The INSITE executive mentoring and coaching program: a framework to support and transition mid-career professionals into secondary teaching

Abstract

The INSITE (In-School Initial Teacher Education) executive mentoring and coaching program seeks to combine the key influencing factors (as identified within the research literature) for successful transition into, and retention in, the teaching profession. The program provides support that begins at the commencement of an Initial Teacher Education (ITE) degree and continues into the first five years of teaching. The program design is underpinned by the Jobs Demand-Resources model that identifies the provision of job resources as positively influencing worker’s assimilation into an organisation. The INSITE program provides a wide range of job resources to enable personal development, mitigate physiological and psychological costs, and ease stress inducing job demands. Our results report on Year 1 of a longitudinal study and are derived from case study data from social labs and interviews conducted with the first cohort of participant’s enrolled in a postgraduate ITE degree. We found a positive relationship between the provision of job resources and intention to complete ITE training. Whilst results cannot be generalised, they add to the growing body of literature investigating the significance of a mentoring framework to support the transition of mid-career professionals into teaching.

Keywords:

• Mentoring
• mid-career professionals
• transition
• pre-service teachers
• early career teachers

REVIEWING EDITOR:

• Timo Ehmke, Department of Education, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany

SUBJECTS:

• Teachers & Teacher Education
• Higher Education
• Curriculum Studies

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the NSW Department of Education, and External reference number - DOC21/1278876. Project Title is Accelerate MTeach Program: Supporting STEM mid-career transition into the teaching profession.

Notes on contributors

Janet Dutton

Dr Janet Dutton is Senior Lecturer in the Macquarie School of Education. She researches the transition to teaching and teacher work intensification/attrition and leads the $1.1 million NSW Department of Education MQ Mid-Career Transition to Teaching Project that commenced in 2021 and is piloting paraprofessional roles as a vehicle for transition to teaching. Janet has extensive experience as a lecturer in teacher education, leader of teacher professional development and curriculum designer. Janet has strong connections with schools where she supports teachers in fostering quality English teaching. She delivers professional learning and works with teachers to implement practitioner inquiry projects. Janet convenes the Language and Literacy Special Interest Group for AARE. Her research interests include teacher motivation, professional identity, English teaching, and the impact of high stakes testing on teacher practice. E-mail address: [email protected]; LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-dutton-a47b63165

Kim Wilson

Dr Kim Wilson is Senior Lecturer in the Macquarie University School of Education. Her research interests include mid-career transition to teaching; teacher attrition and retention; equity and access to higher education; developing student’s critical thinking skills; in-school research: teacher professional learning in using small school data; and the teaching and learning of historical literacy. Kim has twenty-five years’ experience in education in both the Tertiary and Secondary education sectors with more than ten years of that experience in leadership positions. She is an expert practitioner with a strong track record of academic and professional publications that support and extend her teaching method and subject knowledge. E-mail address: [email protected]; LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-kim-wilson-67130510b

Mikahlia Holmes

Mikahlia Holmes is a research and evaluation officer in the Macquarie University School of Education. She is a trained English and Modern History Teacher, with postgraduate qualifications in museum studies and business sport management all with a focus on providing equal opportunities for people with non-traditionally represented backgrounds in sports media, history and tertiary education. Mikahlia’s interests include researching initial teacher education and transition to teaching, teacher attrition and retention, equity and access to higher education and project managing in-school research projects within Australian contexts. E-mail address: [email protected]; Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikahliaHolmes; LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikahlia-holmes-a4052a140/

Rose Garofano

Rose Garofano is the Mentor Lead in the Macquarie University and Department of Education Mid-Career Transition to Teaching Project. Rose is also a sessional academic in the Macquarie University School of Education. She has twenty-nine years of experience in education in both the Secondary education and Tertiary sectors with more than eighteen years of that experience in leadership positions. She is a highly knowledgeable and skilled educator with strong interests and experience in areas such as teacher development, coaching and mentoring, whole school development and curriculum design and integration of innovative and emerging technologies. E-mail address: [email protected]; LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-garofano-3795b79b/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/rose_garofano