Ngā mihi mahana ki a koe
Another busy month here at the Council. I’m sure like me, you’re all enjoying the lengthening days, however, it also marks the busyness of NCEA and the end of the year.
At the Council| we’ve been reviewing a number of our processes to ensure a genuine commitment to both Te Tiriti o Waitangi and our Council values.
While we acknowledge the Council has statutory functions to carry out, our processes are often distressing for those involved - what I have observed is, our processes tend to focus on procedure and not people. We are redesigning this area of our business to ensure we protect the mana of those involved in mandatory reporting and competence and conduct cases.
Applying a tikanga Maori approach offers the opportunity to create a more inclusive, culturally appropriate way for teacher's mana to be respected throughout such processes. By focussing on mana and taking care of people, we aim to accommodate and respect not just cultural needs but other diverse needs, so we are walking the talk. The Council is in the very early stages of this mahi.
I have recently seen the benefits provided by such a tikanga Maōri approach. I participated last month in a hui at Ōrakei Marae, to apologise and acknowledge the hurt caused for one of our teachers. We applied our values and a hohou te rongo approach, which means to ‘make peace’ or ‘cement peace’. Everyone was given an uninterrupted voice in a safe space – especially the teacher and her whānau, there was no dominant faction or hierarchy, which allowed the process to be mana enhancing, while we worked together to restore balance and find peace.
Those involved felt they had, not only a voice, but that their voice was heard and that all elements that they wished to have addressed were. The teacher advised us, that she ‘felt the hurt lift from me’, that she considered the revised processes to be extremely good and an exemplar for other agencies, and that she believed implementation of the policies would mean that none of her professional colleagues would face the harm that she faced. All involved agree it was an empowering event. I attended this first hohou te rongo focussed hui and was greatly moved and it reassured me that as an organisation committed to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, this is the right approach moving forward.
Noho ora mai
Lesley
Chief Executive
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| Your professional practice |
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Applications open for enhanced Induction and Mentoring Programme
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The Teaching Council and the Ministry of Education are pleased to share that a contract has been signed with Auckland University to deliver the enhanced induction and mentoring programme. The government-funded programme is open for applications from eligible beginning teachers nationwide.
Action: Read about the enhanced Induction and Mentoring Programme here.
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| Te Reo Māori and your practice |
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We just want to reinforce for the profession, the importance and value of using Te Reo Māori. This is an integral part of Our Code, Our Standards | Ngā Tikanga Matatika, Ngā Paerewa. We’ve had a few comments lately about the question asked during the renewal process: 'has the teacher progressed in their knowledge and understanding of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori?’ that indicate some people are uncertain of how this applies to all teachers within Aotearoa, New Zealand.
As a teacher or education leader in Aotearoa New Zealand, it is a requirement that you are able to teach with understanding of the context we all live and work in. This is irrelevant of how many learners or staff you work with who identify as Māori – all learners deserve a rich and full education and that includes learning about our indigenous people.
Action: Revisiting the statements in Our Code, Our Standards | Ngā Tikanga Matatika, Ngā Paerewa around expectations is a good starting point.
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| Professional Growth Cycle |
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We really want to ensure people understand that appraisal is no longer a requirement for teachers and that we are moving to a professional growth cycle from 1 February 2021. |
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We’ve now held 48 zoom webinars, which have provided opportunities to hear more about the professional growth cycle and to discuss ideas for this with other participants (in the breakout spaces). There has been very positive feedback from participants about the zoom sessions.
New webinar sessions have been scheduled for 2021, you can register via our website.
We have also recorded a webinar and created supporting resources for you to engage with at your convenience.
Action: Register for a live Zoom webinar or watch the recorded webinar.
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| Registration and Certification |
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| Heads up: the Council will be shutting down for the holiday period December 25 to January 4 |
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Annual certification using our online system Hapori Matatū
It's now coming into peak processing season for the Council. As teachers have a three-month window to apply to renew their certificate, prior to expiry, we’d really encourage you to not delay and get in and ensure your certification is processed promptly. Applications received before or on January 31 2021 will be issued for three years and at the current fee. If you apply after or on February 1 2021 your certificate will be issued for one year at the new annual rate.
The Council appreciates that people are busy, particularly at the end of the school year, but by being proactive you will get it processed quickly and not have your professional leader chasing you! You can also log in at any time and see what stage your application is at.
