Beginning Teachers’ Learning Journeys Longitudinal Studyapi.ning.com/.../BTLJy1Final_Report2017_ENGtoEDU.pdf · 2017-06-02 · teacher development initiatives (e.g., Initial Teacher

2017

Beginning Teachers’ Learning Journeys

Longitudinal Study

Year 1 Report

Contact: Christine Frank [email protected]

Phone: 705-835-3921

Contributors: 545 beginning teachers! Christine Frank Rochelle Zorzi Geetha Van den Daele Lynn Dare Megan McGinnis-Dunphy Ann-Sylvia Brooker

BTLJ Longitudinal Study: Year 1 Report, April 2017 i

Christine Frank & Associates/Cathexis Consulting Inc.

Contents 1.1 Purpose ............................................................................................................................................. 1

1.2 Context .............................................................................................................................................. 1

1.3 Previous Study Findings .................................................................................................................... 1

2 Study Methods and Sample ..................................................................................................................... 2

2.1 Method ............................................................................................................................................. 2

2.2 Sample ............................................................................................................................................... 2

2.3 Survey Subgroups .............................................................................................................................. 3

2.4 Focus Group Participants .................................................................................................................. 4

3 Study Findings: How beginning teachers develop in their first five years of practice ............................. 5

3.1 What supports do beginning teachers access? ................................................................................. 5

3.2 What supports are most helpful? ..................................................................................................... 6

3.3 What other supports do beginning teachers feel they need? .......................................................... 7

3.4 How does mentorship support beginning teachers? ........................................................................ 9

3.4.1 How do beginning teachers engage with mentors? .................................................................. 9

3.4.2 What do mentors do that really makes a difference? ............................................................. 11

3.5 What do principals do that is most helpful? ................................................................................... 12

3.6 What are the barriers to accessing supports? ................................................................................ 15

3.7 What growth has happened in the core NTIP goals? ..................................................................... 18

3.8 How are beginning teachers’ learning journeys related to their teaching assignments/career

pathways? ............................................................................................................................................. 21

3.9 What has been key to teachers’ growth so far? ............................................................................. 22

4 Promising Practices ................................................................................................................................ 23

5 Conclusions and Recommendations ...................................................................................................... 24

Appendix A: Survey Sample Characteristics.............................................................................................. 25

BTLJ Longitudinal Study: Year 1 Report, April 2017 ii


Figures

Figure 1: Supports that have been particularly helpful .............................................................................. 6

Figure 2: Supports that participants need now .......................................................................................... 7

Figure 3: Survey participants receiving mentorship from colleagues and formal mentors ....................... 9

Figure 4: How Survey Participants Connected with Informal Mentors .................................................... 10

Figure 5: Factors that Contribute to Powerful Mentoring Experiences.................................................... 11

Figure 6: How Principals Support Beginning Teachers ............................................................................. 13

Figure 7: Analysis of gaps and barriers in access to most-needed supports ............................................ 15

Figure 8: Overall Growth in Core NTIP Areas ............................................................................................ 19

Tables

Table 1: Longitudinal Study Design ............................................................................................................. 2

Table 2: BTLJ Survey Groups ....................................................................................................................... 3

Table 3: BTLJ Focus Group Participants ...................................................................................................... 4

Table 4: Supports accessed, by subgroup ................................................................................................... 5

Table 5: Scale items: Self-efficacy and commitment to continuous learning ........................................... 18

Table 6: Scale Items: Instructional Practice .............................................................................................. 18

Table 7: Changes in Core NTIP Goals by Subgroup ................................................................................... 20

BTLJ Longitudinal Study: Year 1 Report, April 2017 1


1 Introduction to the Study

1.1 Purpose This longitudinal study, Beginning Teachers Learning Journeys (BTLJ or Learning Journeys), is designed

to deepen the understanding of beginning teachers’ learning in their first five years along the

continuum to permanent employment. This study aims to evaluate the impact of mentorship supports,

both formal and informal, and identify support gaps that exist for all beginning teachers. The study

includes the following two groups:

1. Beginning teachers currently participating in the New Teacher Induction Program, aka NTIP, (newly hired Long Term Occasional (LTO) with assignments of 97 days or longer and permanent contract teachers)

2. Beginning teachers NOT currently receiving NTIP supports (new occasional teachers hired within the past 5 years and not currently eligible for NTIP supports. This group would include:

Daily and Short Term Occasional Teachers (less than 97 day assignments)

Long Term Occasional Teachers no longer eligible for NTIP The length of this study is five years (2016 - 2021). Learning from this study will inform the evolution of

teacher development initiatives (e.g., Initial Teacher Education, New Teacher Induction Program,

Annual Learning Plan, and Teacher Performance Appraisal).

1.2 Context Since the introduction of NTIP, changes in the education sector have affected the entry to practice for

beginning teachers. Among these changes, Blended Entry (e.g., multiple years of Occasional and LTO

teaching) has led to the following effects:

The path to permanent teaching positions has become longer – over five years of daily and long

term occasional teaching is the norm provincially prior to obtaining a permanent position.

Additionally, school and board surplus results in multiple assignment changes for many

beginning teachers in their first five 5 years.

1.3 Previous Study Findings In a previous 3 year longitudinal study, Reflections (2012-2015), Christine Frank and Associates

examined the journeys of beginning teachers who were supported by NTIP. In keeping with the goals of

the program, we examined NTIP supported teachers’ growth in four key areas:

Confidence

Efficacy

Instructional practice

Commitment to continuous learning

Our study found that beginning teachers experienced sustained professional growth in all four areas

targeted by NITP. Each year, most teachers said that NTIP had helped them become a better teacher.

