Teacher Professional Development

Where the Science of learning meets the Art of teaching

Upstream Thinking in education is about knowing how to empower your students and staff to become internally motivated to become ‘the best version of themselves’.

Our Whole Brain Strategies for TPD provide the knowledge, resources and tools for your staff to be inspired and equipped to achieve your school’s plans and goals.

Unlocking Potential in Staff and Students Through the Science of Learning

We equip your staff and management with proven, up to date concepts, tools and strategies to develop their own potential as people and as educators as well as knowing how to motivate students to engage in learning.

Our ‘whole person’ and ‘whole brain’ approaches enable to you achieve your educational objectives through staff who are self-aware and self-motivated to contribute their best to your school’s ambition to deliver outstanding teaching. Our focus is on personal as well as professional development.

We Offer

Tailored Professional Development


Our evidence-based training and resources support all staff—from senior leaders to classroom assistants—in meeting school development objectives and improving pupil engagement.

We train educators to Think Upstream about their own teaching and learning as well as provide whole brain strategies and tools for outstanding teaching.

Customized Solutions



We co-design every program to address your institution’s unique needs, ensuring relevance and measurable impact.

What would Upstream Thinking and Whole Brain Strategies look like in your particular school environment.

Staff Wellbeing



Your staff are your most important pedagogical ‘asset’ and outstanding teaching is impossible without providing the environment and resources to manage their own wellbeing. Through our whole person approach we help identify and manage stress triggers in educational environments, fostering a positive atmosphere for staff
and students alike.

Our BrainFit workshops enable staff to create Personalised Action Plans to take charge of and manage their own wellbeing so they can deliver outstanding teaching under the pressures of their professional
and personal lives.

Programme Highlights

The Science of Learning

How the brain learns, including formation of neuronal connections and neurotransmitters.

Differentiation & Personalization

Adapting teaching to individual learning preferences and using the Five Factor Personality Traits to ensure student engagement and motivation.

Brain Lateralization

Exploring creativity and innovation through right and left hemisphere differences in students
and staff.

Memory

Strategies to involve working, short-term, and long-term memory.

Emotions in Learning

Managing the impact of emotions on educational outcomes and nurturing the soul of the student and teacher as well as informing the brain in education.

Leadership Development for SLTs

How can you ensure your SLT has the balance of talent to become a high performing team with the capacity to achieve its goals and the resilience to overcome the challenges on the way to doing this?

Proven Impact

Our programmes have been successfully implemented across schools, universities, and public sector organizations in Northern Ireland and Malaysia. In 2024, we developed a comprehensive educational psychometrics suite for the Malaysian government’s MyNext Platform to facilitate career selection for thousands of college and university students.

We are ready to train your staff for outstanding teaching and to become the best version of themselves in applying the science of learning to the art of teaching.

Contact Dr John Kelly to discuss how Fingerprint Learning can support your development goals.

Watch John Kelly training Open University lecturers in this video

Download or view The EntreBRAINeur Research Studies 1 and 2

Dr Brian Cummins

Senior Lecturer in Education Stranmmillis University College
Belfast
Northern Ireland

“Regardless of the structure of the education system, the curriculum, professional development and lifelong learning, success will depend on the degree to which an individual is self-driven. Fingerprint Learning provides this direction.”

Professor Peter Finn,

Principal, St Mary’s University College
Belfast
Northern Ireland

“The training delivered by Fingerprint Learning to our academic staff in June 2025 was of a high quality. It was rigorous, engaging and delivered with real passion. Staff feedback was positive, with many highlighting the immediate relevance and impact on their pedagogy and potential research.”

Jim McDaid

Principal Hazelwood Integrated Primary School
Belfast
Northern Ireland

“Dr John Kelly from Fingerprint Learning worked closely with our teachers to explain the secret of effective teaching and learning. He helped explain the science behind what we do every day in our classrooms and how we can improve the outcomes and learning experiences for our pupils.”

“Fingerprint Learning worked with our staff and pupils for over 10 years to embed a holistic approach to learning and teaching that made a significant effect on the self-worth of students in valuing their unique individuality and the value of difference in the classroom. Children were motivated through the use and rewarding of Smartnesses and linking these to potential careers.”

David Patterson, Former Principal of Lowwood Primary  School, Belfast, Northern Ireland