Abstract:
Understanding the development of professional practice in beginning teachers is a complex area of study. A myriad of factors, ranging from the context of the school and students to the disposition of the teacher, can determine how quickly and how deeply effective professional practice is developed. Regardless of this, many schools require beginning teachers to be competent practitioners from day one and to be ready to assume higher duties and responsibilities early in their career. The establishment of standards based regulatory processes has been viewed by some members of the profession as adding unnecessarily to the stress of teachers who are in their first years of teaching. This paper seeks to dispel such a view by demonstrating that regulatory processes can in fact promote and guide professional learning for beginning teachers and support the development of professional practice.
Using longitudinal data collected over the previous five years, this paper specifically explores the success of the Supporting Provisionally Registered Teachers' program, which has been developed and implemented by the Victorian Institute of Teaching. It will focus on the training of school based mentors to support beginning teachers and discuss the evolution of a standards referenced evidence-based process for provisionally registered teachers to gain full registration. Undertaking a consistent evidence-based process is a requirement for all Victorian provisionally registered teachers and this ensures opportunities to work with more experienced colleagues and to reflect on the effectiveness of teaching in relation to student learning. Over time this process has evolved to accommodate a diversity of teaching contexts and draw evidence from the normal practice of the teacher. In parallel with these regulatory processes, school induction and mentoring support has become not only accepted as a part of entry to the profession but has also focused to a greater degree on real support for beginning teachers. Analysis of data collected from teachers attending Institute conducted seminars which are part of the Supporting Provisionally Registered Teachers Program, and from provisionally registered teachers, their mentors and principals after they have gained full registration status provides a rich source of information to quantify the benefits of the program.
Using longitudinal data collected over the previous five years, this paper specifically explores the success of the Supporting Provisionally Registered Teachers' program, which has been developed and implemented by the Victorian Institute of Teaching. It will focus on the training of school based mentors to support beginning teachers and discuss the evolution of a standards referenced evidence-based process for provisionally registered teachers to gain full registration. Undertaking a consistent evidence-based process is a requirement for all Victorian provisionally registered teachers and this ensures opportunities to work with more experienced colleagues and to reflect on the effectiveness of teaching in relation to student learning. Over time this process has evolved to accommodate a diversity of teaching contexts and draw evidence from the normal practice of the teacher. In parallel with these regulatory processes, school induction and mentoring support has become not only accepted as a part of entry to the profession but has also focused to a greater degree on real support for beginning teachers. Analysis of data collected from teachers attending Institute conducted seminars which are part of the Supporting Provisionally Registered Teachers Program, and from provisionally registered teachers, their mentors and principals after they have gained full registration status provides a rich source of information to quantify the benefits of the program.