The four most important factors contributing to growth were:

Quality of mentorship

Differentiated learning

opportunities

Principal encouragement

A positive and collaborative school culture



2 Study Methods and Sample

2.1 Method Participants were recruited through their school board NTIP representatives, who forwarded an

invitation email from the study team. Participants opted in to the study using an online form that

described the purpose of the study and what would be asked of them.

The study is following three cohorts of teachers for three to five years each, starting in 2017 and ending

in 2021 (see Table 1). A survey is being administered annually to each cohort. Each year, focus groups

are also being conducted with a sample of participants in their first and second year of the study. In

2019, interviews will be held with a sample of individuals in their third year of the study. Qualitative

data collection for 2020 and 2021 will be determined based on information needs at that time.

Table 1: Longitudinal Study Design

2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

Cohort 1 Survey A

Focus groups

Survey B

Focus groups

Survey C

Interviews

Voluntary

mini-survey

Voluntary

mini-survey

Cohort 2 Survey A

Focus groups

Survey B

Focus groups

Survey C

Qual TBD

Voluntary

mini-survey

Cohort 3 Survey A

Focus groups

Survey B

Qual TBD

Survey C

Qual TBD

2.2 Sample In the first year of the study (2016-2017), 677 beginning teachers signed on to the Learning Journeys

study, and 545 (81%) completed Survey A. Teachers from all regions of Ontario signed on and had

varied backgrounds and teaching assignments, including:

Teaching assignment variation

Teaching Elementary (72%) and Secondary (27%) panels, or both (1%);

Number of teaching assignments – one (73%), more than one (12%), and none (15%);

Full time (80%) and part time (20%) assignments; and

Teaching in English (93%) and French (7%) language boards.

Range in years of teaching experience

Between 0 and 25 years’ teaching experience (median 4 years)

Teachers with and without NTIP experience

Currently receiving NTIP support (38%);

Previously received NTIP support (13%); and,

Never received NTIP support (49%).

Eighty-two percent of the participants are female and 17% are male.



2.3 Survey Subgroups The survey was completed by teachers with a wide range of characteristics and teaching assignments,

including teachers who have had positive experiences as well as teachers who have had negative

experiences. The survey results reflect a wide range of perspectives. As the Learning Journeys

participants opted into the study, there is nonetheless a chance that those who joined could have

different characteristics than those who chose not to take part (e.g., they could, as a group, be more

committed to continuous learning than teachers who chose not to sign up). We have broken the survey

sample out into four subgroups for analysis, as described in Table 2. Additional details about the

characteristics of teachers in these four groups can be found in Appendix A.

Table 2: BTLJ Survey Groups

Subgroup1 # in

Cohort 1 # in

Cohort 2 # in

Cohort 3 Description

1. Permanent 145 -- --

Teachers with at least one permanent teaching

assignment. Some teachers in this group may also

have an LTO or Daily Occasional assignments

2. LTO with NTIP 122 -- -- Teachers with an LTO assignment who have been involved in NTIP. Some teachers in this group may also have Daily Occasional assignments.

3. LTO without NTIP 120 -- -- Teachers with an LTO assignment who have never been involved in NTIP. Some teachers in this group may also have Daily Occasional assignments.

4. Daily Occasional 152 -- -- Teachers who indicated they had a Daily Occasional assignment, or no current teaching assignment

1 A subgroup could not be determined for 6 of the participants.



2.4 Focus Group Participants Among participants in the Learning Journeys study, approximately two-thirds (65%, n=482) offered to

take part in teleconference focus groups. A total of 64 early career teachers were invited to participate

in focus groups. The sample included teachers currently receiving NTIP support as well as teachers who

never received NTIP support. Additional selection characteristics included: region, elementary /

secondary panel, number of years teaching experience, and gender.

Four focus groups were held in March 2017, three in English and one in French. Those who were unable

to join the discussions on the scheduled day were invited to submit written responses to the discussion

questions (see Table 3). Through the focus groups, we asked teachers about their journey from the first

day of teaching until now, including the influence of mentors, principals, and other factors that affected

them. The focus group format gave participants the opportunity to share their stories in their own

words, yielding a rich picture of beginning teachers’ experiences. Our thematic analysis of the focus

group data reinforced and expanded on the quantitative findings. Findings from the qualitative data are

presented throughout the report, alongside corresponding quantitative survey findings. Direct quotes

from participants are shown in italics.

Table 3: BTLJ Focus Group Participants

Beginning Teachers Focus Groups

# of

teachers in

focus group

#

written responses

received

Total

Teachers currently receiving NTIP 4 2 6

Teachers with 0-2 years teaching experience and no

NTIP experience 4 3 7

Teachers with 3-5 years teaching experience and no

NTIP experience 4 2 6

French (mixed experiences) 2 3 5

Total 14 10 24

There was very strong alignment between the findings from the focus groups and the survey, which

strengthens our confidence in the findings.



3 Study Findings: How beginning teachers develop in their first five years of practice

3.1 What supports do beginning teachers access? When asked about what type of supports participants had since they

started teaching, most participants noted having relevant learning

opportunities (82%) and colleagues or other educators that have provided

mentorship/support (81%) (see Table 4). Approximately one-third of

participants had an opportunity to connect with other new teachers or

receive feedback about their teaching from their principal. Relatively few

had opportunities to take part in Community of Practice (whether in-

person or online), had a chance to observe a colleague or be observed, or

had a choice of learning opportunities).

