Provisional to Full Registration Scenarios
Ben
Ben has had provisional registration for four years and has not yet completed the requirements to gain full registration. This is because he:
- Taught in a part-time role of less than .5 FTE
- Travelled overseas
- Was day relief teaching
- Has not yet completed eight terms of an Induction and Mentoring (I&M) programme.
Ben had a Bachelor of Fine Arts and completed a Graduate Diploma of Teaching in 2007. He applied for his provisional registration and practising certificate in November 2007 when he knew he had completed all of the requirements for his course.
Ben knew it was important to apply for registration well before accepting a teaching position. He knew there was a late fee charged if a teacher did not have a practising certificate when they applied to the Teachers Council and if they were employed in a teaching position.
He was offered and accepted an Artist-in-Residence position of 10 hours per week for 2008. In addition Ben had a part-time teaching position at St John's High School where he had completed one of his practicum for his Graduate Diploma.
Ben knew the Artist-in-Residence position was not a teaching position and his part-time role for the first two terms of 2008 was only .2 of a full time equivalent position and so it was not sufficient teaching service for Ben to begin his Induction and Mentoring programme. Ben had already planned to travel overseas in November 2008.
While overseas Ben travelled through Europe and worked as a relief teacher in London. He realised that his day relief teaching (supply teaching) could not contribute to the requirement of two years of supervised teaching to move to full registration. Ben knew he did not need a police certificate from his time overseas as he was not in one country for more than 12 months.
When he returned from overseas Ben accepted a fixed term position for three terms at Queen Victoria High School. He discussed with the Principal the fact that although he completed his qualification in 2007 he had not begun an Induction and Mentoring programme. This was due to the teaching positions he had held i.e. less than 0.5 FTE and relief teaching overseas.
Queen Victoria High School had an established I&M programme and because the Deputy Principal oversaw the Arts faculty it was decided that she would be Ben's mentor teacher. Ben discussed the fact that he was not a newly qualified teacher with the DP. Together they structured the I&M programme, focusing on areas relevant for Ben's growth as a teacher. They utilised the Satisfactory Teacher Dimensions, which were the teaching standards at the time.
Ben's mentor teacher observed his teaching regularly. Following a lesson observation, she shared with Ben that she had observed a particular student who had not been engaged for much of the lesson and had disrupted others around him. Together they discussed the issue and some strategies for Ben to try. These strategies proved very effective and included advice and research in a reading that Ben recalled from an earlier professional development session. He discussed this further with his mentor teacher and also explored other opportunities for him to integrate these strategies to improve the engagement of all students.
Ben kept a folder of documentation from this programme and in this folder was:
- the outline of the programme
- a calendar of his meetings with his mentor teacher
- minutes from these meetings
- records of observations of his teaching
- feedback from his mentor teacher, and
- his reflective journal.
Ben and his mentor teacher also had records kept electronically.
When the position at Queen Victoria High School finished at the end of the year Ben decided to move back to his home town. He went around the local schools with his CV and offered himself as a relief teacher. He still had a current practising certificate with provisional registration. He took this with him as he knew he needed to have a current practising certificate in order to do relief teaching (beyond 10 days in any year).
Ben got plenty of relief teaching for the first two terms of 2010. One of the schools offered Ben a long term relief position for terms three and four of 2010. Ben explained that he would like to be able to continue with his Induction and Mentoring programme for these two terms. He also asked about the policy at the school for provisionally registered teachers and about their I&M programme.
Ben's mentor teacher was the Specialist Classroom Teacher (SCT) and they met early on to review Ben's programme so far. He explained that although he had taught for almost two years since gaining his qualification, this had been a mixture of part-time teaching (under 0.5 full time equivalent FTE), relief teaching and teaching overseas and therefore he had only completed three terms with an I&M programme. The SCT reviewed the folder that Ben had kept so far and she also noted that his practising certificate was expiring in November 2010.
As he was still completing his I&M programme Ben wasn't sure whether he could get another provisional practising certificate. He emailed the Teachers Council at their Inquiries address to ask for clarification. He received this response:
Dear Ben
Thank you for your email. Your practising certificate expires on 21 November 2010. As you have provisional registration and you have not yet completed the requirements for full registration you will need to apply for provisional registration and a three year practising certificate on the TC1 application form. You can send this application in up to six months before your practising certificate expires. Approval of this application will grant you with another provisional practising certificate and the expiry date of this will be three years on from your current expiry date.
Once you have completed the requirements for full registration you can be recommended for full registration on the TC2 application form. When this application is approved your category of registration will be changed to full, however, your practising certificate expiry date will remain the same.
Ben applied on a TC1 application form in early October 2010 for a new provisional practising certificate. There was a section of the application form which needed to be endorsed by the Principal of his current school. This endorsement stated that Ben continued to meet the requirements for registration and that he is ‘a satisfactory teacher'. After discussing Ben's progress in the I&M programme with the SCT the Principal was confident to sign this endorsement.
Ben continued meeting with his mentor teacher and keeping a record of his reflections, observations and professional development he attended. After one of the professional development courses Ben attended, his mentor teacher asked him to present a session on the topic to his colleagues. Following his presentation Ben asked his colleagues what they had taken from the session and how/if they had used the information.
The long term relief position finished in December 2010 and Ben decided to move to Auckland. He was offered and accepted a full time permanent teaching position beginning at the start of 2011. Ben met with the Principal and the Deputy Principal who was the PRT co-ordinator. Ben provided his current provisional practising certificate and all of the evidence of his I&M programme so far.
