Pursuit article
A/Prof Jeana Kriewaldt, A/Prof Nicky Dulfer and Dr. Edith Nicolas argue that to keep talented teachers in the profession, we need to support them in ways that are meaningful, evidence-based and grounded in trust

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Teaching is a deeply rewarding profession, yet many teachers feel their work isn’t truly valued. Most people understand the profound impact of great teaching. What’s essential now is continued professional growth and a belief that meaningful change is not only needed, but entirely possible.

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Executive summary

This report explores collaborative mentoring as an innovative approach to professional development in education, spanning early childhood, school, and tertiary sectors. The authors, drawing on their combined expertise as researchers and educators, argue that traditional top-down professional development methods often fail to recognise educators’ existing expertise and context-specific needs, contributing to their dissatisfaction in teaching. Collaborative mentoring contributes to a renewed sense of purpose and meaning in the teaching profession, addressing the challenges of teacher retention and professional growth.

Collaborative mentoring is an approach where participants alternate between mentor and mentee roles, fostering mutual growth and recognising the value of all participants’ expertise. This report outlines the conditions, features, and commitments necessary for successful collaborative mentoring. Setting up conditions of safety and trust are foundational elements, while key features include a reciprocal and collaborative approach, tailored to individual needs and goals, with a strengths-based focus and ongoing engagement. The importance of non-judgmental evidence-informed practices and dialogic reflection are crucial commitments in the collaborative mentoring process.

Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, the report explains why collaborative mentoring can be more effective than traditional approaches, satisfying educators’ needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Team teaching, lesson study, and quality teaching rounds are related approaches that incorporate some of the conditions, features and commitments in collaborative mentoring.

By repositioning teachers’ expertise at the centre of their practice, collaborative mentoring has the potential to improve teacher efficacy, strengthen collegiality, and enhance teaching expertise. This approach contributes to a renewed sense of purpose and meaning in the teaching profession.

Collaborative mentoring offers a fresh perspective on fuelling high-quality teaching, building both individual and collective efficacy. By embracing this approach, educational institutions can create more supportive, growth-oriented environments for educators, ultimately benefiting student learning outcomes and the overall quality of education. The report provides a compelling case for the adoption of collaborative mentoring as a transformative practice in professional development across all levels of education.

This report recommends that policymakers include prioritising the adoption of collaborative mentoring and calls for specific processes and training to implement this approach effectively, including the use of observation guides and conversation protocols to facilitate constructive dialogue and reflection. It provides a model to inform the implementation of this approach to foster a culture of continuous professional learning and growth in the education sector.

Key messages

  • Collaborative mentoring is an approach to professional development that values the expertise of all educators to foster individual and collective capacity building.
  • Traditional peer review of teaching (PRT) can be counterproductive when used as a judgmental tool rather than a supportive mechanism for growth.
  • Self-Determination Theory, promoting autonomy, competence, and relatedness among educators, explains why collaborative mentoring can be more effective than traditional professional development approaches.
  • Collaborative mentoring offers an effective reciprocal, evidence-informed, and non-judgmental approach to professional development.
  • Key features of collaborative mentoring include reciprocity, tailored approaches, strengths-based focus, and ongoing engagement.
  • The approach enhances teacher self-efficacy, collegiality, and expertise, leading to improved teaching practices and student outcomes.
  • Implementing collaborative mentoring requires specific training, tools, and a commitment to creating a safe, trust-based environment for professional dialogue.
  • Policymakers should integrate collaborative mentoring into professional development frameworks and allocate resources to support its implementation.
  • The collaborative mentoring model provided serves as a guide for fostering a culture of continuous improvement and professional growth within the education sector.

Examples

These three approaches to collaborative mentoring have been successfully implemented in all educational stages and valuable for practice-based reflection leading to teaching improvement.

  • Team teaching involves two or more educators sharing responsibility for a class. It supports teaching improvement by encouraging knowledge exchange, idea-sharing, and the use of new strategies. Educators learn from one another, reflect collectively, and build shared values and vision. Team teaching is most effective when teams are self-selected and supported by structures that enable genuine collaboration.

  • Lesson Study is a Japanese approach to professional learning which involves planning, observing, and revising ‘study lessons’ in teams. It fosters sustainable development through communities of inquiry, enhancing both subject and pedagogical knowledge via reflective dialogue. While highly effective, it requires dedicated time for planning, observation, and revision.

  • Quality Teaching Rounds involve small groups of three or more educators who observe each others teaching practice using a checklist of quality teaching characteristics, and analysing each observation ‘round’ with a targeted conversation. This approach blends professional learning communities with instructional rounds, and has been shown to improve teaching quality, collaboration, and student outcomes.

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