Teachers with permanent contracts had the most access to these supports, followed by teachers with

LTO assignments who were involved in NTIP. Daily Occasional teachers had much less access, as did

teachers with LTO assignments who were not involved in NTIP (see Table 4).

Table 4: Supports accessed, by subgroup

Support Permanent LTO with

NTIP LTO without

NTIP Daily

Occasional Overall

Relevant learning opportunities (e.g. workshops, courses, seminars, school-based learning opportunities)

94% 83% 77% 74% 82%

Colleagues or other educators that have provided mentorship/support in your teaching

91% 85% 84% 66% 81%

An opportunity to connect with other new teachers

81% 68% 43% 57% 63%

Feedback about your teaching from your principal

84% 60% 67% 41% 63%

A formal mentor 87% 78% 6% 9% 46%

A choice of learning opportunities 57% 33% 34% 32% 40%

An opportunity to watch a colleague teach, followed by discussion

57% 35% 25% 34% 38%

An opportunity to have a colleague observe you teach, followed by discussion

34% 25% 18% 26% 26%

An opportunity to take part in an in-person Community of Practice

19% 13% 11% 8% 13%

An opportunity to take part in an Online Community of Practice

14% 10% 6% 13% 11%

# of different types of supports accessed 6.3 5.0 3.9 3.7



3.2 What supports are most helpful? In the survey, mentorship and/or support from colleagues or other educators, and relevant learning

opportunities, were identified as helpful by most participants (75% and 66% respectively, see Figure 1).

Other supports that were identified less often included opportunities to connect with other new

teachers, having a formal mentor, receiving feedback about their teaching from their principal, having a

choice of learning opportunities, and having an opportunity to watch a colleague teach, followed by

discussion. The lower number of supports identified was in part because fewer participants had

accessed these supports.

Figure 1: Supports that have been particularly helpful

There were a couple of supports that were particularly helpful to only about 1/3 of the participants

who accessed them:

Taking part in an online community of practice, and

Having a colleague observe them teach, followed by discussion (participants with 3 to 5 years of teaching experience were more likely to identify this as particularly helpful).

It may be worthwhile to consider how these types of supports could be made impactful for a greater proportion of beginning teachers who access them. Through the focus group discussions, we learned about most helpful supports for beginning teachers.

NTIP-supported teachers most often mentioned help from mentors, especially mentors situated in the

same school and teaching the same subject: “Having a mentor in the same subject area, we work a lot

together, co-planning and co-teaching, she helps me go further in my planning and teaching. I feel very

lucky.” Still, mentors outside of the school can also be very helpful: “While she’s not in the same

building as me, she just happens to be a real lifeline in the sense of being available for communicating

with me, willingly sharing ideas, and feedback, and resources with me.”

Colleagues or other educators that have provided

mentorship/support in your teaching

Relevant learning opportunities (e.g. workshops,

courses, seminars, school-based learning)

An opportunity to connect with other new teachers

A formal mentor

Feedback about your teaching from your principal

A choice of learning opportunities

An opportunity to watch a colleague teach, followed by

discussion

An opportunity to have a colleague observe you teach,

followed by discussion

An opportunity to take part in an in-person Community

of Practice

An opportunity to take part in an Online Community of

Practice

81%

82%

63%

46%

63%

40%

38%

26%

13%

11%

75%

66%

34%

29%

28%

22%

21%

10%

6%

4%

% who accessed the

support

% who found support

particularly helpful



Teachers without NTIP support varied more than NTIP-supported teachers in identifying most helpful

supports. Help from other teachers was mentioned most often but this help sometimes had to be

asked for. Non NTIP teachers appreciate collaboration and training sessions with other new teachers:

“When I had a PD day to focus on my teaching skills, it was better to have time to plan something with

other teachers.” Constructive informal feedback offered by principals and ease of access to

professional development (PD) also came up in the “most helpful” choices.

3.3 What other supports do beginning teachers feel they need? Survey participants differed in the supports that they still needed. Most participants indicated they

needed 2 or 3 types of supports. The most common supports needed were relevant learning

opportunities (53%), an opportunity to watch a colleague teach followed by discussion (38%) and

support from colleagues (35%). Supports that survey participants indicated they need are shown in

Figure 2.

Patterns of responses were similar for the four survey subgroups, with the exception that teachers not

in NTIP were much more likely to indicate that they needed a formal mentor than those in NTIP.

Figure 2: Supports that participants need now

In the focus group discussions, the topic of help specifically for Daily Occasional teachers was

emphasized. This help includes regular meetings with other Daily Occasional teachers: “[We need] a

once a week or even once a month meeting for occasional teachers, put on by either the school board

and/or union.” Tailored workshops are also wanted: [We need] “workshops dedicated to the

practicalities of being an occasional teacher, how to address the specific challenges of the role.” Topics

of interest included:

“Classroom management”

“Navigation of the board website and portal”

“Employment Insurance”

“Email systems”

“Areas we don’t get practice in as OTs: best practice for pedagogy. differentiation, lesson planning, building a unit, assessment and evaluation.”



Support for classroom management would be especially helpful for Daily Occasional teachers: “I would

love to see …a behaviour management program set up for OTs or maybe in each school there is a

teacher or two who will check in on the OTs during the day, and say ‘How are you doing…. Do you need

any advice for behavioral things?’ because that is definitely our most troublesome thing that I think we

deal with.”

