There are many components of the GTT and we do not prescribe a single model for how they all should be used together. How your school will use the Toolkit depends on your context – we’ve deliberately built it to be used flexibly to allow this.
Nevertheless, the schools getting most value from the Toolkit typically have the following things in common:
- Set time aside for staff to work on the Great Teaching Toolkit – schools where they have integrated the GTT into their CPD programme, tend to see more engagement with the Toolkit compared to schools where it has been simply bolted on to their existing CPD activities as an ‘extra’. Protecting time to use the GTT also sends a powerful message to your colleagues – “your continued development as teachers is important so we’ve made sure you have time to do it”. Making time for professional development is so important, Prof Rob Coe has written a blog about it here.
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Collaboration is key – collaboration is a lever of effective professional development. Collaboration creates opportunities for teachers to share their collective expertise, provide feedback on each others’ practice and motivate each other. Schools where teachers work together on the GTT in small teams are generally those who see most engagement with the Toolkit.
- Decide what to work on – particularly in the first year using the Toolkit, it helps for teachers to work on the same Element as their colleagues, providing a shared focus. Whether this is shared across the school, or just within each team of teachers, working on a common Element aids teachers to build a shared understanding of what great practice in that area looks like, facilitating collaboration. You might decide to use the feedback tools to help you identify which Element to work on.
- Launch meeting – a launch meeting is a good way to introduce your colleagues to the GTT. It’s a chance to start building that shared understanding and communicating your plans and expectations. We provide Coordinators with resources to help them lead this session.
- Get in touch – each school subscribed to the GTT has an advisor here at EBE. Your advisor is a point of contact for any technical questions, examples of how other schools are using the Toolkit and support to help you do so. They’ll be in touch periodically with new resources and updates and love hearing how you’re getting on with the Toolkit, so do get in touch!