Internationally it is well recognized that novice teachers need some kind of support during their first year (Teachers Matter, 2005), and different induction programs have been tailored for this purpose. The programs frequently imply reduced teaching time, and excess time need to be replaced with development activities and reflection. This paper focuses on how induction can be used in professional development to the benefit of both beginning teachers and the schools in which they work. It presents and discusses a pilot study in which three novice teachers were offered reduced teaching time, and the content of freed time emerged trough an interplay between the teachers, their mentor (and colleague), a representative from the school’s leadership and university teacher educators. Research on beginning teachers has mainly focused on the problems they encounter (Flores & Day, 2006), however, novice teachers also see themselves as resources (Ulvik & Langørgen, 2008). They need support, but their needs differ (Ulvik, Smith & Helleve, 2009). The induction framework should be tailored individually to the newly qualified teacher. The aim of the study is to explore if and how an induction program can meet all these demands. If the entrance to the profession is too challenging, teachers are likely to leave the profession (Rots et. al, 2007), become more traditional, or continue in the job with less motivation (Flores & Day, 2006). Another impact is that their professional identity is heavily influenced by negative experiences (Smethem, 2007). Teachers who experience mastery become more open-minded and committed to teaching (Hoy & Spero, 2007). Good experiences build up resilience to handle difficult situations in future career (Smethem, 2007). However, novices are found to experience heavy workloads and poor working conditions. They lack sufficient and suitable support to keep them in the profession (Day et.al. 2006; Achinstein, 2006) and experience a feeling of being lost (Flores & Day, 2006). It is impossible to prepare teachers for all a teacher needs to know during pre-service teacher education. Beginning teachers need time for reflection when constantly facing unexpected situations. They need to address their emotional reactions (Nias, 1996; Hargreaves, 1994). What kind of knowledge do they need to teach well? Part of that question has to be answered by the teachers themselves, but as members of a community they have to take peer perspectives into account. That is why this study built on cooperation.

The study was an action research project developed through cooperation between an upper secondary school and the University of Bergen and conducted in 2008-2009. The school initiated the project, but they developed the idea in cooperation with the university. In Norway there is no compulsory induction, so the three participating teachers did so voluntarily, but were obliged to spend their reduced teaching time on professional development which had to be documented. The teachers were all females, and represented both academic and vocational subjects. In the beginning a joint action plan was established; writing a log, sharing the information on a project area in the school’s learning platform, having fixed meetings with the mentor, observing others, engaging in action research in own class and video-recording (audio-recording), introductory course on peer counselling. The project lasted for a year, during which the researchers conducted interviews, meetings, seminars and had access to written rapports.

The project is still in process, but some tentative findings seem to emerge. Self-mentoring through systematic use of log seems to be powerful and clarifies challenges. The teachers also monthly marked their satisfaction with teaching on a scale from 1-10 which provided a visual diagram of their development. The teachers chose group mentoring to individual mentoring. Different points of view, different experiences and backgrounds added more to the mentoring then they had expected, and the impact became more prominent during the year. Furthermore, it seems like cooperation between school and university offers a bridge between practice and theory which is of mutual benefit. The last point to emphasize is to see novice teachers as a resource. The three teachers in the project have presented what they have done both locally and at a national conference. To be listened to and regarded as competent teachers seems to make them grow.