OT and LTO teachers would like information on how to deal with Employment Insurance questions: “I

just applied for EI for the first time after the period after Christmas and second semester because it was

dead for me. And I had so many questions, and I couldn’t get through to EI, couldn’t get through to

anyone, including the union.”

The idea of a help hotline was mentioned by both Daily Occasional and LTO teachers:

“If I could have a perfect world I would want a hotline: an email line or an online chat,

where I can talk to someone who has kind of been through the process.” The hotline

may answer urgent practical questions: “Sometimes I find as an OT, when you are in a

school and trying to track someone down to answer a question, you can’t even find

anyone. So just to have something available where you can actually post or call or

whatever.”

Several teachers said moral support was crucially important to them. An NTIP supported LTO teacher

summarized the suggestions made in her group: “I think that’s what we’re hearing, is we’re going

through things, we think that we’re alone, we think we’re up against the wall, it’s only us, but when you

go and talk to a seasoned teacher, she tells you, I’ve been there, I’ve done that, and this is how I’ve

dealt with it. When you hear those stories, you are feeling a lot better than you were, when you were

alone.”

Opportunities to observe and be observed came up in suggestions. An NTIP supported teacher said:

“We should be required to go in and observe other teachers in their classrooms and more experienced

teachers should come in and observe us.”

NTIP supported teachers who did not easily find a mentor proposed that more incentive be given to

act as a mentor: “I know that my mentor is trying to be a principal, and I know that her being a mentor

to me through the NTIP program will just enhance her application. So that may be something that,

moving forward, could be a requirement for administrators.”

Other suggestions included:

Conduct teacher evaluations: “I have no feedback on how I am doing as a teacher.” Daily

Occasional teacher

Make PD more accessible in Northern regions: “Make a more even playing field.” Daily

Occasional teacher

Encourage NTIP supported PD: “It doesn’t even come out of the school budget, but sometimes

you’re made to feel you’re taking a day off, or something like that.” NTIP supported teacher

Create a Daily Occasional binder: “Management should set up a binder, other than the staff

guide, with information that is essential for new teachers re things like photocopier, washroom,

hierarchy…, who is responsible for what in the school” NTIP supported teacher



3.4 How does mentorship support beginning teachers?

3.4.1 How do beginning teachers engage with mentors? Our survey findings show that most beginning teachers engage in informal mentorship and/or receive

support from colleagues or other educators (see Figure 3). Daily Occasional teachers are less likely to

access informal mentors (67%) than teachers with LTO (85%) and permanent contracts (91%). Daily

Occasional teachers who were very new to teaching (0 to 2 years of experience) have the least access

to informal mentorship (57%). Most teachers who have participated in NTIP have a formal mentor.

Without having been in NTIP, very few teachers have access to a formal mentor.

Figure 3: Survey participants receiving mentorship from colleagues and formal mentors

In the focus groups, we heard more about informal and formal mentoring. For teachers without NTIP

support, good mentoring was often available informally:

… there was no formal support, but I got a lot of great support from the other

teachers... and the admin was very supportive at that specific school which was very

nice start.

I had a great department head; I was in the science department at the time, and she

was wonderful. She was also the tech coach, so she was wonderful about not just

teaching ideas but how to deal with difficult behaviours and how the school system

worked.

Some beginning teachers receive valuable informal mentoring through volunteering in schools prior

to gaining full-time employment.

For the most part, participants met their informal mentors within their school, or had met them at

another school (see Figure 4). They were also introduced to mentors by their colleagues, principal or

vice principal. Few participants were introduced to informal mentors by their formal mentor.

“Most of the support that I feel that I receive is informal in nature. That is, it is only through having

developed something of a network that I've been fortunate enough to find support and guidance from

other teachers. Having been a [daily] OT for most of my teaching career, it took a long time to establish

a network sufficiently strong and comfortable enough for me to feel supported and ask for support.”

91%85% 84%

67%

87%78%

6% 9%

Permanent LTO with NTIP LTO without NTIP Daily Occasional

Support from colleagues Support from formal mentors



Figure 4: How Survey Participants Connected with Informal Mentors

Daily Occasional teachers who were very new to teaching (0 to 2 years of experience) had relatively few

avenues for meeting informal mentors:

Only 69% had met informal mentors within the school where they were teaching.

Only 4% had been introduced to an informal mentor by their principal/vice principal.

More experienced Daily Occasional teachers tend to have met mentors at others schools (over

45% with 3 or more years of experience had such mentors), but less experienced Daily

Occasional teachers haven’t had as much opportunity to build up these relationships (only 31%

with 2 or fewer years of experience had met informal mentors this way).

Among the 81% of participants who have formal or informal mentors, over half (54%) receive support

from colleagues or educators at least once per week. However, there is a minority (13%) who receive

support less than once per month. LTO teachers, with or without NTIP support, received the most

frequent support from colleagues or mentors. Daily occasional teachers received the least frequent

support. Teachers with less than 3 years of teaching experience tended to receive support from

colleagues or mentors more frequently than their more experienced colleagues.

NTIP teachers emphasized the helpfulness of formal mentoring they had received: “I sent her an email

and said, ’could we talk, I’m feeling overwhelmed’, and she called me right away and helped me put

things into perspective; it didn’t feel so big after I talked with her.” This NTIP teacher is only still

teaching because of her mentor’s crucial help: “My teacher mentor since last year, if it had not been for

her, I would have quit teaching. She had confidence in me when I did not have any…. She is THE REASON

for which I am still teaching.”

