Professional learning is a commonly used strategy for helping teachers develop the skills and knowledge they need to use evidence-based practices in the classroom. Research suggests professional learning is more successful when it’s sustained over time and that refresher training after an initial block of professional learning could support teachers in deepening their learning and implementing new practices.
The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) and the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia (AISWA) conducted a randomised trial in 17 primary and secondary schools in Western Australia to examine the effectiveness of scalable ‘booster’ interventions as a follow-up to professional learning. This included testing whether providing a light-touch, scalable professional learning booster after an initial professional learning program would improve long-term teacher outcomes.
This report presents the findings from this trial.
Keywords: evidence-based teaching, evidence-based education, professional development, teacher development