Professional Development

Professional learning is informed and supported by professional standards and education policy.

Professional learning must focus on the education professional as a learner and how this is related to and impacts upon the learning of all children, young people and adults.

The educator’s professional learning should be informed by the learner’s experience, voice and needs. In turn, the professional learning of the educator should impact positively upon the experiences of learners.

Professional learning should take account of, and reflect the unique circumstances of the learning community. Given the prevalence of dyslexia, learning communities will include dyslexic learners and therefore establishments and practitioners will need to develop an awareness of dyslexia and knowledge of appropriate inclusive approaches for dyslexic learners and their families.

Further information on the National Model of professional learning

The National Model for Professional Learning highlights that professional learning and development can take many forms. The Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit is a resource which can be used for:

Professional Learning for individual practitioners
Professional learning for collegiate and in-set activities
Annual professional reviews
General Teaching Council Scotland (GTCS) Professional Update and Professional Recognition
Initial Teacher Education
Advanced study in dyslexia and inclusive practice

Download the detailed poster of the National Model of Professional Learning from the Resources section on the left hand side of this page.

Further information on the National Model of Professional Learning can be found on the National Improvement Hub.

Professional Development for Dyslexia

The 2014 Education Scotland Review “Making Sense: Education for Children and Young People with Dyslexia in Scotland” highlighted 5 recommendations which support the report’s interlinking aims to improve the outcomes for children and young people who have dyslexia.

Improve the outcomes for dyslexic learners
Provide high quality professional development for teachers
Support effective and equitable post school transition

Recommendations 1 and 2 focus on high quality professional learning.

1. Teachers, support staff, learners and parents should have access to up-to-date practical advice and guidance on dyslexia.

2. Teachers, support staff and local authority staff should have access to a wide range of high quality career-long professional learning opportunities at school, local and national level related to meeting the needs of children and young people with dyslexia.

The Toolkit continues to support the Making Sense report’s recommendations to support the delivery and provision of high quality professional learning resources on Dyslexia and Inclusive practice. The Making Sense programme has developed a number of free resources which can support professional learning on dyslexia and inclusive practice alongside the range of additional resources which are also available on the Education Scotland National Improvement Hub Dyslexia and Inclusive Practice page.

Professional Development / Career Long Professional Learning (CLPL) can take many forms.

The Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit can itself be used as a resource for:

Professional Learning
General Teaching Council Scotland (GTC) Professional Update and Professional Recognition
Initial Teacher Education
Advanced study in dyslexia

Within this section of the Toolkit there are a number of free resources to support practitioners with their professional development in Dyslexia and Inclusive Practice.

A presentation which provides an introduction to the Toolkit is available to download in the About the Toolkit section

Toolkit professional reflection and planning tools