On reviewing Ben's documentation the DP checked the registration details of Ben's previous mentor teachers on the online register. He discovered that Ben's mentor teacher in 2009 currently had registration Subject to Confirmation (STC). After further checking, the DP found that the mentor teacher only held full registration for two out of the three terms of the I&M programme Ben completed at Queen Victoria High School. This meant that Ben had four terms of supervised teaching in total towards the eight terms he needed to be recommended for full registration. Ben and his mentor teacher planned out his I&M programme for the next four terms.
Hemi
Hemi has had provisional registration since the end of 2005. He has only just applied for full registration in 2011 because he:
- started his I&M programme in 2006
- moved overseas with his partner for three years (2007-2009)
- returned to NZ and completed his I&M programme from Jan 2010 - Jan 2011.
Hemi was employed at Totara Street Early Childhood Centre while completing a Bachelor of Teaching ECE. He completed the requirements for his Bachelor of Teaching ECE in November 2005 and applied to the Teachers Council for provisional registration soon after. He received his Statement of Completion from the University in December and he sent a certified copy of this to the Teachers Council. His application was approved once this Statement of Completion had been received, as this was the only outstanding document the Council was waiting for.
Hemi then began the Induction and Mentoring programme for provisionally registered teachers. His mentor teacher was an experienced fully registered teacher, Ngaire, who was contracted to the centre for the role. She visited Hemi at the centre so that they could discuss the components of his I&M programme and put together a plan.
Ngaire and Hemi discussed the relevant information in the resource Towards Full Registration and Hemi also read the information on the Teachers Council website about moving to full registration. He found useful information on the NZEI website regarding support for provisionally registered teachers which included information about what he should check with his employer.
Ngaire completed regular formal observations of Hemi's teaching. During one of her formal observations Ngaire noted some amazing interactions that Hemi was achieving with a group of children in a group reading session and they discussed this in their feedback meeting. Ngaire suggested that Hemi develop this further by doing some more research on this issue which was also something covered in his initial teacher education programme. She suggested that Hemi run a professional development session for all of the staff at the centre. Ngaire observed this session and was able to give Hemi feedback on his teaching in this context.
Totara Street Early Childhood Centre had an electronic online system where Hemi could store the documentation relating to his programme. This included:
- the outline of the programme
- a calendar of meetings with Ngaire
- minutes from these meetings
- records of observations of his teaching; and
- feedback from his mentor teacher.
He could also keep his reflective journal in this online system. He found this really efficient and a great way to document the provisional registration journey he was on.
Hemi resigned from his teaching position at Totara Street Early Childhood Centre at the end of 2006 as his partner had been transferred overseas with her job. While overseas from January 2007 - December 2009 Hemi did some relief teaching in nursery schools. Hemi's practising certificate was due to expire while he was overseas. He was not sure if he could re-apply for this from outside of NZ so he emailed the Teachers Council at their Inquiries address to ask for clarification. He received this response:
Dear Hemi
Thank you for your email. Yes you can apply to update your provisional practising certificate from outside of New Zealand. You will need to apply on the TC1 application form and have the Testimonial Section (Section H) completed by your most recent employer. You mention that you have been teaching at St Mark's Square Nursery for five months in a regular relieving capacity. The Professional Leader of this Nursery is the appropriate person to complete this section of the form. Although in another country, as an educationalist this person will understand the expectations and requirements for teachers. Please note that as your teaching service overseas is day relieving it will not be recognised for gaining full registration.
As you have provisional registration and have not yet met the requirements for full registration you are applying again for a three year practising certificate with provisional registration.
Hemi submitted the TC1 application form in October 2008 and his new provisional practising certificate expiry date was 21 November 2011. As he was overseas Hemi found it great to be kept up to date with the application processing by email, including receiving both an acknowledgement email when his application was received and an email letting him know his application had been approved. He did also check the online register when his application was approved as he knew this was updated immediately after the application was approved.
When Hemi and his partner arrived back in New Zealand Hemi was offered and accepted a 0.8 FTE teaching position at Kaka Beach Early Childhood Centre (ECC) beginning in May 2010. He discussed with the Centre Manager and the Assistant Manager the I&M programme he had completed so far at Totara Street ECC. At Kaka Beach ECC the Assistant Manager was the mentor teacher for the established I&M programme. She explained to Hemi that the new standards for gaining and maintaining full teacher registration are the Registered Teacher Criteria and that these replaced the Satisfactory Teacher Dimensions which Hemi's previous programme was based on.
Hemi referred to the Council's website to familiarise himself with the new criteria. Kaka Beach was keen for Hemi to use the Registered Teacher Criteria as the standards for his programme. As he wasn't beginning his programme in or after 2011 it was possible that he continue using the Satisfactory Teacher Dimensions. However, he found the resources, including the matrices which map the Satisfactory Teacher Dimensions with the Registered Teacher Criteria very helpful and thought it was a better decision to work with the new criteria.
As part of his I&M programme Hemi attended professional development courses. Hemi found the course he attended on Self Review particularly interesting and he and Ngaire discussed how he would integrate what he had learned into his practice, and the best approach for suggesting any changes within the team. The discussion and Ngaire's feedback and suggestions proved very helpful and Hemi recorded in his reflections how he had implemented changes to his practice and what had worked particularly well.
Hemi found that the opportunities to discuss challenges and successes with Ngaire were extremely beneficial to his growth as a teacher.
Hemi completed his second year of supervised teaching in January 2011. The TC2 application form had sections to be completed by Hemi, Ngaire as the mentor teacher, and the endorsement section of the form needed to be signed by the Centre Manager. The Centre Manager had regularly discussed Hemi's programme with him and with Ngaire and had reviewed Hemi's documentation. The completed TC2 application was then forwarded to the Teachers Council.