Professional Practice and Quality Improvement
NERPSA Learning | Staff Learning and Practice Framework
Stronger Together
Effective team teaching in early childhood education and care
Who should complete this
NERPSA teachers, educators and service leaders
What it covers
Shared-service teaching, professional roles, communication, child safety and respectful practice
Assessment
Eight questions with at least seven correct answers
Completion evidence
Complete learning record submitted to NERPSA
Purpose
Children experience the whole team, not each educator in isolation. They notice whether adults communicate, support one another, respond consistently and resolve differences respectfully. Effective teamwork helps create a calm, predictable environment while allowing children to benefit from different relationships, ideas, cultures, knowledge and teaching strengths.
The Framework Position
The updated VEYLDF (2026) provides a shared language for professionals and states that working in partnership can distribute effort, strengthen teamwork and connect children, families and professionals with the right support. Its integrated teaching and learning approaches and Early Years Planning Cycle require thoughtful, intentional and reflective work—not disconnected individual practice.
NQS Element 4.2.1 expects management, educators and staff to work collaboratively and with mutual respect, to challenge and learn from one another, and to recognise each person’s strengths and skills.
Team Functioning Is a Child-Safety Matter
Unhealthy or dysfunctional team dynamics are not simply an adult relationship problem. When they interfere with communication, professional challenge, supervision, information-sharing or the response to concerns, they directly weaken the service’s child-safe culture and can place children at risk.
A child-safe organisation relies on adults being willing and able to speak up, listen, share information, question unsafe practice and act on concerns. The Victorian Child Safe Standards require child safety and wellbeing to be embedded in organisational leadership and culture. The NQF Child Safe Culture Guide similarly emphasises putting children’s safety first by speaking up and taking other people’s concerns seriously.
How Unhealthy Team Dynamics Can Affect Children
- Important information is withheld or delayed because adults are not speaking, do not trust one another or communicate only through selected colleagues.
- Supervision becomes unclear when roles and handovers are assumed rather than confirmed.
- Staff stop speaking up because they fear dismissal, retaliation, ridicule, exclusion or being labelled difficult.
- Unsafe or inappropriate practice goes unchallenged because keeping the peace becomes more important than protecting children.
- Concerns fall between groups when each teacher assumes a child, family, hazard or follow-up action belongs to the other program.
- Responses become inconsistent when adults compete for control rather than agree on safe practice and children’s individual needs.
- Children experience adult tension through tone, avoidance, criticism, divided loyalties or one educator being undermined in front of them.
- Families receive fragmented messages or become caught between staff, weakening trust and the likelihood that they will raise concerns.
Not every disagreement is a child-safety incident. Professional disagreement can improve practice. The risk arises when conflict, control, territorial behaviour, poor communication or fear prevents adults from performing their roles, sharing information or acting in children’s best interests.
Where team dynamics are affecting—or could reasonably affect—supervision, a child’s wellbeing, required information-sharing, the response to a concern or a staff member’s ability to speak up, the matter must be addressed promptly and raised with the appropriate NERPSA leader. Staff should not wait for harm to occur before seeking support.
Team teaching is not an additional task. Done well, it is a way of distributing thinking, responsibility and effort more sustainably while strengthening the program.
The central expectation
Team teaching is not about liking one another, protecting personal territory or deciding who has informal seniority. It is professional collaboration organised around children’s safety, rights, learning, development and wellbeing.
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to
Explain effective team teaching within and across kindergarten groups.
Distinguish nominated supervisor, responsible person and Educational Leader responsibilities.
Set expectations at the start of a year, term and new staff member’s commencement.
Use clear handovers and communication with shared educators.
Distinguish a genuine philosophy difference from different practice, preference, ego or control.
Recognise control, territorial behaviour and informal seniority claims.
Manage disagreement and emotional responses professionally.
Explain how unhealthy team dynamics can undermine child safety.
Identify when support or escalation is required.