8%

4%

7%

17%

18%

19%

35%

89%

Other

We met through a COP or other collaborative project

We were introduced by my formal mentor

We were introduced by my principal/vice-principal

We met through a workshop or other learningopportunity

We were introduced by another teacher/colleague

I already knew them from another school

I met them within my school



3.4.2 What do mentors do that really makes a difference? Survey participants were asked to reflect on a mentoring experience that was particularly powerful in

improving their confidence. Most participants (85%) were able to identify at least one such experience

(though only 68% of teachers with Daily Occasional assignments were able to identify one).

Powerful mentoring experiences typically (in 71% of cases) involved a mentor or colleague sharing

information, advice and/or resources that were really helpful. Other important elements of the

mentoring experience were working collaboratively (to co-create ideas for classroom activities or to

come up with a solution to a challenge), support and encouragement, and safety to make mistakes. The

full list of elements is shown in Figure 5 (patterns of responses were similar for all four survey

subgroups).

Figure 5: Factors that Contribute to Powerful Mentoring Experiences

In the focus group discussions, teachers said that of the types of mentoring received, the chances to

observe and be observed were highly valued. A non- NTIP teacher said: “Well, in the classroom she

would allow me to teach lessons, talk about it after, talk about how she taught a lesson, watch her

classroom management skills.”



NTIP teachers also greatly valued observation opportunities: “I’ve had wonderful experiences on NTIP,

where I’ve been able to be observed, and then to go out and observe someone in their school.” Co-

planning paired with observation was appreciated. Some new teachers emphasized the benefits of co-

planning with other teachers: “Whenever we put our ideas together, I felt like the projects were much

better. I understood where we were coming from, and it wasn’t just me blindly following him.”

Informal mentors sometimes help with job search strategies: “She helped me go to principals for

reference letters, and start to apply for things, and get that confidence.” Introducing teachers into

extra-curricular activity can be helpful: “She supported me by getting me into track and field, like the

extra-curricular side of school, something that you don’t really experience at teacher’s college.” One

teacher advocated that mentors are best when they “teach how to fish rather than give a fish” where

“giving” is just handing over course materials without “moral support.” A long term occasional teacher

(LTO) strongly appreciated help from another LTO in the form of written notes about students’ needs:

“I had seven different classes and [another LTO] had kept notes on every student, how they work, any

issues such as this person needs one-to-one, which was just SO helpful.”

3.5 What do principals do that is most helpful?

Principals support the development of beginning teachers by

taking a personal interest in their growth, encouraging

mentorship, and providing useful feedback through

performance appraisals. For the most part, participants with

permanent contracts felt that their principals were providing

strong support in all three of these areas (see Figure 6).

Participants with LTO assignments likewise felt that their

principal(s) supported mentorship and took an interest, but

28% to 30% had not yet had a performance appraisal (the

threshold for evaluation is 4 months for a teacher’s first LTO

position, although some boards have different protocols).

Many participants with Daily Occasional assignments did not

spend enough time in any one school that they could

comment on principal support, as indicated by the high

number of ‘not applicable’ responses.

“I had a principal who would regularly give

me feedback about my teaching and my

participation in the school as a whole. This

ongoing feedback was helpful for my

confidence and learning.”



9%

10%

27%

30%

12%

23%

32%

34%

26%

38%

30%

23%

9%

18%

8%

6%

6%

5%

2%

4%

38%

5%

3%

1%

Daily occasional

LTO without NTIP

LTO with NTIP

Permanent

Figure 6: How Principals Support Beginning Teachers

14%

29%

35%

40%

25%

20%

30%

36%

22%

32%

20%

16%

8%

17%

11%

6%

6%

3%

4%

2%

26%Daily occasional

LTO without NTIP

LTO with NTIP

Permanent

8%

21%

20%

28%

20%

19%

20%

34%

16%

20%

19%

17%

3%

8%

8%

6%

3%

2%

6%

3%

49%

30%

28%

12%

Daily occasional

LTO without NTIP

LTO with NTIP

Permanent

My principal is interested in my growth as a teacher

My performance appraisals have been useful in helping improve my teaching

My principal(s) encourage mentorship among teachers



Through the focus groups, teachers shared personal stories about what

principals do that really makes a difference. Teachers in general value

principals who approach them rather than waiting to be approached:

“He said to me right away, I taught [your particular grade], I used to

teach grade five for years and years, so if you need anything, come to me.

I have never felt nervous to talk to him.” There is considerable gratitude

for principals who continue to check in and ask about beginning teachers’

needs: “The school I am in right now for my LTO, the principal … checks in

with me every few days to make sure I have everything I need to be

planning the lessons and continue going forward.”

On the other hand, both NTIP supported and non-NTIP supported teachers often commented on

differences between helpful and unhelpful principals. Helpful principals are available, approachable

and supportive. An NTIP supported permanent teacher said: “I’ve been at some schools where admin

is, sort of, remote and not really accessible, and feeling that you are interrupting if you have a question,

that they are just too busy. But my current principal is very supportive.” A Daily Occasional teacher for

three years said: “I find that in my board there is a very big difference from school to school. I feel like

sometimes I can go in to the same school five or six times and never once meet the principal…. Then

there are other schools that I go to and they are the first person that greets you in the morning.”

Beginning teachers appreciate strong assistance from principals in classroom management issues, and

especially in communicating with challenging parents “I had a lot of classroom management issues and

without the parents’ support, I really did feel I was backed up in a corner. During that time, the principal

was just amazing. She really supported me the whole way through it. She told me, ‘Don’t worry, I will

talk with the parents, directly, with you’ … she was very professional about the way she spoke about it,

and the way she handled the situation.”

