Effective Mentoring Program

Teachers who are new to the profession require guidance and professional support to apply their knowledge in everyday teaching situations, and it is an expectation that PRTs will be inducted into their teaching environments and the profession by more experienced colleagues.

The evidence-based process for full registration requires experienced teachers to:

• observe and provide guidance in relation to the PRT’s practice
• provide feedback on practice
• engage in professional discussions with PRTs
• work collaboratively with PRTs.

This mentoring support is central to the development of new teachers as independent practitioners. As a mentor, you will play a key role in this process and should have an understanding of the evidence-based process for gathering and documenting evidence to apply for full registration.

The guidance offered is an essential element of support and should be targeted to the focus of inquiry.

Use evidence of what you have seen and heard in the learning environment, as well as samples of student work to assist in these discussions.

Be prepared to question your PRT to encourage creative and critical thinking.

Help them build capacity to develop perceptive decisions and take appropriate actions.

By the end of the discussion, there should be clear action points for the PRT.

In 2020, the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) will be offering mentoring programs through Independent Schools Victoria and Catholic Education Offices. These are in addition to the longstanding Effective Mentoring Program offered by the Department of Education and Training which remain open to all teachers from all sectors.

Four training programs will be delivered:

• a two-day early childhood teacher only program
• a two-day school teacher only program
• a two-day combined early childhood and school teacher program

A one-day refresher program is offered for both early childhood and school mentors who undertook the Effective Mentoring Program prior to 2018. Attendance at all days and completion of the online course modules are required to complete the Effective Mentoring Program and receive a Certificate of Completion.

Face-to-face attendance of the two-day program is the minimum requirement for a teacher to be recognised by the VIT as a trained mentor for participation on a Workplace Recommendation Panel.

Program overview

Day 1 

• understanding mentoring
• Mentoring Capability Framework (MCF)
• VIT registration process
• understanding the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST)
• VIT Inquiry cycle and adaptive experitise
• Inquiry questions and actions plans
• MCF action plan and evalution.

Day 2

• mentoring skills
• making teaching practice public
• exploring options for observing practice
• mentoring in practice
• understanding the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST)
• the role of mentors at each stage of the Inquiry
• Inquiry samples of evidence
• Victorian Code of Conduct and Ethics for teachers
• recommendation process overview.

Refresher

• understanding mentoring
• Mentoring Capability Framework (MCF)
• VIT registration process (updates and areas of focus)
• the Inquiry cycle
• support material workshop.

How does The Victorian Teaching Profession Code of Conduct relate to the Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics?

Early Childhood Australia’s Code of Ethics is a set of statements about appropriate and expected behaviour of early childhood professionals. It reflects current pedagogical research and practice, providing a framework for reflection about the ethical responsibilities of early childhood professionals.

The VIT Code of Conduct has been developed for and by the Victorian teaching profession; it identifies a set of principles, which describe the professional conduct, personal conduct and professional competence expected of a teacher by their colleagues and their community.

There are overlaps between the two codes in professional conduct and professional competence. These documents are complementary and an early childhood teacher should conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with both codes.

The Victorian Teaching Profession Code of Conduct applies to all teachers and early childhood teachers registered with VIT.

How can a provisionally registered teacher (PRT) demonstrate they are proficient in Standard 1.4, strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander learners?

A PRT should consider individual children’s progress in relation to the Learning and Development Outcomes and / or the Victorian Curriculum. Part of this consideration includes any modifications the PRT makes to their practice to assist an ATSI learner to access the learning. The evidence of this may be found in the learning programs and experiences as well as lesson and unit plans.

The following are some examples of evidence for descriptor 1.4:

• lesson / day plans that incorporate the use of narrative (e.g. films, texts, oral stories) to engage Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander learners;
• learning that incorporates the use of Aboriginal community members (especially elders) to explore themes, ideas and skills; and
• lesson observation notes or anecdotal records that reflect management of learner behaviour that is sensitive to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners.

If a PRT does not have an Australian and Torres Strait Islander learner child in their group(s), the PRT can:

• observe an experienced teacher’s practice and / or approach to an Australian and Torres Strait Islander learner and base their demonstration of Standard 1.4 on another child in the educational setting; or 
• include a hypothetical Aboriginal and / or Torres Strait Islander learner to demonstrate the standard.

Then the questions to ask are:

• what would I do if I had this learner in my group? 
• how would I design and implement effective teaching strategies that are responsive to the local community and cultural setting, linguistic background and histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners?

