What are the requirements around teacher professional learning in my state or territory?
What do you call professional learning in your state or territory? Professional Development? Personal and Professional Learning? PDP? PL? PD? We love a good acronym in education don’t we!
Well, whatever you call it, as you already know, every single teacher in Australia has to demonstrate that they have done some each year. It’s part of our teacher registration requirements. Edufolios has tools within it to help you to keep track of those learning hours and to report on them.
But, if you are new to this and you’re wondering exactly how many hours do you need to complete? What kinds of activities count toward professional learning and how reflecting on your practice COUNTS then this article is for you.
Table of Contents
South Australia (SA)
Awarding Body: Teacher Registration Board SA
Hours of PD Required: 60 (every 3 years)
Examples of Activities Include (but are not limited to):
- Research activities centered on education issues
- Online Learning
- Face to Face Learning
- Opportunities from Communities of practice
- Formal Study or training centered on Educational Issues
All professional learning claimed for registration purposes is required to be:
- outside of your normal role as a teacher (meetings do not count)
- Reference to The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers
- Recorded with Supporting Evidence to verify the learning has occurred. A reflection post with photographs, is a great way to do that!
Queenland (QLD)
Awarding Body: Queensland College of Teachers
Hours of PD Required:
- Full Registration: 20 (each year if you teach for more than 20 days in that year)
- Provisional Registration: No quantified amount
Examples of Activities Include (but are not limited to):
A range of activities must be provided. Things like (but not limited to)
- Development that has resulted from being a part of an education system initiative (pilots, trials and projects)
- Activities offered by PD providers and consultants (workshops, conferences, seminars etc)
- School/employer based PD offered during PD days.
- syllabus, curriculum and assessment PD conducted by QCAA, education organisations or professional associations.
- Training for national and state test marking
- Training for or development that has occurred as a result of formal presentations to colleagues about classroom practices, research findings or issues in education
- Leading school based curriculum/policy development
- action research projects
- Training to and then providing support as a mentor/supervisor of pre-service or beginning teachers.
- Professional reading (journals, discussion papers) with reflections on its impact on professional practice
- Formal studies – this can not take up all of your hours.
- Learning gained from work shadowing, collegial visits or other collaborative activities
- Online learning
Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
Awarding Body: ACT Teacher Quality Institute
Hours of PD Required: 20 (each year)
Required PD:
- At least 5 hours of TQI Accredited programs, and
- At least 5 hours of Teacher Identified activities.
- Remaining 10 hours can be made up of either accredited or teacher identified programs.
PLEASE NOTE: First aid courses, workplace health and safety, other administrative training and school management and planning days, such as moderation days, cannot be counted towards the required 20 hours PL.
Northern Territory (NT)
Awarding Body: Teacher Registration Board of the NT
Hours of PD Required: 100 (over 5 years)
Examples of Activities Include (but are not limited to):
- Programs, courses and conferences attended off-site
- Programs, courses and conferences in the school setting/work setting
- Professional Teaching Association PD events
- Tertiary study related to a specific teaching/educational field
- Structured networking with teachers from other schools
- School visits and exchanges
- Faculty/team or staff meetings involving discussion of approaches to teaching and learning
- Professional reading
- Mentoring another teacher
- Being mentored by another teacher
- Classroom observation
Tasmania (TAS)
Awarding Body: Teacher Registration Board TAS
Hours of PD Required: Engage in professional development activities – No quantified limit
Examples of Activities Include (but are not limited to): Anything which contributes to professional competence, directly or indirectly enhancing teaching and learning
Western Australia (WA)
Awarding Body: Teacher Registration Board WA
Hours of PD Required:
Examples of Activities Include (but are not limited to):
“Formal Activities:
- activities offered by professional development providers such as workshops, seminars, online learning
- school-based and employer-provided professional development including professional development days, action research projects, mentoring a junior colleague or critical friend
- giving conference or workshop presentations or writing for publication.
In formal activities
- professional reading
- professional or collegiate meetings dedicated to teacher professional learning or requiring reflection on professional practice
- participation in the development of policy or practice within the educational venue or a wider context.”
The Professional Learning Activities (for the renewal of registration) Policy contains more information
Victoria (VIC)
Awarding Body: Victorian Institute of Teaching
Hours of PD Required: 20 a year that reference the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers
Examples of Activities Include (but are not limited to):
Some of the PD activities you undertake must build your capacity to teach learners with a disability; focusing on the professional standards which cover these special needs.
- Design and implement teaching activities that support the learning and participation of learners with disability, and address relevant policy and legislative requirements. (Standard descriptor 1.6)
- Develop teaching activities that incorporate differentiated strategies to meet the specific learning needs of learners across the full range of abilities. (Standard descriptor 1.5)
- Establish and implement inclusive and positive interactions to engage and support all learners in learning activities. (Standard descriptor 4.1)
Everything else you complete has to help update your knowledge and can be referenced against the standards.
New South Wales (NSW)
Awarding Body: New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA)
Hours of PD Required:
A minimum of 100 hours of PD.
This changes depending on your career stage:
- Proficient Teachers: a minimum of 50 hours of NESA Accredited PD across all priority areas; or
- Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers: a minimum of 20 hours of NESA Accredited PD across all priority areas and 20 hours of professional commitment activities.
Your 100 hours can be made up of any combination of NESA Accredited PD or Elective PD, including professional commitment activities.
Examples of elective PD:
PD activities and courses selected from the following list meet NESA’s criteria:
- any additional NESA Accredited PD
- any course and/or activity in a priority area that is not accredited
- integrating ICT into teaching practice
- legislative requirements (eg anaphylaxis, child protection, sectoral/school policy requirements etc)
- meeting professional ethics and responsibilities, including courses on meeting teacher accreditation requirements
- strategies for effective engagement with parents/carers and the community
- mentoring, coaching, professional dialogue supporting teaching practice
- educational leadership
- relevant further study
- professional commitment activities.
- These include things like:
- mentoring or coaching teachers or pre-service teachers
- Leading PD
- Developing and implementing projects on site
- Writing publications that contribute to the PD of others
- These include things like:
How Edufolios helps you to manage PD?
Edufolios contains tools within it that let you record your professional development activities as you go and then export the data you have collected.
If you have a professional subscription with Edufolios you can look forward to reflecting on your practice and having what you write, COUNT towards your learning hours too!