Some principals support beginning teachers by encouraging professional development: “They will

check in and encourage me to take part in in-services that are held at the board office.” In addition,

regular communication from administrators is helpful: “We know if [administrators] are out of school,

or where they are. We always know when we can join them. The weekly email communication gives us

the week’s plan ...what is planned for the outings with the students, when the library is booked, when

the school has an assembly for performances.”



3.6 What are the barriers to accessing supports? The survey revealed that access to needed supports varied among subgroups. Gaps in access, as well as

the main barriers, are summarized in Figure 7.

Figure 7: Analysis of gaps and barriers in access to most-needed supports

GAPS IN ACCESS BARRIERS TO ACCESS

FOR RELEVANT LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Permanent: Not enough release time, no access to formal learning opportunities or formal opportunities are not relevant

LTO (whether in NTIP or not): Not enough release time, no access to formal learning opportunities or formal opportunities are not relevant

Daily Occasional: No access to any formal

training/learning opportunities

FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO OBSERVE AND DISCUSS

Permanent: Not enough release time, no access to formal learning opportunities or formal opportunities are not relevant

LTO (whether in NTIP or not): Not enough release time, no access to formal learning opportunities or formal opportunities are not relevant

Daily Occasional: No access to any formal

training/learning opportunities

26%

18%

18%

17%

22%

32%

37%

43%

Daily Occasional

LTO without NTIP

LTO with NTIP

Permanent

28%

27%

23%

25%

5%

12%

16%

18%

Daily Occasional

LTO without NTIP

LTO with NTIP

Permanent



28%

27%

23%

25%

5%

12%

16%

18%

Daily Occasional

LTO without NTIP

LTO with NTIP

Permanent

28%

27%

23%

25%

5%

12%

16%

18%

Daily Occasional

LTO without NTIP

LTO with NTIP

Permanent

Figure 7 continued: Analysis of gaps and barrier in access to most-needed supports

GAPS IN ACCESS TO… BARRIERS TO ACESSS…

FOR INFORMAL MENTORS…

Permanent: --

LTO with NTIP: --

LTO without NTIP: Not enough release time / don't spend enough time in any one school

Daily Occasional: Not enough release time /

don't spend enough time in any one school

FOR FORMAL MENTORS…

Permanent: --

LTO with NTIP: --

LTO without NTIP: Not enough release time / don't spend enough time in any one school

Daily Occasional: Not enough release time /

don't spend enough time in any one school

Across all focus groups, the theme of little or no access to

appropriate professional development arose often. When

workshops are offered, they are often filled immediately. An NTIP

supported LTO said: Unless I’m checking my email every 6 minutes, I

get these emails, and there are a number of them, the last

announced 3 PD session for the same topic on three different days,

and as soon as I logged in, and I tried to do it after school, it was

full, on the same day that the email went out.” Even when

workshops are available, OTs have a hard decision to make: “If you

are an OT… you have to take the day off so you are losing the

money again and the day of teaching, so that often changed my

mind on whether I am going to attend that PD or not.”



Workshop content may seem not relevant to Daily Occasional and LTO teachers if it only addresses

permanent teacher circumstances: “A lot of the workshops are based on the premise that you have a

classroom and how then how are you going to improve a certain curriculum for that certain grade. So,

these are great, it is great information, but it is not relevant for what we are doing right now in our

career.” An LTO teacher said that permanent teachers have priority in accessing limited workshop

spaces: “A limited number of people can register and priority is given to those who are permanent.”

Another common theme was not receiving information about supports. An LTO

teacher said: “I have emailed NTIP, yeah, you missed it. Because no one told me that

I was even eligible for it, and I have been on the email list for five months and I have

not even heard a word.” An NTIP supported teacher said about her earlier years: “I

would say the number one issue I had to accessing supports, along the lines of these

PD days, or anything like that, was having it communicated to me.”

Participants noted that the size of schools affects their feeling of being supported: “And I found

switching high schools to some of the bigger high schools, entering in as an LTO, you’re often given a bit

of a dog’s breakfast of courses to teach. The feeling was often, left to sink or swim.” This teacher

recognized that support may be easier to offer in smaller schools: “There’s a lot less going on in terms

of school sports and extracurriculars, just because you don’t have the manpower to run as many

extracurriculars. And so you have a community feeling in a smaller school.”

As mentioned above, constant change of schools and teaching subjects limits

support for Daily Occasional teachers: “We are not in the same place every day, so it

is just hard to create a relationship with somebody to ask those specific questions.”

Beginning teachers’ growth can be limited by constant movement: “Assessing

students learning and helping families to support their children’s learning, I don’t

really have an opportunity to do these things.”

A couple of LTO teachers mentioned that they were affected by insufficient Daily Occasional teachers

to cover out-of-class time: “Our meetings were canceled because there is a lack of supply teachers this

year." LTOs may also lack help with administrative tasks: “I completely agree with what the other ladies

were saying about very little support, not just teaching, but also with paperwork and all that kind of

stuff.”

A teacher of French as a second language had a particular challenge in finding a mentor: “I didn’t

actually have a mentor, and I asked my own children’s French teacher. She wasn’t in a place to help me

with that. I then went to see my principal [who] had come to our school from a very large school with

several core French teachers. [Then] I contacted those names and those teachers thought they didn’t

have the time, but one of them referred me to my current mentor.”



3.7 What growth has happened in the core NTIP goals? While many of the teachers in the study were not supported by NTIP, we found it valuable to use the

measures developed in the previous study for the program’s core measures of growth.