Standards and evidence base
| Framework | Connection to this lesson |
|---|---|
| VEYLDF 2026 | Provides shared language and Practice Principles for professionals working together, with integrated teaching and learning approaches and the Early Years Planning Cycle. |
| NQS Quality Area 4 | Element 4.2.1 requires mutual respect, collaboration, professional challenge and recognition of strengths and skills. |
| National Law and Regulations | Sections 161 and 162 address nominated supervisors and responsible persons. Regulation 118 requires an Educational Leader to be designated in writing. |
| Victorian Child Safe Standards and NQF Child Safe Culture | Child safety must be embedded in leadership and culture. Staff must be supported to speak up, share information and act on concerns. |
| APST and VIT Code of Conduct | Teachers must engage professionally with colleagues and demonstrate integrity, respect, responsibility and reflective professional competence. |
| NERPSA policies and roles | Formal roles, employment responsibilities, organisational directions and current policies apply alongside this learning. |
Status of this learning
This is internal NERPSA professional learning. It is not nationally recognised training, an accredited course, a unit of competency or a statement of attainment.
01
Module one
What effective team teaching means
A teaching team may include early childhood teachers, diploma and certificate-qualified educators, trainees, students, inclusion support staff, casual educators and service leaders. Qualifications and assigned responsibilities are not identical, but every person contributes to quality and safety.
Shared Purpose
The team understands what it is trying to achieve for children and why its decisions support that purpose.
Collective Attention
Everyone notices, communicates and responds. A concern does not become invisible because somebody else is “in charge”.
Different Strengths
People do not need to teach identically. Their different knowledge and perspectives should strengthen, rather than fragment, the program.
Team Teaching Looks Like
- planning and reflecting together
- sharing relevant information promptly
- making roles clear while remaining responsive
- asking questions and explaining professional reasoning
- supporting and constructively challenging each other
- presenting a safe, respectful and consistent approach to children and families.
Team Teaching Is Not
- one person thinking while everyone else carries out instructions
- dividing the room into personal territories
- avoiding disagreement to “keep the peace”
- correcting or undermining a colleague in front of children or families
- assuming the most experienced or qualified person must notice everything
- expecting everyone to have the same personality or teaching style.
02
Module two
Two teachers, different groups, one service
At some NERPSA services, two teachers lead different kindergarten groups across the week. Their employment fractions and teaching allocations may be equal, or one teacher may work a larger proportion of the program—for example, one-half each or approximately two-thirds and one-third. Educators may work with both teachers and both groups.
This is a form of team teaching even when the teachers are not teaching the same children at the same time. Each teacher remains responsible for leading and delivering their allocated group’s educational program. At the same time, both teachers contribute to the safe, coherent and professional operation of the service as a whole.
Different fractions do not create a “main teacher” and a “supporting teacher”. They affect the reasonable division of time and work. They do not determine whose professional views matter, who belongs at the service or whether one group is more important than another.
Know the Formal Roles
Healthy team teaching depends on everyone understanding what a formal role does—and what it does not do. At a NERPSA service operating this model, both teachers will ordinarily be appointed as nominated supervisors. One teacher will be designated as the Educational Leader.
Both Teachers: Nominated Supervisors
A nominated supervisor has formally consented to the role and must understand the responsibilities that apply under the National Law and Regulations. Having two nominated supervisors supports continuity across the week.
When children are being educated and cared for, a responsible person must be present. The service must follow the required arrangements for identifying and displaying who is the responsible person at the relevant time.
One Teacher: Educational Leader
Under Regulation 118, the Educational Leader is designated in writing to lead the development and implementation of the educational programs at the service. This includes providing curriculum direction, supporting the planning cycle, encouraging critical reflection and helping build shared professional understanding.
The Educational Leader works collaboratively. The role does not make that person the other teacher’s general supervisor, give them ownership of shared spaces or resources, or allow them to control every decision made by the other group.
Role Is Not Rank
A formal responsibility gives a person accountability for particular work. It does not give them greater personal worth or unrestricted authority.
Where a decision falls within the Educational Leader’s function, the Educational Leader should guide the work and explain the professional basis for that direction. Where a matter concerns employment, performance management, staffing allocation, unresolved conflict, significant expenditure or an organisational decision, it should be referred to the relevant NERPSA manager rather than settled through informal claims of seniority.
