-
Tātai Aho Rau : Pushing the boundaries of educational possibility
Quality Teaching Research & development
The Quality Teaching Research and Development in Practice Project was an exploratory project, funded by the Ministry of Education, which intended to support teaching and learning with social studies/tikanga-a-iwi across Maori medium and Samoan bi-lingual/bi-literacy teaching settings. The purpose of the project was to build on existing knowledge to understand more about quality teaching. Teachers involved in the project undertook graduate or post graduate study, which included a collaborative action research project based on questions that focused on a particular aspect of their teaching and learning with Maori and Pasifika students. Teachers were also supported through a cycle of observations, goal setting and mentoring, which encouraged reflective practice and helped to develop their collaborative action research questions. The final component was an online community support that brought all participants together and allowed for the sharing of resources and materials, created a forum for discussion and dissemination, and allowed teachers to maintain their reflective practice through an online reflective journal.
- Teacher participants had a range of different prior training, qualifications, and professional experience. Some had different levels of competence in te reo Maori, some were familiar with the Marautanga o Aotearoa redevelopment, and some knew less about classroom management, curriculum and pedagogy. Teacher diversity and readiness for professional learning are important factors to consider in professional development provision.
- The aim of the project was to raise student engagement and achievement through supporting and changing teacher practice. The participants gained enhanced knowledge of Tikanga-a-iwi, learned about teacher inquiry and action research and developed their critical reflective practice. Progress was made in these areas, but teachers needed more time and opportunity to practice what they had learned.
- There were many challenges with a qualification based professional development programme, such as funding issues, pressure to succeed academically, some people wanted to participate but not have to do formal qualifications and others appreciated the opportunity to combine professional development with upgrading their qualifications.
- There were some inconsistencies of expectations, which meant that the roles and responsibilities of the participants were not always clear. The full report indicates that many teachers did not have the expertise required, access to computers at home, or time to engage in online community learning, and preferred face-to-face contact to develop stronger whanaungatanga.
- Teachers developed their understanding of how to turn learning intentions into positive learning experiences for students. They made connections between pedagogical knowledge and their subject knowledge and their subject content knowledge. This enabled them to develop students’ knowledge, understandings and social inquiry skills. Teachers were also better able to transfer effective pedagogical approaches developed through their inquiry in tikanga-a-iwi to other learning areas.
education
