You are here: Home > Professional Standards > Engaging with the Standards > Engaging with the Standards - Session 2 The Standards Professional Standards FAQs and Myths about the Standards Engaging with the standards Engage with the Standards Professional Values into Action Learning for Sustainability Headship Qualifications Self-evaluation What is self-evaluation? Using a coaching wheel Self-evaluation against the Standards Reflective Questions Engaging with the Standards - Session 2 A series of 4 professional learning sessions: Session 1 Linking the Standards to Your Role ➜ Session 2 Building on a strength Session 3 Working on an area for development Session 4 Exploring an interest Session 1 Info Panel 1 For the strengths you highlighted in Session 1, what led to you identifying these areas as strengths, and how can you take them forward? To help you analyse why you chose these areas as strengths and how to take them forward, ask yourself: How do you know these areas are strengths? What evidence or rationale is there to justify choosing them as strengths? How do these areas relate to an improvement plan and/or to your own professional development or learning? How do they manifest themselves at the moment in your professional practice? Do you lead on any of these areas at present, or could you do so? What difference might developing these strengths make to you, your colleagues, your learners or your learning community, and how would you know? What kinds of professional learning would help you to develop these strengths further? See info panel 2 below, in particular: the Model of Professional Learning the Professional Learning Wheel The following link to the Professional Learning Journey and Evidence of Impact will also be helpful: Using Evidence of Impact and Examples of Professional Learning Journeys Info panel 2 Professional Learning "Long term and sustained improvement which has a real impact on the quality of children's learning will be better achieved through determined efforts to build the capacity of teachers themselves to take responsibility for their own professional development, building their pedagogical expertise, engaging with the need for change, undertaking well-thought through development and always evaluating impact in relation to improvement in the quality of children's learning. That is the message from successful education systems across the world." Teaching Scotland's Future (Scottish Government, 2011) What is Professional Learning? Professional learning is what teachers engage in to stimulate their thinking and professional knowledge and to ensure that their practice is critically informed and up-to-date. We believe that by undertaking a wide range of high-quality, sustained professional learning experiences, teachers are more likely to inspire pupils and provide high quality teaching and learning experiences, enabling learners to achieve their best. It is important that professional learning provides rich opportunities for teachers to develop and enhance their professional knowledge and practice, in order to progress the quality of learning and teaching and school improvement. Professional Learning The above information can be viewed as a download: Engaging with the Standards Session 2 - Building on a strength CONTACTS For further information about our Professional Standards, contact: T: +44 (0)131 314 6000 E: standards@gtcs.org.uk Useful Links Engaging with the Standards - Session 1 Engaging with the Standards - Session 3 Engaging with the Standards - Session 4