A Pedagogical Model to Scale Up Effective Teacher Professional Development – Findings from The Teacher Academy Initiative of the European Commission

Abstract

Teachers continue to experience change in education policy, societal trends, and cultural shifts in pedagogical thought, which all require a continual adaptation and innovation of their own practice. Effective support and opportunities for teachers to develop and apply their competences is crucial for maintaining both motivation and high standards in the school education profession. However, many teachers across Europe claim to struggle to have access to effective forms of Continued Professional Development (CPD) coupled with the numerous demands already made on their work. Onsite (face to face) courses with opportunities for peer learning remain popular but are not time or financially cost-effective in reaching a large number of teachers. By exploring the pedagogical model of the online courses of the European Commission’s ‘Teacher Academy’, this article discusses how an effective, collaborative approach to online CPD can be developed as a way of addressing both teacher and school education system needs.