forTeachers Autumn 09
For Teachers, mō ngā kaiwhakaako. Issue 11. Autumn 2009.
In this issue:
From the Director
Entry into the Teaching ProfessionThe Teachers Council is rolling out a series of projects focused on the key entry points to the teaching profession. This work will have a powerful influence on teaching quality because these entry points signal significant steps in the career path of a teacher from tertiary student status to full registration.
Selection into an approved initial teacher education (ITE) programme is the beginning of the journey. The second stage is reached when a student successfully graduates from an approved ITE programme and is granted provisional registration. After undertaking a period of induction, the provisionally registered teacher is then able to take the third key step - being endorsed to move from provisional registration to full registration.
These key entry points will continue to be the Council's major focus over the next three years. In particular, interventions will include:
- The development of revised requirements and processes for approving ITEs, including the implementation of the recently introduced standards for graduating teachers.
- The piloting and implementation of quality induction programmes for all provisionally registered teachers and to train and support mentor teachers.
- The implementation of revised standards and assurance processes for granting full registration for provisionally registered teachers and for the renewal of practising certificates.
To successfully implement these initiatives, it will require the whole hearted support of professional leaders and teaching staff. We will be continually updating the profession on the progress of each of these initiatives through printed and electronic messages, and by national and regional meetings over the course of this year.
We welcome your feedback and suggestions on these important projects.
He poroaki ki te Kaihautū tuatahi o te waka MMAGThe Māori medium advisory group (MMAG) was first convened on 26 May 2005 as one of the advisory groups that the Teachers Council was required to establish.
Its first convener was Dr Mere Skerrett, a mother of five with links to Ngai Tahu, Waikato / Maniapoto, and ngā iwi o Te Arawa and Mataatua waka. Mere brought an extensive background of early childhood education practice in the Kohanga Reo movement, which both informed and was informed by her academic interest and research into bilingual/bicultural education, and Māori espistemology and pedagogy.
The hui of February 2009 was Mere's last attendance at MMAG. It provided the opportunity for the Chair of Te Pouherenga Kaiako o Aotearoa, Kathy Smith, and Council staff, to thank Mere for her three years' service at the helm of
the MMAG waka.
During the years of her involvement and leadership, MMAG provided significant input into two major projects: the production of the Māori language version of the Code of
Ethics, Ngā Tikanga Matatika mō ngā Pouako kua Rēhitatia, and the first phase of the initial teacher education research programme, Whakamanahia te Reo Māori – He Tirohanga Hōtaka. Both projects will have long-term benefits to the
profession and to Māori medium education.
For Teachers mō ngā Kaiwhakaako wishes to take the opportunity to acknowledge the contribution Mere has made and to wish her well in her new role at Canterbury University.
Two New Members Join CouncilTwo new members have been appointed by the Minister of Education to the Teachers Council, both nominated by the teacher unions.
The new members are Diane Wills , the Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) nominee, and Louise Green, the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) nominee. Retiring last year were the PPTA nominee, Irene Symes, who was on the Council for four years, and the NZEI nominee, Diane Leggett, a member for two years.
Diane is a secondary teacher, currently working in the English and Social Sciences departments at Hagley Community College in Christchurch. She has served three terms on the school's board of trustees.
Diane is a former member of the PPTA executive where she participated in contract negotiations.
During a year's secondment to the Education Review Office, Diane was involved in reviewing primary, secondary and early childhood education centres, providing her with a wide overview of the education sector.
Louise is currently the principal of Khandallah School in Wellington. She has been an active member of NZEI for many years and is currently serving a fourth year on the
national executive.
With more than 20 years' primary school teaching experience both in the classroom and in leadership and management positions in city, rural and integrated schools, Louise is well positioned to make a significant contribution to the Council's work.
Feedback on Registration Issues SoughtCurrently, teachers in New Zealand can be registered and issued a practising certificate in one of three categories: Provisional, Full, and Experienced – subject to confirmation.
The category you are registered in is reliant on several factors including satisfactory recent teaching experience, and the nature of the role that you are undertaking. Some teachers have indicated concerns with the categories and this prompted a project by the Teachers Council to canvass these registration issues with the aim
of including any new developments in an overarching registration policy. The registration policy will also incorporate the revised criteria for full registration that will replace the Satisfactory Teacher Dimensions.
