Tailored PD for teachers: Why It’s So Necessary
Mentoring and Coaching for Teachers.
There has been a lot of talk recently about the value of mentoring and coaching as professional development for teachers in K-12. That is, having experienced senior teachers assisting new or inexperienced teachers. The two latest to weigh in are the Victorian government and the Grattan Institute who released their report, Top Teachers Sharing Expertise to Improve Teaching earlier this month. Earlier this week Adam Carey announced in The Age that the Andrews’ government will launch a mentoring scheme for 700 early-career teachers next year.
Let’s be clear. Mentoring teachers used to be a central factor in education, we just didn’t call it that. It was called:
- The staff room
- The teacher down the hall
- Friday night drinks
- Co-teaching
- Morning tea
However, over the last couple of decades the demands on individual teachers have become so time consuming that those avenues for learning and professional development are mostly gone. We know this. Schools know this. Experienced teachers are leaving the profession in vast numbers, many much earlier than planned. And new teachers, who no longer have those supports in place in their schools…
