2004 Survey: key messages

Teachers’ main experiences of professional development activities are working with colleagues within their own school as part of collaborative learning experiences or by taking part in school self-evaluation processes. Fewer than one-third of teachers experience such development activities frequently and such activities are more likely to take place in primary schools than in secondary schools.

• 80 per cent of teachers do not feel that their professional development needs are met in full and 17 per cent of teachers have contributed financially to their own professional development in the last year
• there is a high level of sharing of expertise and knowledge between teachers within schools but sharing between schools is limited
• teachers are, in general, enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge and expertise with trainee or new teachers although teachers in their 50s are more likely to show some reluctance
• teachers feel that the support they give could be enhanced by mentor training, a more co-ordinated school approach and ethos to encourage such support, and guidance regarding the needs of trainee and new teachers. The largest single need, however, is the provision of ring-fenced or dedicated time.
  

The majority of teachers feel that the following learning opportunities provided for pupils are sufficient in their schools:

• pupils’ emotional development
• their spiritual development
• their individual needs
• the breadth and depth of subjects studied
• citizenship
• essential literacy and numeracy skills
• information and communication technology (ICT) skills.

There are four areas where most teachers indicate that more emphasis is needed:

• pupils’ creativity
• their interpersonal skills
• developing their thinking and problem-solving skills
• helping them to understand the best way to learn.

The findings suggest that the principle of shared responsibility for the curriculum seems to have been generally accepted and that teachers are willing to consider different levels at which this shared responsibility could operate.

With regard to national curriculum assessment, the outcomes of the survey show that opinions vary on the appropriateness of the balance between using assessment to support learning and using it to measure learning.

The most widely-used strategies to foster motivation in pupils at risk of disengagement are:

• individual education plans
• home-school dialogue
• a reward system
• contributions from support staff.

Each of these strategies was considered to be effective in fostering motivation.

The main sources of teachers’ ideas for their most effective and inspirational lessons are through interactions with pupils, reflection on their own practice, talking with colleagues, and subject specific events or activities. A smaller but nevertheless sizeable number of teachers gain ideas though interactions or events in their personal life and through observing the practice of colleagues.

Teachers are most likely to advise someone who is considering entering the profession that it is a rewarding, exciting and fulfilling career and one which is very demanding. Anyone thinking about entering the profession should therefore make a positive choice to do so. Not all teachers would recommend the profession to others.

Teachers stay in teaching because of their commitment to the education of young people, in terms of both being involved in pupils’ development and in increasing pupil achievement and raising standards.

The overwhelming majority of teachers wish to develop and strengthen their practice as a classroom teacher. Although many wish to develop their careers by becoming a mentor/coach, or to develop it in a managerial role, the majority do not see themselves as future headteachers.

Most teachers have recent experience of formal training to develop their careers, and want to receive more; in general, they also want more career guidance, mentoring, and written advice. Although the majority of teachers would like the choice of receiving greater support in developing their careers, some would not wish to make use of it.

Only the National Strategies, (for example National Primary or Key Stage 3 Strategy), and the government’s initiatives in information and communication technologies in schools receive any substantial support from teachers as a way of helping them to make a difference in improving education.

Most teachers want a future for teaching which puts more emphasis on developing learners’ initiative, analytical and thinking powers and more emphasis on teachers’ professional creativity and informed judgement. This latter development is, however, considered to be particularly unlikely.

Regarding the future of learning, most teachers want a future in which learners will be increasingly encouraged to apply their knowledge in new ways and in which learners will expect to be helped to develop the skills of learning to learn. The futures that teachers think most likely to happen are:

• where they guide learners to know how and where they can access information
• where they involve learners more in their education
• where online and ICT-based techniques of learning are increased.

This latter development, however, would be a desirable change for only 55 per cent of teachers, the least-attractive outcome of those listed for the future of learning.