Recently, STEM Learning’s Monitoring and Evaluation team have been investigating the professional development needs of science teachers. This has involved bringing together work on the opinions of teachers who do and don’t attend CPD, government policy around expectations of teachers, and academic research into teacher needs.
Our overall findings showed that one of the most prominent areas that teachers would benefit from support with is practical learning, which was likely impacted by the move to online teaching during the pandemic. Teachers also often requested support with planning curricula and lessons, and differentiating for varying levels of ability - both of which are reflected in the government policy for Early Career Teachers. When teachers progress into leadership positions, supporting colleagues and effective leadership become additional areas of priority.
Other areas appeared more strongly for certain year groups. Subject knowledge, including updating knowledge in specific areas of the curriculum, was a prominent area for secondary and post-16 teachers, as well as non-specialists teaching science. Meanwhile, primary teachers frequently requested support with assessment and progression.
As well as these content-related areas, a desire for resources to support teaching, and opportunities to collaborate and share ideas with other teachers also appeared frequently across teachers of all varieties.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on these findings – are there any particular areas of development you're looking for, perhaps practicals you're struggling with? If so, please comment below or drop me an email j.common@stem.org.uk