What the resource is.
This Teachers TV video clip provides an insight into newly qualified teachers' experiences during their first term of their induction period, particularly how they are trying to achieve a work/life balance.
The resource is presented in the form of a video diary, which records the experiences of two newly qualified primary teachers, Rosie and Tara. Their experiences in two inner city primary schools in London are in stark contrast to their placement during training, posing new challenges in an unfamiliar environment. The personal accounts of Rosie and Tara are based on the second half of their first term in teaching and highlight the pressures upon them in terms of establishing themselves as teachers without completely abandoning their personal needs. The following aspects are reflected upon in greater detail:
- Time management re. work/life balance
- Planning and assessment of pupils' work
- Using Teaching Assistants effectively in providing teacher support
- Maintaining consistency in pupils' behaviour management
- Taking potential health problems seriously: the importance of voice management and tiredness
The aims of the resource
This resource aims to raise trainee teachers' and newly qualified teachers' awareness of the potential challenges encountered during the induction period. By using authentic examples of newly qualified teachers' experiences by means of video diaries the resource is highly effective in highlighting potential issues of induction, which need to be addressed in initial teacher education programmes and induction tutor training.
Key findings or focus
The resource stresses the importance for trainee teachers and newly qualified teachers to be aware of the physical, mental and emotional demands made upon them during their first year in teaching and the need for achieving an appropriate balance between their professional and personal lives. It provides encouraging evidence that after an initial period of hard work and long hours, strategies can be developed in order to work towards this goal.
The quality, authority and credibility of the resource from your subject perspective in relation to ITE.
Although the personal accounts of the two newly qualified teachers enhance the authenticity and credibility of the resource, it would be helpful to provide a diverse range of perspectives in terms of age, gender and ethnicity and thus reach a wider audience. For example, it would be interesting to include contributions from those representing ethnic minorities, male and older newly qualified teachers and those with family responsibilities.
The implications for ITE tutors/mentors
This resource would be most effectively employed in the latter part of an initial teacher education programme, with the aim of preparing trainee teachers for the potential challenges ahead. The resource would also be beneficial to providers of mentor and induction tutor training, with the aim of raising awareness of the pressures incumbent upon newly qualified teachers during the first term of induction and the need to assist them in developing effective strategies to enable them to balance their personal and professional life.
The relevance to ITE students.
This resource will be particularly beneficial to trainee teachers towards the latter half of their training in preparation for their first post. The issues raised in relation to the effective management of pupil behaviour, planning and assessment (S.3.3.1) as well as taking care of their health can provide a focus for the discussion to take place between trainee teacher, school-based mentor and/or HEI tutor at Transition Point 1 of the Career Entry and Development Profile. It can stimulate the identification of areas for further development on completion of training, which can subsequently be taken into consideration in the discussion between newly qualified teacher and Induction Tutor and the negotiation of workload at the beginning of the induction period (Transition Point 2).
In order to achieve the QTS and Induction Standards new teachers are required to work collaboratively with specialist teachers and other colleagues and, with the help of an experienced teacher as appropriate, manage the work of teaching assistants or other adults to enhance pupils' learning' (QTS S3.1.4; S3.3.13). They are also expected to understand the contribution that support staff and other professionals make to teaching and learning (QTS S1.6). Although these issues are touched upon in the video, perhaps these aspects could have been highlighted to a greater extent to indicate that, through establishing and maintaining positive collaborative relationships with colleagues and more experienced teaching assistants, newcomers to the profession can gain access to support during a particularly challenging time in their professional development
Reviewed by:
Marion Jones
Reference:
Bubb, S. & Earley, P. (2004) Managing Teacher Workload. Work-life Balance and Wellbeing.London: Paul Chapman Educational