Transcript
Anne Brokenshire – Principal, Hillmorton High School
I often talk to the staff about an ethic of care. And it’s their job to ensure that all students in their classes learn. And unless you care for the person, I'm not sure that that really happens. So they care about the student as a person, but they also care about their potential, they care about the learning that is happening.
Ross Paniora – Teacher, Hillmorton High School
We examined our school data and some of that was pretty damning, to be very honest. Damning in terms of, we had students leaving the school before they had reached opportunities to sit the external assessments, or to gain achievement at NCEA level. And the second one that really hit us between the eyes was the fact that in 2005, over 50% of the students – Year 11 Māori – who left the school that year, left with no credits whatsoever.
Ross Paniora
A majority of our teachers could see a need from the data that we presented to them. And so action research became the process by which we tried to improve things for our Māori students. There is nothing like your own school data to motivate teachers to want to improve things.
Kylie Coulbeck – Te Kauhua Facilitator
Our action research provided them that vehicle to examine what an issue was for them, where they perhaps felt the need for professional development. Then be in charge of their own progress and the process, and take some sort of responsibility. They conducted sort of initial data collection within their classes, and then proceeded to put their strategies and their professional development in place. Alongside, we had the specialist classroom teacher who was always there to assist and help, as well as any member of the Te Kouhua team that they could approach. After a term, two terms’ worth, they went back, had another look at their classes and their data collection, reissued a survey or analysis, and then proceeded to sort of write that up.
Ross Paniora
We took the point of view that good teaching and learning for Māori students was good teaching and learning for all.
Kylie Coulbeck
One of the big things with professional development is when people are involved in doing something that they feel is important to them, then there is much more involvement and willingness to develop their own teaching and learning philosophies and strengths.
Ross Paniora
Ann sets the tone in the fact that she has very high expectations of us to be reflective practitioners.