The job of teachers has changed profoundly over recent years. They are now expected to provide quality teaching to an increasingly diverse student body in terms of learning needs, performance levels, socio-economic backgrounds and language proficiency. This entails managing classrooms effectively, deploying high-leverage teaching practices, personalising instruction to students’ individual profiles, making effective use of innovative pedagogies and technology, paying attention to socio-emotional factors, creating classroom climates conducive to learning and student well-being, and leading the fight against bullying, whether on the school premises or in cyber space. These many demands require adequate preparation and capacity-building, and in a fast-evolving environment, professional learning and development throughout the career has become an imperative for teachers.
Teacher professional learning and development
The training of teachers is increasingly seen from a lifelong learning perspective. While initial education establishes foundational knowledge, continuous professional learning builds up expertise over the course of a career.
![](/https/www.oecd.org/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--3e628390-1b62-4493-be00-47a0a53dac65/teacher-professional-learning-1315451216.jpg?preferwebp=true&quality=80)
Key messages
Investing in staff development is essential for improving the quality of the teacher workforce and to retain effective staff over time. Adopting a lifelong learning approach to teacher development acknowledges the demanding nature of teaching and that those demands may evolve over time. Providing opportunities and incentives for professional development throughout a teacher’s career enables staff to refresh, develop and broaden their knowledge, skills and practices. This can encompass a whole range of activities: formal courses, seminars, conferences and workshops, online training, mentoring and supervision, as well as more informal learning among staff through reflection, joint problem-solving, networking and sharing of expertise and experience. The benefits of professional development, however, depend on the quality of the programmes and the feedback and follow-up support they provide. TALIS 2018 data show that while most teachers attended at least one professional development activity in the year prior to the survey, less than half of them took part in training based on peer learning and networking, despite collaborative learning being identified by teachers as having the most impact on their work.
Education is no exception to the spread of digitalisation, with 53% of teachers across the OECD reporting using information and communication technology (ICT) for projects or class work frequently in TALIS 2018. However, the incorporation of digital technologies into the classroom remains a major challenge for education systems. OECD results have shown that being exposed to technology will not improve student learning without the mediation of teachers. Furthermore, TALIS 2018 findings show that substantial efforts are required to prepare teachers for digital education. Only 56% of teachers across the OECD received training in the use of technology for teaching, 43% felt well prepared when they joined the profession, and about 18% still express a high need for professional development in ICT skills for teaching – the second highest need area. This highlights the need to build teachers’ competence in dealing with technology use in the classroom.
Context
Requirement on continuing professional development
In 2021, continuing professional development is compulsory to some extent for teachers of general subjects at least at one level of education in most countries with data, except Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and New Zealand. It can be either generally compulsory for all teachers as a regular part of their work, or for some teachers for specific purposes (promotion or salary increases), or in some cases, both.
Requirements for continuing professional development for teachers and school heads (2021)
![Figure: Requirements for continuing professional development for teachers and school heads (2021)](/https/www.oecd.org/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--70db4a67-866b-4135-ab2f-b7d1d00c6f81/figure-requirements-for-continuing-professional-development-for-teachers-and-school-heads-2022.jpg?preferwebp=true&quality=80)
Mandated contents of compulsory continuing professional development
In 2021, less than half of the countries with some compulsory professional development requirements specified the content of these activities (7 out of 31 countries and other participants) or aligned them with established standards at the national or central level (in 7 others).
Mandated contents of teachers’ and school heads’ compulsory continuing professional development (2021)
![Figure: Mandated contents of teachers’ and school heads’ compulsory continuing professional development (2021)](/https/www.oecd.org/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--d19d2008-6409-4722-a7d2-652bdecc8cf0/figure-mandated-contents-of-teachers-and-school-heads-compulsory-continuing-professional-development-2022.jpg?preferwebp=true&quality=80)
Related publications
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Working paper26 January 2024
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Policy paper24 November 2023
Programmes and projects
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TALIS - the Teaching and Learning International Survey - is the world's largest international survey about teachers and school leaders.Learn more
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The OECD Indicators of Education Systems (INES) programme seeks to gauge the performance of national education systems through internationally comparable data.Learn more
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PISA is the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment. PISA measures 15-year-olds’ ability to use their reading, mathematics and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges.Learn more
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics are becoming increasingly sophisticated at replicating human skills. The evolution of these technologies could fundamentally transform work over coming decades and deeply affect education’s current role in providing skills and preparing learners for future work.Learn more
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The Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) programme conducts analysis and develops new data to support countries in reviewing and improving their early childhood services and systems.Learn more
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The Education Policy Outlook is an analytical observatory that monitors the evolution of policy priorities and policy developments from early childhood education to adult education, mainly among OECD education systems, to provide a comparative understanding of how policies are evolving, and how they can be best implemented or improved over time.Learn more
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The OECD’s programme on education and skills policy support policymakers in their efforts to achieve high-quality lifelong learning, which in turn contributes to personal development, sustainable economic growth, and social cohesion.Learn more
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Education for Inclusive Societies Project is designed to respond to the increasing diversity that characterises education systems, and seeks to help governments and relevant stakeholders achieve more equitable and inclusive education systems as a pillar to create more inclusive societies.Learn more
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OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030 aims to build a common understanding of the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values students need in the 21st century.Learn more
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The OECD’s expanding evidence base has highlighted the importance of high-quality teachers and teaching in education. Yet, challenging questions remain, and there is a need for space in the teacher debate to anticipate future developments, to strengthen professional identity and to support proactive teacher policy making.Learn more
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The PISA-based Test for Schools provides school-level estimates of performance and information about the learning environment and students’ attitudes gathered from student questionnaires. Find out more and how schools and their networks can take part.Learn more
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Since 2013, the OECD has gathered evidence on how school resource policies work in different contexts. The focus is now on digital resources to enable countries to learn from each other in the digital transformation of their education.Learn more
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Meeting the challenges of the 21st Century means that schools must be empowered to play a more central and active role in leading improvements in education. To support this, Schools+ will bring together major education networks to put schools at the centre of education design.Learn more
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Data and digital technologies are among the most powerful drivers of innovation in education, offering a broad range of opportunities for system and school management, as well as for teaching and learning. But they also create new policy issues as countries face challenges to reap the benefits of digitalisation in education while minimising its risks.Learn more
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The Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS Starting Strong) is an international, large-scale survey of staff and leaders in early childhood education and care (ECEC).Learn more
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The OECD Survey on Social and Emotional Skills is an international survey that identifies and assesses the conditions and practices that foster or hinder the development of social and emotional skills for 10- and 15-year-old students.Learn more
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The Teacher Knowledge Survey (TKS) examines what teachers know about teaching and learning, and how their specialised knowledge of pedagogy relates to their work and training.Learn more
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Creativity and critical thinking prepare students for innovative economies and improve wellbeing. However, educators often lack guidance on how to equip students with creativity and critical thinking within subject teaching. Education systems have likewise rarely established ways to systematically assess students’ acquisition of creativity and critical thinking.Learn more
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Preparing for the future means taking a careful look at how the world is changing. Reflecting on alternative futures helps anticipate and strategically plan for potential shocks and surprises.Learn more