A structured approach to observation and reflection through Quality Teaching Rounds is helping teachers strengthen professional dialogue and connect practice across year levels at Holy Cross College.
At Holy Cross College in Ellenbrook, Western Australia, Quality Teaching Rounds (QTR) has brought together teachers across experience levels and learning areas, creating a shared framework for analysing practice and reflecting on teaching.
A pre-kindergarten to Year 12 composite school with around 1,400 students and approximately 150 staff, Holy Cross provides a setting where primary and secondary educators operate on the same campus. For Ms Melissa Cartner, a teacher with 27 years’ experience, and Ms Caitlin White, an early career teacher in her fourth year, the program has offered a common language and structure for professional growth.
Both teachers became involved in QTR in 2024 through the federally funded Strengthening Induction through Quality Teaching Rounds initiative. Their participation began when they were approached by school leadership to join a pilot group of four educators.
For Ms Cartner, Learning Area Leader of Religious Education, the invitation came at a critical point in her career.
“It was amazing that we got this opportunity,” she says. “I was at a crossroads… I was really thinking, is this the right career for me?”
A shared experience across career stages
From the outset, QTR brought together teachers at different points in their careers. The pilot group at Holy Cross included educators from a range of subject areas, including mathematics, science, humanities and religious education, as well as teachers working across both primary and secondary settings.
For Humanities and Social Sciences teacher Ms White, who was in her first year at the college at the time, the program represented a departure from her previous professional learning experiences.
“This was my first experience in PD that’s designed for me,” she says. “Most of my experience in terms of classroom observation was always picking apart things that I’m not doing great… areas for improvement.”
By contrast, she found QTR focused on recognising effective practice. That shift in perspective was significant for an early career teacher navigating the pressures of establishing herself in the profession.
“I really liked the framing of the program – these are the things that you might not realise you’re doing really well, but are making a positive impact,” she says.
“When you’re constantly in that mindset of what can I be doing to prove myself… having a program like this really reframed my thinking of the work that I was doing.”
In Ms Cartner’s case, the experience provided validation after decades in the classroom.
“Quite often, you’ve got these young, fresh, passionate teachers coming in, sometimes you think, ‘am I stale? Am I boring?’.” she says. “But working with Caitlin made me feel like I am doing great. We can all improve. We can all affirm each other.”
Building connection across classrooms
Participation in QTR began with two days of training alongside other schools, where teachers learned the structure of the program and the coding framework used to analyse lessons.
At Holy Cross, the training also helped establish relationships within the pilot group before they began observing and discussing each other’s teaching.
“The two days of the PD really helped us to form a bond before we entered the actual program,” Ms White says.
That sense of connection extended beyond the pilot group and across the broader school context. As a composite college, Holy Cross offers opportunities for collaboration across year levels, but staff can still operate in separate primary and secondary spheres.
“We do still silo ourselves quite a lot between primary and secondary,” Ms White says. “So I think it was really nice to be able to work with people across departments.”
Observations within QTR allowed teachers to step into classrooms outside their own subject areas or year levels, focusing on pedagogy rather than content.
“Going into classrooms to watch the younger ones, you certainly do pick up different pedagogical styles,” Ms Cartner says. “You can use things from other subjects because it’s the pedagogy.”
That cross-curricular perspective reinforced the transferability of teaching strategies and highlighted the shared principles underpinning effective practice.
Reflective practice and renewed confidence
Central to QTR is a structured process of lesson observation and analysis. Teachers code lessons against a common framework, then engage in collaborative discussion focused on classroom practice.
For Ms White, this approach has shaped her reflective practice beyond the formal rounds.
“I will try and code one of my lessons once a week, just individually, just to see how I’m going,” she says.
It’s helped her reframe challenging teaching experiences.
“I noticed I was starting to get in the cycle of, ‘oh, this is not going well, it must be me’,” Ms White says.“And I liked revisiting QTR as a way to assess what went well for me, even if I didn’t get through all the lesson content I intended to. It’s reminded me of what different ways in which I can be reflective of my class… and what are the ways that I can support myself in my growth.”
Similarly, for Ms Cartner: “I definitely feel much more confident having this process. It just reaffirmed everything for me.”
That sense of confidence extends to supporting colleagues, particularly those early in their careers, she adds.
Sustaining momentum and broader impact
Following their involvement in the pilot, Ms Cartner and Ms White have shared their experiences beyond the school, including presenting to deputy principals through Catholic Education Western Australia.
Interest in QTR has been strong, with school leaders seeking insight into its impact on teaching practice and teacher development.
“A lot of what they wanted to know was what my experience was as an early career teacher and then how has this changed my perspective,” Ms White says.
At Holy Cross, there has also been interest in expanding QTR more broadly across the school, although leadership changes and competing priorities have influenced the pace of implementation.
Despite this, both teachers indicate that the impact of QTR has continued in their day-to-day practice.
Ms White says the program has reinforced both her teaching approach and her commitment to the profession.
“Doing the QTR program reaffirmed for me that this is exactly what I wanted to be doing,” she says. “It’s reminded me why I’m here and how I can keep getting better for my students.”
“If anything, the program has made me realise that this is exactly what I want to be doing for the rest of my life.”
Want more information? Email qtacademy@newcastle.edu.au or visit qtacademy.edu.au
