EPD Information Seminar transcript
Welcome to the EPD Programme. If you have completed induction or NQT, EPD is the 2 year programme you complete in Northern Ireland after induction or NQT.
The programme is flexible and adaptable according to your teaching circumstances. You can complete it when you are subbing as long as you have a sustained period of teaching in a school to do your PDA which is your professional development activity.
You need to be familiar with the GTCNI competences which you can download from the GTCNI website.
You complete an EPD portfolio which is downloadable from the induction and EPD section of the EA website.
EPD is part of an ongoing process.
These documents can be downloaded.
These are important documents and a key one is the School development plan.
Career long reflection is important.
TPL or teaching professional learning is ongoing as part of career long reflection.
There are 27 competences and a minimum of 2 competences are required per PDA (professional development activity).
Make sure you regularly look regularly at the DE website.
There is a code of practice but also a duty of care to yourself. Organisations like Inspire.org are useful for self care and counselling and free to avail of.
Reflection is ongoing.
Teamwork is important, make sure you speak to colleagues who have recently completed EPD and also network with colleagues who are going through it with you in your school for support.
The teacher tutor has a key role and you should make contact with the teacher tutor when you get a teaching position and indicate your wish to complete EPD.
If this is not you, no one is atypical, it may take longer to complete EPD and the majority of teachers are subbing when they commence EPD1.
EPD requires 2 phases EPD1 and EPD2 with one PDA (professional development activity ) per EPD and each PDA has 2 classroom observations.
In induction action plans may have been more generic but in EPD they are more focussed as you progress in your teaching.
Here is an example of a PDA.
Here is another example of a PDA for EPD.
The PDA is 4 to 8 weeks in length and the classroom observations are usually one near the beginning and one near the end to measure progression.
Always make sure the PDA is meaningful, linked to the school development plan and will have impact on student learning.
Reflection is ongoing.
The EPD portfolio is downloadable from the EA website and is divided into 2 parts, EPD1 and EPD2. 
EPD1 is an internal document that is signed off by the school and a copy retained by the teacher. EPD2 is an external document that is signed off by the school and a copy retained by the teacher and a copy sent to GTCNI.
In selecting your PDA consult with the teacher tutor and consider the class that you wish to do the PDA with.
There is guidance on the PDA within the EPD portfolio and the EA website contains some exemplar materials.
Open university, Future learn.org, Coursera.org are some of the different online resources you can use. Consider twitter, Microsoft teams, Google Classroom, the CCEA website, the Eventbrite site –check out education related free courses in Northern Ireland.
Any questions please contact the EPD team and we will be delighted to hear from you.