INSETT and Professional
Development: some key
issues
Rod Bolitho
Norwich Institute for Language
Education, UK
Overview of Presentation
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The Nature of Teaching as a Profession
Differences between Training and Development
Features of Ineffective INSETT
Features of Effective INSETT
Some Dimensions of INSETT Courses
Development: a working definition
Some Key Factors in Teacher Development
Models of Change
A Wider View of Professional Development
Prerequisites for Professional Development at
Institutional Level
• Establishing and Maintaining a Developmental
Orientation in an Institution
The Nature of Teaching as a
Profession
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High degree of autonomy
Isolation
One of the ‘helping professions’
Stress, burn-out, fluctuating motivation
Conservative attitudes
Limited opportunities for shared learning
The paradox of career progression
 a need for development
Differences between Training and
Development
Training is…..
• time-bound
• budget-dependent
• often imposed
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often driven by systemic
change
‘transitive’ as a notion
dependent on a trainer
possible only in groups
based on an external agenda
often problem-centred or
deficit-based
• accountable to authorities
Development is….
• continuous
• an internal process
• optional
• a factor in personal change
• essentially ‘intransitive’
• independent of a trainer
• essentially individual
• based on an internal agenda
• person-centred and based
on a growth view
• accountable mainly to self
Features of Ineffective INSETT (after
Fullan 1991)
• one-shot workshops
• imposed topics; little attention to participants’ individual
needs
• deficit view leads to resistance and negativity
• little follow-up support or monitoring
• little systematic follow-up evaluation of impact
• teachers from different schools thrown together
• lack of conceptual basis for planning; the process is
often arbitrary and random; not shared with teachers
• trainers often lack face validity for practising teachers
Features of Effective INSETT
(after Fullan 1991)
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school-based programmes
immediate practical relevance
opportunities to learn from each other
draws on teachers’ experience and what they can do
well
• attention to individual needs of participants
• involvement of teachers in planning/decision-making
• course as part of a longer-term development-oriented
strategy with follow-up and accountability
Development: a working definition
“…. a lifelong autonomous process of
learning and growth by which (….) we
adapt to changes in and around us, and
enhance our awareness, knowledge
and skills in personal, interpersonal
and professional aspects of our lives.”
O’Brien (1986)
Some Key Factors in Teacher
Development
Top-down Forces 
• National strategy
• Educational policy
• Curriculum & examination
reform
• School development
• Staff development
• Quality assurance
• Appraisal systems
• Professional development
• Empowerment
• Autonomy
• Personal development
Bottom-up forces 
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Influences
Government policy
Educational theories
Societal views of
teachers
Innovation management
Business &
management practices
Reflective practice
Psychological models
Personal philosophy
Change: The Earthquake Model –
Version 1
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1. National
Level
2. Regional
Level
3. Institutional
Level
4. Classroom
Level
Change: The Earthquake Model –
Version 2
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1
2
1. Classroom
Level
2. Institutional
Level
3. Regional
Level
4. National
Level
Factors Affecting Change at
Classroom Level
Classroom
Behaviour
Experience
Theory
Relationships
Values
Attitudes
Beliefs
A Wider View of Professional
Development - 1
Development may be instigated and supported by…..
• pre-service training
• INSETT
• counselling/mentoring
• appraisal
• carefully targeted reading
• involvement in projects, working groups etc
• changes in responsibility
• contributing to conferences
• action research
• peer observation
A Wider View of Professional
Development - 2
• Involvement of teachers in textbook development
(Russia, Romania, Belarus)
• Involvement of teachers in curriculum reform (Ukraine)
• Involvement of teachers in examination reform (Hungary,
Romania, Russia)
• Involvement of teachers as trainers & materials
developers in INSETT and PRESETT programmes
(Hungary, Latvia, Uzbekistan)
• Switching to CLIL (subject content in a foreign language)
(Finland, Holland, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy etc)
• Active involvement in Teachers’ Associations &
Professional Bodies (many countries across Europe)
Prerequisites for Professional
Development at Institutional Level
• school as a learning community with lifelong
learning as a stated priority
• shared aspirations and values
• a consultative management style
• a collaborative working culture
• good lines of communication
• adequate material and human resources
• careful attention to staff working conditions
Establishing and Maintaining a
Developmental Orientation in an Institution
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a Professional Development policy and framework
open agenda meetings
appraisal systems with goal-setting
support systems
transparency in promotion and development
opportunities
regular consultation
highlighting examples of good practice
working below the surface of classroom practice
timetabling for peer observation
encouraging a ‘being’ rather than a ‘having’
orientation
less ‘shoulding’ and more first-person verbs
And finally, remember……
“Change is mandatory; growth is
optional”
(Fullan 1993)
References
Baldwin, J. & H. Williams (1988) Active Learning
London: Blackwell
Bolitho, R. (1996) Some Key Issues in INSETT in Rádai,
P. (ed) INSETT Provision for Modern Language
Teachers, Workshop 7/96 Graz: European Centre for
Modern Languages
Everard, B. & G. Morris (200) Effective School
Management (2nd edition) London: Paul Chapman
Fullan, M. (1991) The New Meaning of Educational
Change (2nd edition) London: Cassell
Fullan, M. (1993) Change Forces Brighton: Falmer
Press
O’Brien, A. (1986) Teacher Development, Evaluation
and Teacher Profiles for TESOL London: Institute of
Education (unpublished MA thesis)