Supporting and guiding pre-service teachers not only strengthens our profession but is also essential in shaping the dynamic and inspirational educators of tomorrow.
Proficient, Highly Accomplished, and Lead teachers possess the knowledge, skills, and professional engagement required for effective teaching. They are also in a unique position to share these abilities, helping to support pre-service teachers during their professional experience placements.
Why become a supervising teacher?
- Have a positive impact on another person's career
- Share your deep subject content knowledge
- Allow others to benefit from your understanding of how learning happens
- Reflect on your own practice
- Develop interpersonal, leadership and management skills
- Learn from future members of the profession
- Expand professional networks and relationships
- Enjoy personal satisfaction through supporting the development of others
Requirements to become a supervising teacher
Professional experience is a key component of initial teacher education programs, and as a supervisor of pre-service teachers, you play an important role in their development. This role not only contributes to their growth but also offers an opportunity for your own professional advancement.
Supervisors must develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence necessary to provide the highest quality supervision.
To foster excellence in teaching, all staff members who supervise professional experience placements will have completed relevant professional learning to support their knowledge and skills.
The Supervising Pre-service Teachers online training program, developed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), is available to guide your professional development.
Module 2 of the AITSL Supervising Pre-service Teachers program, titled Practice Analysis, focuses on building productive relationships, observation, and feedback. This no-cost module is available online and can also support your accreditation maintenance. Undertaking it alongside other staff or pre-service teachers provides a valuable collegial experience, encouraging rich discussions and exchanges of methods, concepts, and approaches.
How do you become a supervising teacher?
Mentoring a pre-service teacher offers numerous benefits. It allows you to refine your teaching skills as explaining concepts and providing guidance leads to greater self-understanding and mastery. You'll be able to stay updated on educational trends as pre-service teachers bring fresh perspectives and recent training. Mentoring fosters fulfillment by helping the next generation of educators, enhancing your leadership, communication skills, and professional network.
Here are the steps you need to take to become a supervising teacher:
- Gain experience as a teacher: achieve Proficient accreditation.
- Speak to your supervisor: discuss your interest in becoming a supervising teacher. Seek their advice and learn about placement expectations and opportunities.
- Understand the role: explore the role by discussing it with an experienced supervising teacher and, if possible, shadowing them for insights.
- Complete professional learning: engage in professional learning focused on pre-service teachers and incorporate it into your Performance and Development Plan (PDP).
- Review existing resources: explore strategies that create a supportive, whole-school learning experience for the pre-service teacher.
Professional learning for supervising teachers
- The Supervising Preservice Teachers program, developed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), includes the minimum requirement of Practice Analysis Module 2. Completing this module can contribute towards your accreditation maintenance hours.
- Alternatively, you may also participate in a NESA-approved professional learning program on supervising pre-service teachers, which may be offered at your school or through a teacher education provider.
Further reading and resources
- AITSL videos of effective professional experience case studies
- Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE) literature review on Professional experience in teacher education
- Framework for High-Quality Professional Experience in NSW Schools, developed by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA)
- Guidelines for the supervision of pre-service teachers, developed by the NSW Department of Education, 2025
- Professional Experience Guidelines, developed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL)
- Videos of illustrations of the Graduate Standards, developed by the NSW Council of Deans of Education
