Induction and Mentoring Research

The New Zealand Teachers Council requires that every provisionally registered teacher in New Zealand undertakes an induction programme supported by an assigned Mentor Teacher.  To improve induction practices in New Zealand, Council has commissioned several projects. 

Induction and Mentoring Pilot Programme

Four pilots were funded by the New Zealand Teachers Council to trial models of induction for provisionally registered teachers and models of support and training for mentor teachers, and the Council's draft Guidelines for Induction and Mentoring and Mentor Teachers.  The pilot programme has been completed and the final Guidelines for Induction and Mentoring and Mentor Teachers are available here. 

The pilot programme ran over 2009 and 2010.  Four reports have been published and can be accessed here.

The pilots were:

  1. Early Childhood Education - New Zealand Kindergartens' Regional Networks: Some 60 provisionally registered teachers and 60 mentor teachers from five regions across New Zealand (Ruahine, Wellington, Nelson, Dunedin and Southland) took part in regional workshops and were supported by an online resource during 2009.
  2. Primary - Auckland UniService's Educative Mentor Programme: Six Auckland primary and intermediate schools participated in a two year programme focused on mentor development through workshops and participation in action research.
  3. Secondary - Massey University's Professional Learning Community: Six secondary schools in the Taranaki, Wanganui / Manawatu and Hawke's Bay regions were paired to work together during 2009 and 2010 with a focus on developing mentors through the support of provisionally registered teachers' (PRT) co-ordinators and specialist classroom teachers.
  4. Māori Medium - Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi's Connected Approach: A mix of PRTs and mentor teachers from kura kaupapa Mäori, kohanga reo, Māori immersion classes in the mainstream, and wharekura in the Bay of Plenty took part in a programme drawing on the strengths of kaupapa Māori framework throughout 2009.

The pilots were evaluated by Martin Jenkins and Associates.

A more detailed outline of the pilot programme is available in both html and pdf format via these links: HTML summary | PDF (100Kb)

World Teachers' Day Conference 2010: "Mentoring the Next Generation - What does it take?" 

To celebrate World Teachers' Day 2010, the Council hosted a two day conference in Wellington to present findings from the pilots. The programme also featured a keynote address by Professor Marilyn Cochran-Smith of Boston College's Lynch School of Education, and workshops for delegates to explore aspects of the pilots in depth.

Powerpoint presentations and resources from the workshops can be accessed via the conference page.

The induction and mentoring pilot programme builds on the Council's Learning to Teach research programme which focused on the experiences of provisionally registered teachers during their period of induction to the profession. The research identified that there was considerable disparity in the quality of induction programmes provisionally registered teachers were experiencing and there was a lack of specific training for mentor or tutor teachers.

Learning to Teach Research Programme 2006-2008

Learning to Teach is a major research programme launched by the Teachers Council to investigate the quality of advice and guidance accessed by provisionally registered teachers in New Zealand. The research programme is comprised of three stages: a literature review, a national survey of provisionally registered teachers and in-depth case studies. An overview of the project and executive summaries of the three reports are available on the Learning to Teach project page, and pdf copies of the reports can be downloaded from the Learning to Teach reports page.