It would be beneficial to include at least one professional discussion with the mentor that includes a few hypotheticals, which focus on what the PRT will do and how they will record the approach that they would take.

Teachers may find the following resources useful:

• Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners PDF, 223.39 KB
• Standard Inquiry matrix PDF, 373.14 KB

How can a PRT demonstrate they are proficient in Standard 1.6, strategies to support full participation of learners with disability?

A PRT should consider the modifications to the curriculum and / or their practice they need to make to support the full participation of learners with disability. The evidence of this will may be in the teacher’s program and individual learning experiences / lesson or unit plans.

The following are some examples of evidence for descriptor 1.6:

• meets the learning needs of a learner with a disability through the differentiation of experiences and tasks recorded in the teaching program;
• develops individual learning plans for learners with disability;
• indicates strategies that addresses disability policy or legislation through annotations in learning experiences / lesson or unit plans; and
• designs and implements play and learning programs that utilise notes of meetings with families, specialist support teams or services.

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) provides a definition of learners with disability. This is quite broad and includes:

• total or partial loss of the person's bodily or mental functions;
• total or partial loss of a part of the body;
• the presence in the body of organisms causing disease or illness;
• the presence in the body of organisms capable of causing disease or illness;
• the malfunction, malformation or disfigurement of a part of the person's body;
• a disorder or malfunction that results in the person learning differently from a person without the disorder or malfunction; and
• a disorder, illness or disease that affects a person's thought processes, perception of reality, emotions or judgement or that results in disturbed behaviour.

The definition of disability includes those learners with disability who are supported by general resources available within the school or service, as well as learners who are receiving targeted specialist education services and supports.

The impact of the learner’s disability should result in the school or service actively addressing the learner’s specific individual education and learning and development needs arising from their disability. This should be done within quality differentiated teaching practice and / or by monitoring the learner, or providing a ‘supplementary’ / higher level of support.

Whilst this definition is broad and includes a wide range of disabilities such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, autism spectrum disorder or hearing and vision impairments, it does not include learners who speak English as a second language. While this may present some teaching or learning challenges, it is not considered a disability.

Teachers may find the following resources useful:

• Working with learners with special needs PDF, 244.45 KB
• Standard Inquiry matrix PDF, 373.14 KB

Why doesn’t Victoria recognise a standards level beyond ‘proficient’ like other jurisdictions?

For a regulatory authority to recognise levels beyond proficient requires a certification process involving a rigorous and robust assessment of evidence of practice. Through this process, certified teachers demonstrate their impact on colleagues and students and develop a deep understanding of their own practice along with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Currently three states and one Territory have processes in place. In NSW and WA the accreditation process is linked to salary.

In 2011, the Victorian Premier rejected the offer to provide funding to undertake the accreditation process. In 2012, VIT undertook a pilot project with a group of non-government and government school teachers, looking at the Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher certification process, however no implementation followed this project.

How will my PRT / mentor find out about the provisional to (full) registration requirements?

In order to create awareness and assist PRTs in the provisional to (full) registration process VIT:

• emails all PRTs at the beginning of the year to invite them to register for the Supporting Provisionally Registered teachers seminars; 
• sends circulars to Principals and Early Childhood services asking them to inform their PRTs about the upcoming seminars;
• publishes articles in Professional Practice;
• provides comprehensive information on VIT’s website;
• provides resources including podcasts, videos, Inquiry samples on VIT’s website; 
• conducts PRT seminars – face to face and online;
• provides the Supporting Provisionally Registered Teachers Guide PDF, 12539.27 KB;
• provides the Companion guide for PRT CRTs PDF, 8140.63 KB;
• provides the Early Childhood Teacher Evidence Guide PDF, 3324.13 KB and CRT Evidence Guide PDF, 3462.97 KB; and
• delivers presentations at Initial Teacher Education providers.

Where can a PRT learn more about the Code of Ethics and the Code of Conduct?

VIT has developed, and will continue to develop, a series of videos and podcasts on the Code of Conduct.

• VIT Code of Conduct and Code of Ethics PDF, 3176.16 KB
• Video: Teacher conduct case - Brendan and Ella Snapchat 
• Video: Teacher conduct case – Luke Shoplifting
• Video: Teacher conduct case – Elisha Drug Possession
• Podcast: Teacher conduct issues - Inappropriate Conduct
• Podcast: Teacher conduct issues - Sexual Offence
• Podcast: Teacher conduct issues - Sexual Relationships
• Podcast: Teacher conduct issues - Social Media

Early Childhood Australia’s Code of Ethics can be accessed here.