An Innovative Practitioner Research Model of Continuing Professional Development

Abstract

This article presents an innovative model of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) that has been used in Scotland to encourage research and to develop research skills amongst applied educational (school) psychologists. 1 This is a process-based CPD model rather than the traditional `attendance at CPD workshops' model, leading to active learning and knowledge creation for the professional and the profession. Data collected from educational psychologists and stakeholders suggests that it is very effective but there is room for improvement. The lessons learnt over the 13 years of its operation and through a recently commissioned evaluation will hopefully be of interest to other applied educational psychologists internationally, as well as related professions.

What Do Schools Need? School Professionals' Perceptions of School Psychology

“…They may also feel that they are lacking skills to perform otherwise. Today's training of school psychologists is in a crucial position to effect knowledge and skills of present and especially future school psychologists (see, e.g., Conoley & Gutkin, 1995;Geva, Wiener, Peterson-Badali, & Link, 2003;Griffin & Scherr, 2010;Gutkin & Conoley, 1990;Jindal-Snape, Hannah, Smith, Barrow, & Kerr, 2009).…”