How CPTD training can help your career

Like all professionals, regardless of the sector that they are in to pursue their careers, it is of the utmost importance that teachers grow their knowledge and skills throughout their career cycle. Continuing Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) is a system that allows teachers to continue their professional development in order to reach their maximum potential. This system is managed by the South African Council for Educators (SACE).

Here is a quick recap of exactly how the CPTD system works:

• Only relevant and good quality teacher development activities will be endorsed by SACE.
• SACE will allocate professional development (PD) points to endorsed activities. 
• Each educator will have a PD points account with SACE and SACE will credit their accounts with the points they have earned.
• Each teacher will be expected to earn a target number of points every three years.
• In that way, teachers will keep up to date and on their toes professionally with help and encouragement from SACE. What activities will qualify for PD points?

PD activities that are endorsed by SACE and are:

• Chosen by teachers themselves to suit their needs and interests.
• Developed and managed by School Management Teams (SMTs) and teachers in schools to meet the needs of the school.
• Offered by providers to meet system needs identified by the Department of Basic Education (DBE), or SACE or teacher unions.
• Activities are broken down as follows:
  • Type 1 – these are teacher-initiated activities.
  • Type 2 – these are school-initiated activities.
  • Type 3 – these are externally-driven activities offered by selected service providers.

The question as to why personal development is so important for teachers is a question that is often asked. Universities and colleges don’t provide the extensive in-career learning experiences that are needed to become effective teachers that are relevant and up to date with the latest teaching methods and trends. Like any other job, it takes years to gain the necessary skills to function optimally and reach maximum potential when it comes to teaching.

Teachers who do not experience effective professional development do not improve their skills and as a result of that, the only parties that suffer are the learners. Especially in South Africa, not all schools have the same amount of budget to spend on teacher development, some might not have any budget at all, but it is of the utmost importance that teachers are supported in this matter to ensure higher quality output in their place of employment.

Good teachers are not an accident – some teachers might naturally be more talented and gifted than others, but all effective teaching is the result of study, reflection, practice, hard work and of course, skillset development. Whether learners are over-, or underachievers or just on the scale of average, they will learn more if their teachers regularly engage in high-quality professional development.