A series of meetings will be held around New Zealand over the next two to three months, particularly with professional leaders, to generate discussion on the issues identified. A key question for the profession to consider is: "what should the different categories signal to the profession and employers?" 'Provisional registration' (PRT) is reasonably straight forward, but what is the profession seeking to distinguish with the 'fully registered' (FRT) category in contrast to the 'subject to confirmation' (STC) category? At the moment this latter category is used for teachers who have not been teaching for some time, as well as for teachers who have moved into different roles, for example, teacher educators.
Once a range of views has been canvassed, the Council will draft a policy for formal consultation with the sector later in the year. Progress on the registration policy will be provided on our website and in future editions of For Teachers.
To provide feedback on these issues, contact Marnie Hainsworth, policy analyst, at:
marnie.hainsworth@teacherscouncil.govt.nz
Induction and mentoring pilot in early childhood educationThe Teachers Council's pilot programmes in induction and mentoring for provisionally registered teachers (PRTs) is underway and one of the contracts is with New Zealand Kindergartens Incorporated for a programme with early childhood education teachers.
As this is a one-year pilot programme, much preparation was needed before the first hui of mentor teachers and the PRTs could take place in February.
The five kindergarten associations are working together in three regions, each with a slightly different focus.
The Wellington and Ruahine Associations are incorporating mentors and teachers from Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa (TTPOA), the New Zealand Childcare Association. The Nelson Association already had links to education and care services, through their registration programmes, and this will continue to be its focus. The Dunedin and Southland Kindergarten Associations are planning to incorporate teacher educators from Otago University to strengthen their programmes.
The first hui for the Wellington and Ruahine group involved opportunities for mentors, and then PRTs, to share their induction and mentoring experiences so far, as well as plan for some specific outcomes from the pilot.
Anne Masterton and Sally Roberts are senior teachers with the Wellington and Ruahine Kindergarten Associations respectively. They are both involved in overseeing the teacher registration processes in their regions.
Sally says she can already see the value of the project and what the Association may try to do in the future.
"It has been a real bonus, just awesome for the teachers to be able to network with each other. The discussion groups were great, with teachers getting together with time to talk. The mentor teachers liked getting the opportunity to learn about their role. They are often head teachers who don't ask to do it, it's just an expectation. So I can see the need for more training opportunities for mentors."
The focus of the first day with the mentors involved introducing the draft Registered Teacher Criteria and gathering feedback from them about what they needed to support PRTs, what they wanted from the Association, and what the PRTs needed from their mentors.
When the PRTs joined the group the following day, they were able to contribute their ideas regarding what they wanted from their mentors.
Anne says the pilot was very useful for facilitating discussion and setting up networks. "The PRTs looked at how to ask questions to get the support they needed and the mentors worked on how to give feedback, how to listen and how to get PRTs to go deeper in their reflections".
She says the PRTs now have a clearer understanding of what theirs and their mentors' roles involve.
Vicki Sabo is a mentor teacher at an all day kindergarten with eight teachers. She says she and her PRT were very keen to network with other teachers.
"I definitely think the support provided by this programme will be stronger not just in our own Association but with the link to the neighbouring Association. We can go and see other kindergartens because of the links made with them and get ideas, and problem solve. It's about not feeling isolated and getting support for PRTs and for mentors".
She says the hui also highlighted the importance of feedback between the PRT and the mentor. "You have to make sure time is allocated. Each day can be so busy, and even though you are working side by side together you need to make time to have informal chats to see how they [PRTs] are going."
Nadia Moon is a second year teacher from Palmerston North. "When the option was put forward to go as a team, I thought it would be interesting and great for my personal and professional development to be involved in the pilot. I found it really helpful sharing ideas and looking at certain sections. It was really good hearing everyones' experiences. It's helpful meeting with other PRTs – some are more advanced and others are at the same level. It's also good for mentors to be alongside other mentors. I'm her first PRT".
In addition to other hui for mentors and PRTs in all four regions, coming up in May and July there will be an online network where all the participants can share their experiences.
