Building teacher capability
Support for Digital Fluency
Digital fluency is about supporting teachers, kaiako, ākonga and students to confidently and effectively use digital technologies to enhance teaching and learning outcomes.
Digital fluency includes being an adept producer of digital content and understanding the social costs and benefits associated with digital technologies, including issues of access and equity.
Digital fluency is about helping ākonga to develop skills in critical literacy in digital contexts, and to recognise how language, symbol and text affect understanding and communications.
– Ministry of Education
Digital fluency encompasses:
- digital capabilities – being digitally adept and innovative; able to confidently choose and use digital tools to learn, create, and share
- digital principles – demonstrating values when working digitally; being an ethical, respectful, and responsible digital citizen
- digital literacies – being discerning and critical; able to locate, understand, organise, evaluate, and adapt digital content.
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Ministry of Education funded professional learning and development
The Professional Learning and Development website provides information on Ministry-funded PLD for schools, kura, Kāhui Ako, and clusters. The online PLD application process is explained and support materials are provided.
Support for Digital Technologies and Hangarau Matihiko
Kauwhata Reo – site for content, tools and resources for teachers and learners of te reo Māori. Please note the site is still in development.
Technology online – provides resources supporting schools and kura implement the technology learning area and the digital technologies, hangarau matihiko whenu.
Professional learning and development – information on Ministry-funded PLD for schools, kura, Kāhui Ako, and clusters.
Effective professional learning and development is:
- in-depth
- provided over time
- related to practice
- contextually relevant.
Introducing schoolwide PLD
As your school begins a new initiative such as developing an innovative learning environment, learning with 1-1 devices, or a new software, there can be a variety of different reactions from teachers. Some are very keen, while others may find change intimidating.
Spend time with your staff identifying their concerns and the barriers they may be experiencing. Put in place systems which will address those so that all teachers are confident and equipped to move into the new practices.
Gavin Burn and Cathie Zelas explain the process they used for a successful move from a traditional learning environment to an innovative learning environment at Halswell School. Key to their success was comprehensive and ongoing staff professional development. This included:
- addressing staff concerns around the upcoming changes using the Concerns-based adoption model (CBAM)
- modelling the concept of agency
- meeting the learning needs identified by staff
- supporting staff to trial and evaluate systems for successful collaboration.
Online PLD
As Pegasus Bay School focused on developing culturally responsive practice, the whole staff were given the option of working through the online course, Te Reo Puawai. Teachers explain the benefits of this approach and share how they collaborated, supported each other, and developed their practice together.
Principal, Roger Hornblow explains the importance of being deliberate about giving teachers skills at a personal level, which have practice and performance outcomes.
Flipped PLD
Flipped PLD enables staff to access information and review the knowledge component prior to the face-to-face PLD session by watching videos or accessing resources online. This frees up PLD workshops for more personalised learning focused on the individual needs and contexts of teachers and staff.
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- Flipped PLD – Information about flipped PLD, benefits of this approach, how to plan your flipped PLD with NZ school examples, and resources and readings.
Using a teacher inquiry approach
Chris Allen, principal of Sacred Heart Girls' College, and Mike Wilson, ICT cluster director, share why they chose to use a teacher inquiry model as a focus for professional learning and why that approach has been so successful. Professional development occurred in a number of ways that included:
- teachers sharing their practice, outcomes from inquiries, and discussing pedagogy
- using the SAMR model
- techy brekkies – short morning meetings to share aspects of using digital technologies
- student experts in one class supporting other classes
- digital citizenship being focused on across the school.
Teacher, Kate Friedwald explains how whole school PD at Wairakei School, based on the Teaching as Inquiry model, is being applied to ICT or some form of technology, and how through the SAMR model they are ensuring students get the best from their teaching.
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The e-leader's role
The role of e-leader can be developed to support the implementation of your digital technologies plan. An effective e-leader can support ongoing, coherent deep learning enabled by digital technologies.
