Steiner Mentoring Network Australia
When: Friday 10 and Saturday 11 November, 2023
Where: Mount Barker Waldorf School, Sims Road Mount Barker, South Australia
Who:
- Participants who have completed the Steiner Education Australia Mentoring Program in 2021, 2022 or 2023.
AND
Principals/School leaders from early childhood, primary and high school who are interested in developing a strong mentoring culture in their school.
Cost: $365 + GST
Participants who have completed the Steiner Education Australia Mentoring Program in 2021, 2022 or 2023, and Principals/School leaders from early childhood, primary and high schools who are interested in establishing and supporting a strong mentoring culture in their school are warmly invited to join the inaugural meeting of the Steiner Mentoring Network Australia.
The establishment of the network comes out of the work of Steiner Education Australia’s Mentoring the Mentors programme which has been running since 2021. The network will be a collegial and supportive space for mentors to interact and learn from each other and is open to all those who have completed the Mentoring the Mentors programme. Come and help shape this new space as we share and develop approaches to supporting teacher growth in Steiner schools and EC settings across Australia and continue to develop our local mentoring programmes.
We will set the direction for the group this November at the Mount Barker Waldorf School. Bring your own mentoring ideas and questions and get ready for two days of enriching collaboration and skill development facilitated by Neil Boland, Virginia Moller and Eleanor Waterford. There will be facilitated spaces for collaborative design and self-reflection, as well as practical and ideas-based workshops on a range of topics including:
- mentoring programme design suitable for Australian Steiner schools and early childhood settings
- communicating a mentoring vision to develop pedagogical creativity
- engaging the support of school leadership for mentoring
- case studies of mentoring experiences
- collaborative workshops to help develop the skills to create a community of inquiry in your area.
Principals/school leaders who are interested in developing a strong mentoring culture in their school.
A successful mentoring culture relies on the active support of the school leadership team. To help develop a strong mentoring culture, principals, school leaders and similar are invited to this inaugural meeting. A number of sessions will be offered specifically for school leaders to look at how mentoring can be supported at a systems level.
Why is mentoring important?
Steiner schools and EC centres in Australia are experiencing a lack of Steiner-trained staff. Teachers who come towards the school are often experienced teachers, but not in Steiner education. Mentoring them into the work, as well as the culture of the school, is vital.
Ensuring teacher supply
Because applicants frequently do not have a background in Steiner education, in-house mentoring is the most secure way to ensure teacher supply.
Establishing a mentoring culture
The creation of an effective mentoring culture is key to effective mentoring. Good mentoring does not just happen by chance. It is enabled and supported by informed, structural decisions on the part of management and leadership.
Together we can create many possibilities. Take this opportunity to share the strengths of our different institutions and help form a sustainable and collaborative Steiner mentoring community informed by research. Join us this November and help lay out the path for this new mentoring initiative.
Both days will start at 9am and run through to 5pm. A dinner will be held on the Friday night at The Oak and Iron Tavern, 17 Adelaide Road, Mount Barker. Meals and drinks can be ordered from the bar. Please indicate on booking if you will attend the Friday night dinner.
To register for the Mentoring Community of Practice weekend, and the Friday dinner, please click on the button below.
