The induction phase as a critical transition for newly qualified teachers

Abstract

This chapter addresses the issue of becoming a teacher, with the induction phase as a critical transition from initial teacher education to the lifelong professional learning of teachers, and mentoring as a tool of support. It presents newly qualified teachers’ views on initial teacher education and discusses the need for fostering the connection between teacher training and the induction year. New teachers’ views on teacher induction and mentoring are based on research findings in Finland and other Nordic countries. Another important question addresses how initial teacher education can facilitate the metamorphosis of a student teacher into an autonomous teacher. The new teachers’ experiences of mentoring have been highly positive, and they wished to see it made a standard practice. The mentoring meetings have served them as a useful interaction that supported them in their work and enabled them to learn from each other and from an experienced mentor. The mentees considered mentoring a highly important tool for inducting new teachers and fostering their professional growth. The results suggest that all new teachers should have access to either team-based or individual mentoring over the course of one or two school years.