Conference Agenda

This symposium series, consisting of three consecutive symposia, is organised by the European network Ecologies of Teacher Induction and Mentoring in Europe (TIME) which has been organised as a network project of the Network 1 “Professional Learning and Development” of EERA since 2021. The aim of the network is to bring together researchers interested in supporting and mentoring new teachers during the induction phase. The network has organised various meetings of researchers to promote cooperation between researchers working on mentoring and induction practices, not only at the ECER conference, but also, for example, at the NERA conference. The network is also in the process of editing a European anthology of this research.

A variety of research and development work on induction and mentoring is explored as a part of teachers’ continuing professional learning and development within a broader ecosystem of educational practices. The research is based on the assumption that induction and mentoring are seen as part of teachers' ongoing professional learning and development and as part of a wider set of practices that can be called an ecosystem of professional development.

The Part 3 of this three-part symposium introduces the results of the collaborative research in the Nordic countries on mentoring and induction. The first presentation of this symposium introduces the network Nordic Teacher Induction network (NTI), a collaboration network on induction and mentoring newly qualified teachers in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The historical account starts from early 2000’s and move to today, towards the latest project “Promoting Professional Development” (NTI-PPD).

The second presentation explores the current state of mentoring and induction, comparing legislation and working conditions related to professional work in the Nordics. By emphasizing the perspectives of students and new teachers, the presentation examines the need for induction and its inclusion in a comprehensive system for continuous professional development. The collaborative efforts between teachers' trade unions, educators, and researchers play a pivotal role in shaping policy changes and garnering political attention in the educational landscape.

The third presentation builds upon the mapping work of the NTI network, delving into the evolving landscapes of mentor education in Nordic countries and Estonia. Exploring the unique practices, challenges, and opportunities, the study reflects on the changes observed in mentor education programs over nearly two decades of NTI collaboration. Key questions about the content and effectiveness of mentor education, its link to professional development cycles, and its significance in contexts grappling with teacher recruitment and retention issues are addressed. The presentation also investigates the research landscape surrounding mentor education and its impact on mentors and schools.

The fourth presentation employs the theory of practice architectures (TPA) to theorize teacher induction policies, mentoring practices, and the unique situations in the Nordic countries and Estonia. By examining the cultural-discursive, material-economic, and social-political arrangements influencing mentoring and induction practices, the TPA offers a theoretical lens to identify conditions of possibility in educational settings. The study uncovers the enabling and constraining factors that shape mentoring and induction practices for newly qualified teachers, contributing to a nuanced understanding of the intricate dynamics at play.

This symposium studies experiences of cross-sectoral cooperation to develop mentoring in the Nordic countries. The network started as a joint project between universities and teacher educators but was expanded to include teacher unions. The network brings together researchers, teacher educators and teacher union representatives from the Nordics (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden). We start with the historical perspective from early 2000’s and move to today, and our latest project Promoting Professional Development (PPD). The network roots back to 2004 when the Newly Qualified Teachers in Northern Europe network was established, consisting of researchers of mentoring from all these countries. In 2017, the network was joined by teacher union representatives from the aforementioned countries, thus becoming more cross-sectoral and deliberately taking a more visible role in policy making in terms of teachers’ professional development. Since 2017, the network has implemented three collaboration projects funded by Nordplus. The network has published a book applying the theory of ecologies of practices to the study of induction and mentoring (Bjerkholt, Olsen & Heikkinen 2020). The present collaborative project NTI-PPD aims at investigating how the practices of teacher induction and mentoring of new teachers are prefigured (enabled/constrained) in the Nordic countries and Estonia as part of continuous professional development. Through our collaboration, we wish to contribute developing practices of mentoring and induction through analyses of existing practices and research-based knowledge. The collaboration between different partners in the wider education community will create a deeper understanding and contribute to a greater diversity, which in turn provides new knowledge and approaches in the educational continuum. Another aim is to strengthen the Nordic and Baltic voice in international policymaking and public discourse related to induction and mentoring, and this collaboration between researchers and teacher unions will enable discussions that focus on research as well as experience-based knowledge on how to establish sustainable systems, highlighting diversity and tensions in our different practices and experiences. One of the goals is to share the experiences and research through different channels in our respective networks, and thus contribute to the public discussion on relevant topics such as professional development as a continuum from teacher education into the profession, sustainable comprehensive induction and mentoring for NQTs, and possibilities to stop the attrition rate of NQTs leaving the profession. The network has also taken an active role in developing a European dimension of mentoring and induction research.

