Operation and Guidance Plan for Continuous Professional Development: MTPDS’s Approach to School Leadership and Standards 1-4 Teacher CPD

from 2010 to 2013. The program provides technical assistance to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) in implementing teacher education support and systems management, as well as supporting the ongoing Primary Curriculum and Assessment Reform (PCAR). MTPDS targets teacher trainers, teachers, school administrators, and children nationwide, linking with and complementing key MoEST and Government of Malawi (GoM) priority initiatives and plans in teacher education and professional development. Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is a key component of the MTPDS program, aiming to provide professional and education support to in-service teachers and school leaders. CPD is an approach used by teachers, school leaders, and education professionals to gain knowledge and skills needed to improve their job performance. In Malawi, CPD is used by MoEST to provide professional and education support to in-service teachers and school leaders. There are two types of CPD commonly used with educators: school-based CPD and nationally implemented CPD. School-based CPD generally addresses needs identified at the school/classroom level, while nationally implemented CPD addresses widespread common needs for professional development. Nationally implemented CPD requires explicitly defined implementation procedures, including identification of areas in need of professional growth, writing of training and support materials, production of necessary training and support materials, development of a training force, scheduling of training sessions, dissemination of training resources, distribution of funds to support training activities, implementation and support of the training activities, documenting participation in training, monitoring of the training activities to ensure fidelity, and supporting the CPD initiative. The MTPDS program has tried several different approaches for the implementation of CPD, adapting the Operational and Guidance Plan (OGP) to ensure the development of a sustainable model that can be implemented by MoEST with the resources currently available within Malawi. The OGP provides a review of the current CPD model in place and details the systems in place for its implementation, as well as guidance on how MoEST could undertake similar initiatives in the future. The MTPDS program has developed a model for the provision of CPD in Malawi, which includes the use of CPD mentors, Primary Education Advisors (PEAs), and zone-level support. The program has also developed a Leadership Module 1: Managing CPD in Your School, provided to school leaders by the Malawi Teacher Professional Development Support project in December 2010. The module provides guidance on managing CPD in schools, including identifying needs, developing training plans, and evaluating the effectiveness of CPD activities. The MTPDS program has also developed a CPD cluster training form, a CPD zonal training form, and a CPD partners activity form, which are used to monitor and evaluate the implementation of CPD activities. The program has also developed a schedule of training, which outlines the training activities to be conducted from January 2012. Overall, the MTPDS program has made significant contributions to the development of a sustainable model for CPD in Malawi, which can be implemented by MoEST with the resources currently available within the country. The program's approach to CPD has been designed to address the needs of teachers, school leaders, and education professionals, and to provide them with the knowledge and skills needed to improve their job performance.