States & Territories Other Information

Beginning teachers can face anticipation, uncertainty, stress, concern, even fear when first taking up a teaching position. They have to implement all they have learned in the most effective way, create relationships with students, other staff and parents, become part of a system, a school and a staff with all this implies, match the desirable with the possible and finally, cope with the physical demands of teaching full-time. While this can prove rewarding and hopefully does for new teachers, it makes for interesting times until the moment you are certain you made the right decision.

This page gives access to procedures and programs used in each state & territory, special reviews, reports and surveys, resources & tools, books, even Survival Guides. In doing so it looks at induction, mentoring and other special programs.

For related information, visit the Professional Development pages.

States & Territories

Australian Capital Territory

• Canberra, Teach in
  Looks at teaching in Canberra. Check sections in the menu at the left.
• FAQs
  From how to apply, to placement.
• Support for New Educators
  ‘New educators are supported during the early years of their career through a variety of programs. One of the first information sessions is centrally organised Induction which provides the opportunity to meet departmental officers and receive introductory information about the department and support programs for new educators’.

New South Wales

• Beginning Teacher Conferences
  ‘Beginning Teacher Conferences are open to all new [beginning] teachers who are : employed as full time, temporary or casual teachers by the DET in the schools sector and located within a reasonable travelling distance of the conference’. NSWTF.
• Early Career Teachers
  This professional learning process has sections on induction, new scheme teachers, preservice liaison, resources, supervision and general support practices.
• Induction [NSW]
  ‘Induction includes orientation to the NSW Department of Education and Training and to the school, as well as a school-based induction program involving structured supervision, collegial support, mentoring and professional networking’.
• Information and Support For Beginning Teachers
  Has three major links to Mentoring, The English K-6 syllabus and Early Career Teachers.
• Information for Newly Appointed Teachers
  ‘Welcome to your online site with information for newly appointed teachers. This page will give you quick access to information that will help you settle into your new role’.
• Probationary Service
  ‘Probationary teachers are beginning teachers and have the support of an appropriate induction and structured supervisory program’.
• Teacher Mentoring for Early Career Teachers

Northern Territory

• Professional Pathways
  Catholic Education Office. Includes information on Orientation and Induction of staff.
• Strong Beginnings
  An Explicit Guide to Quality Practice in The Early Years. ‘Aims to be a practical and explicit interpretation of the Northern Territory Curriculum Framework for the pre-compulsory years of preschool and transition. The resource is focused on achieving a guide to quality practice that is accessible to staff working in diverse contexts and with a range of qualifications and experiences’. Downloadable PDF files.
• Teacher Stories
  Read teacher stories from both remote and urban settings to see if such placements would suit you.

Queensland

• Beginning Teacher Induction
  ‘The Flying Start induction strategy renews the focus on induction for all Education Queensland beginning teachers. The strategy includes a suite of initiatives designed to highlight the responsibilities of school leaders, district and regional staff and beginning teachers themselves in this critical phase of an employee’s career’.
• Beginning Teachers’ Community
  Select Aspiring, Beginning, Establishing, Returning & Supply Teachers’ Community. ‘Set up to support teachers new to the profession as well as those more experienced who are interested in mentoring and sharing their wealth of knowledge and understandings about their work in schools’. Part of ‘The Learning Place’.
• Beginning to Teach
  ‘Highlights a variety of teaching and learning resources and professional information to support beginning teachers in their early career development’. From the Queensland College of Teachers.
  You may need to be able to log in to access this site.
• BETA
  Beginning and Establishing Teachers’ Association. ‘BETA strives to assist in maximising the effective induction of beginning and establishing teachers as professional educators in schools’. While Queensland oriented, it also provides a wealth of other/general information.
  Excellent !
• Employee Induction
  Policy & Procedures for Education Queensland. This includes the Flying Start Induction Toolkit for Beginning Teachers.
• New and Beginning Teachers
  In addition to the general information there are also New and Beginning Teachers : QTU Library Resources available here.
• Review of Teacher Education and Induction Project
  Two reports plus a government response are available as downloadable documents. There are also several other reports available.
• Teacher Induction
  Queensland College of Teachers. ‘An effective induction program is considered a critical element in the successful progression from provisional registration to full registration. The QCT has an interest in the induction of teachers, especially provisionally-registered teachers’.