Alongside these professional learning days for the mentors and PRTs, there is an advisory group with senior teachers from all the regions in the pilot, as well as representatives from NZEI and researchers. The researchers will evaluate the effectiveness of the models of professional development being used and also the usefulness of the Council's new draft guidelines for effective induction and mentoring programmes.
You can read a full version of this article at:
www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/communication/newsletters.stm
Where next for the Linking Minds travel scholarship?A priority for the Linking Minds travel scholarship for teachers is to preserve the momentum that comes from New Zealand teachers seeing, first hand, best practice in British schools and sharing that inspiration with their Kiwi colleagues.
Each year, this professional development scholarship, sponsored by the Teachers Council, British Council, The NZ-UK Link Foundation and the Ministry of Education, enables four talented young teachers to visit schools in the United Kingdom over the September holidays. They are within their first five years as registered teachers and the current focus for the scholarship is professional leadership.
Several of the scholars were hosted by the British High Commissioner for a day last November to join discussions on 'what next?' for the scholarship.
Former Linking Minds scholar and project leader, Greg Thornton, (now deputy principal at Mount Aspiring College) says the focus of discussions was how best to build on the experiences the individual scholars gain from their overseas trip in order to sustain their learning, promote them as educational leaders and help them support others in building leadership capacity.
All 10 of the award's alumni present at the gathering, believed the Linking Minds programme had boosted their careers, describing their experiences as "refreshing" and "invigorating," and acknowledging that they were more effective and inspirational teachers as a consequence
Although there was consensus among the alumni that the trip and the discussions generated by that experience were outstanding, there was also a general feeling that more could be done for the scholarship recipients once they were back home, to "keep the momentum alive" and maintain the contacts and networks that had been created.
"The discussions were around maximising the benefit of the trip and making sure best leadership practice, knowledge, and experience continue to grow in the education community. The alumni did not want to lose the momentum that the trip generated- that is, the excitement, inspiration, networks and confidence" says Greg.
The scholars were keen for opportunities to be provided to enable regular alumni catch ups so that they could share experiences and ideas and discuss what each was doing in their own school to strengthen leadership.
The Linking Minds steering panel will examine the best ways to extend the benefits for Linking Minds' scholars when they return home through providing more support for these educational leaders in the form of professional development and networking opportunities.
One idea, put forward by the British High Commissioner, was to strengthen the link between Welsh immersion schools and New Zealand's kura kaupapa. One of the Linking Minds scholars visited a Welsh immersion school in 2006 and found the experience so valuable he is still in contact with its staff.
Last year's scholars spoke about their visits to schools in Hampshire where they explored a human rights based approach to learning built around the rights of children as articulated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and advocated by the NZ Human Rights Communities in Education Trust. You can read more about the scholars' overseas' experience and how they are using aspects of the Rights, Respect, Responsibility (RRR) programme in their own schools by going online to: www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/communication/newsletters.stm
Whaia te ara whānui, whaia te ara tika... Ngā Tikanga Matatika
E hoa, he aha te tikanga, ngā mätāpono e whakaarahia tōu mahi pouako?
E pūmau ana ngā pouako kua rehitatia ki te whakaako i Aotearoa, kia eke ki ngā tihi paerewa o te ratonga ngaio i roto i ngā mahi whakatairanga i ngā akoranga ki te hunga e whakaakongia ana, ā, me te mahara ki te taumata ako o te ākonga, tōna ahurea, tōna ira tangata, töna pakeke me töna pakaritanga hoki.
Ka ārahina ngā taunekeneke ngaio a ngā pouako e ngā mātāpono e whā. Mana Motuhake, Te Tika, Haepapa Taurima me Te Pono ki ēnei mätäpono.
Kei whea te Tiriti o Waitangi?
"Me hāngai te whakamahi o ngā Tikanga Matatika ki ngā tikanga o te ture, me te herenga hoki kei runga i ngā pouako ki te whakahōnore i te Tiriti o Waitangi mā te aro pū ki ngā tikanga me ngā wawata o te Māori i runga i tōna karanga hei tangata whenua".
Titiro ki te panui whakapiringa hei whakawhānui te mohiotanga. E hoa ma nau mai haere mai ki tetahi wänanga, ā whaia te ara whānui, whaia te ara tika.
