Teaching Excellence Program

Over a school year, teachers are expected to engage and contribute to:

• orientation sessions (2 online sessions, 90 minutes each)
• conferences (2 days) - Melbourne
• discipline days (4 days) - Melbourne
• Teaching Excellence Learning Communities (TELCs) days (4 days)
  Place-based (closest Academy location: Bairnsdale, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Melbourne, Mildura, Moe, Shepparton).

* This structure may be different for those located in the Mallee. Please attend one of our information sessions to find out more.

Conferences

TEP teachers attend two conference days to learn from national and international leaders in education and collaborate with each other to generate new understanding and knowledge. Conferences are held in Melbourne during Term 1 and Term 4.

Discipline Days

The TEP discipline days are a unique opportunity for teachers to deepen content and pedagogical knowledge in their selected discipline. Teachers participate in expert-led workshops to explore evidence-informed thinking and practice. TEP teachers are supported by Master Teachers to critically reflect on teaching and make theory/practice connections.

Teaching Excellence Learning Communities (TELCs)

The TELCs are where the magic happens. TELCs are where teachers come together from across sectors, disciplines, school types, year levels, and locations to apply their discipline-focused learning to their specific classroom and school contexts. TELCs support TEP teachers to enhance their expertise through professional dialogue, connection-making and practitioner inquiry. TELC Days are conducted at Academy locations across the state and TEP teachers are allocated based on the Academy location closest to their school.

Practitioner inquiry

TEP teachers will experiment with the phases of the inquiry cycle and conduct two practitioner inquiries as a part of their self-directed learning. Through practitioner inquiry, TEP teachers develop an inquiry stance. They learn to elicit and closely examine evidence of student learning, develop action plans and trial teaching approaches, evaluate their impact, and articulate next steps. The first inquiry relates to a problem of practice in a teacher’s classroom or setting and the second is a collaborative inquiry with teachers from their TELC. They identify a shared problem of practice and explore it through their own context while learning with and from each other.

TEP Graduation Requirements

To graduate from the TEP, teachers are required to:

• attend 90% of TEP professional learning events
• develop and submit required and verified learning activities that meet a standard of excellence
• undertake an independent mini practitioner inquiry and a collaborative extended practitioner inquiry

Alumni Network

Graduates of the program become Academy alumni and are invited to join the TEP Alumni Network. The Network offers alumni the opportunity to engage in further, exclusive professional learning events and an online community to engage in focussed discussions, share practice and resources, and provide support to each other. Following graduation, TEP alumni can apply for a Teaching Innovation Fellowship to design, lead and implement an innovation project that transforms teacher practice and student learning in their classrooms or schools.

Audience

The Teaching Excellence Program is designed for highly-skilled teachers from the government, Independent and Catholic sectors, including those teaching in alternative settings. To be eligible for the program you must:

• have minimum 3 years teaching experience
• have your principal’s endorsement and ongoing support (A manager can replace a principal for applicants in alternative settings)
• be an Australian citizen or a permanent resident
• have full teacher registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching
• be in an education-based role in Victoria (full-time or part-time) and have access to a classroom setting to conduct a practitioner inquiry

Facilitators

The program is designed by a team of academics, educators, and representatives of the Victorian government, Catholic and Independent education sectors.

The learning activities are curated and facilitated by Master Teachers-in-Residence, selected for their specialised discipline knowledge and expertise, advanced pedagogical practices, and student learning growth.

As recognised teaching experts in their field, Master Teachers-in-Residence represent exceptional teaching practice from across government, Catholic and Independent schools in Victoria.