Allister Williamson’s role as e-Learning coordinator at Pakuranga College involves overseeing their professional learning programme. They have systems in place to support teachers with learning to use digital technologies effectively. These include whole school audits of capability, a system of rubrics to support teachers with next steps for learning, and a professional learning programme based on teacher inquiry supported by e-mentors.
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Observing teachers’ classroom practice, analysing the lesson and providing feedback is often cited as a central feature of mentoring and coaching relationships that result in improved learning for students. The particular advantage of this form of coaching is the direct embedding of the interactions between the coaches and teachers in the context of teachers’ daily work, a key tenant of effective professional development.
Timperley, H. S., Parr, J. M., & Hulsbosch N. H. (2008) Coaching through feedback: A close and critical analysis
Literacy coaches, Gill Aldworth and Denise Brown talk about their role in supporting teachers with their inquiries and how teachers are using the literacy progressions, refining what they are teaching, and being very specific and forming their next steps.
Teacher, Vicki Pimenta shares her approach to using the literacy progressions and raising student achievement in reading. By including student voice and encouraging the students to know where they were and what their next step was going to be students own their learning. In the classroom she uses QR codes to help them with this. In this video you can see how the literacy coaches have supported her teacher inquiry in the classroom.
Key resource
Coaching through feedback: A close and critical analysis
This study is part of a national professional development in literacy project in New Zealand.
Leading e-learning
Educational consultant, Julia Atkin, discusses the process of leading e-learning in a school. She explains the importance of creating a shared vision that reflects the competencies students need to develop, and identifying teacher needs to ensure the vision can be put into practice.
Support for teachers
Principal Melissa Bell and the e-learning leaders at St Hilda's Collegiate describe the professional development they have in place to support teachers with teaching and learning.
Implementing iPads in school – professional development
Grant's Braes School principal, Chris McKinlay describes how iPads were introduced first to staff then into the classroom.
Creating a vision to lead e-learning in your school
Dr Cheryl Doig, director of Think Beyond Limited, talks about the importance of having a shared language and understanding of what e-learning is before integrating it into the school vision.
Professional learning using teacher inquiry
Chris Allen and Mike Wilson Sacred Heart Girls' College share why they chose to use a teacher inquiry model as a focus for professional learning and why that approach has been so successful.
Teaching as inquiry through an e-learning lens
LwDT facilitator, Anna Harrison discusses the value of the teaching and inquiry model as a basis for PLD for e-learning.
Tailoring professional learning to enhance literacy e-learning needs: A blended model
Teachers discuss tailored professional learning to enhance literacy e-learning needs using a blended model.
Wairakei School BYOD pilot: Next steps
Wairakei school principal, Shane Buckner explains how positive feedback from teachers and parents helped the school decide to make their Year 5 and 6 classes one-to-one BYOD (iPads) and Year 3 and 4 classes optional.
Building teacher capability
Teacher Kate Friedwald explains how whole school PD at Wairakei School, based on the Teaching as Inquiry model, is being applied to ICT.
Pedagogy underpins practice in an innovative learning environment
Gavin Burn and Cathie Zelas explain their process of moving from a traditional learning environment to an innovative learning environment at Halswell School.
Developing the pedagogy and practice for an innovative learning environment
Woodend School Deputy Principal, Adrienne Simpson explains using the spiral of inquiry as a framework identify how to move forward with innovative learning practices and learning with digital technologies.
Supporting successful BYOD implementation
e-Learning co-ordinator, Allistair Williamson explains key steps for implementing BYOD at Pakuranga College.
Using the SAMR model to evaluate technology use
Ben Britton, lead teacher ICT at Wellington High School, discusses how they use the SAMR model to evaluate plan for effective use of technologies in the classroom.
Preparing for BYOD – Professional development
Dominic Killalea, Deputy Principal at Wellington High School, discusses the importance of making time for professional learning.
