Synergistiq was engaged by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) to undertake a point in time review of the Supervising Preservice Teachers (SPT) program. The SPT program was developed in conjunction with the New South Wales Institute of Teachers (now Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards) and the Queensland College of Teachers in 2012 and commenced in 2013. The program is an interactive and self directed online professional learning program. While it was designed primarily for teachers who are supervising a preservice teacher or are considering doing so, the SPT program may also be useful for school leaders, mentors and personnel from initial teacher education providers and regulatory authorities.
The review addressed the following key questions.
• Who is engaging with the SPT program and what role do they play in relation to professional experience?
• What are the main reasons for participants engaging with the program?
• How do participants perceive the impact of the program on their supervision of preservice teachers? Are they utilising resources from the modules?
• How do participants perceive the impact of the program on their ability to reflect on and improve their own professional practice?
• What are the challenges that teachers face in supervising preservice teachers and how useful is the program in addressing these challenges?
• What are the reasons for participants not completing modules or parts of modules? If they are completing only some sections, are they still gaining useful information?
This review found that the SPT program is being accessed by staff across all jurisdictions in order to gain a better understanding of the role of the supervising teacher, as well as to improve their own knowledge and skills. This includes supervising teachers, principals/ school leaders, other school teaching staff and staff involved in teacher education and registration.