How Hachette Learning Academy Helps Teachers Around the World Embed Knowledge

“The topics covered are relevant to teaching practice…it is important to keep up to date with what the teachers want (and) I think that this is a strong product from a well-known educational brand.” Tom Millinchip, Windsor School, Bahamas

Professional Development (PD) remains a key priority for schools, closely linked to improving teaching quality and pupil outcomes. There is a growing demand for PD that addresses classroom practice and helps close learning gaps, particularly those exacerbated by COVID-19. Ongoing recruitment challenges have raised concerns around workload, support and workforce sustainability.

Demands and trends in professional development

• Personalised and adaptive: reflecting a growing recognition that teachers need flexibility to learn at their own pace and focus on areas more relevant to their roles and career stage
•  Evidence-based: the Education Endowment Foundation advocates for PD grounded in proven strategies that support knowledge building, motivation and classroom impact
•  Impactful and sustainable: reinforced by findings across national and international contexts showing that coaching, mentoring, and collaborative practice are key to embedding change and supporting long-term professional growth
• Affordable and convenient: the rise of blended and online models demonstrates that accessibility is essential if PD is to be consistently prioritised by schools and teachers.

Outcomes of the Hachette Learning Academy pilot

• Hachette Learning Academy courses adapt to the learners’ capabilities depending on their accuracy and confidence in their knowledge, providing learning material when and where the learner needs it. The aim, therefore, is for each learner to reach 100% ‘conscious competence’ in the topic – meaning that they have understood and embedded the knowledge and are confident that they know it.
• Data from pilot studies of Hachette Learning Academy’s short course on Using Questioning for Impact showed that on average, teachers who completed this course improved their conscious competence by 33%.
• The teachers in the sample had varying prior experience, from senior leaders with many years of experience though to newly qualified teachers. Starting points, therefore, ranged from 13% through to 75% conscious competence in the strategies being taught through the adaptive learning.

To evaluate the impact of Hachette Learning Academy online courses, early pilots were conducted with teachers in schools across five countries to evaluate the following questions.

Was the course effective in teaching the content?

Through adaptive learning, all the teachers participating ultimately achieved 100% conscious competency in the topics, showing that the course was successful in upskilling all participants and all grew their awareness of their own competencies.

“I like how it asks questions about how familiar you are with the content, then assesses your knowledge and gives feedback. The way the questions are targeted and asked is great.”

“When you get a question incorrect, it takes you back to the information to revisit what’s been studied in accordance to the question, which I think was very helpful.”

Was the course effective in improving teaching practices in school?

95% of participants believed the course would have a positive impact on their teaching practice. The majority of teachers commented that they learned new strategies that would aid their teaching practice and help them to engage their students

• Over 90% believed the focused reflection tasks effectively helped them develop their practice
• The majority felt there was the right amount of application activities and reflection tasks, indicating strong approval of their relevance and usefulness
• Several teachers commented on inclusivity that the strategies would bring to their questioning practice in the classroom, ‘It helps me to learn more strategies for motivating diverse learners.’

Did the course successfully target areas in which teachers wanted to improve their expertise?

• 95% of participants found the courses relevant and useful to their teaching context
• Two-thirds of participants rated the knowledge checks as extremely or very useful
•  Engaging students in deeper thinking addressed a key area of development for participants. ‘The strategies were highly relevant as they align with my goal of fostering deeper engagement and critical thinking among learners.’
• Teachers reported that the course included sufficient examples and case studies to illustrate key points effectively. ‘The content was relevant and applicable to teaching – strategies and examples were given which could be applied in a classroom.’

Did the course methodology and adaptive learning help teachers to learn efficiently?

• 87% of teachers found the progress tracking features effective, helping them to see how much of the course they had completed
• More than three quarters of respondents felt the course moved at the correct pace for them
• Over 80% of respondents said this method of learning would help them fit PD well into their schedule
• Participants found the content comprehensive, with no gaps in key areas.

Did the course inspire teachers to keep learning?

• A number of participants mentioned that they would not only implement the strategies themselves but would use what they had learned to conduct PD for their peers
•  90% of participants valued the certification for professional development purposes
• 80% of participants would recommend the course to other teachers based on this pilot and 80% said they were motivated to try another Hachette Learning Academy course
• The majority of participants reported feeling appropriately challenged and motivated to complete the course. ‘It was engaging and allowed me to focus, with different methods of questioning keeping me on my toes.’

Summary

• Through adaptive learning, all participants reached 100% ‘conscious competence’ in their knowledge of the content taught, despite widely varying starting points in their knowledge on the subject
• 95% of participants believed the course would have a positive impact on their teaching practice
•  Over 90% believed the focused reflection tasks effectively helped them develop their practice
• 95% of participants found the courses relevant and useful to their teaching context
• Two-thirds of participants rated the knowledge checks as extremely or very useful
• 87% of teachers found the progress tracking features effective, helping them to see how much of the course they had completed
• Over 80% of respondents said this method of learning would help them fit PD well into their schedule
• 90% of participants valued the certification for professional development purposes
•  80% of teachers would recommend the course to other teachers based on this pilot
•  80% said they were motivated to try another Hachette Learning Academy course

Data from pilot studies of Hachette Learning Academy’s short course on Using Questioning for Impact showed that on average, teachers who completed this course improved their conscious competence by 33%.

To find out more, you can read the full Hachette Learning Academy impact study here.