Dr. Kathryn Taylor EdD

Influencing the Professional Development Acceptance Zone (PDAZ) We all want to get people on board, bought in, aligned, on message and engaged. We all know this is harder than it sounds. My research suggests that we should start by understanding teachers’ perce…

New blog post!
Exploring the relationships between school cultures and teacher professional learning: culture-insight.com/2025/07/29/i...

Theory busting: agency We use technical language all the time as we discuss and describe our professionalism and organisational cultures, but what do we mean? Here, I share the results of my analysis of over 80 academic …

What does the word agency mean to you? I've analysed the way it is used across educational literature, and found nuance and complexity. How do you experience agency? How about colleagues? culture-insight.com/2025/06/14/t...

How do you experience professional agency?

culture-insight.com/2025/06/14/t...

👀 enlighten me 😀

Theory busting: agency We use technical language all the time as we discuss and describe our professionalism and organisational cultures, but what do we mean? Here, I share the results of my analysis of over 80 academic …

Check out my new blog post on the nuances of professional agency: culture-insight.com/2025/06/14/t...

Looks great!

Did you know that even the most engaging speaker can alienate a teacher who feels switched off from learning? I can help you explore teachers’ perspectives of their organisational culture, giving you insight into how open your colleagues are to PD interventions. www.culture-insight.com
#cpd #culture

But I think that's what inspectors really mean by culture in what they can actually claim after a visit.

I expect part of it is to do with divergent understanding of what words like culture mean. I agree there's little depth you can get in a short visit, and a report seems to give such a long term impression. Maybe climate or ethos would be better, but I'm not sure they're clearer. 'Feel' is worse.

And I had a real sense that they were looking for typicality, as well as compliance to the statutory stuff. I was ok with that. Culture needs attention and curation every day, not just for the inspectorate. It can be steered and must be maintained.

Love Edgar Schein. He should be required reading for all leaders. Culture is so important. I think you can get an impression of it during an inspection, noticing what is typical about people's behaviour and interactions. I suppose it depends on what an inspection is for. We were 'done' recently.

Very interesting book - I loved the audiobook version.

I must say, it resonated with me a great deal today.

Just re-reading Animal Farm. Would recommend.

I can see oil rigs from where I'm sitting. I come here once a year, and on the last night, I like to sit in the dark and look at the little fires out at sea, on the horizon. It's an idiosyncratic habit of mine. I don't know why I like it, but I do.

Why does the meaning of professionalism matter for teachers? : My College KATHRYN TAYLOR, EdD CANDIDATE, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON, UK The term ‘professionalism’ is laden with political values and assumptions (Sachs, 2001). Conceived of and described in complex, conflated a...

Very pleased with this article! Delighted with the editorial comment that I have "troubled" traditional hierarchical structures with my perspective. Bring it on! my.chartered.college/impact_artic...

Book Us Bespoke Insight Are your team members eager to grow and learn from evidence-informed practices? How can you tell? Lessons from the business world and guidance from the EEF (2024) show that the way …

Did you know that certain cultural conditions corelate to the openness of your teachers to the in-school CPD you provide?

Culture-insight uses an evidence-based, validated survey to provide you with a bespoke report on your culture for learning. Get in touch today:

culture-insight.com/book-us/

Absolutely! A rolling reflexive process. No need to reinvent the wheel as a hexagon!

I think: use the best evidence, deeply understand how/why an intervention works, and under what conditions for your identified issue. Then remove barriers to teacher learning enabling them to develop deep understanding, and trial and evaluate. Then practice and deploy using prof judgement. Repeat.

YouTube video by Kathryn Taylor Culture-Insight

First go at making a video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT9Z...

Don't forget to tune in for this conversation with @rethinkingjames.bsky.social tonight at 21:00 on @ttradioofficial.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBFq...

I am very excited to be discussing @rethinkingjames.bsky.social's new book on @ttradioofficial.bsky.social tomorrow evening. Tune in from 21:00!

Flexibility and Professionalism A couple of weeks ago, I was discussing with a good friend whether they should apply for a new job. They’d found an opportunity that appealed and felt they had the skill set to make a difference on…

New Blog Alert! Check it out here: culture-insight.com/2025/02/02/f...

Thanks for the share 🙏 Let's catch up soon. 🙂

It really is, I've had a look and I think it's brilliant 😁 I'll be talking to @rethinkingjames.bsky.social on TTR soon. Can't wait!

Book Us Bespoke Insight Are your team members eager to grow and learn from evidence-informed practices? How can you tell? Lessons from the business world and guidance from the EEF (2024) show that the way …

What is it like to be a teacher in your school? Are you in a place where all colleagues can thrive and learn? For teachers, perception is reality. How do you know how teachers experience your school's culture for professional learning?
culture-insight.com/book-us/

Thank you for re-posting, @raesnape.bsky.social 🙏

Aw, congratulations 🎉

Thank you. I'd be very happy to chat about it, do get in touch if you would like a call. I find conversations about this so fascinating and would love to hear your thoughts and experiences!