South Australia

• Induction Toolbox
  Checklists, Evaluations, site orientation ideas, glossary, more. Select Induction Toolbox from the menu on the left.
• Mentor in the Workplace
• New Teacher Orientation
• Resources for New Teachers
  ‘As a teacher in DECD, you will need to know about a range of policies and resources, including’. those areas listed below.
• Settling into a New Community
  ‘For new teachers, particularly outside the metropolitan area, settling into the community is as important as settling into the school’.
• Starting at a New School as a Teacher
  ‘It’s natural to feel daunted or uncertain when starting a new career. The process of starting a new job as a teacher is called Teacher Induction and provides new teachers with : knowledge of the school, an understanding of the available personal and professional support, opportunities to develop effective teaching skills’. Links to documents and further information.
• Teacher Induction and Development
  Information, resources, support and Contact Information.
• Teacher Registration : Teachers Registration Board of South Australia

Tasmania

• BeTTR
  Beginning Teacher Time Release Program. ‘The purpose of time release will vary according to the needs of each beginning teacher, but may include : induction programs, ongoing feedback meetings, attendance at specific professional development programs, observation of experienced teachers, visiting other schools/colleges, … ’.
• Tasmania Together : Tasmania Together Plan
  Information about the plan including a link to Tasmania Together : Online Benchmarks.

Victoria

• Induction for Beginning Teachers
  ‘Induction is one of the earliest stages within the continuum of teacher professional learning. It is about experienced and new teachers working together, continuously improving their practice and becoming part of a community of learners’. This site includes a link to The Induction Guide, which ‘takes you through the several phases of induction’ and provides a viable framework for development. Check a Resources from Past Opportunities page for other useful information.
• Induction Resources
  ‘Resources to assist schools to provide effective induction and mentoring support’. They include manuals, checklists and more.
• Mentoring
  ‘Mentoring offers individualised support to beginning and returning teachers’. Introduction with links to a Mentoring Beginning Teachers Brochure and Teacher Mentor Support Program information.
• Supporting Provisionally Registered Teachers
  ‘Newly qualified teachers with provisional registration can access information and resources required to apply for full registration’.
• The e⁵ Instructional Model
  ‘The e⁵ Instructional Model was launched in 2009. Developed and tested over 18 months, it is a reference point for school leaders and teachers to develop a deeper understanding of what constitutes high quality teacher practice in the classroom’.

Western Australia

• Aspiring Teachers
  ‘Has a range of information that will acclimatise you with the internal structure and functions of the Department of Education and Training and teaching with them’.
• Graduate Teachers
  ‘During your first two years of teaching you will be supported by The Institute for Professional Learning through its Graduate Teaching Induction Program. There are two elements to this program. [As well,] You will be provided with an induction at your school to help you settle into your new work environment. This will enable you to meet other staff members, tour the school, identify facilities and learn about school policies and procedures. You will also be introduced to local support networks through your local regional office’.
• Induction [WA]
  Links to information. Select from the menu at the top
• Induction Policy
  Available for download or reading online.
• Mentoring …
  A Professional Learning Partnership. ‘Mentoring is a great vehicle to facilitate the transfer of skills, knowledge and school culture. Establishing a formal mentor program will acknowledge the importance principals place on ensuring that their new staff are fully supported during their early years’.
• Professional Support
  For Graduate Teachers. ‘As a graduate teacher, you have access to a variety of employee benefits and support services’. Also suited to other beginning teachers.

Other Information

Books & Other Publications

• Beginning Teacher’s Handbook
  ‘Created by an experienced teacher and an actively engaged parent, the Beginning Teacher’s Handbook links best pedagogical practice with the essential tools you need to be classroom-ready’. You can check sample pages from this site.
• New Teacher’s Kit
  ‘The New Teacher’s Kit is a complete set of downloadable, printable resources and classroom strategies, designed for a newly qualified primary or elementary teacher starting out in the classroom. Work smart, not hard, with the New Teachers Kit’.
• New-Teacher Toolbox
  ‘This is the book I wish I’d read before my first day in the classroom !’ US, but still applicable. Available through Amazon. Partly available through Google Books.