Code of Ethics Workshops for Teachers in Mäori mediumThe Teachers Council has once again contracted Tihi Ltd to run workshops on the application of Ngā Tikanga Matatika mo ngā Pouako kua Rëhitatia, the Code of Ethics for Registered Teachers, for kaiako in Māori medium settings in early childhood education and schools.
The workshops will take place in May and June centred on Moerewa and Whangarei in the north, Ruatorea and Gisborne, Tauranga and Rotorua and Wellington.
The workshops will explore the underlying criteria, protocols or principles that guide the work of a registered teacher. They will explore how professional interactions of teachers are governed by the four fundamental principles of autonomy, justice, responsible care, and truth.
Additionally, they will discuss how the application of Ngā Tikanga Matatika will take account of the law as well as the obligation of teachers to honour the Treaty of Waitangi by recognising the rights and aspirations of Māori as tangata whenua.
Details of the Code of Ethics workshops can be found on the Council website.
Professional learning
Review of Course Approval Process in Initial Teacher EducationIn July 2007, the Teachers Council began a review of the current processes by which it approves, re-approves and monitors initial teacher education (ITE) programmes.
Its mandate to oversee programmes in this way is circumscribed by section 139AE of the Education Act 1989. The review's objective is to increase the effectiveness of these processes, and thereby strengthen the quality of graduates entering the teaching profession. At the same time, guidelines for programmes will be reviewed with new requirements incorporating the Graduating Teacher Standards (2007).
The current processes involve working in partnership with other quality assurance agencies/bodies (QAB). These include: The Committee on University Academic Programmes (CUAP) for universities, The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) for wānanga and private training establishments, and The Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics Quality (ITPQ) for institutes of technology and polytechnics.
When a programme requires approval or reapproval, a peer review panel visits the institution and meets with teaching staff, students, associate teachers and advisory committees.
The first stage of the review involved:
- a sector scan of the current system
- a review of the relevant legislation
- a review of current material and guidelines from the
New Zealand Teachers Council (NZTC), NZQA, ITPQ, and CUAP
- a review of best practice material and guidelines
- meetings and interviews with stakeholders.
The second stage of the review, which started last month, aims to establish an approvals process which is fair, transparent, research informed and sector acceptable. It will involve a reference group of education sector representatives, a writing group and consultation with the sector twice this year.
World Teachers' Day Conference 2008 "Teachers Matter"The Teachers Council celebrated World Teachers Day at its annual conference last October. The conference focused on the ways in which the profession describes the knowledge, skills, and attributes of effective teachers and how it defines the role of teachers, as this is an area under review by the Council.
Graeme Aitken, Dean of Education at the University of Auckland, addressed the conference on The Wisdom of Teaching: Signposts for the Profession. He proposed that: "effective teachers seek to maximise the time that students are engaged and successful with learning related to valued outcomes." His framework consisted of "four signposts", which could be used to assess evidence of the knowledge, skills and attributes of effective teachers. The four signposts are: wise use of time, wise action, wise use of evidence and wise people.
Graeme linked these to the Council's draft Registered Teacher Criteria, and to both The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Whāriki. The address was well received and it helped set the scene for the workshops which followed.
Delegates from all sectors were keen to closely examine the draft Registered Teacher Criteria and generally responded favourably to the document. Discussion of categories of registration led to some interesting reflections on the diversity of teaching roles and what different categories of practising certificates should represent to the profession. Reporting back to the wider group was valuable as it provided insight into the issues from each of the sectors.
Information about this year's World Teachers Day conference will be available in the next For Teachers issue.
A copy of Assoc. Prof. Aitken's presentation can be obtained from the Council's communications webpage:
www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/communication/
Whakamanahia Te Reo Māori – He Tirohanga Hōtaka research report now availableFollowing a successful launch in December, copies of the research report from the inital phase of the Te Reo Māori Proficiency research programme are now available in hard copy by emailing: comms@teacherscouncil.govt.nz
or as a downloadable pdf from the Teachers Council website at:
www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/communication/publications/
research0014.stm
Further information on the Whakamanahia Te Reo Māori research programme can be found at www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/policy/projects.stm
Pilot programmes
Trial of the Draft Registered Teacher Criteria Begins in Canterbury RegionTeachers from several Canterbury schools and early childhood education centres have chosen to take part in the Teachers Council's Draft Registered Teacher Criteria (RTC) Pilot Programme run by University of Canterbury Education Plus.
