This is according to a new guide, published today by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), that aims to support those choosing, developing or planning high quality professional development opportunities for early years practitioners.
To increase the chance that participation in professional development leads to practice improvements, we recommend that professional development:
- Builds practitioners’ knowledge;
- Motivates them to adopt and maintain changes to their practice;
- Develops specific techniques; and
- Embeds new approaches in their practice.
In 2021, we published an evidence review that identified these areas as being essential for practice change along with 14 specific mechanisms, or “building blocks”, which can be integrated to try make professional development opportunities lead to improved outcomes for children.
Within the guide each of the four areas are discussed and a relevant mechanism is highlighted to exemplify how they might be built into professional development. The guide also includes insights from professionals working within a range of different early years settings who share how they have used these mechanisms to improve their professional development provision.
This guide was created as part of the EEF’s role as Evidence Partner to the Department Education’s Stronger Practice Hubs.
Educators from all early years settings, including childminders and professionals working in schools or nurseries, can use this guide to assess and refine the professional development offered in their context. It could also be useful to those providing training to improve their design and delivery of professional development for early years practitioners.
Download the guide here.
Professor Becky Francis CBE, Chief Executive of the Education Endowment Foundation, said: