A Case for Considering the Integration of Mentoring and a Learning Trajectory Framework to Support Educators' Professional Learning and Pedagogical Practice?

High-quality early years education and care play an essential role in supporting young children's development, particularly those experiencing economic, emotional, or social challenges. National and international research highlights the significant impact of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) educators on children's development. In Ireland, the ECEC sector has witnessed an increasing emphasis on professional learning, as outlined in the Síolta Quality Framework (Standard 11), Aistear, the national curriculum framework, and in recent Government policies. Mentoring is internationally acknowledged as a key support in ensuring process quality in ECEC settings. This is acknowledged nationally, with settings having access to the Better Start National Early Years Quality Development Service, which supports the development of professional learning and practice through a mentoring programme. However, the impact of this programme is inconclusive, with recent data highlighting positive outcomes for specific areas or goals in a particular setting, but failing to influence the entire setting, and providing little evidence of sustained improvement. This may be attributed to the practice of self-reporting on outcomes and no measurable approach used. This paper explores the rationale for combining a mentoring programme with the Zone of Proximal Teacher Development (ZPTD) framework to support ECEC professional learning and pedagogical practice. This framework emphasises the dynamic interplay between prior experience and new knowledge, aligning with Vygotsky’s principles of mediated learning. It defines four stages of development that provide a structured yet flexible, iterative foundation for professional growth.