This symposium introduces the work of the Nordic cross-sectoral network Nordic Teacher Induction (NTI), focused on research and development of practices of induction and mentoring of new teachers in the Nordics. The work started in 2004 as a research network Newly Qualified Teachers in Northern Europe (NQTNE). In 2017, the network expanded to include cross-sectoral perspectives through representatives from the main Nordic teachers' unions in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The network has published two anthologies (Fransson & Gustafson 2008; Olsen, Bjerkholt & Heikkinen 2020), presenting descriptive and comparative views on Nordic induction and mentoring practices, their multiple interconnections and evolution. Since 2021, the network has actively contributed to the establishment of the Ecologies of Teacher Induction and Mentoring in Europe (TIME) network. As of 2024, the network has also included representatives from the Faroe Islands. 

The symposium will focus on the results of the latest project of the NTI network, also opening up perspectives for the upcoming project.  The main research qustion of the symposium is:

"How can we understand interconnectedness of induction and mentoring practices with other educational practices and policies within the educational ecosystems of the Nordics by applying the theories of practice architectures and ecologies of practices."

This symposium will present four papers:  

The first paper introduces the history of the network and its main achievements. Founded in 2004, the network originally connected researchers and teacher educators so as to advance teacher induction and mentoring practices. Since 2017, the network has run three projects funded by Nordplus by integrating research knowledge of induction and mentoring practices and educational policy initiatives. 

The second paper discusses how the induction and mentoring practices are related to the Nordic welfare model, which prioritizes equality, universal access to education, and welfare. By comparing induction practices across Nordic countries, the network explores how and to what extent the shared principles of the welfare model shape the induction and mentoring practices in these countries. 

The third presentation elaborates on the results of the NTI-PPD project (2023–2025), examining induction and mentoring practices through the lens of ecologies of practice and practice architectures. Two main topics guide the research: quality mentor education and comparative policy analysis. Findings highlight the importance of mentor training and robust policies in enabling sustainable professional development for new teachers, contributing to advancing both policy and research, setting a foundation for future collaboration and improved systems of teacher induction. 

The fourth paper introduces the theoretical foundations of the upcoming project entitled Flourishing and Becoming (NTI-FAB). Grounded in the education theorist Gert Biesta’s (2022) idea of the three domains of purpose of education (qualification, socialisation and subjectification), the project emphasizes subjectification, empowering new teachers as unique individuals and agents of change. On this basis, the project aims at reimagining teacher induction and mentoring through the concept of flourishing, inspired by Aristotle’s eudaimonia and further developed by neo-Aristotelian philosophy. This approach, also supported by recent research in positive psychology, shifts the focus from deficiencies of new teachers towards their strengths and potential. By promoting an opportunity perspective (Skytterstad et al, 2025), NTI-FAB enhances the attractiveness of teaching while fostering meaningful induction practices that take the active agency of new teachers as a starting point for their professional growth. 

OBS! The symposium has two discussants but in there is space in the ConfTool platform for not more than one. The discussants are professors Johannes Dammerer and Tal Carmi. 

Biesta, G. (2022). World-centred education: A view for the present. Routledge. Fransson, G. & Gustavsson, C. (Eds.) 2008. Newly Qualified Teachers in Northern Europe: Comparative Perspectives on Promoting Professional Development. University of Gävle. Helms-Lorenz, M., Heikkinen, H. L. T., Plauborg, H. & Bjerkholt, E. (Eds.) (2025) Making Sense of European Teacher Induction and Mentoring Practices. Brill. Olsen, K.-R., Bjerkholt, E. & Heikkinen, H. L. T. (Eds.) 2020. New Teachers in Nordic Countries: Ecologies of Induction and Mentoring. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. Reimer, K. E., Kaukko, M., Windsor, S., Mahon, K., & Kemmis, S. (2023). Living Well in a World Worth Living in for All: Volume 1. Springer Nature. Skytterstad, R., Antonsen, Y., Aspfors, J., & Heikkinen, H. L. T. (2025). Reframing new teacher induction: Opportunities over deficiencies. Teaching and Teacher Education. Article 104910. Windsor, S., Bjerkholt, E. M., Brokke, T. H., Bonde, Å., Båvner, P., Börjesson, M., Frederiksen, L. L., Halse, E., Hauksdottir, J., Havre, S. H., H. L. T., Lyhykäinen, P., Poom-Vlickis, K., & Svanbjörnsdottir, B. (2025). Mentoring new teachers in the Nordics. In M. Helms-Lorenz, H. L. T. Heikkinen, H. Plauborg, & E. Bjerkholt (Eds.) Making Sense of European Teacher Induction and Mentoring Practices. Brill.