ERRR #092. Harry Fletcher-Wood on Running Effective Professional Development

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This episode we’re speaking with Harry Fletcher-Wood. 

Harry has  been a history teacher, an educational researcher and a leader of professional development.

He currently balances three or four roles:

• He helps school leaders make better decisions by finding out what staff, pupils and parents really think, using Teacher Tapp’s School Surveys
• He supports Steplab‘s work improving teaching through instructional coaching by designing training materials and courses
• Harry researches and writes about effective teaching, professional development and improvement. Most recently this has included a meta-analysis of professional development in the developing world, a study of modelling in teacher training, and researching the training of prison officers
• And he also helps schools to improve teaching through his writing and the resources he’s created around responsive teaching, habits of success, and other core areas of teaching and learning

And most of all, Harry is just super wise, he’s one of those guys who seems to be able to get right to the heart of an issue without being distracted by the fluff, and there’s plenty of that displayed in this episode. 

This particular podcast stemmed from an ongoing discussion that Harry and I have been having on what makes effective Professional development. Unlike many ERRR podcasts, this one isn’t based around a book, but is more of a free-flowing discussion exploring the vast knowledge that Harry has on what makes PD work. 

This is a really nice follow up to my discussion with Greg Ashman last month. Last month, Greg and I spoke about how one of the core pillars of the high performance at Ballarat Clarendon College is effective professional learning and in this discussion, harry and I go really deep into effective PD. 

This is a podcast that I will be going back to again and again to squeeze out every ounce of wisdom that Harry shares, I hope you find it this valuable too!

To get a summary of this episode, sign up at www.patreon.com/errr  

The ERRR podcast can also be listened to on Spotify, apple podcasts, and all other podcasting apps. 

Links/resources mentioned in the show

• Book recommendations
  • Practice Perfect: 42 Rules for Getting Better at Getting Better
  • Britain Against Napoleon: The Organization Of Victory, 1793-1815
  • Hack Your Bureaucracy: Get Things Done No Matter What Your Role on any Team
  • The Diary of Samuel Pepys
• Ollie's Books, Cognitive Load Theory in Action and Tools for Teachers
• To get a summary of this episode, sign up at www.patreon.com/errr 

This episode of the ERRR Podcast is brought to you by John Catt Educational

This episode of the ERRR podcast is brought to you by Catalyst. Catalyst transforms students' lives through learning by developing excellent teachers and Leaders through evidence-based professional learning programs. Find out more at https://catalyst.cg.catholic.edu.au/

Listen to all past episodes of the ERRR podcast here.