In 2017, the Teachers Registration Board of South Australia completed a 12-month Induction and Mentoring Project that collected and reviewed information on best practice induction and mentoring.

Quality induction and mentoring play a vital role for teachers in their first few years of teaching as this is when they build upon their knowledge and understanding of student learning while honing the skills necessary to become successful teachers.

Provisionally registered teachers in South Australia are required to move to (full) registration within two terms (i.e. six years) of being granted initial registration and quality induction and mentoring assists them to meet the Proficient Standards and commence the process to (full) registration within this timeframe.

The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) refers to:

Induction as a formal program and other support provided to assist early career teachers who have achieved the Graduate career stage in the Standards to move to the Proficient career stage – to learn, practise and refine the elements of the professional role that are best acquired while teaching.

Mentoring as a strong professional relationship that attends to the professional development of early career teachers through ongoing observation, conversations, evidence about and assessment of practices, goal-setting aligned with standards of quality teaching, and technical and emotional support.

The project started with a review of both national and international literature to identify the key components comprising ‘quality’ processes in relation to the induction and mentoring of beginning teachers. An environmental scan of the current induction and mentoring practices available for teachers holding provisional registration at a range of sites in South Australia was then conducted, and high-quality instances of induction and mentoring of provisionally registered teachers were identified.

To assist in identifying high-quality cases of induction and mentoring the Board engaged with stakeholders through reference groups, focus groups, and individual stakeholder representative meetings. Stakeholders included teachers, school/site leaders, employers, unions and professional associations.

The mentors for the identified teachers were also invited to share their details and insights regarding the process and mechanisms used to support the provisionally registered teachers.   

The findings of the report highlight the components of quality induction and mentoring which are articulated in seven case studies of teachers and schools.

You can read the full report here.