This poster describes a three-year Comenius 2.1 project (21 partners, 12 countries). Arising from the Europe-wide increasing involvement of practising teachers in the induction and support of new teachers this project has, over the last three years, produced a suitcase of supportive and challenging items for those responsible for mentoring novice teachers in schools (Stephenson and Bartlett, 2009). Whilst initiatives, national and European, have focussed on teacher-competence and practice-improvement, with explicit indicators of quality, e.g. competence/standards, learning goals, key qualifications being produced. No common explicit framework for induction or induction mentors had been developed despite ‘Teachers Matter’ (OECD 2005), highlighting the need for a definition of clear teacher-profiles and stressing the need for increased attention to be given to the needs of beginning teachers. This left a number of areas to be addressed at national and, if reciprocity and mobility across boundaries is to be facilitated, European-levels including: • How these aims are to be achieved in the school and the classroom • How parity of provision across Europe is to be developed • What form support for teachers should take • By whom and where this support should be provided. This project focused on the shared experience of being a novice teacher. Concentrating on the role-needs of those supporting the novice, formally and informally, the project has, through research, identified present practice, compiled an inventory of strategies and materials to develop existing good-practice and/or inaugurate a support-system where none exists. A suitcase of support, in national languages, using a variety of formats, built on teacher experience, has been developed and an Intensive Course piloted internationally. Subscribing to the need for teachers to review and change their working practices serving the ‘Knowledge Society’ (Hargreaves, 2003) and “create communities of practice” by participating in communal construction (Holmes, 2001), those involved will seek to develop theories of practice (van Lier, 1996) so speeding up the journey from novice to ‘expert’ by observation and reasoning through the use of expert-supporters’ eye, (Bradsford, 2000).

In addition to the practice-inventory, data from the supporters of novice teachers has been collected. A mixed-methodology approach (quantitative and qualitative) was adopted through semi-structured questionnaires and follow-up interviews. After national piloting (national languages), the final version (February 2007) saw data collected in March 2007. (Jones 2009). The themes and issues emerging from the questionnaire data informed the design of the follow-up interviews completed April-June 2007. The suitcase items were then written and adapted. They were piloted nationally and then internationally as part of the Comenius CPD portfolio. Written,videod and interview evaluations were undertaken by the participants on the pilot course and the final evaluation will include a follow up after a period of time of the longer term impactof the course and materials on classroom practice by the participants, their heads and peers. The data was analysed using SPAS. Interviews were recorded and thematically analysed.

Detailed: • mapping of practice and provision for the supporters of novice teachers across the 12 European countries • understanding of:- supporters’ role-perception: possible generic needs • identification of areas where development is needed • a conceptual grid to inform the development of a support tool-kit, training materials and a professional development programme. • practical outcomes • further needs