The Growing and Nurturing Educators (GANE) initiative was announced mid-2022 to develop innovative, evidence-based projects to grow and nurture Independent school educators. 

Each of the GANE projects and resources are centred around three key areas:

  • Attracting candidates of quality and diversity 
  • Pathways into Independent education
  • Supporting educators 

The Evidence Institute is pleased to provide an update on the wide range of projects and resources that have been established since the commencement of GANE.

Teaching School Hubs Program

In late 2022 we launched the AISNSW Teaching School Hubs program. The program brings together a dynamic blend of educational stakeholders, including Principals, Hub School Coordinators, Mentor Teachers, and Education Trainees (Initial Teacher Education students). With almost one hundred participants moving into 2024, the program is steadily growing and showing positive impact on teaching training in a short period of time. Read this article from earlier in the term for more information about the program and its progress.

“I felt really excited coming into this experience. I am in my second year of teaching and feel I have begun to see firsthand how things work in the Kindy classroom.” – 2023 Education Trainee AISNSW Teaching School Hub program.


Teacher Education Scholarship

Also launched this year was the AISNSW Teacher Education Scholarship which provides a final year Initial Teacher Education student with a $10,000 remission of university fees and a paid internship in an Independent Member School. 

We are pleased to announce Rachel Filmer, a Bachelor of Education student at Southern Cross University was successful and is being placed at Casino Christian School.

Connecting with Universities

As part of the campaign to attract candidates into our profession, AISNSW have attended education career information sessions at the Australian Catholic University, the University of Newcastle and the University of New South Wales. In 2024 we are already booked to attend the HSC and Careers Expo and the Western Sydney Careers Expo. A resource was designed for career advisers to use while counselling students on a potential future career in education and this can be accessed via the AISNSW website.

Early Career Experience

The Early Career Experience program commenced in 2023 with an inaugural cohort of 29 early career educators. This professional learning takes place over two years, during which participants explore fundamental aspects of what it means to be a teacher while building networks and knowledge. The cohort had the opportunity to learn from a range of AISNSW and external speakers with a focus on concepts such as teacher identity, mental health and wellbeing, neurodiversity, differentiation, feedback and accreditation. Participants are also provided time to network with their peers.

“It was effective being able to talk one on one with peers and experts in the field.” – 2023 ECE participant.


Mentoring

Mentoring has proven to be an important part of a school community and was flagged by Independent schools as an area where more guidance and resources would be appreciated. An informative guide has been created for schools to assist when establishing a mentor program and provide additional information and material for existing programs. The Being an Effective Mentor course was created both for Mentor Teachers in the AISNSW Teaching School Hubs program as well as the wider community. To date almost a hundred educators have completed the self-paced learning experience.

“I value the growth that I will get from the reflective process of been a Mentor Teacher. I believe it will put reflection of my own teaching at the forefront.” – 2023 Mentor Teacher AISNSW Teaching School Hub program.



Teacher Recognition

World Teachers’ Day is an opportunity to celebrate teachers everywhere for the important role they play inside our classrooms and in the community. As part of this year’s celebrations, we were proud to showcase the work of First Nations artist, De Greer-Yindimincarlie. This painting celebrates the idea of coming to the campfire to share a yarn, made from our resources, strengths, knowledge and learnings. However, teacher recognition is not centred on one day, thus 2023 saw the creation of the AISNSW Teacher Feature campaign. Principals and other school leaders are invited to nominate remarkable teachers to have their stories shared. Information about the teachers who have been recognised so far is available on the AISNSW site.

AISNSW and The Evidence Institute are proud of the significant achievements that have been made in supporting educators, schools and future educators. We look forward to growing these projects and providing additional resources for the sector in 2024.