English Teachers: What Kind of CPD Do You Actually Need Right Now?

Let me ask you something. Have you ever looked at all the CPD out there- webinars, courses, Delta and MA qualifications, conferences, books, YouTube videos, Facebook groups, AI tools, all the rest of it- and thought:

This is great… but what am I actually supposed to do next?

Because that’s the problem, isn’t it?

It’s not that there’s no professional development available. Quite the opposite. There’s loads of it. The problem is knowing what you need right now.

So in this video, I’m going to take you through a quick reflective quiz to help you work that out.

This is based on the talk I gave at IATEFL this year and it’s designed to help you think about where you are as a teacher, what’s going well, what’s feeling hard and what your next step in CPD might be.

Don’t worry, this isn’t a test.

You won’t be graded. You won’t be judged. Nobody’s going to see your answers. This is just for you.

Now if we haven’t met before, I’m Jo Gakonga. I’m a CELTA trainer and content creator at ELT-Training and I have to confess that I’m a bit of a CPD junkie. Over the years I’ve done a Cert in ELT, a PGCE, the Delta, an MA TESOL, and even a PhD, as well as countless conferences, workshops, webinars and of course, a decent amount of instruction from the University of YouTube. My experience is that continuing to learn, whatever stage of your career you’re at, keeps you happy so it’s definitely worth doing.

OK. let’s do this. As the questions come up, I want you to choose A, B, C or D for each one.

Before we start, though. Very important: don’t answer as your best possible self. Answer as the real you. How you feel today. The you that actually plans lessons, answers grammar questions, gets tired, gets inspired, gets overwhelmed and occasionally wonders why you ever started teaching in the first place. No one but you will see this.

Right.

Question 1
When a learner asks me a tricky grammar question, I usually…

Just choose the one that feels most true.

Question 2
When I think about my teaching at the moment, I feel…

Question 3
Planning a 60-minute lesson usually feels…

Question 4
My biggest challenge with lesson planning is…

Question 5
When it comes to teaching with AI or digital tools, I feel…

Don’t think too much- gut feelings here are good.

Question 6
I learn best when…

Question 7
Right now, what I need most as a teacher is…

Question 8
When I hear “professional development”, I think…

Question 9
If you work in an institution, what kind of CPD does it provide?

Question 10
I’ve done the following formal CPD…

All done? Great. Now pause for a moment and look at your answers overall.

Are you mostly A, mostly B, mostly C or mostly D?

This isn’t one of those silly quizzes where I now tell you you’ve got empathy and great leadership potential but patterns do matter.

If you got mostly A, you may well be in quite a strong place professionally. That doesn’t mean you’ve finished growing but it may mean that what you need now is stimulation, challenge, fresh ideas, and inspiration.

If you got mostly B, you may be doing reasonably well but with a few wobbles. You might need encouragement, reassurance, and support that helps you feel more secure in the choices you’re making.

If you got mostly C, you may be finding that things are taking more time and energy than they should. Teaching may be feeling heavier than you want it to feel. In that case, what you may need most is practical help, better systems, shortcuts, and ways of working that make life easier.

And if you got mostly D, you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed, underconfident, or just not in a great place professionally at the moment. And if that’s you, the answer is probably not more pressure. It’s probably gentle, manageable support that helps you grow steadily without making you feel worse.


So, that’s the first part. Let’s go on and look at another really important question and that’s this:

What kind of CPD actually works for you?

Because not all development is equal and not all development suits all teachers.

So here’s round two. Of these, which four matter most to you in CPD?

This bit is important so stop me for a minute and think about it.

Maybe you want a recognised qualification. Maybe you want practical ideas you can use tomorrow morning. Maybe community. Maybe you’re already juggling work, life, family and need flexibility most.

There’s no right answer. The point is to notice what matters to you. Stop me and consider it.


Did you do that? OK good. now comes the really important part.

What CPD do you actually have planned for the next 12 months?

Not vaguely. Not “I really should do more”. But What are you actually going to do?

Reflection has to turn into action.

Maybe your next step is a course. Or a qualification. Or joining a community.
Maybe it’s finally learning how to use AI without wanting to throw your laptop out of the window.
Maybe it’s just choosing one area of teaching and getting a bit stronger in it.

But choose something.

Write it down. Make a commitment. Put a date in your diary to do it by. Tell somebody about it. Get a bit of accountability. Because otherwise CPD can just be one of those things that you keep avoiding.


All of this, really, is the thinking behind my programme, The Next Step.

It’s designed as a low-pressure CPD journey that you can do in your own time, when it suits you. It gives you regular practical input, support, and community, without making it feel like another big stressful thing to keep up with. it includes eight self-access courses with practical take-it-to-the-classroom ideas to improve your grammar teaching, pronunciation work, AI use and much more. There’s also a workbook to help structure your way through ir and friendly weekly email reminders to keep you motivated. Perhaps most importantly, you’re joining a community of like minded teachers in a private Facebook group and monthly live Zoom meetings. You have lifetime access to the materials and the group- and I even offer a money back guarantee if you find it’s not for you.

So if this quiz has helped you realise that yes, you do want to keep growing, but you want to do it in a way that feels manageable, supportive and practical, then that may be exactly the kind of thing you need.

Check it out in the link above.