This paper explores the collaborative knowledge-building processes and dialogic practices at the core of the Nordic Teacher Induction (NTI) network. While NTI brings together diverse partners (from researchers and teacher educators to union representatives and student teachers ) it is precisely this diversity that enriches the network’s collective learning. The paper examines how NTI has created the conditions for constructive dialogue, shared exploration, and mutual influence across sectors, enabling the emergence of new insights into teacher induction, mentoring, and support for teachers generally. A central theme to this part of the symposium is how NTI actively invites new and works with multiple perspectives by making visible the often-unexamined assumptions that participants bring into discussions. Drawing on the concept of the “apprenticeship of observation,” the paper shows how the network surfaces implicit beliefs about teaching, learning, mentoring, and professional roles. By acknowledging and critically engaging with these assumptions, NTI opens space for alternative interpretations and new professional possibilities. This dialogic work supports what the network conceptualises as flourishing within the broader ecosystem of teacher induction. To illustrate this aspect of the NTI’s approach to collaborative knowledge building, we will present two concrete examples of how these dialogic processes evolve in the network. The first example explores how NTI partners jointly re-examined the concept of mentoring by integrating research perspectives with union insights into workload, role clarity, and teacher wellbeing (Windsor et al, 2026). The second example highlights a cross-national discussion on the induction continuum, where participants compared structural models and identified shared challenges, leading to the development of new conceptual tools for understanding early career trajectories. In both instances, dialogue served not only to exchange knowledge but to generate it. The paper further discusses the potential for deepened collaboration within and beyond NTI, emphasizing the importance of academic generosity (Windsor et al, forthcoming), shared understandings, and the provision of time and space for sustained conversation. By examining how NTI’s dialogic culture supports collective inquiry, this paper demonstrates how such networks can foster meaningful professional growth, cultivate trust across sectors, and nurture innovative thinking about the future of teacher induction.

Windsor, S., Bjerkholt, E. M., Brokke, T. H., Bonde, Å., Båvner, P., Börjesson, M., Frederiksen, L. L., Halse, E., Hauksdottir, J., Havre, S., Heikkinen, H. L. T., Lyhykäinen, P., Poom-Valickis, K., & Svanbjörnsdottir, B. (2026). Mentoring new teachers in the Nordics. In M. Helms-Lorenz, H. L. T. Heikkinen, H. Plauborg, & E. Bjerkholt (Eds.), Teacher Induction and Mentoring in Europe. BRiLL. Windsor, S. Antonsen, Y. & MacDonald, K. (accepted for special issue) Researchers’ professional learning shaped by negotiations, opportunities, and tensions in inter(national) Researcher - Practice Partnerships. Higher Education