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Professional learning principles
What are the Principles
All NESA-accredited professional development (PD) courses must meet all the principles of effective professional learning (the Principles).
The Principles promote the practices that research shows lead to:
- changed teaching practice
- improved student learning.
NESA assesses how the course will address the Principles in your PD accreditation application form. The examples below show what may or may not be included in a course to meet the Principles.
The evidence base
The evidence base describes the research that broadly supports the pedagogical practices that are promoted in the course. It should be student or child focused and support improved learning in schools and services.
The evidence base should also inform the:
- course design
- development of learning goals
- and course content.
The requirement for an evidence base is embedded within all Principles, especially the 3 below.
- Principle 1: The course is content-focused. Some aspects or mandatory features require teaching strategies to be evidence-based.
- Principle 2: The course demonstrates coherence. The evidence base should align with the learning goals and course design.
- Principle 6: The course includes models of effective teaching practice. The course must describe effective evidence-based teaching and learning practices.
Example that exceeds the evidence base
The evidence base:
- includes relevant and recent peer-reviewed references that describe pedagogical practices that support improved student or child learning
- informs the course design, learning goals and course content.
Example that meets the evidence base
The evidence base:
- includes references that describe pedagogical practices that support improved student or child learning
- aligns to the learning goals and course description as summarised in Section 4.
Examples that do not meet the evidence base requirements
The evidence base:
- does not broadly support the pedagogical practices within the course content
- only includes references from unreliable sources, such as commercial websites, blogs, newspaper articles or podcasts
- does not align with the learning goals or the course content
- includes references that do not show improved student or child learning.
This means that the course content is clearly aligned with the NESA content criteria of a priority area.
The course must both:
- focus on content that meets at least one aspect of the NESA content criteria for the nominated priority area
- meet the mandatory features of the NESA content criteria for the nominated priority area.
Example that exceeds Principle 1
Most of the course content aligns to the most relevant 1 or 2 aspects and the relevant mandatory features are met.
Example that meets Principle 1
Most of the course content aligns to the nominated aspects and the relevant mandatory features are met.
Examples that do not meet Principle 1
The following examples to not meet the principle:
- Less than an hour of the course content relates to an aspect.
- Numerous aspects are selected, but most of the course content relates to 1 or 2 aspects only.
This means that the course is:
- structured in a logical manner
- aligned to the Standards, NSW Curriculum, Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) or policies.
The course must:
- address the intent of the targeted Standard Descriptors
- align with the NSW Curriculum, EYLF or with relevant legislative and regulatory requirements, and be consistent with government or sector policies
- have content and activities that are logically sequenced and directed towards achieving the stated learning goals.
Example that exceeds Principle 2
The learning goals and the course content clearly:
- link to the practice described in the nominated Standard Descriptors
- address syllabus content or outcomes, EYLF, relevant legislative or regulatory requirements, or policies
- align in a logical order.
Example that meets Principle 2
The course content:
- aligns to the practice described in the nominated Standard Descriptors
- refers to syllabus content or outcomes, EYLF, relevant legislative or regulatory requirements, or policies
- matches the learning goals.
Examples that do not meet Principle 2
The course description does not:
- refer to syllabus content or outcomes, EYLF, relevant legislative or regulatory requirements, or policies
- align with the practice outlined in the nominated Standard Descriptors.
The course's learning goals:
- summarise the content of the course
- reword Standard Descriptors or aspects
- are achieved by participants outside of the course.
The application form includes:
- Standard Descriptors not related to the nominated aspects
- syllabuses, legislative or regulatory requirements, or policies that are not relevant to NSW teachers
- outdated syllabuses, EYLF versions, legislative or regulatory requirements, or policies.
This means that the course must be 1 hour or more in duration and include only time spent learning. The duration must be in multiples of 30 minutes.
If the course duration does not include a 30-minute interval, the duration is rounded down to the nearest 30-minute interval. For example, a course with a duration of 2 hours and 40 minutes is rounded down to 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Examples that exceed Principle 3
The course is:
- at least 1 hour and gives participants opportunities to implement their learning in between parts or modules, then to reflect on the implementation
- more than 10 hours and broken down into multiple courses and applied across multiple application forms.
Example that meets Principle 3
The course is at least 1 hour in duration and includes only time spent on learning.
Examples that do not meet Principle 3
The course is less than 1 hour in duration or includes:
- networking, team building activities, meal or rest breaks in the total duration
- implementation of learning, such as pre-course activities, in-between course activities or post-course activities in the total duration
- more than 10 minutes spent on unstructured Q&A or panel discussions within the total duration
- activities that are overestimated in duration
- activities that would be considered participants’ normal work, such as:
- writing whole programs
- faculty meetings
- suggested collaborative discussions.
This means the course is tailored to the:
- target audience and their career stage
- participants' student's Stage or children's age group.
The course must:
- identify a target audience
- be relevant to the participants’ professional experience and career stage such as, Proficient, Highly Accomplished and Lead.
Example that exceeds Principle 4
The course includes:
- models, examples, case studies or tasks that are directly related to the nominated target age or Stage group, or educational context
- discussions or activities where participants from a similar age or Stage are grouped together.
Example that meets Principle 4
The course:
- includes an example, model or activity for each of the nominated target age or Stage group
- is relevant to the participants’ career stage.