Professional learning – Teacher inquiry
Pakuranga College principal, Michael Williams describes their intensive PLD programme.
Professional learning – e-Learning coordinator role
Allister Williamson explains his role as e-Learning coordinator at Pakuranga College, which involves overseeing their professional learning programme.
Resourcing
Pakuranga College principal, Michael Williams explains their school systems and roles for building staff capacity to use digital technologies to support learning and teaching.
Planning for success – Taking your staff with you
Pakuranga College DP, Billy Merchant explains taking staff with you on the e-learning journey is number one. Not all staff will move at the same pace and in the same way so they provide lots of different channels and different avenues for support.
Professional learning – Planning strategically
Pakuranga College principal, Michael Williams explains their system for PLD. Using their rubrics teachers can identify their strengths and next steps. e-Mentors support teachers with their inquiries into using digital technologies effectively.
SMS – Facilitating teacher inquiry
Principal, Michael Malins shares how they use their SMS to document teacher inquiries.
Pedagogy underpinning BYOD
Wellington High School Principal, Dominic Killalea explains the pedagogy behind their BYOD approach which supports lifelong learning.
Planning for building staff capacity
Hampden Street School principal, Don McLean describes their approach to professional development.
Professional development at Hampden Street School
e-Learning lead teacher, John O'Regan explains their professional development focus on using e-learning tools to support learning.
Developing culturally responsive practice – The benefits of whole staff PLD, online
Pegasus Bay School Principal, Roger Hornblow, talks about the ways that whole-staff PLD benefited them when taking the Te Reo Puāwai course.
Building culturally responsive practice schoolwide
Pegasus Bay School principal, Roger Hornblow explains how Huakina Mai and Te Reo Puāwai helped them build culturally responsive practice schoolwide.
TeachMeetNZ
Sonya van Schaijik, Newmarket School, explains how TeachMeet works and the benefits it provides for teachers to connect and share their practice.
Developing an action plan and strategic framework
Rotorua Central Kāhui Ako leader, Nancy Macfarlane explains how their community of learning developed their action plan and strategic framework.
How evaluative practice and theory of improvement inform Rotorua Central Kāhui Ako direction
Kāhui Ako leader, Nancy Macfarlane and Hinemoa Anaru, Ngā Pūmanawa e Waru Education Trust, explain how they have used evaluative thinking and developed theories of improvement to provide direction for their community of learning.
Setting up and establishing the flipped approach at Ashhurst School
Ashhurst School Principal, Heath Chittenden, explains how they got teachers and parents prepared before rolling out flipped learning in their school. “Flipped learning is really important to be a school-wide focus because it actually is a pedagogical change to how you approach teaching.”
Sustaining the flipped learning pedagogy within your school
Ashhurst School Principal, Heath Chittenden, shares how important it is that all staff are trained to use the flipped learning model and the resource bank that is available to them.
Collaborative practice – Kaiako planning and learning together
e-Learning coordinator, Sandy Bornholdt, explains how their planning and PLD supports their design learning model and collaborative practices.
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Key resource
Professional Learning and Development
If you co-ordinate PLD in your school, kura, Kāhui Ako, or deliver PLD visit this Ministry site to find up-to-date information.
Coaching through feedback: A close and critical analysis
This study is part of a national professional development in literacy project in New Zealand.
New Zealand articles and resources collated on the Educational Leaders website.
Digital citizenship modules
As teachers and students engage with digital environments to create, communicate, collaborate, research and share information, we need to consider what it means to be a digital citizen and how to participate in a digital environment.
These self-paced modules can be used for personal or staff professional development. Each module contains different activities that include questions for reflection. These can be worked through individually or with your colleagues. The modules are designed to be flexible. Select the content that is relevant to you and your school from each of them.
The modules are designed to be flexible, so you can select the content that is relevant to you and your school from each of them.
There are four modules:
