Teach Middle East Magazine May 2014 issue 1 vol. 1 | Page 14

Sharing Good Practice

FLIPPING CPD IN THE UAE
By Leisa Simapili

S

ome persons may be confused
by the title of this article.
Others may be visualising the
word flipping in a literal way,
as they do not have positive emotions
towards
Continuing
Professional
Development (CPD). Nevertheless,
CPD is a reality for all teachers in the
UAE, whether you are in the private or
public education sector.
The importance of developing oneself
professionally cannot be overstated.
With the constantly evolving trends in
education, teachers more than most are
very aware of the need to stay current.
However, where we begin to have a
problem is in the delivery of the CPD.
Have you ever complained about having
to attend training sessions after school,
which were mandated by the powers
that be? Yes, I am referring to those
obligatory training sessions which have
been arranged by the school or the
council on a topic, which they believe is
of relevance to you and one they think
will do wonders for your practice.
Teachers are mandated to do these
training sessions at the end of the
school day when all they really want to
do is get out of school or use the time
to prepare for the next day’s lessons.
Instead, they are made to sit through
a theory filled hour, which bears little
relevance to what they are doing on a

12

May 2014

Class Time

daily basis. Let me hasten to say that
this is not the case in every school and
I am sure there are schools in which the
sessions are both thought provoking
and extremely relevant to the teachers’
daily practice, but in the schools and
councils where this is not the case, I
would like to suggest that flipping CPD
might be the answer.
There has been a lot of talk about
the flipped classroom. In a flipped
classroom the students first study the
topic by themselves, typically using
video lessons prepared by the teacher
or third parties. During the class time,
students apply the knowledge by solving
problems and doing practical work.
Flipping CPD could work in a similar
manner. Teachers are given access
to a series of presentations on various
topics through video presentations
accompanied by additional resources
and reading texts where necessary.
They are also given time to implement
what they have learned in their
classrooms. The training sessions
after school then become an active
time of discussion on what worked well
and what could be done differently.
Teachers then get a chance to speak
with colleagues, gain ideas, co-plan
and strategize. They leave the session
with something practical that they can
take and immediately implement in
their classrooms.

The person who would typically be
presenting the content in the training
session will now take on the role of
facilitator and guide, offering helpful
hints and tips to the teachers throughout
their discussions. This could result in
less after school sessions, giving the
teachers the time to plan their work
to suit their lifestyle. Additionally, this
would also allow them the freedom to
choose when to focus on the content
of their professional development. The
teachers would have to had watched the
video and have done the required work
in order to participate in the discussion
and implementation of the concepts.
There is no perfect system and flipping
CPD does have its drawbacks. There
is the fact that not all teachers would
have done the required work and so
discussions could lag. Similarly to a
flipped classroom, the videos and
materials can be made available for
those who need it on the day. There
could be problems with technology but
these problems would have to be dealt
with as they arise.
If we are proposers of active learning
and independent learning for the
students, then we should begin
with the teachers. Let the teachers
take ownership of their continuing
professional development and flip
CPD.