Experience Matters; Informal Seniority Does Not
Experience, service knowledge and established relationships are valuable. A teacher who has worked at the service for longer may understand its history, community, routines and practical systems. Another teacher may bring different experience, current knowledge, fresh observations or strengths developed elsewhere. Effective teams use both.
Length of service does not make one teacher the other teacher’s manager. Statements such as “I have been here longer”, “this is my kindergarten” or “we have always done it this way” do not settle a professional question. Decisions should be based on:
- children’s safety, rights, learning and wellbeing
- the VEYLDF, evidence and professional judgement
- the National Law, Regulations and NQS
- NERPSA policies, procedures and reasonable organisational directions
- the service philosophy and the intended function of the space or resource
- respectful consultation with the people affected.
Each Group Needs
- a clearly identified teacher responsible for its educational program
- planning, assessment and documentation related to the children in that group
- clear communication with its families
- consistent implementation of children’s plans and required supports
- follow-through on matters arising during that group’s sessions.
The Whole Service Needs
- shared safety, supervision and emergency expectations
- agreed use and care of rooms, outdoor areas, equipment and resources
- consistent implementation of NERPSA policies and service procedures
- a reliable way to pass on information that affects the other group
- shared expectations for educators who work across the week
- a professional and consistent experience for all families.
The Shared-Service Team Agreement
The teachers and educators should deliberately establish how they will work together. This conversation should not be left until a problem occurs. The agreement is a practical working document: it does not replace position descriptions, employment arrangements, NERPSA policies or decisions that must be made by management.
When the Agreement Must Be Discussed
Beginning of the Year
Establish the complete working agreement before patterns, assumptions and unwritten rules become embedded.
When Anyone New Starts
Review the agreement with every new teacher, educator, trainee or regular team member. Do not expect them to discover it by trial and error.
Beginning of Every Term
Briefly reset expectations, consider changes in children, staffing and the program, and agree on any adjustments.
What Must Be Agreed
Programs and Children
- Who leads each group and what sits within that teacher’s role?
- What information about a child needs to cross groups, and what remains relevant only to one group?
- How will learning, inclusion, wellbeing and child safety information be recorded and handed over?
- How will the team respond when siblings attend different groups or a child changes groups?
Shared Educators
- What core expectations remain consistent with both teachers?
- How will educators receive each group’s current priorities and essential child information?
- Who provides direction during each session?
- How can educators contribute observations and ideas to both programs?
- How will conflicting instructions be identified and resolved?
Spaces and Resources
- How will rooms and outdoor areas be left for the next group?
- Which displays, projects or learning spaces should remain undisturbed?
- How will shared consumables, purchasing, storage, laundry, cleaning and maintenance issues be managed?
- Where will important service information be kept?
Families and Communication
- Who communicates with families about group-specific matters?
- What service-wide messages require coordination?
- How will a message received on another teacher’s day reach the correct person?
- What must be documented rather than passed on informally?
Service Responsibilities
- How will service-wide administration and recurring tasks be divided fairly?
- Which responsibilities rotate, which belong to an allocated role and which require joint input?
- How will work be proportionate to contracted time without automatically placing all shared work on the teacher with the larger fraction?
- What requires consultation with an Education Manager or another NERPSA role?
Working Relationships
- What communication channel will be used, for what purpose and within what reasonable timeframe?
- When will the team meet or overlap?
- How will decisions be recorded?
- How will concerns and differences be raised?
- What will happen if the team cannot reach agreement?
A Practical Communication Rhythm
At each handover: pass on urgent child, family, safety, staffing, environment and operational information. Confirm any action still required and who owns it.
Each week: provide a concise update about matters affecting the other program or shared educators. Do not require colleagues to search through unrelated messages to find essential information.
Each term: review the team agreement, shared workload, communication methods, children’s changing needs, use of the environment and any recurring points of friction.
When something significant changes: communicate promptly rather than waiting for the next scheduled meeting.
Scenario: Shared Educators, Different Expectations
One teacher expects educators to progressively document observations during the session. The other expects educators to remain entirely on the floor and provide observations verbally afterward. An educator working with both groups is unsure which expectation applies and feels that either choice disappoints one teacher.
