Problematising the CPD Needs of Early Years Educators in England

Aileen Kennedy’s ‘most read’ (2005) paper not only outlines nine key models of CPD. The paper content provides a fascinating analysis of the capacity of ‘the nine models’ to support CPD. The success of the paper appears to be based on its reflection on the circumstances that enable the models to be adopted, the forms of knowledge that can result from the models, alongside reflecting on the power relationships that are inherent within these paradigms of CPD. This paper uses Kennedy’s (2005) work as a background to exploring the perceptions of CPD from 10 English early years workers in 2015. The qualitative research findings outline uncertainty over the nature and purpose of CPD in this educational context. This links to a key theme of this year’s (2015) conference by considering the question ‘from what to what?’ The theoretical content of the paper problematises the CPD of early years workers in England by applying the work of Barton (1994), Gee (1996) and Tummons (2014). The challenge of transforming CPD from an ‘artefact’ to an ‘event’ to a form of innovative ‘practice’ is revealed.