General Sites

• Beginning Teacher Myths
  ‘Here is a short list of misconceptions that new teachers often bring to the classroom’. NSW Teachers Federation.
• Beginning Teacher Resources
  ‘On this page you will be able to find a number of links, suggestions, and ideas to help make your first year of teaching just a little bit less overwhelming’. A second site with a smaller but just as valuable list can be found at Help for Beginning Teachers. Both are US based.
• First Years, Help for the New Teacher
  Links to resources to help during this period.
• Gigglepotz
  ‘At Gigglepotz we believe in actively engaging the student in the learning process. We are committed to providing materials that enable teachers to implement 21st Century skills, and enhance learning outcomes’.
  You need to be able to log in to access all areas of this site. Registration is Fee-based but reasonable. Some Free samples are available.
• Great Expectations …
  Good News for Beginning Teachers. Article full of advice from Dr Jane Bluestein.
• The New Teacher Induction Program [NTIP]
  Ontario Ministry of Education, Canada. ‘The New Teacher Induction Program supports the growth and professional development of new teachers. It is a step in a continuum of professional learning for teachers to support effective teaching, learning, and assessment practices. It provides another full year of professional support so that new teachers can continue to develop the requisite skills and knowledge that will support increased success as teachers in Ontario’.
• Teacher Induction : Supporting the Supporters of Novice Teachers in Europe [TISSNTE]
  ‘The ultimate aim of this project was to develop a five-day intensive programme for mentors, this definition included teachers in schools who had the task of inducting new teachers’.
• Your First Steps Into Teaching
  From Teacher Support Network [UK]. Covers the first year of teaching and a range of other topics including coming from overseas.

Research, Reports & Surveys

• Beginning Teacher Survey 2008
  New Educators Survey. Summary of the findings.
• Components of Good Teacher Induction Programs [ERIC Digest]
  Article that looks at what makes a good program, what areas they should cover and how they work. There are also a range of references provided.
• Critical Pedagogy For Beginning Teachers
  the Movement From Despair To Hope. A research paper by Barry Kanpol, St Joseph’s University.
• Exemplary Teacher Induction : An International Review
  ‘Analysis of the most exemplary teacher induction programs from Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand and the United States revealed common attributes and exceptional features. The most successful teacher induction programs reported here include opportunities for experts and neophytes to learn together in a supportive environment promoting time for collaboration, reflection and acculturation into the profession of teaching’. This article is Fee-based but could be accessible through other institutions for no charge.
• Experiences of Beginning Teachers
  ‘This report provides an analysis of an on-line survey hosted by the Joint Principals’ Associations. The survey was completed by 1 351 teachers, all of whom have less than three years of teaching service’.
• From students of teaching …
  To Teachers of Students : Teacher Induction Around the Pacific Rim. ‘This report is based on the research conducted through three case studies of teacher induction - in Australia, Japan and New Zealand. The importance of teacher induction is made evident through the case studies, and various strategies including mentoring, support, professional development, models of good practice and appropriate intervention, are discussed at length’. Now archived in this format.
• Making Use of a Knowledge Building Community …
  To Develop Professional Socialisation. ‘In this paper we describe how we trialled a new model of teacher education known as the Knowledge Building Community Project at the University of Wollongong. The purpose of this project is to explore the viability of a Knowledge Building Community as an alternative model for preservice teacher education’.
  Now archived through Pandora but still available in full from that site.

Mentoring

• Case Studies Of Mentoring
  In Beginning Teacher Induction Programs. Examples provided by the NSW Department of Education & Training, but not restricted to that state alone.
• Mentoring and Beginning Teachers’ Workplace Learning
  Research paper by Carter, M. and Francis, R., Charles Sturt University. You can Download the full text here.
• Mentoring in Education and Other Professions
  ePrint from the Queensland University of Technology. Looks at pre-service teachers in particular.
• Mentoring New Teachers : Promise and Problems in Times of Teacher Shortage
  AJE article by Kay Martinez of James Cook University..
• Teacher Mentor, Teacher Coach : Responsibilities and Challenges of Mentoring a New Teacher
  ‘Classroom management can be a new teacher's worst nightmare. Teacher mentors can suddenly become a new teacher’s best friend’. Article from Suite^®. A related article from the same source is Mentoring a First Year Teacher.