Think: What should have been agreed before the educator was placed in this position? Which expectations genuinely need to be consistent, where could practices reasonably differ, and how should the teachers resolve the difference?
Moving From Personal Territory to Shared Stewardship
When a second teacher joins a service, established arrangements may need to change. This can feel unsettling, particularly when someone has previously had sole use of an office, store room, display area or teaching space. The feeling is understandable; controlling the other person or treating shared NERPSA property as personal territory is not an appropriate response.
Healthy Shared Stewardship
- “Let’s work out how we can both use this office effectively.”
- Identifying genuinely personal, confidential and shared materials.
- Agreeing on labelled storage and areas for each group.
- Explaining the purpose of an established arrangement and remaining open to review.
- Asking before relocating active work or personal belongings.
- Discussing proposed room changes and considering their effect on both groups.
- Accepting that shared spaces will show the work and identity of more than one team.
Control and Territorial Behaviour
- “This is my office. You cannot use it or touch anything.”
- Questioning routine activity simply because the other teacher initiated it.
- Preventing a colleague from organising shared resources or cleaning a shared store room.
- Insisting that the room can never change because one person prefers it as it is.
- Moving, discarding or overruling another group’s work without consultation.
- Monitoring a colleague’s choices outside an allocated leadership responsibility.
- Using history, confidence or relationships with families to claim greater authority.
Shared does not mean anything can be changed without discussion. It means neither person has unilateral ownership. Significant changes should be communicated, reasons explained and affected colleagues genuinely consulted. Where the team cannot agree, it should use the agreed escalation pathway—not a contest for control.
The Emotional Work of Team Teaching
Team teaching requires professional self-awareness. Adults can experience change as loss of control, criticism, exclusion or a threat to competence—even when that is not the other person’s intention. Those reactions are human, but each staff member remains responsible for how they manage and express them.
Notice
Recognise defensiveness, resentment, possessiveness, avoidance or the urge to prove authority before acting on it.
Regulate
Pause, seek clarification, separate the person from the issue and choose an appropriate time and tone. Do not recruit other staff into sides.
Respond Professionally
Return to evidence, roles, children and the shared purpose. Ask for support early when repeated patterns cannot be resolved directly.
Scenario: “It Was My Office”
A teacher has used an office alone for several years. A second teacher now needs a functional workspace. The first teacher says the office and storage are still theirs, becomes suspicious when shared areas are reorganised and resists any change to the room.
Think: What part of this reaction may be an understandable response to change? Which behaviours are not professionally acceptable? What practical agreement could protect personal and confidential materials while providing equitable access to shared NERPSA space?
Respect Is Required; Friendship Is Not
Colleagues do not have to like one another, socialise or agree on everything. They do have to maintain a workable professional relationship. Respect is shown through behaviour—not through claims that a person is respectful.
Professional Respect Looks Like
- speaking directly, calmly and truthfully
- listening without ridicule, interruption or dismissal
- sharing necessary information and following through
- not withholding resources, access or knowledge
- keeping disagreement away from children and families
- giving credit and recognising another person’s expertise
- respecting privacy and not creating factions or gossip
- raising concerns through the appropriate process.
Professional Standards
The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers describe professional engagement with colleagues as part of quality teaching. Teachers are expected to seek and apply constructive feedback, engage in professional learning and meet applicable ethical and organisational requirements.
The Victorian Teaching Profession’s Code of Conduct applies to registered early childhood teachers regardless of their position. It is grounded in integrity, respect and responsibility and requires teachers to reflect on their own conduct and professional competence.
Professional self-regulation does not mean tolerating bullying, discrimination, unsafe conduct or repeated undermining. These matters should be documented and raised through the appropriate NERPSA process.
03
Module three
Same philosophy, different practice
Teams sometimes describe a disagreement by saying, “We have different philosophies.” When the concern is examined carefully, the educators often hold the same core beliefs about children, play, relationships, inclusion and families. The difference is usually in how each person expresses those beliefs in practice—or in personal preference, habit, ego, territory or control.
A service philosophy should guide decisions and daily practice, but it does not prescribe one educator personality, one room arrangement or one correct way to teach. NQS Element 7.1.1 expects the philosophy to reflect shared understanding and guide the whole service. It belongs to the service community, not to an individual teacher.