How Growth Was Assessed

To assess growth in the core goal areas, the surveys asked participants to reflect on a set of statements and

indicate how true each statement was for them a) in the past month, and b) when they first started teaching in

Ontario. This “retrospective baseline” approach is an appropriate way to measure changes in perceived

knowledge, attitudes or behaviours, particularly when participants might “not know what they don’t know” at

the outset 2.

Efficacy and commitment to continuous learning were assessed using multi-item scales. The items making up

each scale are shown in Table 5. Scale scores reflect the average of all the items.

Table 5: Scale items: Self-efficacy and commitment to continuous learning Core NTIP

Goals

Items

1 - Not at all true for me, 7 - Very true for me

Efficacy When I encounter students who are really struggling to learn I know I can find a way to help them

(Reverse scored) Some students are going to do poorly no matter what I do

With effort I can engage even the most unmotivated students

I can make a difference in the lives of every single one of my students

Commitment

to continuous

learning

I reflect on my teaching every day to figure out what’s working well and what I need to do differently

I talk with my colleagues about challenges that I’m facing in my teaching

I use a wide variety of effective instructional strategies

Confidence (a third core area of development) was assessed with a single item: “I have the supports I need to

be a successful teacher”, using the same response scale as the efficacy items.

To assess growth in instructional practice (the fourth core area of development), we asked participants to rate

the strength of their repertoire of teaching strategies a) now, and b) when they first started teaching in Ontario.

The scale items are shown in Table 6.

Table 6: Scale Items: Instructional Practice

2 Gouldthorpe & Israel 2003; Klatt and Taylor-Powell 2005; Pratt, McGuigan, and Katzev 2000.

Core NTIP

Goals

Items

1 - Not adequate, 4 -Very strong

Instructional

practice

... maintaining a classroom environment that is conducive to learning

... building students’ confidence

... getting students motivated / excited to learn

... helping students master new concepts/skills

... responding to students’ diverse learning needs

... assessing students’ learning



Comparing themselves with when they started teaching, participants reported improvements in all four

of the core goal areas (see Figure 8).

Patterns of ratings in confidence, efficacy, commitment to continuous learning, and changes in

instructional practice were similar for teachers with permanent and LTO assignments (whether or not

they received NTIP support), but past-month ratings tended to be lower for teachers with Daily

Occasional assignments (see Table 7). Confidence (I have the supports I need to be a successful

teacher) was the area with the most noticeable difference among the groups.

Figure 8: Overall Growth in Core NTIP Areas



Table 7: Changes in Core NTIP Goals by Subgroup

Permanent LTO with

NTIP LTO without

NTIP Daily

Occasional

Confidence (1 item; scale of 1 to 7)

In the past month 5.2 5.1 5.0 4.5

When I started teaching in Ontario 4.2 3.9 3.9 3.9

Change +1.1 +1.2 +1.1 +0.6

Efficacy (4 items; scale of 1 to 7)



Change +0.4 +0.4 +0.4 +0.3

Commitment to Continuous Learning (3 items; scale of 1 to 7)



Change +0.7 +0.8 +0.7 +0.5

Instructional practice (7 items; scale of 1 to 4)



Change +0.5 +0.6 +0.6 +0.4



3.8 How are beginning teachers’ learning journeys related to their teaching assignments/career pathways?

As mentioned, teaching assignments make a big difference in the supports available to – and accessed

by – beginning teachers. Teachers with permanent contracts, most of whom have been involved in

NTIP, are accessing a wide variety of supports right from the outset.

Supports accessed by more than 50% of teachers with permanent Contacts:

Teachers with LTO assignments who are in NTIP also have access to a range of supports, though they

tend to gain access later in their career, and may not have as much choice in the learning opportunities

available to them.

Supports accessed by more than 50% of teachers with LTO assignments who are receiving NTIP

support:

LTO teachers who have not been in NTIP tend to access a very limited range of supports.

Unexpectedly, they seem to begin receiving feedback from principals earlier than LTO teachers who are

in NTIP.

Supports accessed by more than 50% of teachers with LTO assignments who are not receiving NITP

support:

Teachers with Daily Occasional assignments also tend to access a very limited range of supports.

Supports accessed by more than 50% of teachers with Daily Occasional assignments:



3.9 What has been key to teachers’ growth so far?



4 Promising Practices

Beginning teachers need assistance from and interaction with other teachers both experienced and

new like themselves. Mentorship/support from colleagues came first to the survey question about

most helpful supports. It was also the most common helpful support in focus groups for both teachers

supported by NTIP and those not supported by NTIP. Relevant learning opportunities such as

workshops, courses, seminars, and school-based opportunities came fairly close to the top in the

survey. Opportunities to connect with other new teachers came third in the survey, and teachers not

supported by NTIP particularly noted such opportunities in the focus groups.

Both formal and informal mentors help greatly, and can make the difference to stay in teaching by

building beginning teachers’ confidence when things are very challenging. In addition, mentors are

helpful when they give opportunities to observe, be observed, and debrief.

The strongest factors in making mentorship powerful were the following:

A mentor or colleague sharing information/advice/resources that

were really helpful

Co-creating new ideas for classroom activities

Receiving support and encouragement

Feeling safe to ask questions/make mistakes

Working collaboratively to come up with a solution to a challenge

Principals are also very important to the growth of beginning teachers. Feedback from principals came

in well to the survey question about most helpful supports. Principals can support the development of

beginning teachers by taking a personal interest in their growth, encouraging mentorship, and

providing useful feedback through performance appraisals. Focus group discussions told us that

principals who approach teachers rather than waiting to be approached and then communicate

regularly are doing the right thing. Principals’ assistance with classroom management issues is highly

valued, along with encouragement of professional development.



