Realising potential: the role of critical pedagogies in teacher CPD

School continuing professional development (CPD) spending has dropped by 40 per cent since 2018 (Weston, 2022), and budgets continue to tighten even though research evidence emphasises the vital impact of effective teacher professional development (EEF, 2021), especially in closing the disadvantage gap. This article highlights some of the key findings from my small research study funded by the British Council programme ‘Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning’ (CCGL). It explored the transformative potential of teacher CPD that utilises critical pedagogies to enhance student awareness and critical understanding of global issues. It focused on the pedagogical approaches of Philosophy for Children (P4C) and Global Learning (GL), which not only draw on critical thinking but are underpinned by critical reflection, questioning and the challenging of assumptions. P4C is a multidimensional approach to teaching and learning aimed at developing four core types of thinking – caring, collaborative, critical and creative – through philosophical enquiry, building a community of enquiry focused on engaging in philosophical dialogue as a means of exploring and moving towards deeper knowledge and/or understanding (SAPERE, 2022).
The full research report (Simpson, 2022) provides a substantial literature review, exploring what makes effective teacher CPD, and the role of critical pedagogies in transforming teaching and learning. This was further analysed alongside teacher surveys and informal interviews, which outlined teachers’ experiences of specific CPD and their perceived impact back in the classroom. 
This article intends to provide an overview of some of the more significant research findings presented, as provocations for reflection for senior leaders and educational practitioners. These aim to initiate professional conversations on transformative teacher CPD and school practices, in order to meet the needs of students learning for an uncertain global future.