Western Mail Sept 20th 2007
Teachers from across Wales gathered at the Swansea Institute of Higher Education to be the first participants in the much-anticipated Chartered Teacher pilot being run by the General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW).

The pilot scheme, which will run over two school years, will test each of the proposed taught modules that will form the basis of the Chartered Teacher benchmark.

This first taught module pilot, entitled Talk for Thought, has received huge interest from teachers, the GTCW said.

The course is being run by the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education (NEWI), Swansea Institute of Higher Education (SIHE) and Basic Skills Cymru.

The Talk for Thought module comprises 150 hours of learning and is open to middle leaders and/or classroom teachers. It will explore speaking and listening in primary and secondary schools and the link between the development of speaking skills and pupil understanding.

Hayden Llewellyn, deputy chief executive of GTCW, said, “We have been delighted with the interest generated in the Chartered Teacher Status pilot, leading to an oversubscribed first module.

“The Talk for Thought module aims to give those participating the opportunity for further professional development in an area of interest to them.”

Debbie Spiers, a science teacher at Coed Cae School in Llanelli, who is one of the thirteen 13 teachers chosen to take part in the pilot, said, “This will give me an opportunity to go back to basics and learn strategies which will help my pupils learn.”

Mike Chapman, teacher at Oakfield Primary School in Barry, said,“The Chartered Teacher Status pilot offers valuable professional development which will improve and develop teachers’ practice within the classroom.”

For further information about this module and other basic skills CPD modules see the General Teaching Council for Wales press release or our CPD in Basic Skills Teaching page.