Connect your teachers wherever they are; review and refine teaching however it’s delivered; provide effective CPD, whenever your teachers need it. 

In the last couple of months, it’s become evident that we are experiencing educational disruption likely to last for the foreseeable future. With schools largely closed to most learners, teachers have been forced to think quickly on their feet, and adapt to new ways of communicating with colleagues and students alike. With some teachers remaining in open schools and others exploring their options online, schools are facing unprecedented times.

With the news that UK schools will be closing due to coronavirus, we’ve put together a list of 10 resources that provide great tips on how to teach remotely.

We know there’s no quick fix and one size certainly doesn’t fit all, but these tools to teach online could be a great place to start. Keep up to date with all the resources we're sharing over on our Twitter account @IRIS_Connect

Please share any resources you’ve found to be useful in the comments section below so that your fellow readers can benefit. 

For many school leaders, the importance of effective CPD for teaching staff needs little explaining. As the DfE’s Standard for Teachers’ Professional Development straightforwardly puts it, ‘effective professional development for teachers is a core part of securing effective teaching.’

We know that teachers themselves are also firmly invested in honing and developing their skills. According to an LKMco and Pearson survey, the prospect of making a difference in pupils’ lives motivates 92% of teachers to stay in teaching, so any further opportunities to increase their impact in the classroom are likely to be received with enthusiasm.

Following educators on Twitter will help you to keep up-to-date on the latest advice and research in education, as well as find and share resources, and be part of a passionate, international community of professionals.

If you’re not sure where to get started, here’s 10 educators and #edtech accounts we recommend following right now (list in no particular order):

Guest blog from Hannah Bailey, Drapers Mills Primary Academy, TKAT

In this blog I'll be sharing my experience of becoming a certified video cpd leader and the benefits of this at Drapers Mills Primary Academy.

In my opinion, if you see yourself as a learner, you will be a better teacher. 

I have always been interested in reflecting on my own learning paths in order to improve professionally; IRIS Connect  (a video-based professional learning platform) has helped me to spread this philosophy and build a professional development culture within our school through their IRIS Lead Certified programme.

Guest blog written by Claire Probert, Lancot Challenger Academy

CPD. So often associated with death by PowerPoint, as a room full of tea-drinking teachers subtly write ever expanding to-do lists to be completed later that same day, if not during the training!

I don’t find this acceptable; I firmly believe that we should practice what we preach. For our pupils, we rightly demand that our staff eliminate passive learning, develop active questioning, promote pupil-led learning and all within an engaging, safe and positive climate. At my school, my staff deserve exactly that too and myself and my IRIS Connect Lead, Jenny Fraser, are passionate about offering this to our team.