About the Study
From leading Australian researcher Ben Jensen, the new report Beyond PD: Teacher Professional Learning in High-Performing Systems analyzes the way four high-performing systems provide professional learning to their teachers. Shanghai, British Columbia, Singapore, and Hong Kong all score near the top of all jurisdictions tested in mathematics, reading and science on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
While these systems are quite different, the key to all of them is that collaborative professional learning (teachers working with other teachers to improve curriculum, instruction, school climate, etc.) is built into the daily lives of teachers and school leaders. This is reinforced by policies and school organizations that:
- Free up time in the daily lives of teachers for collaborative professional learning
- Create leadership roles for expert teachers who both develop other teachers and lead school improvement teams
- Recognize and reward the development of teacher expertise
- Enable teachers and school leaders to share responsibility for their own professional learning and that of their peers.
This report is one of a series of reports from CIEB on teacher quality systems in top-performing countries. The series also includes Developing Shanghai’s Teachers and Empowered Educators.
Related Materials and Tools
More details on the roles of leaders in these systems
Example job descriptions of teacher leader roles
HK: Description of Primary School Curriculum Leader Role
SI: School Staff Developer Network Description
BC – Sample District Coordinator of Inquiry job Description
Sample annual school plans
BC – Sample School 2013 Annual Plan
BC – Sample Elementary School Learning Plan 2013-2014
BC – Sample Secondary School Learning Plan
SI: Excerpt of Sample Primary School Total Learning Plan
School staff developer induction program
Examples of teacher evaluation including appraisal forms, evaluation materials, and performance indicators for evaluations
- HK: Sample school appraisal form for promotion
- HK: Sample evaluation form for teaching staff on probation
- SH: List of Required Materials for Master Teacher evaluation
Sample external school review and inspection materials
- HK: Performance Indicators for Hong Kong Schools
- HK: Tools and data for school self-evaluation for Hong Kong Schools
Sample school self-evaluations and parent, teacher, and student surveys
- HK: School Report Template
- HK: Parent Questionnaire
- HK: Teacher Questionnaire
- HK: Student Questionnaire
Examples of quality control surveys and review forms
- HK: Support Services Annual Survey Teacher Questionnaire
- HK: Support Services Annual Survey Interview Protocol
- HK: Support Services Participant Utilization Survey
- HK: Participant Questionnaire for Leadership Course
- SI: Academy of Singapore Teachers Pre- and Post-Course Review Form
Forms relating to classroom observations
- HK: Education Bureau Lesson Observation Form
- HK: Education Bureau Graded Assignment Inspection
- HK: Sample School Peer Lesson Observation Form
- HK: Sample School Lesson Observation & Data Collection Form
- HK: Sample School Lesson Observation Form
- HK: Set of Sample Lesson Observation and Data Collection Tools
- SI: National Institute for Education Practicum Observation Form
- SI: National Institute for Education Lesson Observation Feedback Cycle
Sample grant application form for inquiry group funding
Further information on the Spiral of Inquiry, additional school examples, and the history of learning communities in British Columbia
Sample inquiry planning tool
BC: Sample school Inquiry planning template
Sample Guidelines for Learning Communities
HK: Education Bureau Overview of Collaborative Lesson Planning
SI: Academy of Singapore Teachers Learning Circle Framework and process
SI: Academy of Singapore Teachers Networked Learning Communities Overview
SI: Academy of Singapore Teachers Professional Learning Communities Overview
BC: Sample District Guidance for Inquiry Questions
SH: Sample District Criteria for the Development of School Teaching and Research Groups
Sample Elementary School’s Learning Plan
Sample guidelines for how to run mentor programs and a sample mentoring agreement
SH: Regulations on the Management of Mentor Hiring for Teachers in Sample High School
SH: Sample Mentoring Agreement for Middle School
Sample materials for beginning teacher programs
HK: Professional Development for Beginning Teachers: An Induction Toolkit
HK: Pamphlet on Teacher Induction Scheme
SI: Academy of Singapore Teachers Beginning Teacher Induction Program Framework
SH: Beginning Teacher Standardized Training Manual
SH: Beginning Teacher – Unit of Analysis of Teaching Materials – Table 6
SH: Beginning Teacher – Design of Class and Plan – Table 14
SH: Beginning Teacher – Record of Classroom Visit and Evaluation – Table 17
SH: Beginning Teacher – Quality Analysis Report on Unit Examination – Table 21
SH: Beginning Teacher – Individual Analysis and Research – Table 30
SH: Beginning Teacher Training Schedule
SH: Implementation Plan on Standardized Training for Trainee Teachers in Sample District
SH: Teacher’s Professional Development Record – Notebook
More information on how beginning teachers are trained in these systems
A detailed description on how mentoring programs can operate
Sample diagnosis form from Shanghai
Examples of research courses for teachers, teacher-led workshops, and seminar content
SI: Academy of Singapore Teachers research and critical inquiry courses for teachers
SI: National Institute for Education Developing School Leaders Program
SI: National Institute for Graduate Studies and Professional Learning
Examples of school-based curriculum development
HK: Education Bureau Overview of Collaborative Lesson Planning
SI: Academy of Singapore Teachers Learning Circle Framework and process
SI: Academy of Singapore Teachers Networked Learning Communities Overview
SI: Academy of Singapore Teachers Professional Learning Communities Overview
BC: Sample District Guidance for Inquiry Questions
SH: Sample District Criteria for the Development of School Teaching and Research Groups
School-based Curriculum Development in the Primary Schools
Description of the range of support offered to schools in Hong Kong
HK: Education Bureau description of school-based support services
HK: Quality Education Fund Overview
External expertise in British Columbia and Hong Kong
