FAQs: Induction and mentoring for new teachers
When can I apply for Tūturu | Full (Category One) Practising Certificate ?
I work in a remote area and there is not much professional development available. What can I do?
What should I do if there is no mentor teacher available in my learning centre?
I’m not happy with the support I’m getting. What should I do?
My mentor teacher does not teach the subjects that I do. What can I do?
What should I do if the mentor teacher does not keep to the programme we agreed to?
I am not getting any formal feedback on my teaching. What should I do?
How can I get a higher level of discussion going in my induction and mentoring programme?
When can I apply for Tūturu | Full (Category One) Practising Certificate ?
You must complete two years of supervised teaching after getting a Tōmua | Provisional Practising Certificate.
I work in a remote area and there is not much professional development available. What can I do?
Professional development is not solely about attendance at courses. You can engage in professional development by reading online papers, books and blogs. There is Induction and mentoring professional learning available for PCTs and their mentors. Some of it is face to face across the country and some of it is online.
You can also use classroom release time and your beginning teacher release time to attend professional development. It’s important to embed the theory and ideas you learn by reflecting on, and discussing, your professional development as you progress with your induction and mentoring programme.
What should I do if there is no mentor teacher available in my learning centre?
This can happen sometimes but it’s rare. You will need to discuss this when you are appointed to a position as you will need to find a Tūturu | Full (Category One) Practising Certificate teacher who can supervise your induction and mentoring programme in flexible ways.
Your options are:
- You work under the supervision of a Tūturu | Full (Category One) Practising Certificate teacher from another learning centre who keeps in contact and visits you regularly.
- You use a Tūturu | Full (Category One) Practising Certificate in a nearby learning centre serving a different age group, for example primary school, secondary school, advisory service or teacher education institution, as a mentor teacher. Your mentor teacher will need contextual understanding of your teaching setting. The Standards | Ngā Paerewa are the same for all sectors, and can be interpreted and applied for working with a range of age groups and communities.
In either case, you should have an initial planning meeting followed by regular documented visits.
I have two part time teaching positions. Can I combine my hours to meet the minimum time of 0.5 FTTE?
Yes, but you will need to make sure your supervising teacher is familiar with your teaching in both centres. If your mentor teacher is based in one centre, you will need to arrange times for formal observations of your teaching to be completed. You must also have follow-up meetings to discuss your goals, follow up on goals previously set, and receive feedback on your teaching. Your mentor teacher must regularly observe you teaching at both centres to determine you are demonstrating the Standards | Ngā Paerewa.
I’m not happy with the support I’m getting. What should I do?
Talk this over first with the mentor teacher responsible for your programme. It is important for you both to clarify your perceptions, expectations and needs. If the difficulty is still not resolved, discuss the situation with your professional leader. Refer to the Guidelines for Induction and Mentoring and Mentor Teachers for further advice or options to explore.
An adviser from School Support Services experienced with beginning teachers may also help. Following this, you may wish to contact your NZEI or PPTA field officer or counsellor to see what options are available. This highlights the need for everyone’s expectations to be understood before the programme starts, and to ensure programme evaluation is ongoing.
My mentor teacher does not teach the subjects that I do. What can I do?
Discuss this in the first instance with your mentor teacher and/or professional leader. You may be able to arrange for additional support in your area from an experienced teacher at a nearby school or from a specialist advisor from School Support Services. This person could assist with your teaching subject while your coordinator supervises your general programme. Joining your subject association may also provide you with support materials and advice.
What should I do if the mentor teacher does not keep to the programme we agreed to?
Refer to the contract negotiated at the beginning of your induction and mentoring programme and expectations about frequency of meetings. Restate what needs to happen to make the induction and mentoring programme work for you. Problem-solve together ways in which your needs can be met. Your mentor teacher may need to review the resources available to them to fulfil the role. If these resources are inadequate, your mentor teacher will need to raise this with your principal or professional leader.
I am not getting any formal feedback on my teaching. What should I do?
Talk with your mentor teacher first. Formal feedback and reflection on your teaching is a really important part of your support programme. Your mentor teacher must regularly see you in action. If talking to your mentor teacher does not resolve the issue, approach your principal or professional leader. If that doesn’t work contact your NZEI or PPTA field officer.
How can I get a higher level of discussion going in my induction and mentoring programme?
Refer to the Guidelines for Induction and Mentoring and Mentor Teachers for help with lifting the quality of your induction and mentoring programme, and talk to your mentor and professional leader about your expectations. You can also engage in action research, join subject associations, access readings, and think about reflective questions generated by the Standards | Ngā Paerewa. Your relationship with your mentor teacher is only one part of the professional community you join as a practising teacher.
My mentor teacher has moved away from my learning centre and is hard to contact. Can I change to another mentor teacher?
Although you should try to keep to the same mentor teacher throughout your induction and mentoring programme, there is no requirement for this to be the case. However, the Tūturu | Full (Category One) Practising Certificate teacher who recommends you for Tūturu at the end of your programme must be certain you meet the requirements. That means they must be familiar with your practice, have regularly observed you and provided feedback in relation to the Standards | Ngā Paerewa.
If you need a new mentor teacher near the end of your induction and mentoring programme, it may be better to delay your application for a Tūturu | Full (Category One) Practising Certificate by a couple of months so the new mentor teacher can provide a fair appraisal of your practice.
It’s important to keep all your documentation relating to your induction and mentoring programme. This way your new mentor teacher can assess your work so far. It may also be appropriate for your new mentor teacher to contact your previous mentor teacher to exchange professional information about you. This should only happen with your knowledge and permission.
Do I have to be employed at the same school/ centre for the duration of my induction and mentoring programme?
No, but if you move to another school/ centre take records of your programme with you and make sure your new employer knows you must continue with your programme. You also need to be employed in a teaching position of at least 0.5 FTTE within the general education system, and be teaching in a minimum block of six weeks. If you are employed in a casual relief position, a teaching position of less than 0.5 or for less than six weeks, the time doesn’t count towards Tūturu | Full (Category One) Practising Certificate.
What if I need a new mentor teacher?
If you need help to find a new mentor teacher, you can:
- Ask your colleagues or other teachers in your community
- Contact organisations which support teacher certification, such as Te Rito Maioha Early Childhood New Zealand, NZEI, PPTA or your teacher education provider.
How much documentation do I need to keep?
You may be asked to send evidence of your two-year induction and mentoring programme at the time you apply for Tūturu | Full (Category One) Practising Certificate. A range of documentation will be expected to show evidence the support programme has been in place over at least two years. For that reason it’s a good idea to provide documentation from the beginning, middle and end of each year of your programme. Ensure all documentation is labelled with the relevant date of completion.
The exact number of documents will depend on the structure of your programme and frequency of your meetings with your mentor teacher. You may, for example, have four formal observations completed for your teaching over one year, or you may have eight or more in addition to more informal observations.
If you are asked to send evidence of your support programme, you will need to provide evidence you met with your mentor teacher regularly. This must show you received formative/summative feedback, observations of your teaching were conducted throughout the support programme and you reflected on your teaching regularly and participated in professional development activities.
We want to see evidence of a coherent two-year programme of induction and mentoring and ‘hear' your ‘voice' and the ‘voice' of your mentor teacher throughout the programme. This could mean commentary about lessons, or reflections by each of you on activities or professional development you have completed.