• National Beginning Teacher Survey
  ‘The inaugural AEU National Beginning Teacher Survey was conducted over the later part of term 4 2005. It attracted 1 207 responses, providing insights into beginning teachers’ attitudes to key issues including teacher supply, employment modes, and professional issues like workload, induction/mentoring and behaviour management’. Access a range of documents including a Detailed Summary of the responses here.
• OECD educationtoday : How Do We Keep New Teachers Teaching ?
  Article with embedded links to further information. Kristen Weatherby.
• Past, Present, and Future Research on Teacher Induction : An Anthology for …
  Jian Wang, Sandra J. Odell, Renee Tipton Clift.
• Research Related to Early Career Teachers
  ‘A listing with links to details. Some only available through the Departmental Intranet’.
• Retaining Effective Early Career Teachers
  Article in Curriculum Leadership [Australia] on a study relating to this topic.
• Teacher Induction in Australia : A Sample of What’s Really Happening [QUT ePrints]
  ‘This qualitative, year-long study aims to explore and describe the induction experiences of eight beginning teachers as they negotiated their first year of teaching’. You can download the Published Version here.
• Teachers Mentor Program
  Hansard Report from the NSW Parliament.
• The Aspirations and …
  Expectations of the New Generation of Teachers. Research discussion paper with bibliography. Includes other links.
• The Effect of the Physical Learning Environment on Teaching and Learning
  ‘In this topic we look at how research can inform and challenge our views about the effect of the physical learning environment on student achievement and teachers’ work. This discussion starter aims to promote the sharing of teachers knowledge and experience on this important subject’.
• The Experience of New Teachers - Results from TALIS 2008
  ‘This publication provides a comprehensive analysis of the most important issues facing teachers during the early stages of their careers. The effectiveness of teachers fresh to the profession is an important policy issue, especially knowing the impact that teachers have on student learning’. OECD. Multiple downloads available.

Resources & Other Tools

• A Checklist for Beginning Teachers
  Done by the Alberta Teachers’ Association, Canada. Geared around Before the First Day, On the First Day and Throughout the Year]. Simple, thought provoking and full of common sense.
• Activities & Icebreakers for the First Day of Middle School [eHow.com]
  A short video covering this topic.
• A Middle School Teacher’s First Day
  Article by a practising teacher covering this topic. Links to related topics concerned with Middle School Teaching.
• Beginning Teacher Links
  Select Beginning Teachers. Also check First Day Activities and the other special area pages for various teaching aspects.
• Beginning Teacher Assistance
  ‘Welcome to the wonderful and rewarding world of teaching ! As a beginning teacher, you probably have many questions and concerns. On these pages we have tried to provide you with answers, advice, encouragement, and inspiration’.
• Beginning Teacher Tips
• Beginning Teachers’ Tool Box
  Extensive listing of resources and information. US developed.
• General Information
  ‘Welcome, to the wonderful and rewarding world of teaching ! As a beginning teacher, you probably have many questions and concerns. On these pages we have tried to provide you with answers, advice, encouragement, and inspiration’.
• Mentoring beginning Teachers
  Program Handbook for this program. From the Alberta Teachers’ Association.
• National Induction Programme for Teachers
  ‘The National Induction Programme for Teachers aims to support the induction of newly qualified teachers into the teaching profession in primary schools in Ireland’. A very detailed example of what occurs in other countries. A range of resources can be accessed.
• The Music Teachers Project
  ‘Beginning music teachers, do you feel like you need to talk to someone in the same situation as you? The Music Teachers Project www.musicteachersproject.net is a forum based site that has been designed to give support to beginning music teachers. You can talk, send video, ask for help and share the highs and lows of your experiences in the classroom. We’d love to hear from you, so please visit the site and register today’.
• The New Teacher Centre
  ‘The New Teacher Centre [@ UCSC] is a national resource focused on teacher and administrator induction’. While US-based, it provides articles, resources and sample programs which may prove valuable in the Australian setting.

Survival Guides

• Back-to-School Guide For Beginning Teachers
  And Not-So-New Teachers Too !. ‘Education World has surfed deep into the Web to pull together this Back-to-School Guide for Beginning Teachers - a virtual survival guide for educators about to begin their first year in the classroom or for classroom veterans who are always looking for fresh ideas !’
• NEA - Management Tips for New Teachers
  Written by Karen Zauber. While US-oriented, it still covers all the essentials to help make your entry to teaching as good as possible. NEA - Advice for New Special Education Teachers targets one special group of teachers with broader advice.
• Survival Guide for New Teachers
  Developed by the US Department of Education, it contains a lot of useful things for you to consider. You can also download a PDF version from this site.
• Survival Guide For New Academics at UTS
  Different in that it applies to teachers at university level. Many topics are covered. Also visit their New Academic Staff page.
• The Survival Guide for Beginning Primary School Teachers
  This Australian book is Not Freeware but is based on one person’s experiences in Australian schools, from both sides of the situation. However, you can access a Beginning Teacher Tips page.
• What to Expect in Your First Year of Teaching
  While a little dated [1998], and US based, much of the information is still applicable. US Department of Education. Also in PDF format.

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