Different practice is not automatically different philosophy. The professional question is not, “Is this how I would do it?” It is, “Is this practice consistent with our shared philosophy, the VEYLDF, children’s rights, evidence, policy and safety requirements?”
A Basic Kindergarten Philosophy
At our kindergarten, we view every child as capable, curious and entitled to safety, dignity, belonging and meaningful participation. We believe children learn through play, relationships, exploration, communication and intentional teaching. We value each child’s identity, culture, strengths and individual ways of learning. We work in partnership with families and our community. We create inclusive, engaging and responsive environments, and we reflect together to keep improving our practice.
How Two Teachers Could Enact the Same Philosophy
| Shared philosophy statement | Teacher A might make it visible by | Teacher B might make it visible by |
|---|---|---|
| Children are capable, curious and active participants. | Following a small group’s construction inquiry over several weeks, documenting their theories and helping them test ideas. | Building genuine choices and responsibilities into routines, inviting children to plan parts of the day and revisiting their suggestions at group meetings. |
| Children learn through play and intentional teaching. | Spending sustained time within child-led play, asking carefully timed questions and adding materials as children’s thinking develops. | Using planned stories, small-group experiences, songs and demonstrations, then connecting the ideas back into children’s freely chosen play. |
| Secure, respectful relationships support learning and wellbeing. | Prioritising quiet one-to-one conversations, unhurried arrivals and predictable individual check-ins. | Creating warm group rituals, collaborative experiences and a strong sense of community while remaining responsive to individual children. |
| Every child’s identity, culture, strengths and ways of learning are valued. | Adapting spaces, tools and visual supports so children can participate in ways that work for them. | Offering varied ways to communicate and contribute, using family knowledge and ensuring materials and experiences reflect children’s cultures and lives. |
| Families are partners. | Building detailed relationships through conversations, listening carefully at arrival and departure and following up individual information. | Using planned family contributions, accessible written or digital communication and invitations for families to influence projects and service decisions. |
| The environment should be inclusive, engaging and responsive. | Maintaining calm, predictable learning areas that give children continuity and allow complex work to remain in place. | Reconfiguring parts of the environment more frequently in response to emerging play, group needs and children’s suggestions. |
| Educators reflect and improve together. | Bringing detailed observations and questions to planned reflection meetings and preferring time to consider changes before implementing them. | Testing a small change, gathering evidence about its effect and bringing that evidence to the team for review. |
Neither column is automatically better. Strong practice depends on the children, the context, the quality of the educator’s judgement and the impact. In many services, children benefit from experiencing both approaches.
Legitimate Professional Difference
- Different communication and teaching styles.
- Different ways of organising an experience while meeting the same purpose.
- Different strengths in group, individual, indoor or outdoor practice.
- Different ideas tested through observation and reflection.
- Room changes discussed and made for a clear educational reason.
- Willingness to adapt when evidence shows another approach works better.
Not a Philosophy Difference
- “I have always done it this way.”
- “This is my room, office or store room.”
- Rejecting an idea because it came from the other teacher.
- Requiring another professional to copy personal preferences.
- Using “my philosophy” to avoid consultation, policy or reasonable direction.
- Calling a disagreement philosophical without identifying the actual belief or principle involved.
Test the Claim
When someone says, “We have different philosophies,” the team should slow the conversation down and ask:
- Which exact philosophy statement or professional principle is involved?
- What does each person believe about children, learning, families or the educator’s role?
- Do those beliefs actually differ, or are the proposed methods simply different?
- What effect does each approach have on children’s safety, rights, participation, learning and wellbeing?
- What is non-negotiable because of law, regulation, policy, an individual plan or an agreed service responsibility?
- What can reasonably remain different?
- Is the disagreement being driven by evidence and professional judgement—or by ownership, ego, fear of change or control?
Scenario: “We Have Different Philosophies”
One teacher prefers stable learning areas and wants children’s projects left in place. The other regularly changes parts of the room in response to emerging interests. Both describe children as capable learners, support play-based learning and believe the environment should respond to children.
