Queensland schools trial solutions to relieve workload as teacher shortage continues

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Education researchers estimate up to 50% of graduate teachers leave the profession within their first five years on the job. Teacher shortages are being felt across Australia, but particularly in regional and remote areas of Queensland. Now, Queensland schools are trialling programs aimed at relieving the workload for early career teachers and attracting aspiring ones.

Transcript

00:00Year 6, I need your attention with your laptops shut.

00:07At this independent school on the Gold Coast, Joanna Smith is keeping a watchful eye over

00:12these Grade 6 students and their teacher, Chris Holt.

00:16Quick.

00:17It is quick.

00:18It's short and sharp.

00:19You need to get your message across.

00:20I lead some lessons.

00:22The Year 6 teachers will lead some lessons and then we support each other.

00:26The team teaching model is designed to give emerging teachers greater support.

00:31An experienced teacher is assigned to a year level.

00:34They then help plan and deliver lessons across multiple classrooms.

00:38As an early career teacher, having access to an additional teacher to take away some

00:44of that workload, some of that stress, has just been golden.

00:49Students too are reaping the benefits.

00:52Having two teachers in the room, no student can slip through the cracks.

00:56If there's a shared responsibility for the planning, for the teaching and reflecting

01:00on the learning in the class, naturally that's going to enhance the energy and focus of our

01:06teachers.

01:07So the wellbeing of our teachers reportedly has gone up.

01:10That's a huge win in an industry losing teachers in droves.

01:15Across Australia, early career teachers are leaving the profession at an alarming rate.

01:19Burnout and increased workload are among the reasons up to 50% of graduates quit within

01:25their first five years in the classroom.

01:27Attrition leads to more workload, which leads to more attrition.

01:34So it's this cycle at the moment and it doesn't seem to be stopping.

01:38So that's the one that you're going to do.

01:40While mentor programs aren't a silver bullet, researchers say they can relieve the pressure.

01:46Anything that you can do in a school to really build that systemic support will be hugely

01:53beneficial.

01:54For Chris Holt, three years into his teaching career, having a mentor has been a game changer.

02:00That means he can see a long term future in the industry.

02:03It's allowed me a little bit of breathing room to really look at my practice and how I can

02:09do this well from really early on in my career.

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