Every teacher remembers the person who influenced the way they teach, a mentor with practical advice, an instructional coach refining a technique, or a colleague modelling a lesson. These are turning points that shape what teachers know and how they apply it.

Effective teaching starts with high-quality teacher education and it continues with ongoing professional learning and access to resources. When schools invest in their staff, they create stronger classrooms, greater consistency, and strengthen student outcomes.

Teaching teachers to teach is a valuable investment, and every improvement in teaching practice has the potential to benefit thousands of students over time. Rather than viewing professional learning as a tick-box exercise, high-performing schools view learning as continuous, practical, and directly linked to the classroom. It’s this culture that allows staff to nurture a common language and build collective capability.

Professional learning deepens educator knowledge, refines classroom practices, and keeps educators up to date with evidence-based approaches. At Good to Great Schools Australia (GGSA), professional learning is grounded in evidence-based approaches, including direct and explicit instruction, helping teachers deliver lessons that are clear, structured and responsive to student learning. The Mastery Teaching Pathway is a practical, flexible professional learning program designed to support teachers at every career stage.

Rather than attending isolated workshops, the Mastery Teaching Pathway builds capability incrementally with online modules, instructional coaching, classroom application, and evidence of practice. Partner School Membership helps schools bring this learning together by combining professional learning, coaching, school improvement support, and curriculum resources.

Embedding professional learning into daily routines builds teacher confidence, strengthens school consistency, and ensures students receive high-quality instruction.

Australian schools are continually looking at how best to strengthen teaching practices across the school. While many have strong teaching, the opportunity is to continue strengthening teaching practice so every classroom provides high-quality learning experiences for students.

When teaching approaches are aligned across classrooms, schools create:

• clarity for students
• consistency across classes
• shared expectations
• common language.

There’s no need to roll out new initiatives constantly; schools are continuing to strengthen evidence-based teaching practices that support long-term improvement

Professional Learning That Builds Great Teachers

Research continues to show that ongoing, collaborative, coached, and student-focused professional learning is among the most effective approaches for strengthening teaching practice. The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) shows that teachers value practical, immediately relevant professional learning highly. Likewise, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) recognises that ongoing development is essential to maintaining quality throughout a teaching career.

Professional growth is an ongoing part of teaching. It enables educators to respond to changing student needs while continuing to strengthen their practice.

From Individual Growth to Whole-School Improvement

Professional learning has a wide impact, and while every school has talented educators, effective professional learning creates opportunities for that expertise to be shared across the teaching team.

As teachers collaborate, observe, and reflect, schools move away from individual excellence and nurture a collective capability that supports new staff, strengthens collaboration and ensures consistency across all year levels.

Teaching Teachers the Way We Teach Students

The same principles that enhance student learning also benefit teachers. Learning is at its most powerful when it’s:

• clearly structured and explicitly modelled
• practised repeatedly and supported through feedback
• revisited regularly over time.

Professional learning should follow this framework, creating a cycle of learning, application, reflection, and refinement, rather than a one-off workshop.

Great Teaching Doesn’t Happen in Isolation

Teachers may be in charge of their own classrooms, but the strongest teaching practices are developed through peer observations, professional dialogue, and collaboration. Every classroom is different and exchanging ideas and modelling teaching practices positions teachers to solve teaching challenges collectively and consistently, easing the transition for new employees while maintaining stability for students.

While conferences inspire, schools are increasingly recognising the value of professional learning embedded within teaching’s daily context. Effective professional learning includes:

• classroom observation
• instructional coaching
• collaborative planning
• modelling effective practice
• peer discussion
• evidence-informed reflection
• ongoing review of student progress.

The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) highlights that professional learning is strongest when sustained over time and aligned with school goals, alongside opportunities to practise and regular constructive feedback.

The Importance of Practical Application

Knowledge alone is rarely enough to change practice. Teachers build confidence and strengthen expertise when they have opportunities to apply their new learning in authentic settings. Whether it’s a new questioning technique, refining lesson sequencing, or using student data to inform instruction, professional learning transforms theory into lived experience.