Fransson, G. & Gustafsson, K. (2008). Newly Qualified Teachers in Northern Europe. Gävle: University of Gävle. Kemmis, S. (2023). Education for Living Well in a World Worth Living in. In K. E. Reimer, M. Kaukko, S. Windsor, K. Mahon, & S. Kemmis (Eds.), Living Well in a World Worth Living in for All: Volume 1: Current Practices of Social Justice, Sustainability and Wellbeing (pp. 13-26). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-7985-9_1 Kemmis, S., Heikkinen, H., Aspfors, J., Fransson, G. & Edwards-Groves, C. (2014a). Mentoring as Contested Practice: Support, Supervision and Collaborative Self-development. Teaching and Teacher Education 43, 154-164. Olsen, K.R., Bjerkholt, E., & Heikkinen, H.(Eds.). (2020). New teachers in Nordic countries - Ecologies of induction and mentoring Cappelen. Damm Akademisk. https://doi.org/10.23865/noasp.105 License: CC BY 4.0.

The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of how induction and mentoring for new teachers in the Nordic countries and Estonia are seen as a part of teacher professional development. We will theorise upon some of the data collected by the teacher unions in the cross-sectoral project named Nordic Teacher Induction - Promoting Professional Development (NTI-PPD) This presentation will begin with some summary data of the current state of mentoring and induction from each of the partner countries. The summaries will include a comparison of legislation and working conditions related to professional work with induction. These data help us to identify and discuss what is unique and what, if anything, is significantly different in these contexts and importantly, what the implications for professional development of teachers in each of the contexts. The professional development of teachers begins in teacher education programs; thus, the first point of comparison is to look at how professional practice is undertaken in each country. We will draw attention to what students and new teachers think about the need for induction and compare obligations to and working conditions related to professional work with induction. We also discuss experience of including mentoring and induction in a comprehensive system for continuous professional development in the teaching career. The final part of this presentation will address longstanding collaboration between teachers' trade unions, teacher educators and researchers on mentoring and induction which includes partners from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and how this collabration provides impetus for change in policy and political attention in the educational landscape in relation to mentoring and induction in each of the countries.

Aaltonen, Bäckström, Ernestam, Harsvik, Hauksson, Salmonsen, Salo, Wettendorff (2023). Teacher shortage in the Nordic countries. Comparing the current situation. NLS. DOI: teacher_shortage_nls-report_2023_final.pdf Fransson, G. & Gustafsson, K. (2008), Newly Qualified Teachers in Northern Europe. Gävle: University of Gävle. Olsen, K.R., Bjerkholt, E., & Heikkinen, H.(Eds.). (2020). New teachers in Nordic countries - Ecologies of induction and mentoring Cappelen. Damm Akademisk. https://doi.org/10.23865/noasp.105 License: CC BY 4.0. Svanbjörnsdóttir, B., Hauksdóttir, H., & Steingrímsdóttir, M. (2020). Mentoring in Iceland: An integral part of professional development? In K.R. Olsen, H. Heikkinen & Bjerkholt, E.M. (Eds.). New teachers in Nordic countries - Ecologies of induction and mentoring (Ch. 6, pp. 129–149). Cappelen Damm Akademisk. https://doi.org/10.23865/noasp.105 License: CC BY 4.0.