Think: Is this necessarily a philosophical difference? What evidence would help the teachers decide what remains stable, what can change, how children can contribute and how changes will be communicated across both groups?
A philosophy should help the team examine practice; it should not be used as a shield for personal control. If both approaches are safe, lawful, respectful and consistent with the shared philosophy, difference can be a professional strength. If an approach undermines children’s rights, agreed responsibilities or child-safe practice, it cannot be defended merely by calling it a personal philosophy.
04
Module four
Shared responsibility and clear roles
Shared responsibility does not mean that all roles are interchangeable or that legal and organisational accountabilities disappear. It means the team understands those accountabilities and works collectively within them.
Before the Session
- Share important information about children, staffing, the environment and planned experiences.
- Confirm supervision, transitions, breaks and any individual support arrangements.
- Identify who will lead particular experiences without treating other educators as passive assistants.
During the Session
- Maintain active supervision and communicate changes.
- Respond to what children are showing rather than rigidly following allocated tasks.
- Step in when safety, dignity or quality requires it.
- Keep colleagues informed without holding conversations over children.
After the Session
- Share observations and relevant family information.
- Reflect on what children experienced—not only whether tasks were completed.
- Record and follow through on agreed actions.
When Something Is Unclear
- Ask rather than guess.
- Check the policy, plan or agreed practice.
- Raise unresolved safety, conduct or practice concerns with the appropriate leader.
- Never allow uncertainty about hierarchy to delay an immediate protective response.
Scenario: “I Thought You Had Them”
Two educators each assume the other is supervising children moving from the outdoor area. Neither has confirmed the handover.
Think: What communication should occur before the transition? How can the team allocate responsibility without reducing everyone else’s responsibility to remain alert?
05
Module five
Communication that supports practice
Good communication is timely, relevant, respectful and clear. It is not simply talking more. Teams need ways to exchange essential information without overwhelming one another or discussing private matters where children, families or other people may hear.
Use the CLEAR Check
C — Child and Context
What is happening, and what does the child need?
L — Lead or Responsibility
Who is taking the immediate action?
E — Essential Information
What does the other person genuinely need to know?
A — Acknowledge
Confirm that the message was heard and understood.
R — Review
Check what happened, record what is required and follow through.
Professional does not mean silent. Respectful teams can question a decision, ask for the reasoning behind it and name a concern. Tone and timing matter, but children’s safety and rights matter more than avoiding discomfort.
06
Module six
Teaching, observing and reflecting together
Team teaching is strongest when educators contribute throughout the Early Years Planning Cycle. One educator may coordinate the educational program, but rich assessment and planning draw on what the whole team sees, hears and understands.
- Observe and listen. Share significant observations, children’s ideas, patterns, interests, relationships and emerging capabilities.
- Interpret together. Test assumptions. Ask what else might explain what happened and whose perspective may be missing.
- Plan with purpose. Agree on the intended learning, likely educator roles, environment and ways children can influence what happens.
- Act responsively. Use integrated approaches—child-directed play, guided play and learning, adult-led learning, routines and transitions—with intentional teaching underpinning decisions.
- Review impact. Consider what changed for children, what evidence supports that conclusion and what the team should continue, adapt or stop.
Scenario: Different Interpretations
One educator sees a child repeatedly tipping out construction materials as disruptive. Another sees experimentation with sound, force and quantity.
Think: How could both observations improve the team’s interpretation? What could the educators do next to protect other children’s access to resources while extending the learning?
07
Module seven
Feedback, challenge and professional courage
NQS Element 4.2.1 does not only ask colleagues to be pleasant. It expects them to challenge and learn from each other. Constructive challenge protects children, improves decisions and prevents habits from becoming unquestioned practice.
Before Giving Feedback
- Identify the observable behaviour or decision.
- Connect the issue to children, agreed practice, evidence, policy or professional standards.
- Choose a suitable private time unless immediate action is needed.
- Be ready to listen and to have your own interpretation tested.
A Useful Structure
“I noticed…” Describe what occurred without labelling the person.
“I am concerned/curious because…” Explain the impact or professional reasoning.
“Can we…” Invite clarification and agree on the next action.
