their practice through shared inquiry, reflection, and data analysis
PLCs are structured collaborative groups within or across schools that use inquiry and shared evidence to improve teaching and pupil outcomes — they are a powerful form of collective CPD.
Question 4: What does 'action research' involve in the context of teacher professional development?
- Systematically investigating a specific aspect of practice, collecting evidence, and using findings to improve teaching in the teacher's own context (Correct answer)
- Publishing formal academic research journals
- Conducting standardised experiments in controlled conditions
- Reviewing external research without implementing changes
Correct answer: Systematically investigating a specific aspect of practice, collecting evidence, and using findings to improve teaching in the teacher's own context
Action research is practitioner-led inquiry — identifying a question about practice, collecting evidence, implementing changes, and evaluating impact in the specific classroom context.
Question 5: What is the Teachers' Standard that most directly relates to professional development?
- Standard 8 — wider professional responsibilities, including taking responsibility for improving teaching through CPD (Correct answer)
- Standard 1 — high expectations
- Standard 6 — assessment
- Standard 4 — lesson planning
Correct answer: Standard 8 — wider professional responsibilities, including taking responsibility for improving teaching through CPD
Standard 8 explicitly includes the requirement to take responsibility for improving teaching through CPD and to engage critically with research and evidence to improve practice.
Question 6: What is 'metacognitive reflection' and why is it particularly valuable for PGCE trainees?
- Thinking about your own thinking and learning processes — allowing trainees to identify patterns in their practice and accelerate professional growth (Correct answer)
- A higher-level academic qualification
- A form of classroom observation
- A type of pupil assessment strategy
Correct answer: Thinking about your own thinking and learning processes — allowing trainees to identify patterns in their practice and accelerate professional growth
Metacognitive reflection involves examining not just what happened but how you think, make decisions, and learn — for trainees, this accelerates the development of professional judgement.
PGCE Reflective Practice and CPD 2
What does 'continuing professional development' (CPD) involve for teachers?