Growing Teachers, Strengthening Practice
Around 30 to 35 teachers engaged in CPD on the Happy Schools and Rigor/Relevance frameworks.
Context
A professional-development initiative for teaching staff, delivered to approximately 30 to 35 teachers.
Approach
I delivered a CPD session on the Happy Schools Framework and facilitated a session on the Rigor/Relevance Framework, focused on its relevance strand: connecting objectives to real-life contexts, aligning goals with standards, building clear success criteria and using effective feedback and self-assessment. Happy Schools centred positive, inclusive classrooms that prioritise wellbeing, belonging and engagement. Both are externally published frameworks rather than in-house material: Happy Schools is UNESCO’s, and Rigor/Relevance comes from Corwin Press.
Impact
Sessions were interactive, with teachers reflecting on their own practice and exploring classroom applications. I continued to support colleagues afterwards through professional discussion, shared resources and practical implementation.
What Colleagues Said
Colleagues completed a feedback form after the Rigor/Relevance session. Of the 24 who responded, 23 rated it 4 or 5 out of 5, an average of 4.5. Their comments are published without names. One wrote: “Relevance acts like a mirror, where students can see themselves reflected in their learning, and like a window, where they can understand and connect with their teachers’ perspectives and experiences.”
Reflection
The follow-up mattered more than the session itself. Practice changed where I stayed alongside colleagues afterwards. I would build in a short check-in a few weeks later, so the frameworks become habits rather than a one-off input.
Supporting Evidence
The rating above is the full summary of the feedback, not a sample of it, so there is nothing held back from the headline. Individual responses stay private: names, email addresses and timestamps are removed, and no comment is attributed. The facilitation materials and a fuller anonymised breakdown are available on request.
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