Example: “I noticed we redirected Mia several times without acknowledging what she was trying to communicate. I’m concerned we may have missed her perspective. Can we talk through what we each observed and decide how we will respond next time?”
Feedback becomes inappropriate when it is personal, humiliating, retaliatory, discriminatory or repeatedly dismissive. Serious child safety, conduct, bullying or occupational health and safety concerns must be raised through the relevant NERPSA process; they should not be reduced to an informal personality disagreement.
08
Module eight
When team teaching is difficult
Different Working Styles
Agree on the non-negotiable outcome and boundaries, then allow reasonable differences in how people contribute. Consistency means children receive safe and coherent practice—not identical educator personalities.
Uneven Workload
Name the actual work, including planning, preparation, emotional labour, documentation, family communication and follow-up. Reallocate transparently and review whether the change worked.
One Voice Dominates
Create deliberate opportunities for every team member to contribute. Qualification, confidence and length of service must not make other observations invisible.
Avoided Conflict
Return to the shared purpose: the child, the evidence, the framework and agreed practice. Seek leadership support when the team cannot resolve an issue safely or respectfully.
Relief or New Educators
Provide essential information, clarify responsibilities, invite questions and include the person in communication. Belonging and safe practice cannot depend on already knowing the unwritten rules.
A Mistake Occurs
Protect children first, be honest, notify and document where required, then examine the conditions that contributed. Accountability and learning must operate together.
09
Module nine
Practical team tools
Five-Minute Start-of-Session Check
Ten-Minute Team Reflection
- What did children show us?
- Whose voice or perspective did we hear—and whose might be missing?
- What did our actions make possible?
- Where were we inconsistent or unclear?
- What is one specific action we will take next?
Personal Reflection
Think about your current team. What strength do you contribute? What strength in a colleague could you draw on more deliberately? What is one conversation that would improve clarity, consistency or shared responsibility?
You do not need to record private or identifying information in this module. Use your answer to decide one practical next step.
Practice decisions
Select the best response to each situation. All three decisions must be correct before the completion record can be generated.
Decision one: The shared office
A teacher says that an office remains theirs because they used it alone before the second teacher commenced.
Decision two: A shared educator receives conflicting directions
Two teachers expect different documentation practices and the educator feels that either choice will disappoint one teacher.
Decision three: Team conflict is affecting information-sharing
A staff member is reluctant to raise a concern because previous questions have been dismissed and they fear exclusion.
0 of 3 correct.
Required learning activity
Apply the learning to your workplace
Do not include children’s names, staff names, disclosures or unnecessary confidential information. Each response must contain at least 20 characters.
Draft responses are saved only in this browser and on this device.
Policies and official resources
Updated VEYLDF 2026
Primary Victorian framework for early childhood professional partnerships and shared practice.
Open resourceNQS Element 4.2.1
Mutual respect, collaboration, professional challenge and learning from colleagues.
Open resourceVictorian guide to team teaching
Victorian guidance on planning, responsibilities and communication in team teaching.
Open resourceNominated supervisors
Official information about nominated supervisor requirements and responsibilities.
Open resourceAustralian Professional Standards for Teachers
Professional knowledge, practice and engagement expected of teachers.
Open resourceVictorian Teaching Profession’s Code of Conduct
Integrity, respect, responsibility and professional conduct for registered teachers.
Open resourceVictorian Child Safe Standards
Leadership, culture, supported staff, complaints and child-safe practice.
Open resourceNQF Child Safe Culture Guide
Speaking up, acting on concerns and embedding child safety in everyday practice.
Open resourceNQS Element 7.1.1
How a shared service philosophy guides decisions, pedagogy and daily practice.
Open resourceComplete your learning record
Before the record can be generated, complete all three practice decisions correctly, all four written responses, the assessment with at least seven correct answers, participant details and the declaration.
- Use your own professional responses.
- Do not include identifying or confidential information.
- Generate and submit the complete record, not only the certificate.
Complete all lesson requirements to unlock your record.
Submit the complete PDF
In the print window, choose Save as PDF and submit the complete document through the NERPSA Document Submission Form available from the Forms page in the NERPSA Connect App or Staff Resources website. Submit the complete PDF, not only the certificate. Do not email it separately.