Professional Learning – The Mastery Teaching Pathway
Good to Great Schools Australia’s Mastery Teaching Pathway (MTP) helps address critical school challenges, including teaching shortages and gaps in expertise in direct and explicit instruction.
The Mastery Teaching Pathway (MTP) is GGSA’s professional learning platform that enables school leaders and teaching teams to access and complete credentialed school courses offered in partnership with Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and universities. The MTP supports principals, instructional coaches, teachers and teaching assistants through role-specific pathways aligned with their responsibilities in schools. Participants build evidence-based teaching and leadership expertise, master effective teaching practices, and progress toward formal qualifications through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
The learning framework focuses on leading and delivering effective teaching, mastering core techniques and practices, and meeting relevant qualification learning requirements through structured, practice-based professional learning.
Why Choose the Mastery Teaching Pathway?
Helps To Build Teacher Capability
Professional learning to build teacher capability equips educators with evidence-based strategies to enhance classroom instruction, instructional consistency and student engagement.
Designed to Improve Student Outcomes
Professional learning focused on improved student outcomes supports educators to translate new skills into measurable academic growth and sustained improvement.
Drive Whole-School Improvement
The whole-school professional learning model fosters a collaborative culture of continuous growth, aligning individual development with school-wide improvement priorities.
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Explore Your Pathway
The Mastery Teaching Pathway offers distinct courses aligned to each school role. Participants select a role-based pathway that reflects their current position and career aspirations.
Principal
Mastery Leadership Pathway
Develop instructional leadership capability to lead effective teaching, school improvement and positive high-expectations practices across the whole school. Evidence completed modules to support RPL towards postgraduate leadership qualifications.
Instruction Coach
Mastery Coaching Fellow
Develop advanced coaching expertise to support teachers, lead instructional improvement, and coordinate effective teaching practice across the school. Evidence contributes towards postgraduate coaching or education qualifications.
Teacher
Mastery Teaching Foundations (teachers in their first 1–5 years)
Mastery Teaching Towards Excellence (teachers with 5–10 years’ experience)
Mastery Teaching Fellow (teachers with 10+ years’ exp)
Teachers strengthen and deepen their instructional expertise, build evidence of mastery practice, and support applications for RPL towards postgraduate teaching qualifications.
Teaching Assistant
Mastery Teaching Support Foundation Course
Become a skilled and credentialed teaching assistant. Aligns with Certificate IV in School-Based Education Support, with significant RPL available on enrolment.
Mastery Teaching Support Advanced Course
For teaching assistants who wish to fast-track a teaching career or specialise further in effective teaching practice.
Standards and Accreditation
Accreditation is a priority for career advancement. Good to Great Schools Australia’s professional learning is mapped to national teaching and leadership standards and aligned to qualification requirements offered by partner RTOs and universities.
All courses and modules are aligned to the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Australian Professional Standards for Principals and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Where no national standards exist (Instruction Coach and Teaching Assistant roles), GGSA applies a composite of relevant AITSL standards and nationally recognised qualifications. Participants complete GGSA modules first and build a digital Evidence Portfolio that demonstrates mastery of knowledge, skills and practice.
Once participants complete the required modules, Good to Great Schools Australia provides the participant’s file of evidence to the selected RTO or university. The institution reviews and assesses this evidence to determine Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for individual units, which may contribute to a full qualification or a substantial component of a qualification. In some pathways, this may equate to up to 95 per cent RPL.
Enrolment and Participant Support
Participants must work in a primary, secondary or special school that is planning to, or is currently delivering, direct or explicit instruction.
Participants enrol by joining the GGSA Membership Platform, where they select their role and are automatically assigned a personalised Learning Plan.
Participants complete GGSA modules first. Enrolment with an RTO or university for formal accreditation occurs after required modules are completed and evidence is submitted for RPL assessment.
Courses are self-paced, can be started at any time, and typically take 6–12 months to complete, depending on experience and time commitment.
Participant support includes onboarding sessions, course information sessions, automated progress recognition, access to collegial learning opportunities, and certificates of completion for each module.
Schoolwide Support
Schools with multiple participants become GGSA Partner Schools, enabling team-based enrolment and coordinated professional learning.
Partner Schools benefit from linked Learning Plans across staff, leadership oversight of professional learning progress, access to private webinars, and opportunities to embed learning through collegial delivery.
Webinars
Stay up to date with the latest in effective teaching and school improvement through weekly webinars. Each session features experts sharing practical strategies, research, and real-school examples to support evidence-based practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Read through our FAQs to get answers to our most common queries.
Want to get in touch? Send our team an email at info@goodtogreatschools.org.au. We are happy to help.
What is professional learning?
Professional learning involves ongoing, structured education and practice-based development that educators undertake to strengthen their skills, knowledge and instructional effectiveness over time.
What is a professional learning plan?
A professional learning plan is a personalised roadmap that outlines required modules, learning targets and evidence milestones aligned to an educator’s role and career stage.
Why is professional learning important for teachers?
High-quality professional learning strengthens classroom practice, builds instructional consistency and directly improves student outcomes through evidence-based teaching approaches.
How does professional development impact student learning?
When educators refine their instructional techniques and apply learning with fidelity, students experience stronger engagement, accelerated progress and sustained academic growth.
Testimonials
‘The professional learning modules are a perfect balance of developing understanding and modelling through practical application.’
Teacher, South Australia
‘My favourite feature of the professional learning is that you do it at your own pace. You can sit at home on the weekend and do it, you can sit at school and do it, or during the holidays, you can do it.’
Kate, Instruction Coach, Balranald Central School