Small Improvements Create Lasting Change

Meaningful education improvement begins with small changes, such as clearer instructions or how a lesson is introduced. Over hundreds of lessons, these small changes build to substantial student engagement gains. Effective professional learning builds on the existing foundational strengths to transform small and deliberate adjustments into lasting habits.

Coaching Makes Professional Learning Visible

Instructional coaches work with teachers to observe, model, provide feedback, and support goal setting. These continued professional conversations inspire reflection and encourage common frameworks to make effective teaching both aligned and visible throughout the school.

Confidence is key in the teaching profession, and it’s developed through repeated opportunities to learn, practice, and reflect. Confident teachers:

• adapt teaching methods to meet student needs
• make informed decisions
• collaborate with colleagues
• contribute positively to school culture
• embrace ongoing improvement.

It’s this growth that encourages teachers to develop into leadership roles, whether it’s mentoring colleagues or supporting whole-school initiatives.

Professional Learning Should Continue Throughout Every Career Stage

Professional growth spans a full career. Early-career teachers are focused on core classroom practices, while experienced teachers are deepening their impact through mentoring, school improvement, and instructional leadership. School leaders have their own learning needs, from strategic planning to data-informed decision-making. High-quality professional learning recognises the importance of progression to provide structured support at every career tier.

Aligning Professional Learning with School Improvement

Professional learning has the greatest impact when it aligns with a school’s shared goals.

These goals might include:

• strengthening effective teaching practices
• improving literacy and numeracy outcomes
• refining assessment practices
• building positive classroom cultures
• strengthening instructional coaching
• embedding evidence-informed teaching.

Creating a Shared Language of Teaching

Collaboration becomes straightforward when an entire school uses a common instructional language. Teachers are more focused when engaged in professional conversations, which ensures consistency, allowing students to benefit from a predictable and consistent environment. The students can focus on learning because they know what comes next.

Professional Learning Needs a Clear Direction

With vast learning options, from webinars to online courses, schools have the opportunity to connect different learning experiences to create a coherent strategy. A structured learning pathway can help educators identify where they are, where they would like to be, and what it will take to achieve their development goals. This ensures that while everyone is growing individually, they are ultimately growing together toward collective school improvement.

The Mastery Teaching Pathway provides a connected approach to professional learning, bringing together online modules, classroom application and evidence of practice. Designed for teaching assistants, teachers, instruction coaches and school leaders, each pathway supports career progression, strengthens capability and contributes to stronger student outcomes.

Professional Learning for Every Educator

Every educator is at a different stage of their professional journey, so professional learning must cater to different needs, which is why The Mastery Teaching Pathway includes dedicated learning pathways for each school role.

Teaching Assistants

Teaching assistants can develop practical classroom knowledge and skills through the Mastery Teaching Support Foundation Course, with opportunities to continue towards becoming a qualified teacher through the Mastery Teaching Support Advanced Course.

Teachers

Teachers in their first five years can continue strengthening classroom practice through the Mastery Teaching Towards Excellence Course, while experienced teachers can extend their expertise through the Mastery Teaching Fellow Course, with greater emphasis on data-informed practice, mentoring and contributing to school-wide improvement.

Instruction Coaches

Instruction coaches can continue building their expertise through the Mastery Coaching Fellow Course, developing advanced capabilities in observation, coaching, instructional leadership and supporting teachers across multiple classrooms.

School Leaders

Principals, deputy principals and heads of department can strengthen leadership capability through the Mastery Leadership Pathway, focusing on instructional leadership, school improvement, strategic planning and leading sustainable change across their school communities.

Professional Learning That Reflects Real Classrooms

The Mastery Teaching Pathway is heavily focused on practical application rather than educational theory. Participants learn practical strategies they can apply immediately in their classrooms, including:

• observing effective practice
• applying new strategies
• reflecting on implementation
• building evidence of professional growth
• refining practice through ongoing learning.

