Professional development

As a learning institution, Wesley College is committed to the continued growth and development of all staff to inspire both professional and personal fulfilment.

Outstanding professional development opportunities ensure staff learn, develop and prosper in their roles.

Staff development

All staff benefit from a broad range of professional development opportunities, including:

• College and campus professional development days – these events draw staff together for a day of learning and collaboration. Staff participate in workshops and seminars, hosted by leaders in education and other sectors.
• External professional development – the College may subsidise staff to pursue tailored external professional development, including workshops, conferences and short courses relevant to individuals and their roles.
• Online learning – online learning platforms and resources encourage staff operating across all aspects of the College to expand their skills and broaden their understanding.
• Wesley-hosted events – our staff receive complimentary or discounted tickets to Wesley’s special lectures, seminars and conferences including the annual Samuel Alexander Lecture, hosting leading public figures.

Teacher development

Professional development for teachers is a core element of Wesley’s teaching and learning philosophy, with our teachers regularly reviewing and refining their knowledge, skills and practice.

Our comprehensive program provides all teachers with the time and resources necessary to undertake both collaborative and autonomous professional development, with opportunities including:

• Allocated time for weekly professional development – teachers are allocated time each week to participate in a program of structured learning and collaboration. This explores topics such as curriculum development, pedagogy and evaluation.
• Collaboration with other schools – through our Cultures of Thinking Program, Wesley teachers partner with educators from schools across Melbourne to refine their skills and deepen their understandings. The program encourages teachers to share knowledge, engage in constructive dialogue and reflect on each other’s practice through classroom observation.
• International Baccalaureate (IB) global professional learning network – our IB teachers collaborate both with each other and educators across the world to develop and improve the IB curriculum framework at Wesley. Many of our teachers are members of curriculum review teams, examiners, teacher training workshop leaders, contributors to IB publications and presenters at IB workshops.
• Research fellowships – R.G. Menzies research fellowships offers teachers the opportunity to take a secondment to conduct research into areas such as curriculum development, assessment and classroom teaching and learning.