Examples that do not meet Principle 4
The course:
- content and examples are not relevant to participants’ Stage groups – for example, models, case studies, tasks or examples are appropriate for high school students but early childhood and Stages 1, 2 and 3 are selected
- content, examples or activities are misaligned to the participants’ career stage – for example, content is appropriate for graduate or Highly Accomplished teachers, when the Proficient Teacher career stage is selected
- does not include examples, models or activities that address all selected age or Stage groups throughout the course description
- content includes models, examples or activities that are not designed for an appropriate educational context – for example, content relating to adult learning.
This means that the course must:
- be specifically designed for teachers and teaching students or children in an educational context, or
- provide opportunities for participants to implement learning into practice.
The course must show:
- examples of how course content can be used in teaching and learning practice
- opportunities for transference of learning into teaching and learning practice.
Examples that exceed Principle 5
The course includes:
- activities that enable participants to apply new learning into teaching and learning, for example annotating or adjusting a:
- lesson plan
- day plan
- unit of work
- scope and sequence or program
- teaching and learning case studies requiring participants to reflect on the teaching practice
- worked examples of syllabus content, addresses common misconceptions students may have and explains how to support students to understand the content.
Example that meets Principle 5
The course includes an activity or example which is structured and guided by the presenter, showing how the course content can be applied in teaching and learning.
Examples that do not meet Principle 5
The course includes:
- a significant portion of content that is not relevant to teaching and learning
- activities where participants discuss how to apply course content into teaching and learning without guidance or support from the presenter
- activities that would be considered participants’ normal work, such as writing whole programs, faculty meetings or suggested collaborative discussions.
This means that the course includes models of evidence-based teaching and learning practices and may include the presenter modelling these practices.
The course must:
- outline models of effective evidence-based teaching and learning practices relevant to the course content (this could but does not have to involve modelling the practices), or
- provide opportunities for participants to utilise these models of effective evidence-based teaching and learning practices.
Examples that exceed Principle 6
The course describes models of evidence-based teaching and learning practices and:
- demonstrates how they can be used with or across syllabuses or EYLF (models are cited in the evidence base)
- tailors the modelling of these practices to the selected age or Stage group
- demonstrates them through:
- lesson plans
- units of work
- student or child work samples or assessment data
- the presenter shows the thinking process when modelling the practice
- includes a definition or key steps within the model.
Example that meets Principle 6
The course describes and demonstrates in action models of evidence-based teaching and learning practices.
Examples that do not meet Principle 6
The course includes:
- models that are not relevant to a school or service context
- references in the evidence base that do not broadly support the models described in the course
- references that broadly support a model not relevant to school or service teaching and learning – for example, the model is relevant to adult learning
- models that are deemed effective based on experience rather than an evidence base
- a small description of models of evidence-based teaching and learning practices, but also a substantial description of models that are not evidence-based or relevant to school or service teaching and learning.
This means that the course provides opportunities for participants to work with other education professionals to apply course content into teaching and learning.
The course must provide:
- opportunities within the course for active collaboration with others
- suggestions for collaboration that participants undertake in their educational setting or teaching and learning context.
Examples that exceed Principle 7
The course includes:
- monitored break-out rooms where participants collaboratively respond to guided questions
- a guided collaborative activity, where participants work together to implement, or plan to implement learning in their teaching context.
Examples that meet Principle 7
The course:
- provides explicit instruction on how to work with colleagues to implement new learning in their educational context
- includes a moderated forum where there is a mandatory requirement for participants to respond to a question, and the responses of other participants.
Examples that do not meet Principle 7
The course:
- suggests or requests participants to discuss course content that is not structured by guiding questions
- suggests or requests participants to share course notes with colleagues from their school or service
- suggests or requests participants to discuss content not related to the course or teaching and learning
- requires participants to comment in a chat, text box or forum that:
- is not monitored or moderated
- has no mandatory requirement for participants to comment on other posts.
- uses tentative language (for example 'consider', 'you may wish to', 'you can') when making suggestions for collaboration that participants undertake in their educational setting or teaching and learning context.
This means the course must provide opportunities for participants to evaluate the teaching and learning practices of themselves or others, relating to course content.
The course must require participants to:
- give or receive feedback on teaching and learning practice
- reflect on their own teaching and learning practice or the teaching and learning practice of others.
Examples that exceed Principle 8
The course includes:
- open-ended questions where participants reflect on the course content and their own teaching and learning – these may be based on thinking routines or exit tickets, such as:
- 'I used to think, but now I think'
- '3-2-1 exit tickets'
- 'how did I do this, why did I do it this way, now I will'
- a text box for a reflection question based on applying the course content to the participant’s own teaching and learning context – a modelled response is provided after they answer the question.
Examples that meet Principle 8
The course:
- has at least 1 reflection question or feedback activity that is based on applying the course content into the participant’s own teaching and learning context
- has an activity where participants are required to provide feedback on another participant’s teaching and learning practices
- requires participants to provide feedback on the teaching practices demonstrated through a role play.
Examples that do not meet Principle 8
- Course evaluations on the course content or delivery.
- Reflection questions or activities that check for participant understanding of course content.
- Reflection questions or feedback activities that consider participants' teaching and learning, but have no application of the course content, for example:
- 'how do you currently?'
- 'what occurs in this situation?'
- Questions are closed or not related to teaching and learning, for example:
- 'could I do this better?'
- 'how can I change my view on?'
- The course uses tentative language when directing participants to reflect, for example, 'consider how you might'.
Research underpinning the Principles
Read this paper to find out more about the rationale and research basis of the 8 Principles that must be addressed by courses seeking NESA accreditation. The paper also identifies how the Principles might be manifested within the NSW context: The quality of teacher professional learning (PDF 241.33KB)