Helping early career teachers to develop professional competencies has been a central aim of developing a Multi-Provider Professional Practice Model in Rural/Regional Victoria, Australia. A component of this learning program sought to reassure teachers that they already possessed strong skills and that what they were experiencing in schools was normal for early career teachers. The shortage of teachers in rural and low socioeconomic schools (SES) in Victoria, Australia is a pressing issue affecting the quality of education.

The recent wave of teacher shortages exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic has put unprecedented pressure on schools and teachers with more teachers leaving the profession than ever before. It has been recognised that partnerships between universities, local communities and government can impact teacher education and recruitment and strengthening these partnerships provides a strong basis for improving rural student outcomes. Since many were the only early career teacher in their school, they had nothing to compare their experience to. Too often this made them feel isolated and unsure of their capabilities.

Our strengths-based mentoring approach sought to show early career teachers the benefits of interacting within communities of practice alongside peers at the same point in their career journey. This contrasted with other professional learning they had experienced, which they believed mostly provided generic teaching strategies or presenting methods to get the most from interactions with their more experienced mentors. For many participants, this professional learning provided a rare opportunity for them to connect with teachers at the same stage in their professional journey.

In many cases, teachers made it clear they found this experience transformational in terms of their perception of their professional identity. Not least because it showed they were not alone. Another key strength of the program was that it provided a space for participants to interact and discuss a key problem of practice they had been experiencing with their fellow early career teachers. These problems of practice were generated by the teachers themselves.

The teachers were asked to engage with the problem and explore the motives, influences, and perspectives that enable and constrain early career teachers' capacities. Teachers noted the commonalities encountered by early career teachers in rural schools around relationships, community, social justice, resources and well-being. Many pointed out that they felt uncomfortable raising these concerns with staff at their schools, as it might highlight their lack of experience and skills.

As such, the exercise highlighted the benefits of a community of practice by the experience itself. This community of practice engaged with the experiences, constraints and enablers that contributed to understanding the unique circumstances faced by teachers in these remote settings, specifically in the development of capable teachers who could sustain working in rural and low SES schools, addressing the critical issue of teacher shortages in these areas.

The community of practice intervention was organised so that those running the professional learning would not know the nature of the problem of practice being discussed nor what advice was provided in response to this. This was an intentional feature of the exercise, since it was important for the participants to develop trust between themselves both in the types of problems they could bring to the group and in their own and their peers’ professional knowledge. Feedback from participants also did not ask for specific details of the problems of practice they discussed. Rather, participants were asked to discuss the general themes of their problem of practice, including relationships, community, social justice, resources and well-being. Being an early career teacher in a small, regional/remote school with students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds, many of whom suffer intergenerational trauma, is challenging but crucial work. These early career teachers learning that they were not alone and that they had the skills necessary to make a difference provided them with the confidence to build their resilience. Providing the lived experience involved in interacting with a community of practice, especially the skills of careful listening, probing questioning for clarification and an openness toward alternative solutions to the problem was shown to provide these teachers with insights into the benefits of communities of practice with one’s peers and in developing their self-confidence in their already substantial skill sets.

Being an early career teacher in a small, regional/remote school with students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds, many of whom suffer intergenerational trauma, is challenging but crucial work. These early career teachers learning that they were not alone and that they had the skills necessary to make a difference provided them with the confidence to build their resilience. Providing the lived experience involved in interacting with a community of practice, especially the skills of careful listening, probing questioning for clarification and an openness toward alternative solutions to the problem was shown to provide these teachers with insights into the benefits of communities of practice with one’s peers and in developing their self-confidence in their already substantial skill sets.

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