Mentoring is often viewed as a key professional learning tool from initial teacher education to senior leadership development. Based on the research, mentor education is a crucial contributor to the success of mentoring programmes (e.g. Ulvik & Sunde, 2013), as mentor quality is essential to effectively support the development of a novice teacher (Ellis et al., 2020). Building on the mapping work of NTI-SEM in the previous presentation and emerging research, this presentation delves into the dynamic and evolving landscapes of mentor education in Nordic countries and Estonia. The presentation will shed light on the unique practices, challenges and opportunities that shape mentoring and interplay between mentors, mentees, and the diverse environments they navigate. As the Nordic Teacher Induction (NTI) network has collaborated for nearly 20 years, we will look backward to describe how the mentor education programs have changed during these years and what has influenced these changes. We will present the current state of play in each country regarding what mentoring education is offered, how mentoring education is supported by education agencies/departments in each country, and how mentor education is possibly changing in light of new EU (Bologna) guidelines. We are looking for answers to the following questions: What kind of content is provided in mentor education, and is it fit for purpose? Is mentoring intricately linked to professional development cycles (for both mentors and mentees), and is it important in contexts with issues recruiting and retaining teachers, as we suspect? We will end this part of the symposium where we have gathered these accounts of mentoring education, looking at what research is being done on mentoring education and how mentoring education professionally develops mentors and then, in turn, schools.

Ellis, N. J., Alonzo, D., & Nguyen, H. T. M. (2020). Elements of a quality pre-service teacher mentor: A literature review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 92, 103072. Olsen, K.R., Bjerkholt, E., & Heikkinen, H.(Eds.). (2020). New teachers in Nordic countries - Ecologies of induction and mentoring Cappelen. Damm Akademisk. https://doi.org/10.23865/noasp.105 License: CC BY 4.0. Ulvik, M., & Sunde, E. (2013). The impact of mentor education: does mentor education matter?. Professional development in education, 39(5), 754-770.

The purpose of this presentation is to provide a theorising of the teacher induction policies and practices, and the situation of mentoring for new teachers in the Nordic countries and Estonia that has been presented in the previous presentations. Using the theory of practice architectures, the presentation identifies what mentoring and induction practices are enabled and constrained in the Nordics. The theory of practice architectures (TPA) suggests that what an individual is able to, and can in actuality, do is shaped by a wide variety of things including specific discourses, social and political relationships, and the resources or materials available (Kemmis et al., 2014ab). In other words, the TPA is a theoretical resource that allows us to identify the conditions of possibility (Kemmis, 2023) in educational settings. The theory of practice architectures posits that the enactment of practices is prefigured but not predetermined by the varied arrangements in the intersubjective space in a particular site (Kemmis et al., 2014). As the NTI network has mapped and compared mentoring and induction practices for newly qualified teachers across the Nordic region, the cultural-discursive, material–economic and social–political arrangements (Kemmis et al., 2012; Kemmis et al., 2014ab) that hold practices of mentoring and induction in place and are revealed.

Kemmis, S. & Heikkinen, H. (2012). Future perspectives: Peer-Group Mentoring and international practices for teacher development. In: H. Heikkinen, H. Jokinen & P. Tynjälä (Eds.) Peer-Group Mentoring for Teacher Development. Abingdon: Routledge, 144-170. Kemmis, S. (2023). Education for Living Well in a World Worth Living in. In K. E. Reimer, M. Kaukko, S. Windsor, K. Mahon, & S. Kemmis (Eds.), Living Well in a World Worth Living in for All: Volume 1: Current Practices of Social Justice, Sustainability and Wellbeing (pp. 13-26). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-7985-9_1 Kemmis, S., Heikkinen, H., Aspfors, J., Fransson, G. & Edwards-Groves, C. (2014a). Mentoring as Contested Practice: Support, Supervision and Collaborative Self-development. Teaching and Teacher Education 43, 154-164. Kemmis, S., Wilkinson, J., Edwards-Groves, C., Hardy, I., Grootenboer, P., & Bristol, L. (2014b). Changing practices, changing education. Springer Science & Business Media. Olsen, K.R., Bjerkholt, E., & Heikkinen, H.(Eds.). (2020). New teachers in Nordic countries - Ecologies of induction and mentoring Cappelen. Damm Akademisk. https://doi.org/10.23865/noasp.105 License: CC BY 4.0.