| April | Aperira| Paenga-whāwhā |
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CE Welcome
Ngā mihi mahana ki a koe
I’m keeping my newsletter message short as many of you will be busy finishing off last minute term one tasks, I also acknowledge those who'll be working through. For all of us it’s certainly been a busy start to the year.
There’s lots of great content in this April Matatū, including our new policy dashboard, information about PGC, physical restraint, and we’d love to get your feedback on Unteach Racism.
If you're taking a break, I hope it's safe and restful in preparation for what is sure to be a busy term two.
Noho ora mai
Lesley Hoskin
Chief Executive
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| Policy Dashboard
In order to keep the profession informed and up to date on activities at the Teaching Council, the new Policy Dashboard will provide an overview of recent Teaching Council | Matatū policy development, the wider education sector policy development and law reform, by providing a snapshot of policies, submissions, analysis, and recommendations.
This dashboard will be updated each month and included in Matatū to provide the profession with the latest up-to-date overview of developments.
This is one of the important roles we play, on behalf of the profession.
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The Council’s very excited to introduce Miromiro our newest team member to you! Miromiro is the Teaching Council chatbot, now available to help answer your questions. Using Miromiro is a great way to access information quickly and since launching has already answered over 1,000 queries.
So how did Miromiro come to life? The New Zealand Miromiro looks similar to a robin. They are small birds with a large head, a short bill and tail, and live in forest and scrub. In Māori tradition the Miromiro, while tiny in size, played an important role in old Māori rituals, from birth to death. Its sharp sight in seeking out insects and grubs is recalled in the saying about an observant person, he karu miromiro, a tomtit’s eye.
So, this little bird is an excellent choice as it uses its sharp focus to seek out answers to questions from the profession in an instant.
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We’d encourage you to use Miromiro who sits on the bottom right-hand side of our website and is working 24/7! As with all chatbots, Miromiro is on a learning journey and every question asked adds to the knowledge database, so the more it’s used, the better it works.
Click on the image below to give Miromiro a try! |
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| Unteach Racism
If you’ve been using the Unteach Racism App we’d love to hear from you!
Unteach Racism was launched last year and a year on, we’d love to hear your feedback. Perhaps you’ve completed the app, or your school, kura, or early learning centre has been talking about ways you’ve taken the leap from personal journey to supporting your colleagues to explore the app and website.
If you’d like to share some of your personal story of using the Unteach Racism app or website, we’d appreciate hearing from you. Please contact us via letstalk@teachincouncil.nz to share your story. If you’re happy for us to share this anonymously with the education community, please indicate this permission in your email as well. We look forward to hearing from you!
If you haven’t had time to engage with the Unteach racism resources, please start with Taika Waititi’s invitation – we think it’s his best work yet! You'll find Taika Waititi's video and other resources on the Unteach Racism website.
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Te Puna Mātauranga (previously 'Education Knowledge Lounge')
He aha te huarahi? I runga i te tika, te pono me te aroha What is the pathway? It is doing what is right, with integrity and compassion.
Te Puna Mātauranga is a collaboration between Victoria University of Wellington, the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, and the Education Review Office. Over time, we envisage this collective will grow.
We’re planning a series of wānanga, initially via one and a half hour zoom sessions and then, when we can, moving to hybrid online/in-person events. Each event will have a couple of speakers, a host, and time for dialogue among presenters and participants.
Join in to listen, discuss, and debate with colleague's ideas about evidence-based education.
We want to connect thought leadership across research, policy, and practice to deepen our understanding and learn from each other about big ideas in education. Anyone with an interest in evidence-based education is welcome to join in.
Who should attend:
- Kaiako, teachers, leaders, policy makers, researchers, anyone contributing to making a difference in education!
Join our first session – The Future of learning in a post-covid world
- Date: 19th May, 4-5:30pm
- Presenters: Parehuia Enari, Derek Wenmoth
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Feel free to pass this link on to any colleagues who may be interested.
Future wānanga includes:
- Curriculum for the future
- Education for sustainability
- Social justice and equity in education
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Physical Restraint
The Council wants the burden shifted from the profession — submission on new physical restraint guidance
The Governing Council | Matatū submission on the Draft Rules and Guidelines on the use of physical restraint at registered schools and kura in New Zealand acknowledges they contribute to a journey but seeks a package of resources, significant investment, and a number of changes to make them workable on the ground and successful.
The submission notes the draft rules and guidelines do not change the current reality — that members of the teaching profession are largely left on their own to bear the burden of responsibility for dealing with increasingly complex societal issues, e.g. learners | ākonga traumatised through family violence or poverty, or health conditions such as depression and Foetal Alcohol Syndrome. Teachers and kaiako need to consider the law, the rules, and guidelines, and the Code | Ngā Tikanga Matatika and Standards | Ngā Paerewa when exercising their judgement in response to often fast-moving and complex situations.
They are expected to engage in one-on-one de-escalation strategies while still being responsible for a large number of learners | ākonga, and to apply sound judgements based on assessments of learner | ākonga consent, the risk of imminent harm, including significant emotional distress, and awareness of the details of support plans that may apply. This burden of responsibility to consider not just an individual learner | ākonga but all others present as they assess, process, and act upon complex situations impacts of the wellbeing | hauora of teachers and kaiako.
The teaching profession seeks the resourcing, support, and engagement of all communities in building a society that has joint responsibility for the learning and growth of every learner | ākonga, and that respects the mana, potential, and rights of all. The submission discusses more fully the impact of the lack of specialist resources and the burden of responsibility on teachers and kaiako, avoiding a compliance focus, and the need for significant investment in resourcing and training, including in the early childhood sector.
The full submission can be read here
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Fees and Levy update
The consulation period for fees and levy’s has closed. All feedback is now being analysed and will be presented to the Governing Council for consideration. Governing Council Chair, Nicola Ngarewa would like to thank all those who took the time to participate.
Please click on the video below to hear Nicola's message. |
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Professional Growth Cycle (PGC)
Recently, we have had the privilege of hearing about some of the work schools, kura and early learning centres are doing to design and implement their Professional Growth Cycle (PGC). We would like to be able to share some of these stories with the wider profession.
If you and/or your colleagues would be interested in speaking with us further about your PGC journey, please email letstalk@teachingcouncil.nz with ‘PGC sharing’ in the subject line.
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Your Governing Council at work
Governing Council members are responsible for ensuring our legislative functions are carried out effectively and efficiently and in the interests of the profession and the public.
But the Council’s vision is much broader, they wish to enable and support the teaching profession to maximise the success of every learner | ākonga in Aotearoa. Some of the work we’ve done in this area and continue to do:
- Developed new Our Code, Our Standards | Ngā Tikanga Matatika, Ngā Paerewa
- New streamlined Registration Policy, including Evidence-Based Language Competency Policy Requirements
- All applications for registration and renewal of practising certificates now 100% online, with 65% of renewals completed in 5 working days (down from 20 working days)
- Development and launch of the Professional Growth Cycle, to replace appraisal
- Progressing changes to conduct and competence processes
- Launch of Rauhuia | Leadership Space
- Launch of Unteach Racism in education
- ECE endorsement for overseas trained teachers
- Worked collaboratively with teachers, professional leaders and academics to co-develop the Leadership Strategy for the teaching profession
- In response to feedback from the profession, commissioned NZCER to develop the Educational Leadership Capability Framework
- Secured the mandate to implement the leadership ‘Centre’
- Nationwide workshops and suite of online resources for Tapasā Cultural Competencies Framework for Teachers of Pacific Learners
- Legislative changes to physical restraint
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