Continuous Professional Development

Evaluation sheets used in a series of JCSP sessions show high levels of satisfaction (Granville 2005, P. 21).

Phelps (2007) notes that professional development should assist teachers in making explicit connections between their ideas, their beliefs and their practice. This professional development in his view should also take into account the realities of classroom life and (given the increasing cultural and linguistic diversity of the school population and the inclusion of students with learning disabilities) teachers need guidance on how to best serve adolescents who are susceptible to failure or dropping out (2007, p.25). Good advice should be incorporated into the JCSP CPD approach. The vast majority of the teachers interviewed during the Irish inspectors' study of literacy and numeracy standards in disadvantaged primary schools (2005) indicated that their initial teacher training did not prepare them sufficiently for the challenge of their present teaching situation and that their training was not an effective preparation for teaching in a disadvantaged setting.

The teachers referred to their day-to-day practice in the schools as being very removed from theory addressed in colleges. Teachers referred to learning primarily from their own experiences, and a general sense of "learning as you go" was evident in some of the teachers’ responses. (DES 2005, p.32)

As a result of these findings the Inspectorate recommended that a team of teachers with recognised expertise in literacy and numeracy should work in a professional development role to provide specialist support for schools in these curricular areas, in order to enhance and develop teacher expertise and to further develop in-school management processes and

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systems. It was also recommended that high-support programmes (such as Reading Recovery) that feature systematic support for individuals or small groups should be extended, giving priority to the most disadvantaged schools. Further to this the comptroller and auditor (Government of Ireland, 2006) advised that the wide variety of successful approaches and interventions aimed at increasing literacy levels should be provided with a forum to exchange experiences and information, especially in relation to evaluation of the approaches taken.

Engagement in ongoing professional development can lead to modest gains in pupil achievement. For example, the US National Assessment of Educational Progress found that teachers who had more professional training were likely to use a wider variety of instructional practices, and less likely to engage in extensive use of activities such as reading kits and basal readers [National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), n.d., cited in Darling- Hammond, 2000]. Taylor, Pearson, Peterson and Rodriguez (2005) found that professional development was most effective (in terms of effects on pupil achievement) when it was evidence-based, ongoing, involving collaboration amongst school staff and providing opportunities to reflect on practice.

In Ireland, according to Eivers et al (2005) pre-service training in relation to the teaching of reading is not fully meeting the needs of teachers or pupils, and in-career development is unsatisfactory for identifying and dealing with reading difficulties (2005, p.11). They recommend that pre-service training should have a greater focus on reading development, with a particular emphasis on teaching educationally disadvantaged pupils.

Irish and international research provides a very rich source of good practice that can be drawn upon to support the further development of the JCSP literacy strategy.

According to Voght and Shearer (2011), professional development must be multidimensional rather than a single-hit workshop or presentation. It must address shared goals, with support structures planned for each goal. Support structures could include “planning sessions, formal workshops and problem-solving, formal or informal observation, peer coaching, individual consultation, dissemination of resources, incorporation of specialised materials, self-evaluation, in-class support, or lesson modeling by reading specialists and literacy coaches” (Voght and Shearer, 2011, p.219). A collaborative and

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communicative environment is key. Goals should include periodic assessments and teachers’ individual goals should be supported in some way. We must find a way to move from the old transmission model of dumping information into teachers to a constructivist approach that incorporates their own skills and desires in a living, breathing, meaningful, ongoing, site-based, organic model. The way we teach teachers must be a model of how we expect them to teach students.

Eithne Kennedy’s work in her 2010 dissertation on the empowerment of teachers in high- poverty schools using professional development provides direct evidence in support of Voght and Shearer’s assertions. In a model that included consultation with the whole staff, a decision was made to “implement interventions among first graders, their parents, their classroom teachers, and the four special education teachers” (Kennedy, 2010, p.385) in Dublin. Teachers gained knowledge in essential literacy skills, were equipped with strategies to address these skills and used “assessment tools to enable them to respond to students’ needs in a way that would capitalise on their motivation and engagement (Guthrie & Anderson, 1999) while building their metacognitive awareness (eg Paris, Lipson & Wixon, 1994) and honouring their agency and creativity (e.g. Grainger, Goouch & Lambirth, 2005)”. The results of the study were impressive, with powerful effects on student achievement. The impacts of the multidimensional approach ranged far and wide. “Parents were of the opinion that their children were engaged in reading and writing outside the school in ways they had not seen prior to the intervention, and this was seen as having a positive influence on the family as a whole” (p.385). “Teachers reported having higher expectations for the students and higher levels of self-efficacy and confidence in their own ability to address literacy difficulties” (p.385). Finally, “a more systematic, coherent, integrated, and cognitively challenging curriculum was in evidence by the end of the study” (p.386).

Kennedy makes several suggestions in her conclusion. She writes “First, provision of a multifaceted professional development programme for teachers is essential in addressing underachievement in literacy… Second, it is important that teacher creativity and individuality is honored throughout the professional development… Third, it is important to introduce change gradually and to build early success into the change process. Significant changes in teachers’ beliefs and attitudes occurred after positive changes in student learning outcomes, motivation, and engagement were apparent… Fourth, a systematic,

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coherent, integrated, and cognitively challenging curriculum is especially important in a high-poverty context… Fifth, blocks of time and a ‘push-in’, collaborative approach are crucial. Finally, although not a major focus of the study, parental involvement was also a significant factor” (Kennedy, 2010, p.386).

It is interesting to note that there is a precedent in the US and the UK to investigate the impact of literacy interventions. We do have interesting research in the primary sector in Ireland but very little is written on second level. It is like the problem goes away for a period once the students transfer to second level, only waiting to re-appear in the adult literacy section of research reports. Maybe researchers have been waiting for a set of interventions to measure? Of course the emphasis should be on primary but this literature review certainly reveals the great need that continues on into second level. What lessons can be taken from the research? First and foremost that a multi-layered response must be put in place for such a complex issue. Apart from reading instruction, access to books and reading materials, we must give the students confidence that they can succeed. Before this can happen we need as a profession to build our own confidence and be clear how we can help. Exploratory studies with regard to two selected programmes—Leaving Certificate English and the JCSP—were undertaken to examine, among other research issues, the extent to which teachers were actually challenged to operate outside their comfort zones. The indications were that engagements of a critical professional nature did indeed occur, which affirms the quality of professional engagement. ( Granville, 2005, p.19)

It is hoped that the JCSP literacy strategy with action research based interventions will support the profession in gaining this essential component - confidence.