EA Blog

“Let’s get clear, the future just kicked the door down.”

Effective leaders build a school culture that ensures all learners experience equity and excellence. A culture where diversity is a strength, all are valued, and everyone grows. A culture where the right problems are identified, clarified, and where agreed solutions benefit all.

I was asked recently by a secondary middle leader what professional learning I could recommend as he was keen to start applying for senior leadership positions. Ongoing professional learning is an important part of any teacher’s life, just as learning on the job is important.

When working with school leaders and teachers to improve their coaching skills, we find there are usually a few big ‘aha’ moments.

As I reflect on five years as a leadership advisor, and a significant number of days in lockdown during 2020 and 2021, I am prompted to consider the dysfunctional staff relationships within some schools.

Educational leaders are well aware of the importance of enabling teachers to take charge of their own learning in their professional settings.

I have recently reflected on what has shaped my learning and practice around assessment throughout my 40-year career in education.

Vocabulary knowledge and enrichment in Aotearoa NZ secondary classrooms

How ‘open to learning’ are you?

Tēnei rā te mihi maioha ki a koutou i runga anō i ngā tini āhuatanga o te wā.

‘How can I know who I am until I see what I do? How can I know what I value until I see where I walk”? Weick, 1995, p 25 (quoted in Leadership for Learning, Issue 1 Winter 2016/17, p4.)

To achieve success, each school in Aotearoa has the autonomy to design and develop their own school-wide systems.

I'm a country girl. So when I turned 18 and moved to Auckland, it took some adjusting to. One of the biggest challenges was trying to navigate the place. It was huge. I can remember many times driving around, not really knowing how to get to my destination, but hopeful of spotting something familiar, a street name or a landmark. I often got lost, and when I did I would just head towards the sky tower and hope for the best. I relied a lot on remembering things from previous journeys and sheer luck in those early days.

Ko Titirangi tōku maunga

Ko Uawa tōku awa

Ko Kerry ahau

Kia ora koutou. I'm Kerry Tetupu and I have very recently joined the team at Evaluation Associates | Te Huinga Kākākura Mātauranga.

Educational leaders know the importance of creating a learning culture and building a sense of community within their ECE centres, schools, Kāhui Ako and organisations.

If you are a mathematics fanatic, like me, you may also enjoy it for the logical and methodical way problems are solved.

PaCT, the Progress and Consistency Tool, was not readily accepted by the education sector during its early life, because of the link to National Standards.

As I stood in front of my class, sweetly crooning “It's been seven hours and 15 days, since you took your love away...” I thought “How did I get here?” and “Where did it all go wrong?” and my mind drifted back to the day a week before when my Year 10 Social Studies class slumped dispiritedly into my room.

Professional growth cycles (PGC) create an opportunity for leaders to review how teacher professional growth is promoted. Open conversations about what staff value when considering professional growth, and what further support might be appreciated to further develop their practice, are required. Such conversations can ensure PGCs are planned and created ‘with’, rather than ‘done to’ teachers.

As I am new to the Evaluation Associates team, I am drawn almost immediately to Michael Absolum’s touchstone book ‘Clarity in the Classroom’ where the Archway of Teaching and Learning Capabilities is thoroughly explored.