5 Conclusions and Recommendations

NTIP teachers rely on support from formal mentors and other teachers.

Informal mentoring is often available for teachers

without NTIP and is highly valued.

Professional development opportunities, especially with

good choice, are important for all teachers, but little or

no access to appropriate professional development

arose often. Access was especially limited for Daily

Occasional teachers and LTO teachers who are not in

NTIP.

Principals offer essential help and are much appreciated

but are not always accessible.

A common barrier to needed support is not enough

release/shared release time.

Occasional teachers need support specifically related to the constant unpredictable change in

their assignments. They need help especially with maintaining their confidence, behaviour

management, the basic daily functioning of the schools where they teach, and accessing

Employment Insurance. They greatly value the help of other teachers and principals although it

is often not easily available.



Appendix A: Survey Sample Characteristics In the first year of the study, 677 beginning teachers signed on to the Learning Journeys study, and 545

(81%) completed Survey A.

As the Learning Journeys participants opted into the study, there is a chance that those who joined

have different characteristics than those who chose not to take part (e.g., they could, as a group, be

more committed to continuous learning than teachers who chose not to sign up).

Teaching assignment

The number of current teaching assignments ranged from 0 (15% of respondents – all presumed to be

teaching on a Daily Occasional basis) to 53. Most participants (73%) had only one teaching assignment.

Table A1 and Table A2 show details of participants’ teaching assignments, by survey subgroup.

Teaching assignment Permanent LTO with

NTIP LTO without

NTIP Daily

Occasional

% with no current teaching assignment 53%

% with one teaching assignment 79% 88% 90% 41%

% with more than one teaching assignment 21% 12% 10% 6%

100% 100% 100% 100%

Among participants with Permanent or LTO assignments, a substantial minority of participants had

more than one teaching assignment and/or were teaching in more than one school. Specifically:

20% indicated their assignment(s) were part time hours,

15% they had more than one current teaching assignment,

8% indicated they were teaching in more than one school, and

1% indicated they were teaching in more than one board.

Table A2: Additional teaching assignment details, by survey subgroup

Teaching assignment details Permanent LTO with

NTIP LTO without

NTIP Daily

Occasional

% teaching in more than one school 11% 7% 5% N/A

% teaching in more than one board 1% 3% 0% N/A

% with a full time assignment 75% 81% 84% N/A

% with a Secondary panel assignment 24% 22% 38% 11%

Note: the categories in this table are not mutually exclusive; numbers do not add to 100%

3 Three outliers were removed.



Exposure to NTIP

Just over half of the participants (51%) have participated in NTIP at some point, and 38% of participants

are still in NTIP (see Table A3 and Figure A1).

Table A3: Exposure to NTIP, by survey subgroup

Exposure to NTIP Permanent LTO with

NTIP LTO without

NTIP Daily

Occasional Total

Never in NTIP 1% 100% 92% 49%

Previously in NTIP 17% 29% 8% 13%

Currently in NTIP - first year 52% 57% 27%

Currently in NTIP - 2nd+ year 29% 14% 11%

100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Figure A1: Exposure to NTIP, by survey subgroup

Teaching experience

Teachers in the study had varied levels of teaching experience, with some having just started teaching

this year, and others having up to 25 years of experience. The median length of teaching experience

was approximately 4 years.

Teachers with Permanent positions had more experience than teachers in LTO or Daily Occasional

positions (see Table A4 for a breakdown of the four study subgroups).

Table A4: Teaching experience, by survey subgroup

Teaching experience Permanent LTO with

NTIP LTO without

NTIP Daily

Occasional Total

Median years of experience 5 4 3.5 3 4

% with 0 to 2 years of experience 18% 21% 21% 35% 24%

% with 3 to 5 years of experience 40% 47% 49% 41% 44%

% with >5 years of experience 42% 33% 30% 24% 32%

100% 100% 100% 100% 100%



Figure A2: Teaching experience, by survey subgroup

Board characteristics

Just under half of the participants were from Toronto-region boards, and one quarter were from

London-region boards (see Table A5). Seven percent of participants were from French language boards.

Table A5: Region, by survey subgroup

Region Permanent LTO with

NTIP LTO without

NTIP Daily

Occasional Total

Barrie 7% 6% 10% 9% 8%

London 25% 26% 14% 33% 25% North Bay / Sudbury 9% 4% 3% 3% 5% Ottawa 20% 10% 5% 12% 12% Thunder Bay 3% 2% 3% 4% 3% Toronto 35% 52% 66% 39% 47%

Provincial schools 1% <1%

100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Participant characteristics

Table A6 shows participant information about age and gender for the survey subgroups. Participants

were between the ages of 24 and 63. The average age of participants was 35, and the median age was

324.

The majority of the participants were women (82%). Male teachers were disproportionately

represented among the subgroup of LTO teachers who had never participated in NTIP.

Table A6: Participant characteristics, by survey subgroup

Participant characteristics Permanent LTO with

NTIP LTO without

NTIP Daily

Occasional Total

Median age 34 31 33 31.5 32

% Male 13% 18% 26% 15% 17%

4 This reflects the age of respondents when they registered for the study.

Documents

Beginning Teachers’ Learning Journeys Longitudinal Studyapi.ning.com/.../BTLJy1Final_Report2017_ENGtoEDU.pdf · 2017-06-02 · teacher development initiatives (e.g., Initial Teacher