Thoughts From An ECT: Life Under The Early Career Framework

By Nazik Ahmed

The Early Career Framework (ECF) is a two-year induction programme for all Early Career Teachers (ECTs- n.b. the term ECT replaces the term NQT) after QTS has been achieved. The ECF is being formally rolled out across all schools in England from September 2021, however all NQTs at WA this year took part in an early rollout of the programme. As part of the programme, we studied six modules pertaining to classroom practice and management delivered via TeachFirst webinars, self-directed study and discussions with our mentors and induction tutor. What are your reflections of the ECF so far? When I was told that WA was participating in an early rollout of the ECF, I was both a little apprehensive and relieved. Apprehensive because I worried about the workload that was likely to come with the programme and balancing it with my other teaching duties and obligations. Largely though, I was relieved because I knew that there would be a framework to support me in my early teaching career, especially given a disrupted training year due to the pandemic. I enjoyed working through the modules with the support and guidance of my mentor, particularly to contextualise general modules, for example, our second module, titled ‘how do pupils learn?’ to my subject. As we explored this module, I had the opportunity to really pause and reflect on how my students actually learn and consider the factors that can inhibit their learning, both inside and outside my classroom. As I worked through this module, my mentor, Conor, really encouraged me to consider how to introduce new knowledge to pupils, and together we thought about how we could break down complex ideas into smaller, manageable steps that would help us avoid overloading our students' working memories. The slide below is taken from the first lesson of our Year 7 unit on the Criminal Justice System, the students are already familiar with the concept of laws and rules in society. Based on this knowledge, we decided to pose this question to our students - this gave our students an opportunity to pause and reflect on their prior learning and also presented an opportunity for them to make links between different units that they have covered this year. Moreover, this activity allowed us to identify any misconceptions or gaps in learning before introducing any new information or concepts to our classes. How have you worked with your mentor to develop your practice? Throughout the year, I have worked closely with Conor to develop my practice in a number of ways: formal feedback, informal feedback, mentor meeting discussions, engaging with CPD and recommended readings/podcasts or videos. The nature of my mentoring experience as an ECT is very different to my experience as a trainee last year, where I mainly developed my teaching practice and skills through watching my mentor teach all the time (classic rote learning in action here). During the course of the ECF programme, I discussed my thoughts and shared my reflections on the programme with my mentor, which really allowed us to focus on modules that mirrored my personal development targets. Any tips for how to be a good mentor from your perspective?

• Protect your mentor meeting time and stick to it.
• Share tips of the trade - give your ECT the tips you wish you knew at the start of your journey.
• Work as a team - at this particular stage, I think it helps to have a mentor-mentee relationship that is more flexible and feels like a partnership than a rigid mentor-mentee one.
• Trust your ECT and give them room to make mistakes, learn and grow.
• Keep an open, transparent and honest channel of communication with your mentee.

Tips for a mentee/trainee to make the most of it?

• Observe your mentor whenever you get the chance, especially if you’re both teaching the same lesson or the topic is new to you.
• Ask for help or support when you need it - your mentor wants you to do well, they also know you best and can suggest strategies that may work for you.
• Be honest and reflective about your teaching practice and share successes and failures with your mentor.
• Keep an open (and honest) channel of communication with your mentor.