Just how do you if the professional development staff in schools are undetaking is making any difference?
The issue perhaps is that we are asking questions about ‘impact’ at the wrong time.
Traditionally courses are ‘evaluated’ by asking questions at the end of a particular pieces of training or training event. These questions tend to produce ‘in the moment’ responses with perhaps little reflection on exactly how the training experience will effect what happens subsequently.
At the CPD Leadership Conference in Dorset on the 10th June we explored an adaptation of Guskey’s evaluation framework and considered the propsition that impact evaluation not only allows for considerations of value and relevance but also is central to school development planning and performance management.
It was noted that perhaps the word ‘impact’ could be replaced with the word ‘change’. Hence questions about ‘impact’ become very specific questions about ‘what has changed as a result of the professional development’?
More importantly in all cases the fundamental question is about BEHAVIOUR.
What is being done differently as a result of the training.
In order to put any evaluation in context it seems to make sense to ask ‘predictive’ questions before the training; to have some idea of the potential ‘impact’ by linking a needs analysis (defined by the school improvement plan personal performance targets) to the content of the ‘course’ (specific learning, skills to be delivered).
The evaluation frameworks, questions and notes discussed at the conference can be found with a literature review regarding measuring impact of M level CPD an be found in the Xtra Materials section of this blog.
Perhaps impact is abour….
Alan