Professional learning translates to stronger classroom instruction.

Building Evidence of Professional Growth

Building a portfolio of evidence allows educators to document their professional growth over time. It may include:

• completed professional learning
• reflections on practice
• observations and feedback
• classroom implementation
• student learning evidence
• examples of coaching
• examples of collaboration.

This evidence supports performance reviews, development, career planning, opportunities, and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for teaching assistants looking to advance.

How to Become a Teacher from a Teaching Assistant

Many outstanding teachers begin their careers as teaching assistants. Working alongside experienced teachers provides valuable opportunities to observe effective classroom practice, build confidence and develop instructional knowledge before moving into a teaching role.

The Mastery Teaching Support Foundation Course helps develop these core skills, while the Mastery Teaching Support Advanced Course provides a pathway towards further study through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and university partnerships.

School Leaders Play a Critical Role

Intentional leadership has a vital role to play in creating high-quality teaching. School leaders establish expectations and provide access to resources and ongoing learning. GGSA supports education leaders with relevant professional development, as well as leadership resources and Partner School Membership for a connected framework across curriculum, coaching, and professional learning.

Start with Evidence-Based Curriculum Resources

Using evidence-based curriculum resources is one of the most effective ways to enhance classroom instruction, and GGSA provides access to comprehensive curriculum materials designed for direct and explicit instruction. These resources cover a wide range of subjects, including:

• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• Health and Wellbeing
• The Arts
• Religion

These resources are ready-to-teach, reducing planning time and ensuring high-quality, consistent lessons across the school.

Investing in Teachers Is Investing in Students

When teachers develop, students receive a more structured, engaging, consistent, and responsive experience. While they may not see the professional learning behind the scenes, they benefit from it daily through:

• clearly structured lessons
• more responsive teaching
• improvement over time.

Building a Culture of Lifelong Learning

High-performing schools believe in learning at every level of the institution. When everyone, from teaching assistants to the principal, is engaged in ongoing learning, it strengthens collaboration, enriches professional interactions, and influences everyday school life.

Teaching Teachers to Teach Benefits Every Student

Great teaching is dynamic. It continues to evolve through curiosity, reflection, collaboration and purposeful professional learning, and the strongest schools understand that investing in teachers is one of the most effective ways to improve outcomes for students.

They create environments where professional learning is practical, collaborative and directly connected to classroom practice.

Professional learning should never be viewed as a compliance activity or a series of disconnected workshops.

• It should be evidence-based.
• It should be practical.
• It should be connected to the classroom.

And it should support educators throughout every stage of their professional journey.

Continue Your Professional Learning Journey

Every educator deserves practical, evidence-based learning, and GGSA delivers access to structured pathways, curriculum resources, and professional learning for every career stage.

Whether you’re:

• beginning your career as a teaching assistant
• developing confidence as a classroom teacher
• extending your expertise as an experienced teacher
• supporting colleagues as an instruction coach
• leading whole-school improvement as a principal.

Good to Great Schools Australia provides structured pathways, curriculum resources and professional learning to support every stage of your journey.

Explore the:

• Mastery Teaching Pathway
• Partner School Membership
• Evidence-Based Curriculum Resources
• Professional Learning Modules
• Leader Resources

and discover how practical, structured professional learning can strengthen teaching, build confidence and support lasting school improvement.

Julie Grantham brings more than 40 years of experience in education as a teacher, principal and senior public servant, including three years as Director-General of the Queensland Department of Education. 

During her leadership, Queensland’s state school results consistently improved and teaching and learning practices were strengthened through the introduction of world-class benchmarking. 

Julie also led major reforms requiring every Queensland school to define and implement evidence-based pedagogical practices tailored to their context.

Today, as Director of Schools at Good to Great Schools Australia, Julie works with schools and education systems to design and deliver programs that ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed. Be sure to catch Julie each week as she hosts the Good to Great Schools Webinars. For more information, click the link below.