Dr Martin Hoskin & Dr Richard Poole

No More Off-the-Shelf CPD: Building Sustainable Growth in Education Through Project-Based Collaboration

Martin is a Senior Teaching Fellow (School of Education, Languages & Linguistics), University of Portsmouth, UK

Martin is a Senior Lecturer (School of Education, Languages & Linguistics), University of Portsmouth, UK

Workshop Information:

We have all endured the three-hour, off-the-shelf CPD session where “expert advice” has little relevance to real classroom practice. This session offers a different way forward, showing how collaborative, research-informed professional learning can genuinely empower teachers. Focusing on what educators actually need, rather than delivering pre-set solutions, ensures professional development is sustainable, meaningful, and firmly rooted in everyday teaching.

For leaders, listening to teacher voices is central to this approach. Instead of imposing generic strategies, leaders can create a culture where teachers shape their own growth in ways that make sense for their classrooms. When teachers feel heard, trusted, and supported, they are more motivated to refine their practice, which leads to stronger teaching and better outcomes for students.

The session highlights how collaboration, inquiry, and reflection build teacher agency and lasting improvement. It shares examples from research and real projects where teachers have taken ownership of their development with the backing of leaders who prioritised their perspectives. Participants will explore practical models of professional learning that transform CPD from a one-off event into a culture of ongoing growth.

This is a research-informed and practice-relevant session, accessible to all levels of education. It draws on the presenters’ published work and award-winning projects, alongside the voices of practitioners who have already benefited from these approaches. Delivered by research-active educators in Early Childhood and Youth Studies, Education, and Educational Leadership and Management, the session combines academic insight with lived professional experience. Attendees will leave with clear strategies for reshaping professional learning so that teacher voices guide the process and leadership creates the conditions for meaningful, lasting change.

Martin Hoskin:

Martin Hoskin has spent over 18 years in Further and Higher Education, working as a teacher, teaching and learning coach, and senior leader. He is currently the course leader for the BA Education Studies programme at the University of Portsmouth. Passionate about helping educators grow, he focuses on professional development, collaborative learning, and practical approaches to improving teaching and learning. His work has been shared through peer-reviewed and specialist publications and has been recognised through national awards for educational leadership.

Martin has led and contributed to a range of funded research projects, covering areas such as digital skills, equity and inclusion, and outstanding teaching and learning. He currently leads a national programme supporting Inclusive Leadership in Further Education and Skills.

Martin has worked internationally with the British Council in Hong Kong and Florida Universitaria in Valencia, Spain, exploring project-based learning and technology in education. A former Google for Education Trainer and Innovator, he enjoys finding ways to make teaching and learning more inclusive, creative, and meaningful for students and educators alike.

Richard Poole:

Richard Poole has been working in the field of education for over 19 years. In his final role before joining the University of Portsmouth, Richard was the Teaching, Learning & Quality Manager at a large FE college, in addition to being a centre quality reviewer for a UK awarding body. Richard has conducted funded research in collaboration with a number of establishments, into the use of digital technologies within assessment feedback; an online staff development space; and impact of behavioural science interventions on the progression of learners to higher level academic courses. His published works focus on the impact of neoliberal practices on different social groups.

He is enthusiastic about how the online distance learning and apprenticeship programmes can be developed to enhance the learning experience of students. As a lecturer on the MSc Educational Leadership & Management programme, Richard is experienced in working with eclectic groups. The programme consists of a wonderfully diverse mixture of students, with the cohort composed of home and international students studying on campus; and also UK-based students, international students and expat students studying the course around the world, via online distance learning.