Susanne wrote this book to \u201chelp people understand the arrangements in a workplace that enable and constrain teacher learning \u2013 and then to do something about it.\u201d The strategies and ideas it contains can be implemented at a range of levels within an RTO, including at the whole-of-organisation, teaching department, small team, or individual level. This involves what she calls a \u2018trellis of practices.\u2019<\/p>\n

One of her big messages is that workplace learning can be enabled or constrained by what goes on at the work site. What is done and how it is done are also important, and these include seemingly trivial things affecting a teacher\u2019s potential opportunities to learn like the physical arrangements in the staffroom (including access to, and placement of workstations) and access to a shared tearoom\/lunchroom that teachers can use for informal but important learning. Scheduling arrangements that enable collegial and personal professional interactions are also important, and this can be as simple as a shared morning teatime. These are what she calls the \u2018in-between spaces\u2019 that are so critical for teacher learning. And, as one teacher said to me recently: there always seems to be time for \u2018the urgent\u2019, but not necessarily for what\u2019s actually important!<\/p>\n

Susanne believes that teachers and trainers need to have access to resources like \u201cwell-developed lesson plans, assessment tasks, and student resources (for use as part of teaching practices and also as models for the development of similar resources)\u201d and access to team teaching opportunities. Good support mechanisms are also needed, including access to non-teaching support staff and administration staff and \u201ceasily used and accessible administration systems.\u201d In summary she feels that site-based arrangements that enable and constrain teacher learning are more important than the usual focus on the individual teacher and their \u201cactions, skills, and dispositions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mentoring is important too, she thinks. She sees the mentoring process as \u201ca linchpin for the development of a trellis of practices that support [teacher] learning.\u201d But all this depends on the skills of the mentor, and as she notes:<\/p>\n