Supporting newly qualified teachers in schools
Mionsonraí an chúrsa
This course reimagines the school as a thriving professional learning community where newly qualified teachers (NQTs) and their more experienced colleagues learn with and from each other. It specifically focuses on how support teachers and school-based mentors can utilise their own professional learning to support NQTs as they embark on their teaching career.
The course develops key mentoring competencies, such as active listening, effective questioning, goal setting, providing feedback, and fostering reflective practice, and is suitable for both new and experienced mentors.
It begins with an introductory live webinar on approaches to mentoring across Europe and globally. The modules then focus on areas such as the foundations of mentoring (purpose and impact; building relationships; effective communication), supporting professional growth (lesson observations; giving constructive feedback; action planning) and creating a supportive culture for mentoring (curriculum considerations, inclusion, working with key stakeholders).
The course’s interactive, structured format offers space to reflect, share experiences, and deepen understanding through engagement with evidence-informed literature and policy. As a participant, you will model reflective tools such as image elicitation, value mapping and mirror moments, alongside wellbeing practices such as check-in circles, energy audits and creating a personalised wellbeing toolkit.
The course is offered by the European School Education Platform. Visit our website for more information.
Duration and workload
Start and end date: open-ended, you can take this course (or any section) at your own pace
Duration: self-paced
Workload: 15-20 hours
This course is based on a version that ran from Monday, 20 October to Wednesday, 26 November 2025. The original course provided participants with opportunities to interact during a specific active timeframe of 5.5 weeks, exchange ideas and engage in a peer assessment. However, we recognise that not everyone was able to attend during the scheduled timeline.
To make the course accessible to a wider audience, we’ve developed this self-paced format. This version allows you to explore the content and complete the activities at your own pace, whenever it suits you best.
What the self-study format means:
- Flexible schedule: You decide when and how to engage with the course materials. There are no deadlines, live sessions, or required meeting times.
- Independent learning: While the original course included discussions and peer reviews taking place in certain days and weeks, this format empowers you to work independently, using the same materials and guidance provided during the initial version. Please note that discussions in the forums and contributions on Padlets will not be moderated, allowing for a fully self-directed learning experience.
- Self-assessment: To replicate some of the reflective benefits of peer feedback, you will be encouraged to evaluate your own work using the provided assessment criteria.
Course competences
The recipient of this certificate has demonstrated a level of proficiency of the following competences according to the digital competence framework of the European Commission's Selfie for Teachers tool:
- Professional engagement - Reflective practice at C1 level
- Professional engagement - Professional learning (through digital technologies at C2 level)
For more information about the competences and the proficiency levels see the SELFIE for TEACHERs toolkit.
An spriocphobal
TARGET AUDIENCE
Cuspóirí foghlama
- Develop and apply effective mentoring competencies by practicing structured simulations, planning lesson observations and collaboratively analysing real-world mentoring scenarios.
- Explore ways to facilitate the professional growth of NQTs while deepening your own practice through guided self-reflection activities and professional planning exercises.
- Design and implement wellbeing strategies for both yourself and NQTs by creating personalised toolkits, conducting energy audits and applying evidence-based approaches in real-life situations.
- Promote a culture of professional learning within your schools by engaging in collegial dialogue, sharing research-informed insights, and exchanging experience with peers.
Arna thairiscint ag
Tá an t‑inneachar seo á thairiscint ag an gCoimisiún Eorpach. Is é an Coimisiún Eorpach brainse feidhmiúcháin an Aontais Eorpaigh atá neamhspleách ó thaobh na polaitíochta de. Is ise amháin atá freagrach as tograí a tharraingt suas le haghaidh reachtaíocht Eorpach nua, agus is ise a chuireann chun f
Sceideal
- How this self-paced course works
- Module 1: The foundations of mentoring
- Module 2: Supporting professional growth
- Module 3: A supportive culture for mentoring
- Module 4: Final activity
- Certificate of completion
