The municipality has introduced the first development teachers in Nynäshamns: Jessica Samuelsson and Inga-Lill Mårtensson. In addition to teaching, they will be tasked with supporting the development of educational work, both at their own schools and at the municipal level.
”The development teachers are part of the additional political investment we have made in schools this year. It is great that we now have them in place, because it is important to continuously develop teaching,” says Mikael Persson (L), chair of the Children and Education Committee.
The new development teachers have divided roles, with 40 precent of their work consisting of teaching at compulsory schools and 60 percent consisting of broader educational development work. Jessica Samuelsson will teach at Gröndalsskolan and Inga-Lill Mårtensson at Vanstaskolan.
The role of development teacher is new in Nynäshamns Municipality and was created to support the improvement of work in compulsory schools. For example, they will inspire new collaborations between schools and highlight good examples in teachers’ work. To become a development teacher, at least four years of experience as a certified teacher is required, often complemented by further education in areas such as supervision or leadership.
The role was inspired by the work of preschools, where educators and the head of education work closely together on development. This makes it easier to adapt the development of the organisation to what is done in preschool practice.
”We have worked a lot on strengthening equality within and between compulsory schools, and we hope that this will further strengthen the connection between teaching and strategic work. It is important to emphasise that what happens in the classroom is what will make a difference, and we must take responsibility for making sure that it comes a joint effort,” says Jenny Ögren, acting head of the Children and Education Administration.
”We want to highlight the fantastic work that all our teachers are already doing. There are so many good examples,” she continues.
The work with development teachers is part of a larger strategic effort in the municipality. The goal is to improve the school environment for both students and staff in all schools. The hope is that the new initiative will create more equal and collaborative development of compulsory schools throughout the municipality.
”We have created subject networks between the schools and see this as a way to strengthen our joint efforts. The development teachers will play a key role in connecting the work in the classroom with the strategic direction of the schools in the municipality,” says Jenny Ögren.
