Constructing Scenarios for the Future of Teaching in Austria

The Centre for Educational Research and Innovation continues to recognise the core importance of teachers and teaching. After an extensive synthesis of the OECD’s existing work on the teaching profession over the years, the need to explore professional identities became obvious. The roles and responsibilities of teachers have seen significant changes over the past decade. Education, childhood, labour markets and society as a whole have experienced considerable changes, prompting the need to think about the effects of changes on the teaching profession. The New Professionalism and the Future of Teaching project researched how professionalism has evolved, including the importance of working with others to confront complex contexts, so called ‘connective professionalism’. Based on the evidence base and ideas for next practice, the project developed a methodology to help diverse stakeholders in education to construct a shared vision on what the teaching profession could look like in the future.

This study in Austria is the third in a series of three education system studies conducted in 2023 and 2024. Various stakeholders, including teachers, student teachers, teacher-researchers, teacher educators, school leaders, policy makers, unions, school inspectors, and parental representation bodies, provided feedback on their ambitions for the future of teaching in Austria. Choosing among a set of ambitions to better connect teachers with other professionals within the school community, other education providers (such as universities and teacher education colleges) and broader society, they shared their judgements of what would be high priority and also how big a change this would be from the current context. Would it be an ambition for transformation over a period of many years? Or would it be possible to build on existing mechanisms or initiatives? Or could this ambition be achieved by improvements over the short term?

Different perspectives were gathered in two main ways. The first one was an online survey around the ambitions. As an example, one of the ambitions was that that “education policy makers develop mechanisms to use creative solutions (or micro-innovations) that schools develop as inspiration for education”. All respondents (100%) rated this as a high priority ambition and 73% judged this would require transformation. All respondents also rated as high priority that “all partners recognise the value of being physically together on site to have personal, physical and social interactions” but judged that this could be achieved via building on current strengths in the system and some short-term improvements. The second way to gather perspectives consisted of two stakeholder workshops in Salzburg and Vienna where a total of six working groups collectively constructed scenarios for the future of teaching. Each working group comprised individuals with different roles and responsibilities in or around schools. They worked with the results of the survey and selected priority ambitions to support their vision on the future of teaching. These provided stimulus for their discussions, but their specific visions grew out of a mutual exchange of professional experiences from different perspectives within and surrounding teaching in Austria.

Of course, this study in no way aims to be representative or comprehensive. It draws on the work of a group of willing professionals with a stake in Austrian education who offered to share their expertise. This initial effort to anticipate and increase deeper, structured thinking about medium- and long-term scenarios for teacher professionalism and empowerment offers input on how to strengthen the teaching profession in Austria. Potential benefits for the system include long-term strategic thinking regarding the Austrian teacher workforce and finding solutions to issues that transcend the short-term.

While constructing the scenarios for the future of teaching, stakeholders reflected on three research questions set for this study by the Austrian Ministry of Education in consultation with the OECD.

What will it mean to be a teacher in the future? What should be at the core of the teaching profession? The set of future scenarios envisages a core of teaching for the future that creates a culture of teaching driven by curiosity, openness and innovativeness, focused on preparing young people for a world of future challenges. This includes teacher innovation based on student needs and supporting student mindsets that move towards self-regulating rather than being controlled. Teachers are envisioned to be self-reflective and autonomous – but they are also supported to foster collaborative approaches with other teachers and as part of working in multidisciplinary teams.

How to develop teacher professional identity and a more collaborative profession? Imagine teachers have room and freedom to experiment with innovation and new pedagogical approaches. Teachers’ mindsets are moving from “me and my class” to “us and our school”. Collaboration is seen as a (teacher) leadership skill, and a shared understanding of collaboration is integrated into teacher education, which supports changing the mindset and approaches to continuing professional development. New ways of professional development will be needed that are meaningful to teachers and their current work. Platforms for exchanging ideas would be well designed to facilitate a culture of cooperation and feedback.

What are possible new ways for teachers to collaborate and co-operate as a team in knowledge management, but also on current topics about school or society? What steps can be taken towards a co-operative school? Developing the professional role, including supporting a culture of shared feedback and support for teaching teams, should reduce pressure on individuals to be responsible for success and more focus on ways to harness collective professional identity. Dedicated space, including physical spaces, should allow teachers to critically reflect as a core part of their work together. Learning between professionals should extend between schools and by working closely with other meaningful partnerships. As the diversity of teacher profiles grows there is value in considering how different experiences and skills can be utilised within a school.

And what support services do teachers need to improve and maintain their physical and mental health? A clear school leadership vision prioritises well-being and enables targeted innovation. This includes system-wide supports such as mentoring, supervision, and coaching, along with robust induction processes that promote teamwork and collaboration. Prioritising leadership development at all levels and partnering with external professionals can further strengthen teacher well-being, for example through initiatives like “mindful schools” and ongoing professional learning.

The OECD identified ten key elements that feature across a set of five preferred future scenarios for the future of teaching in Austria. Arguably, all would be important to the future of teaching, and many are common to several of the scenarios. Leadership, interdisciplinary working, teacher career development/ diversity, collaborative school cultures, external collaborations, teacher autonomy and professional identity, and an innovation culture feature in all five scenarios. Healthy school environments, student learning initiatives, and partnerships with society and families were featured in most of the scenarios.

The study also underlines the importance of thinking in more nuanced ways about the existing teacher workforce and potential new recruits. There is a rich diversity of professionals working within Austrian schools, with different motivations, life phases, passions, ambitions and professional development needs. An evidence-informed set of six Austrian teacher personas provides input to stress test the set of future scenarios. What would different teachers find attractive in the future scenarios that were developed? Would it be particularly attractive to experienced teachers? Would newer recruits hold some reservations? Would it match what younger people will be looking for in their working lives? Overall, the Austrian teacher personas responded positively to the suggested scenarios for the teaching profession in Austria.

This report presents results of the initial reflection and provides tools to extend the exercise going forward.