The Evidence Behind Every CPD Unit

Every CPD programme in The Development Room is built on robust educational research, implementation science and the best available evidence about how teachers learn and improve.

Rather than following educational trends, we design every unit around research that has been shown to improve teaching practice and pupil outcomes.

Our Design Principles

Every CPD unit is developed using five evidence-informed principles.

1. Evidence First

Every programme begins with educational research rather than opinion or personal preference.

Where appropriate, our resources draw on guidance and research from organisations and authors including:

  • Education Endowment Foundation (EEF)

  • Rosenshine

  • Sherrington

  • Lemov

  • Willingham

  • Bjork

  • Sweller

  • Education Scotland

  • Chartered College of Teaching

  • Teacher Development Trust

2. Practical Classroom Application

Research only matters if it changes classroom practice.

Every session moves beyond theory by helping teachers answer:

  • What does this look like?

  • Why does it matter?

  • How can I implement it tomorrow?

Every unit includes practical examples, discussion activities and implementation planning.

3. Professional Development That Lasts

Effective professional development doesn't end when the presentation finishes.

Each CPD unit includes resources designed to support sustained implementation through:

  • Leadership implementation pathways

  • Teacher implementation guides

  • Teaching assistant implementation resources

  • Reflection activities

  • Follow-up actions

4. Cognitive Science in Action

Our sessions themselves are designed using what we know about learning.

This includes principles such as:

  • Retrieval practice

  • Spaced learning

  • Dual coding

  • Worked examples

  • Managing cognitive load

  • Deliberate practice

  • Reflection and feedback

We don't just teach these ideas—we use them in the way our CPD is designed.

5. Evidence-Informed, Not Evidence-Limited

Educational research continually evolves.

Rather than relying on a single author or framework, every CPD programme brings together findings from multiple high-quality sources to provide balanced, practical guidance for schools.

Our Evidence Promise

Every CPD programme is designed to be:

✓ Research-informed

✓ Practical

✓ Ready to deliver

✓ Easy to implement

✓ Focused on improving classroom practice

✓ Designed for long-term impact

Transparency

We believe schools should know where professional development comes from.

For that reason, every CPD unit includes a References & Further Reading section identifying the key research, publications and guidance that informed its development. This allows leaders to explore the evidence in greater depth while ensuring complete transparency about the foundations of each programme.