Newly-qualified teachers (NQTs) in the UK generally undertakes an induction year following their training, in order to gain full Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The nature and quality of training, support and professional development offered in this initial year varies between schools and individual cases. So, what do new teachers need in order to become effective in the initial years?
Your thoughts and experience, especially from managerial perspectives, gratefully received.
Regards,
DJA
The National Induction Programme for Teachers (NIPT) in Ireland supports the induction of newly qualified teachers (NQTs) [primary and post-primary] into the teaching profession.
The main objective of induction is towards promoting the professional development of NQTs by way of systematic support in their first year of teaching, The NIPT provides five pillars of support:
1.the NQT workshop programme,
2.website support,
3. school-based support,
4. school visits
5. and professional support groups.
For more info, follow this link: http://www.teacherinduction.ie/
Hope this helps,
Yurgos
In the Netherlands een large-scale project is funded by the government to develop and research inducation programmes in the first 3 years of teaching. One of the foci is on the development of a (positive) identity as a teacher, we try to support this development by asking teachers to keep logs and encourage conversations with their coaches about critical incidents, tensions they experience and also professional space.
Professional Development is necessary for teachers, especially the NQTs.
This study shaded light on the features of effective PD that teachers need.
Regards.
Working Paper Staff Perceptions of Professional Development Activities:A C...
As Helma stated above, this is a relevant topic in the Netherlands as well. Michelle Helms-Lorenz conducted a first study (and published on it, see for instance:
- Helms-Lorenz, M., Slof, B., Vermue C. E., & Canrinus, E. T. (2012). Beginning teachers’ self-efficacy and stress and the supposed effects of induction arrangements. Educational Studies, 38, 189-207, or
- Helms-Lorenz, M. , Slof, B. , & van de Grift, W. (2013). First year effects of induction arrangements on beginning teachers' psychological processes . European Journal of Psychology of Education , 28 (4), 1265-1287. 10.1007/s10212-012-0165-y)
This study has been extended and has been and is being funded by the Dutch Government.
During the first year‘s transition, the positive mentorship is as essential as the other elements mentioned above.
Armando above has already referred to John Hattie, and I agree; his point about making teaching visible to enhance learning, both for teachers and students, and this happening most clearly when teachers research their own teaching, is powerful. So any form of CPD that encourages teachers to develop a commitment to continuously enquiring into their own practice, eg through action research, is good. Also, Cordingley’s (2003-5) research at CUREE has found that collaborative CPD has a more powerful impact on teachers and learners than individual CPD activities, and finally, as also already suggested, the role of senior leaders in establishing the culture for effective CPD is important, as Fiona King (2011) noted.
We are increasingly seeing a whole school approach to CPD being adopted as schools join the Expansive Education Network that we co-ordinate from the University of Winchester.
Not directly about NQTs, but hope this helps.
Cordingley, P., Bell, M, Thomason, S., & Firth, A. (2005) The impact of collaborative continuing professional development (CPD) on classroom teaching and learning. Review: How do collaborative and sustained CPD and sustained but not collaborative CPD affect teaching and learning? London: EPPI-Centre.
King, F. (2011) The role of leadership in developing and sustaining teachers' professional learning. Management in Education 25(4) 149–155.
Expansive Education Network see: http://www.expansiveeducation.net/
http://www.expansiveeducation.net/
From my background (as a high school teacher and now a researcher) I would stress the importance of two things.
1. community building with the facilitators, and
I often experienced a top-down attitude from people coming into our school, and to say the least it was not helpful.
2. longitudinal support with the same mentors.
The one stop shop does not set up the trust and community needed.
I am not sure if this has already been said... if so I would like to stress their importance.
On going support in form of mentoring as research shows that novice teachers may need some time to sharpen their professional skills.
They should be open to learning from others and be willing to take the risk of trying new approaches to facilitate pupils' learning.
School leaders being supportive and checking on them time to time to determine how they are doing and provide them with necessary support when needed.
Collaborative school environment where teachers are encouraged to share expertise, peer coached each other and share best practice in teaching and learning contexts.
Evidence-based policy (Regular research to check with new teachers what they need to excel at work).
Hi Daniel.
i would say that in the initial stages of teacher professional development, effective P.D. activities would need to be focused on classroom practice in four areas: assessment, curriculum, pedagogy and classroom management. Graduate teachers should be developing the skills to know what they are teaching and the best ways to teach it, they should be developing ways to create a positive classroom environment to minimise disruption and misbehaviour, and they should be utilising effective ways to assess where students are at so that they can target approaches at the level of all students.
Graduate teachers should have a personal p.d. Plan that addresses these areas, is linked to national standards, and clearly identifies where they are at, and what they need to work on, what they are going to do to improve and how they will know when they get there.
Graduate teachers should have opportunity to observe other teachers who excel in the areas that they need to grow in, and have coaching in the classroom to assist them to improve. They should have access to quality, evidence based strategies that work in the classroom, and the school should have a range of planning tools to assist them to plan their teaching approaches. In other words graduate teachers should be supported by the systems at the school and their colleagues to develop their practice - not left alone to figure it all out by themslelves.
Here in my country gets 5 years to graduate from Bachelor of Education, in the first 2 years the students get practicum periods sistematically (one day a week) There they have to make a set of activities in a worksheet that includes questions form all the discipline in the curriculum. The head professor of the academic year is in the main responsable and goes with the students to the school chosen for the practicum period to guarantee the quality and the discipline of the process. In the forth and fifth they go to the practicum schools 3 days a week, which means that their performance is measured in a more intensive way. That Practicum is possible of course because the Educational System in my country but it may become perspective for others. In this way, when the students graduate they have a lot of experience in a classroom, so the CPD frame for them is fulfilled in some way, which means they have to direct it to more specific topics.
Teachers can't have any perspectives. Besides their hard work caste intellectuals /gastarbeiters/know nothing. Out of pocket, out of elbows, out of credit.
It must include training programs and courses for them, according to their actual needs, and according to the requirements of the twenty-first century.