July 2014 OUR THANKS “I had a wonderfully experienced and supportive mentor. We spoke informally every day. She helped me keep a real perspective on my daily teaching and development of practice.” This quote comes from a beginning teacher in 2013 who took part in the annual evaluation of our Supporting Provisionally Registered Teacher’s program. This was one of many comments made by teachers new to the profession highlighting the value of their mentor. Other words used to describe mentors included, “amazing, helpful, knowledgeable”. Research confirms that effective mentoring is pivotal in supporting the profession and retaining those who have chosen to pursue teaching as a career. With this in mind, it is opportune to say thank you and to acknowledge the importance of the work that you are undertaking. YOUR MENTORING ROLE The purpose of this Bulletin is to check-in and see how you are going in your role of supporting a beginning teacher to make a smooth progression into becoming a confident and competent practitioner. At this stage you will be aware of the professional growth that is occurring as you provide guidance and support in developing the practice of your provisionally registered teacher (PRT). As this collegial relationship continues you will notice a decreasing level of dependence counterbalanced with an increasing level of independence. (Remember to dip into A Reflective Guide to Mentoring and Being a Teacher-Mentor received on day 1 and day 2 of our mentor program should you need to remind yourself about specific mentoring information.) Encourage your PRT to tap into the special knowledge and expertise of other experienced staff. As part of the evidence-based process, PRTs are expected to document at least two professional conversations with other experienced teachers, as well as one observation that relates to their inquiry. (Refer to p.18, PRT Guide.) This is an efficient strategy for spreading the workload and for the mentoring role to be seen as a whole school commitment. PROVISIONALLY REGISTERED TEACHERS’ SEMINAR The PRT seminar program has concluded. In total we ran 35 information sessions around the state with close to 3,000 PRTs attending. If your PRT has been unable to attend, information about the full registration process can be accessed via: http://www.vit.vic.edu.au/prt/ PROGRESS TO DATE IN DEVELOPING EVIDENCE OF PRACTICE FOR FULL REGISTRATION For a beginning teacher, developing evidence of practice provides the basis for: applying for full registration developing reflective practice planning for professional learning the performance review process in schools (Refer to p.63, PRT Guide). Day-to-day teaching provides the context for documenting evidence of professional practice. The inclusion and use of school/teacher documents as part of the evidence is logical and strengthens the link to ‘learning on the job’. The evidence based process provides a framework which gives focus to the learning. An important aspect of this process is to keep the school’s calendar year in mind. Every term is busy but each school will have its ‘hot-spots’. Highlight this with your PRT and encourage them to plan accordingly. Time management is a challenge for us all but even more so for a beginning teacher. Your advice on this will be invaluable. THE APPLICATION PROCESS The timing for applying for full registration is one that needs to be determined by your PRT in consultation with you and in consideration of the school context. (Refer to pp.53–58, PRT Guide.) Please note that the inquiry may not evidence some descriptors. Refer to p.34, PRT Guide, for assistance with evidencing and documenting these areas. The process for PRTs to gain full registration may take longer than 12 months for many valid reasons. This is where your advice will be invaluable. A s t h e pr ocess is pr em ised on success it is im por t a nt t h a t t ea ch ing ch a llenges a r e dea lt wit h pr i or t o for m a lly a pplying for full r egist r a t i on. (Refer to p.55, PRT Guide.) However, make contact with the Institute to discuss if guidance is needed in this respect. Form C is the form that needs to be completed to apply for full registration. This form is available to PRTs through their MyVIT portal. (Refer to p.57, PRT Guide.) The Guide to making a recommendation for full registration can be used by a PRT and members of the recommendation panel, which can assist in guiding the conversation at the recommendation meeting and the completion of the report. A teacher in their second year of provisional registration may not be able to apply for full registration for valid reasons. They will need to re-apply for another period of provisional registration using Form R. This form is available only as an online form in their MyVIT portal. Victorian Institute of Teaching Mentor Bulletin July 2014 2 THE AUDIT PROCESS The Institute selects a random sample of teachers applying for full registration each year to forward their evidence of professional practice to the Institute. This sampling process allows the Institute: to monitor the process for fairness and consistency across the state to provide advice back to schools and systems. (Refer to p.57, PRT Guide.) If your PRT is presenting their evidence in a format other than using the templates would you please work with them to ensure that all components of the inquiry are present. Refer to p.25, PRT Guide, for this information. Recent audits have highlighted that components of the process have been overlooked, e.g. three mentor visits during implementation of the action plan. CONTACTING THE INSTITUTE The following staff from the Standards and Professional Learning Branch are available to provide assistance and support to your school. Name Phone Email Dawn Colcott 8601 6175 [email protected] Kate Baulch 8601 6177 [email protected] George Grosios 8601 6178 [email protected] Keith Woodward 8601 6174 [email protected] Victorian Institute of Teaching Mentor Bulletin July 2014 3
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