Abstract:
Induction programs for beginning teachers have emerged as an area of critical importance given the ageing of Australian teachers and the debate over teacher professionalism and approaches to teacher registration. Recent developments in research and practices in teacher induction have required a reconceptualisation of approaches to professional learning for beginning teachers. Traditional conceptions of teacher induction have incorporated the notion of the transmission of craft knowledge and have resulted in the initiation and socialisation of beginning teachers into existing school cultures and forms of knowledge.
The 1997 induction program developed by the NSW Department of School Education acknowledges the need to accommodate both the technical aspects of teaching and the development of critical reflection on the part of beginning teachers and their mentors and supervisors. A research project is being conducted in urban and isolated rural settings in NSW. The research project includes focuses on mentoring and workplace learning as strategies for teacher professional development. The paper explores the implications of the project for induction practices in schools and examines the workplace learning experiences of beginning teachers and mentors. Preliminary findings outlined in the paper will inform future school based induction practices and provide a guide to further research into teacher induction.
The 1997 induction program developed by the NSW Department of School Education acknowledges the need to accommodate both the technical aspects of teaching and the development of critical reflection on the part of beginning teachers and their mentors and supervisors. A research project is being conducted in urban and isolated rural settings in NSW. The research project includes focuses on mentoring and workplace learning as strategies for teacher professional development. The paper explores the implications of the project for induction practices in schools and examines the workplace learning experiences of beginning teachers and mentors. Preliminary findings outlined in the paper will inform future school based induction practices and provide a guide to further research into teacher induction.