Types of Professional Learning
Teachers can choose from a broad range of professional learning opportunities with the Board anticipating that a variety of learning activities will be undertaken.
Examples of professional learning could include:
- face-to-face activities offered by professional development providers, such as workshops, seminars, conferences and short courses
- formal study leading to a qualification in education or a field relating to a teaching area
- educational research / action research projects
- online learning
- professional reading
- communities of practice and involvement in professional education associations
- professional learning required by your employer that can be referenced to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
Examples of Professional Learning Activities
The following tables list examples of professional learning activities in each category of learning together with the kinds of evidence you could keep. This information should not be considered exhaustive.
Face-to-Face Learning
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Examples of teacher activities |
Evidence that might be appropriate |
Examples provided by teachers: "TRB Professional Learning Conference"; "Maths workshops".
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Study
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Examples of teacher activities |
Evidence that might be appropriate |
Examples provided by teachers: "Masters of Education"; "Certificate IV in Training and Assessment"; "working on PhD".
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Research
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Examples of teacher activities |
Evidence that might be appropriate |
Examples provided by teachers: "reading Managing Classroom Behaviour"; "searched for information about differentiation”.
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Online Learning
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Examples of teacher activities |
Evidence that might be appropriate |
i.e. not just passive viewing of material but actively completing modules online.
Examples provided by teachers: "RAN update course"; "First Aid theory component".
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Communities of Practice
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Examples of teacher activities |
Evidence that might be appropriate |
Example provided by teachers: "Professional association meeting with a guest speaker and focus areas for discussion".
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Activities Not Accepted as Professional Learning
The following examples are of activities not accepted as teacher professional learning. This list should not be considered exhaustive.
Activities core to a teacher’s professional work – Not accepted
- Reading a curriculum to write units, plans, or programs of work
- Finding or making resources, worksheets and assessment pieces
- Setting up a learning area, decorating the classroom, preparing an activity
- Attending open nights, parent-teacher interviews or meetings
- Report writing, marking, entering data on the student learning management system, and submitting students’ work for moderation.
Involvement in external assessment – Not accepted
- SACE/IB examination marking or moderation of students’/children’s work
- NAPLAN marking
- Writing examinations, assessment criteria or curricula
- Competition grading e.g., Australian Maths Competition, judging for art/history prizes, being on the audition panel for Adelaide Youth Orchestra.
Attendance at meetings without professional learning outcomes – Not accepted
- General staff meetings i.e., administrative aspects at the school/site
- Writing the school/site newsletter or minutes
- Membership of a Board or Governing Council and attending their meetings
- Working in the role of a secretary for a committee.
Mentoring – Not accepted
- Working one-on-one with a child/student
- Tutoring
- Supervising pre-service teachers
- Coaching or managing sports teams (school or community)
- Supervising in a boarding house
- Giving resources and feedback to other teachers or conducting a performance review.
Delivery of professional learning to others – Not accepted
- Facilitating staff training sessions
- Presenting at conferences
- Conducting workshops or information sessions.
Professional activities – Not accepted
- Participating on a panel
- Training regarding strategies for employment applications
- Writing job applications
- Recording professional learning
- Volunteering (in school/site or the community).
Out-of-hours activities – Not accepted
- Accompanying students on excursions and camps
- Supervision of students’ extra-curricular activities
- Attending school/site events and ceremonies
- Participation in a performance or sport
- Personal travel experiences.
Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions and other pages in the Professional Learning menu for further information.