Development Bandwidth

Hey 👋

Thanks for being a subscriber :)

This week, another snack on teacher development…

Big idea 🍉

As educators, we sometimes fail to recognise that teacher learning is (mostly) just learning. All those things we know about how our students learn (eg. attention, feedback, retrieval)... apply just as readily to how we teachers improve.

For instance, when we’re trying to change our practice, we’re subject to the same cognitive constraints as anyone else. Our attentional bandwidth is significantly limited: we can really only focus on one small thing at a time. This has a range of implications for teacher development, including:

1. Shrink the change: When we provide teachers with feedback, it’s best to focus on one small step at a time, rather than providing a long laundry list of potential improvements. Ideally, we focus on the single smallest change that leads to the greatest positive impact. And only move on once that’s been mastered.

2. Little & often: The most impactful teacher development tends to be little and often (as with instructional coaching) rather than big and infrequent (as with training days). Days are fine for igniting the fire, but we must be careful not to confuse the value of an initial spark with the need for ongoing fuel.

3. Cognitive quiet: Teacher rehearsal works best when done outside the mentally taxing environment of the classroom, in a distraction-free and cognitively quiet space. Trying to make a change while inside the classroom is like learning to drive during a high-speed car chase through central London.

4. Lower the stakes: Emotions can consume attention. The moment teachers feel they aren’t in a trusted space or that their actions might have negative consequences for their reputation or progression, they will struggle to focus fully on the change at hand.

In short, when we view teacher development through the lens of the science of learning (and consider things like attentional bandwidth), we vastly increase our chances of securing improvement.

🎓 For more, check out this paper on teacher development and cognitive load.

Summary

• We sometimes forget that everything we know about student learning can (and should) be applied to teacher learning.

• The cognitive bandwidth of teachers when making a change to our practice is highly limited.

• As such, we should focus on changing one small thing at a time, in a distraction-free and safe space.

Little updates 🥕

• Study testing the “counting days” revision strategy → suggests it encourages spaced study and improves overall exam performance.

• Paper testing low-tech rehearsal in teacher development → finds it builds confidence and helps trainees apply theory in real-life situations.

• Report tracking teachers after maternity leave → finds those returning part-time stay longer, suggesting flexible work helps keep teachers.

• Review of academic selection in UK secondary schools → suggests it makes little difference to student learning (and widens social inequality).

Unlock a hug evidence library, printable PDFs & more → Upgrade to Snacks PRO