Mentoring New Teachers

I was fortunate to be asked to go on the the 4 day trip to Rawhiti Marae in November. I went with about 20 Māori students from Kata O'Donnell's tutor class and 3 other teachers. The purpose of the trip was to familiarise the students with Māori tikanga in a remote settlement on Māori land which is quite different from what they are accustomed to. Activities were run by WaiNot Tourism and featured a forest walk, snorkelling, fishing with nets, cooking pippis on the beach, swimming and jet ski riding. The students were kept busy from 7.45am until about 10pm at night. It was a great way for them to bond together well away from school and to have new experiences learning new skills. What did I learn from This? I learned more about ways of working with Māori students,the importance of tikanga, eating, sleeping and working together. It was fascinating to be in such a remote untouched environment and to see how the students behaved and related differently fro...

In conversation with a beginning teacher recently, the question of pedagogy came up. What is pedagogy? The Oxford dictionary defines pedagogy as"  The method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept." Teaching as inquiry is an important aspect of effective pedagogy The NZ Curriculum defines pedagogy as: " Teacher actions promoting student learning " There is also  culturally responsive pedagogy. Ako  underpins the Practising Teacher Criteria and is an important component of culturally responsive teaching and learning.  A good way to check if you are including effective pedagogy in your lesson plans & units of work is to use these sentence starters. I create a supportive learning environment by........... I encourage reflective thought and action by............. I enhance the relevance of new learning by.............. I facilitate shared learning by.................. I make connections to prior learn...

Steve Rowe from Team Solutions ran a workshop on Teacher Only Day ( Image from thesmartteacher.com) Culturally Responsive Pedagogy – Steve Rowe Please click on the links highlighted for more information Whakawhanaungatanga – relations & connections – how do we build on the layers of relationhips & connections Look at 4 docs:- ·       Well being for success  ·       NZ Curriculum       Te Marautanga ·       Tataiako ·       Kia Eke Panuku – Te Kotahitanga Treaty ofWaitangi ·       Partnership ·       Curriculum – all students have opportunity to acquire Te Reo & tikanga ·       Relationship & engagement with Maori learners inclusing whanau & background ·       Listening to learners & no deficit theorising Maoripot...