As reported in previous issues of For Teachers, the Council has reviewed the criteria used to gain and maintain full registration. The Satisfactory Teacher Dimensions are due to be replaced by new criteria – the Registered Teacher Criteria – in 2010. The draft RTC describe the standards for quality teaching that are to be met by New Zealand's fully registered teachers.
In 2008, the Council undertook a comprehensive consultation with the sector on the draft RTC and received positive feedback from teachers and stakeholders. Changes to the criteria were suggested and have been incorporated in an updated draft. The next step in the finalisation of the criteria is to pilot the draft RTC to find out if teachers are able to use the criteria in practice.
The draft RTC pilot aims to find out:
1. Whether the criteria provide a valid and useful framework to guide professional learning and development of teachers.
2. If the criteria are useful for reflecting on practice for both provisionally registered and experienced teachers.
3. Whether the criteria provide a valid and useful framework to guide assessment and appraisal of all teachers.
4. If the criteria are applicable across the range of teaching situations in New Zealand.
The pilot began this March and will be complete in August
this year. Key components of the draft RTC pilot are:
- Involvement of teachers in early childhood education, primary, secondary and Mäori medium settings in the Canterbury region.
- Participation by provisionally registered teachers and their mentor teachers, fully registered teachers and professional leaders.
- An action research model including participation in two workshops (one in Term One, the other in Term Two).
- Visits to the participant schools and early childhood education services by the programme's facilitators.
- A research strategy to evaluate the professional development model used in the pilot and to provide insights to the questions being investigated.
Findings from the pilot will be presented to Council in September. This information will be used to further refine the draft RTC before they are gazetted for use by teachers from 2010. It will also help inform the overarching registration policy being developed by the Council.
The draft RTC has been published as an A5 booklet which can be found on the Council website at: www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/policy/projects2.stm
Induction and Mentoring Pilot Programmes UnderwayFour pilots have been funded by the Teachers Council to trial models of provisionally registered teacher induction and mentor support, and the Council's Draft Guidelines for Induction and Mentoring Programmes and for Mentor Teacher Development in Aotearoa New Zealand.
These draft guidelines, or principles for effective induction practices and mentor teacher development, have been developed based on the Council's Learning to Teach research, a three stage project that investigated current induction practices in New Zealand.
Evaluation of the pilots is an essential component of the programme. Martin Jenkins and Associates has been contracted to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot programme that will help to identify ways for the Council to enhance the quality of induction and mentoring in New Zealand.
The induction and mentoring pilots are tailored to meet the different needs of the sectors within the education community. The pilots are:
Early Childhood Education – New Zealand
Kindergartens' Regional Networks:
Some 60 provisionally registered teachers and 60 mentor teachers from five regions across New Zealand (Ruahine, Wellington, Nelson, Dunedin and Southland) are taking part in regional workshops and will be supported by an online resource during 2009.
Primary – Auckland UniService's Educative Mentor
Programme:
Six Auckland primary and intermediate schools are participating in a two year programme focused on mentor development through workshops and participation in action research.
Secondary – Massey University's Professional
Learning Community:
Six secondary schools in the Taranaki, Wanganui / Manawatu and Hawke's Bay regions have been paired to work together during 2009 and 2010 with a focus on developing mentors through the support of provisionally registered teachers' (PRT) co-ordinators and specialist classroom teachers.
Māori Medium – Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi's Connected Approach:
A mix of PRTs and mentor teachers from kura kaupapa Mäori, kohanga reo, Māori immersion classes in the mainstream, and wharekura in the Bay of Plenty will take part in a programme drawing on the strengths of kaupapa Māori framework throughout 2009.
Updates on progress of the Induction and Mentoring Pilot Programme will be presented in future editions of For Teachers.
To access the draft guidelines being trialled, visit our website at: www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/policy/projects1.stm
The three Learning to Teach reports can be found on the Council website at: www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/communication/publications/research0008.stm
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