I recently sat in on a meeting focused on support for new teachers. I found myself wondering how traditional one-on-one mentoring and induction would change if NSDC's definition of collaborative professional learning were fully implemented within schools.

If schools that hire novice teachers have a culture of continuous learning where teachers work in teams on an ongoing basis, support for those new teachers would be different. They would be immediately immersed in collaborative practices, and become part of learning teams whose members support one another. Certainly novice teachers would benefit from further skill development and strategy expansion in their quest to become more effective teachers. Yet their learning would be enhanced as they engage in authentic work with other professionals.

As a member of a fully functioning professional learning team, a novice teacher benefits from the expertise of several experienced teachers rather than just one assigned mentor. The novice teacher engages in assessing student learning, data analysis, professional learning, instructional planning, and reflection with peers who are learning as well. From the beginning, the novice teacher and her peers gain deep appreciation of the value of collaboration and collective responsibility for student success.

While novice teachers may continue to have mentors who work with them one-on-one in skill development, there will be a shift from isolated learning on the part of the novice teacher to team-based collaborative learning. Coaches may replace mentors and assume responsibility for mentoring and team support, thereby exponentially increasing the support within a school so that all teachers, not just novice teachers, continuously learn and grow to improve student success.

As I think about what will change for novice teachers, I wonder too what other changes will be visible in a school when teams of teachers are fully implementing collaborative professional learning.

Joellen Killion is NSDC's deputy executive director.