We’re also noticing a number of paper-based applications coming in. With the new online system not only is your application processed faster, but you get to save a tree or two! So please don’t use that form you found in the staff room or someone else supplied to you, just log in to Hapori Matatū!
Please, use the log in guide and user guide when applying.
Have a conversations in Hapori Matatū
Hapori Matatū is a secure platform that has been set up so teachers can interact within the profession on topics of interest, to share information, link to resources or just have a chat.
As part of our research into what teachers wanted from their online platform, a safe place to have conversations was frequently asked for, and Hapori Matatū is set up for this. You can set up your own group, or join others that are already there.
We’ll be referring more and more to the tools in Hapori Matatū in the new year.
What involvement or access to conversations does the Teaching Council have?
Just like social media, each platform requires a moderator. Moderators are not actively part of conversations or view posts made, rather they are there to moderate the platform. Typically, this involves checking any alerts that are lodged by teachers based on any inappropriate posts made. The Teaching Council has one designated moderator who has access to this area, other staff at the Council do not have access to this part of Hapori Matatū.
New chat function coming soon!
It’s been a busy year with a lot of changes for teachers and we want to ensure we are there to support you. As part of moving online we’ll be adding ‘chat’ to our Teaching Council website.
We received many queries through our conversations tool which is not set up for the Council to use, so our new chat tool will be much easier to access and use for all.
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If you need to complete an Extension to Teach form for a teacher, the form is now on Hapori Matatū.
Action: Simply go to Hapori Matatū, click on ‘Extension Request’ on the home page navigation, and follow the instructions found here.
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Historical Abuse Allegations Against Teachers
The Teaching Council is the authority to investigate current and formerly registered teachers in cases of suspected misconduct and it has set up a process for managing enquiries regarding any matters that fall under the Royal Commission of inquiry into abuse in state and faith-based care.
Action: If you have any questions about this process email Kathy.Moy-Low@teachingcouncil.nz
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Teachers' mana
When a new government comes in, or the current one returns, organisations prepare BIMs (Briefing to the incoming Minister) to give a new or returning Minister an overview of the priorities of their organisation, and identifies some of the more significant issues and opportunities. In our recent BIM we highlighted the importance of teachers’ mana.
“It is our duty to protect and grow teachers’ mana. “The mana tangata of our teachers is precious. Without it, they cannot teach.”
Mana is the principle of power, authority, influence, and prestige. Mana tangata refers to that mana which is derived from the actions and abilities of the holder. All teachers have mana tangata because of their professional skills, relationships, influence over ākonga (learners), and essential role in their communities. If we reflect on the most influential teachers in our lives, they are usually those teachers whose mana tangata was overwhelming.
The Teaching Council’s legal purpose speaks of ‘enhancing the status of the profession’. We understand this to mean protecting and growing the mana of individual teachers, leaders, and the profession. We consider this mana-enhancing responsibility key to achieving safe, high-quality leadership, teaching, and learning for all ākonga in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Action: Read our BIM here.
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| Your Governing Council at Work |
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At the October and November Governing Council Hui:
At the October and November hui the Governing Council:
- Agreed to an approach for how the Teaching Council will proceed with the temporary COVID-19 ITE policy changes in 2021
- Agreed to establish an advisory group on Pacific Education
- Approved appointments to the Complaints Assessment Committee and Disciplinary Tribunal
- Discussed opportunities, challenges, and the role of the Teaching Council in Early Childhood Education
- Received an update on the project Removing Appraisal for Professional Leaders
- Received a report back from the Teaching Council Inclusive Education Advisory Group
- Received a report back from the Early Childhood Education Advisory Group
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Anna MacKinnon has resigned as the Primary Teacher Elected Member of the Governing Council effective on 26th November 2020, as she has accepted a principal role in Tauranga.
Because there is more than six months left in Anna’s term, the Council has appointed a replacement per Clause 5(3) of Schedule 19 of the Education and Training Act 2020. |
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Elg Anderson was the highest-ranking unsuccessful candidate in the 2019 election for primary teachers and has accepted the invitation to join the Council as the Primary Teacher elected member for the remainder of Anna’s term (until 30 June 2022).
Elg Anderson is a Te Reo teacher at Fitzroy Primary School in New Plymouth and a Student Teacher Assessor at the University of Waikato. She has over 25 years’ experience at all levels of Primary school. Elg has a passion for making teaching an aspirational career choice and a rewarding, highly valued, sustainable career for those already in the profession. She has recently been a member of the Council’s Registration and ITE Panels.
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