Inspired and connected teachers: How MidCoast Christian College rebuilt their learning culture through QTR

How do you build a flourishing learning culture among students?

According to MidCoast Christian College (MCCC) Deputy Principal Jason Reed, it starts with inspired and connected teachers.

MCCC, located in Taree on the NSW Mid-North Coast, is a Pre K-12 institution serving nearly 800 students from a wide geographical catchment. The college community spans from Harrington to Pacific Palms and as far west as Gloucester, an area typically characterised by lower socioeconomic status. Approaching its 40th year, MCCC has seen significant growth, particularly in its secondary school, which now boasts approximately 70 teachers.

Jason first explored using Quality Teaching (QT) Rounds to strengthen professional learning at MCCC, before the pandemic. But the timing wasn’t right and then Covid upended schooling. With the announcement of the ‘Strengthening Induction through QTR’ project in 2023, Jason saw an opportunity to start the process. He believed QT Rounds could be instrumental in supporting their teachers to thrive amidst the school’s growth and the influx of early career teachers.

“The core values of QT Rounds align with our college’s desire to build a flourishing learning culture amongst the pupils that starts with inspired and connected teachers,” Jason said.

QT Rounds has become a cornerstone of MCCC’s professional development strategy, supported by the free access to QT Rounds workshops thanks to the ‘Strengthening Induction through QTR’ project’s national and cross-sectoral government funding.

The pioneers

The first group of MCCC teachers participating in QT Rounds called themselves ‘the pioneers’. Led by Lisa Palmer, an English and HSIE teacher and Director of Teacher Recruitment, Accreditation, and Professional Learning, the pioneers included Sally Collier, Head of PDHPE and two first year teachers, Karen Clement a Science and Mathematics teacher and Tiana Young, a Mathematics teacher.

According to Lisa, their QT Rounds experience resulted in remarkable benefits, including enhanced confidence and the development of a strong, supportive network among colleagues.

“The QT Rounds journey has re-energised my joy as a teacher and as a life-long learner, committed to educational improvement for myself and for my students.”

The pioneers shared their positive experiences with the broader school community, sparking interest and enthusiasm among other staff members. Now a second group of teachers is involved in the ‘Strengthening Induction through QTR’ project, with plans to roll it out further.

QT Rounds – for all teachers, at all stages of their career

The ‘Strengthening Induction through QTR’ project is funded by the Australian Government as part of the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan. It aims to improve the morale, confidence, job satisfaction and retention of early career teachers across Australia based on a decade of rigorous research into the effects of QT Rounds on teachers and students.

Karen Clement, an early career teacher, said her students “seemed somewhat shocked” when they learnt she and her colleagues were working together to improve their teaching.

“Most students seemed upset when I told them you don’t stop learning when you finish school, although they lightened up when I told them it would be different, and usually helped them be better at their job,” she said.

Karen joined MCCC in 2024 and quickly became involved in QT Rounds. Despite initial apprehension, she found the experience invaluable.

Karen stated, “the biggest takeaway for me was that not every lesson, even for experienced teachers, has to be all bells and whistles, but to ensure we are building solid relationships with our students.”

Karen’s involvement in QT Rounds helped her realise she wasn’t alone in her teaching journey.

“Going through Rounds helped me understand I wasn’t alone. My colleagues and I felt vulnerable at times, but together we have all grown within ourselves as teachers.”

This sense of community and shared growth is a sentiment shared by Karen’s early career colleague, Tiana Young.

“At the beginning of QT Rounds I was nervous in conducting my lesson with other teachers watching,” Tiana said.

“In the end, after building deeper connections with my fellow teachers, I felt more comfortable than I expected. Through collaborating with other teachers, I felt encouraged and empowered to continue to improve my practice. I learnt a lot, especially from the experienced teachers.”

At the other end of the spectrum, Sally Collier, a teacher with 11 years of teaching experience, said QTR was highly valuable, no matter the level of experience.

“It highlighted to me the importance of having time to have collegial discussions about teaching practice and the value of learning from one another, it doesn’t matter the level of experience,” Sally said.

“As a teacher I love being able to improve and learn. I believe participating in QT Rounds enables for this to occur.”

Building a culture of inspired and connected teachers

As the pioneers continued to conduct QT Rounds – a reading discussion, lesson observation, coding analysis and discussion across four separate days – their knowledge of the QT Model deepened and their connections with one another expanded.

“Not only did we grow in our capacity to apply our new understanding, but the discussion became richer over time as the relationships between us grew,” Lisa explained.

The biggest impact, according to Lisa, was that QT Rounds reframed the language of observation for learning. “We moved into a shared language which was not about identifying deficits but focusing on our core calling as educators – the learning,” she said.

The democratic processes of QT Rounds helped break down hierarchies and created a level playing field where all participants, regardless of their experience, brought rich insights to the discussions.

It was also interesting, Lisa noted, how the students reacted to their teachers participating in professional development. “As we started visiting each other’s classes … the narrative became one where we as teachers were identified as learners too.”

Rippling out QT Rounds at MCCC

The positive momentum generated by the initial QT Rounds pioneers has led to further expansion at MCCC. The second phase involves eight secondary teachers across six faculties, as well as the first group of primary teachers. Deputy Principal Jason Reed is optimistic about the future of QT Rounds at MCCC.

“QT Rounds has had a positive impact on teacher confidence. Our initial group of QT Rounds pioneers formed a strong bond that facilitated trust and openness to learn from each other,” Jason said.

“It is our hope to further grow Rounds into 2025 as a core means for meaningful learning amongst our teachers.”

MidCoast Christian College’s journey with the ‘Strengthening Induction through QTR’ project highlights the transformative power of collaborative professional development. By fostering a culture of shared learning and continuous improvement, MCCC has not only enhanced teaching practices but also strengthened teacher morale and retention.

If your school is looking to support early career teachers and create a thriving educational environment of inspired and connected teachers, consider joining the ‘Strengthening Induction through QTR’ project.