Beginning Teachers Professional Issues Conference
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 123 No 5, 27 July 2018, p23
More than 50 beginning teachers from across Queensland came together on the first Tuesday of the holidays to participate in the QTU’s Beginning Teachers Professional Issues Conference.
The conference was designed to provide beginning teachers, both permanent and temporary, with the opportunity to undertake professional development in a number of key areas.
Participants were given the opportunity to discuss behaviour management techniques and were also given the opportunity to consider how “generation Z” learns (and in particular how they differ from “millennials”). Members were taken through strategies to manage workload and wellbeing, including tips on how to say “yes” or “no” while still engaging as professionals.
The conference also provided beginning teachers with insights around mentoring, including reflecting on their current mentoring program or the program that they were involved in at their first workplace. Participants had the opportunity to take away a copy of the BEU (Beginning Educators United) mentoring program, designed by QTU member and acting deputy principal at Nambour State College, Chris Shevelling, in consultation with QTU member Dean Jacobs. The program is a term by term, week by week guide to key issues of focus for beginning teachers and their mentors.
Rachel Drew of Holding Redlich Lawyers spoke with members about avoiding the legal pitfalls of teaching, while participants also contributed to the further development of the QTU’s New Educator Recruitment, Engagement and Support Strategy.
After the conference, the 2018 New Educator Network participants (NEN18) engaged in a further day of training. They were provided with key skills, such as public speaking, fundamentals in campaign communications and campaigning itself. At the end of the day, the NENs worked together with NEN17, NEN15 and NEN12 participants to develop regional action plans on how they can engage and recruit beginning teachers at the local level.
The two days provided an excellent opportunity for members and QTU Officers and activists to engage and continue to support beginning teachers in both their activism and development as teachers.