Induction in Effective Schools

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Induction in Effective Schools

• Fostering quality teaching

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QUESTIONS take a moment to reflect.

• Does your school culture reinforce solo teaching,
  where expertise remains within the individual
  teachers classroom?
• OR
• Do your new teachers become part of a learning
  community where sharing expertise is common
  practice?
• Does your induction support consist of a list of
  items to be checked off within the first few
  weeks of teachers commencing employment?
• OR
• Is it an ongoing response to teacher identified
  needs?

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• This presentation explores induction in effective
  schools
• What is induction?
• Why induction? The imperatives
• What induction looks like the key elements
• Source Induction in Effective Schools Planning
  for Effective School Based Induction with
  Mentoring as a Key Strategy

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What is induction?

• Induction is one stage within the continuum of
  teacher professional learning
• Effective school based induction supports new
  teachers to become part of a community of
  learners. Formal induction structures are
  embedded in a collaborative professional learning
  culture where it is not expected that new
  teachers will begin teaching by knowing it all,
  but it is expected that they will learn from and
  with all other teachers.

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Why induction the imperatives

• Fosters Quality Teaching at the outset
• Develops and retains great teachers
• Supports the teacher to meet the VIT Full
  Registration Process
• Supports the school to meet Performance and
  Development Culture accreditation
• Blueprint for Government Schools has set the
  reform agenda and professional learning is
  critical the responsibility of ensuring
  effective induction lies with the principal.

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What does effective school based induction look
like?
Underpinned by the Principles of Highly Effective
Professional Learning

• Ongoing with three distinct phases
• Regularly monitored and evaluated
• Includes
• Professional learning program responding to
  identified individual needs
• Trained mentor (and mentor coordinator)
• Regular/Strong supportive communication from
  principal
• Common planning or collaboration time with other
  teachers
• Reduced preparation and fair allotment
• Participation in external networks
• Opportunities to observe and be observed
• Participation in external professional learning
  with opportunities to apply learning to practice

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Elements

• Induction support is ongoing with three key
  phases responding to individual needs
• Pre-commencement
• Laying foundations
• Continued professional growth
• Mariana talks about her experience of the
  pre-commencement phase

Mariana
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Elements

• Mentoring
• A trained mentor is able to promote reflective
  practice and bring fresh insights to a teachers
  work that can lead to action.
• Mentoring is a two way relationship, where both
  the mentor and mentoree are clarifying and
  developing their professional identities.
• Helga talks about the support of her mentor

Helga
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Elements

• Collaborative planning with team of teachers
• The team teacher structure at Fitzroy High
  School allows Stuart to observe teaching
  practice, to be observed, to discuss the effect
  of teaching approaches on student learning and to
  share expertise and knowledge through meaningful
  and purposeful collaborative planning
• Fitzroy High School Case Study

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Elements

• Participation in external networks provide
  opportunities for broader dialogue an external
  network provides the opportunity to discuss
  experiences openly.
• Tristan shares the importance of encouraging and
  supporting new teachers to participate in
  networks at a cluster, network or regional level.

Tristan
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Elements

• Fair allotment/reduced timetable
• Time is essential for meetings with mentors,
  collaborative planning and observations

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Elements

• Regular/strong supportive communication from the
  Principal is essential
• Melanie talks about the power of encouragement
  and acknowledgement

Melanie
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Support available

• Regional Programs for Beginning Teachers
• DET/VIT Teacher Mentor Training Program
• Web and print based resources
• Induction
• Mentoring
• Refresher Courses for Returning Teachers

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Its not enough to hand out an induction booklet
at the start of the year and think that thats
it it cannot be left to chance
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Imperative fostering teacher quality

• The time put in during induction really pays in
  the long term with quality teaching
• Principal, Barwon South Western Region, Vic

Supporting new teachers makes sense. It is an
opportunity to harness the new teachers energy,
drive, commitment and their moral purpose.
Through induction expertise and practice is
shared.
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Imperative Retaining great teachers

• Research shows that there is a greater chance of
  retaining teachers if they are supported from the
  outset, but it should not just be about retaining
  teachers, the emphasis of induction should be on
  developing great teachers.

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Imperative VIT full registration process

• To gain full teacher registration graduate
  teachers need to fulfill the full registration
  process. This process requires the support of
  induction, in particular the sharing of knowledge
  and expertise of a mentor and other experienced
  teachers.
• While the VIT process is a framework for
  evaluation, it also guides and supports
  professional growth.

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Imperative high performance and development
culture

• An accredited school has a culture and processes
  that contribute to continuous improvement of
  student and teacher learning.
• Induction is one of the five elements of a high
  performance and development culture.

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Imperative Blueprint for Government Schools

• The Blueprint calls for transformation of our
  schools to close the gap - to offer and provide
  the same level of education to all our students
• The Blueprint highlights the value of the teacher
  and the important role of professional learning
  in developing teacher capacity
• Induction is a key stage within the continuum of
  professional learning focused on developing new
  teacher capacity

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Imperative The Victorian Government Schools
Agreement Implementation Guide

• The Implementation Guide states that Principals
  are responsible for providing effective induction
  and mentoring

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