December 20, 2024
The volume of the journal Problemy Opiekuńczo-Wychowawcze (POW) “Issues in Childhood Care and Education” (volume 9 of 2024) includes 6 papers that present selected issues related to the implementation of the project DigitalTA.
The main topic of the presented issue is the professional needs of newly qualified teachers with up to 5 years of experience. The papers are related to:
1. The development of an international consortium, which task was to plan the project implementation and to ensure its quality.
2. The definitions of basic concepts, which – as it turned out – may significantly vary in individual countries.
3. A review of the literature on identifying the needs of teachers beginning their careers.
4. A closer look at the tasks set for teachers in connection with (self-)reflection and the role of mentors as people supporting newly qualified teachers in various spaces (real and virtual).
5. The research on the needs of future teachers arranged during the didactic game.
The abstract of each article is shown below:
Building an international network of scientists and practitioners: the case of the DigitalTA project
The European Commission has included the establishment of ‘Teacher Academies’ in its development plan for the European Education Area, as part of Erasmus+ projects. This article aims to explore cooperation networks as a strategy for addressing the challenges beginning teachers face during their transition into the profession. The authors describe the international educational community (Digital TA project), which includes representatives from five countries: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Spain, Ireland, and Poland. They also outline the principles of Teacher Academy projects and the process of building such communities. The authors illustrate the mechanisms for building a cooperation network on the digital platform, which is based on the methodology of problem-based learning (PBL), mentoring, case studies, and digital tools designed to support teachers’ self-reflection.
Agreeing on key concepts in the DigitalTA project
This article presents the key concepts developed and adopted in the DigitalTA project. The text focuses on the most important of these concepts: university, school, teacher training centre, university teacher, novice teacher, school principal, mentor, internship/practicum, and internship supervisor/practitioner. The concepts were often understood similarly, but differences in definitions across partner countries required clarification. The terminology related to beginner teachers (beginning teacher, novice teacher, newly qualified teacher) needed to be addressed first. Based on a literature review and findings gathered in preparation for the project, co-participants from countries such as Belgium, the Czech Republic, Spain, Ireland, and Poland agreed that, in the Digital TA project, novice teachers would be defined as graduates of higher education programmes who are entitled to practice as teachers and are within the first 1 to 5 years of their employment.
Dissemination of the DigitalTA project and addressing students’ fears, needs, and creativity in the didactic game ‘Adventures of a novice teacher’
This study aims to present the course and results of the didactic game ‘The adventures of a novice teacher,’ conducted at the Jan Kochanowski University of Kielce as part of the dissemination of the international Digital TA project. The game scenario, developed by the author of this article, addressed key aspects of the project related to the work of beginning teachers. As the participants progressed through the game, they had the opportunity to express their fears about entering the teaching profession, discuss the needs of novice teachers, and propose changes to the education system within schools. Using their knowledge and creativity, the players also developed ideas for games using everyday objects and formulated a ‘recipe’ for a fulfilling teaching career. Additionally, in the game’s final phase, they participated in a Q&A session with members of the DigitalTA project. They recorded all the proposals and ideas from the students participating in the game and subsequently analysed them. This process provided valuable empirical data on various aspects of the work of beginning teachers, as seen from the perspective of pedagogy students.
Professional needs of newly qualified teachers: a review of research findings from selected European countries
This article reviews research findings on the needs of beginning teachers in selected European countries. It focuses on the countries involved in the Erasmus+ project ‘Digital academy in teaching practice for a seamless transition from pre-service to in-service’ (2023–2025): Belgium, the Czech Republic, Spain, Ireland, and Poland. Research on the needs of teachers is conducted systematically in Belgium, Ireland, and the Czech Republic. As a result, the current data from these countries allows for the conclusion that the professional needs of teachers are similar across these contexts. The specific differences mainly concern issues such as job security, including the mode and conditions of employment, bureaucratic workload, and the evaluation of teachers’ work. Polish and Spanish project partners studied the needs of teachers with up to 5 years of professional experience before designing the mentoring platform (in 2023). The data from this study is still being analysed.
The potential of mentoring in the professional development of newly qualified and experienced teachers
This article aims to review the international literature on mentoring newly qualified teachers (NQTs) and to highlight examples of good practice in mentor preparation across Europe. The article begins by presenting the main definitions and functions of mentoring, as well as the myths and stereotypes that shape its image. Next, the article outlines the mentor support programme in Ireland, along with a comparison of two handbooks offering training materials for mentor educators. Finally, the article highlights the benefits of mentor training, emphasising how it provides further opportunities for the professional development of experienced teachers. Given the growing importance of mentoring in the Polish educational system, mentor training should be made a compulsory component of teachers’ preparation for this crucial role.
Supporting newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in Ireland
This article aims to present systemic solutions designed to support novice teachers in their transition to working in schools in Ireland. It focuses on the main programme, as well as a specific process within this system – ‘Droichead.’ It is an introductory process that, importantly, supports newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in the early stages of their professional careers. The article provides a description of the needs of novice teachers in Ireland, an outline of their education model, including professional internships, and details the elements of the support system for NQTs. This system includes, among others: PST (Professional Support Team), PDST (Professional Development Service for Teachers), OIDE, The Teaching Council, NIPT (National Induction Programme for Teachers), and NCSE (National Council for Special Education).
Issues in Childhood Care and Education is a monthly magazine (10 issues a year) published since 1961. The magazine deals with the issues related to childcare, upbringing and social support – their theory, practice, results of researches and diagnoses, as well as experience. It represents new – domestic and foreign – ideas, concepts and solutions regarding functioning children and teenagers in all environments. In recent years the magazine has been focused on issues related to the reform of childcare and familycare institutional system, psychological and pedagogical counselling and an increasing role of school and other educational institutions in childcare and upbringing. This year these issues will be extended to diagnosis of pedagogical chances and threats related to children and youth activity the virtual social environment.
More information about the journal here: https://problemyopiekunczo-wychowaw.pl/issue/16628
