Matatū November - podcast out now featuring tips on setting professional boundaries

Kia ora, here's your November issue of Matatū, our monthly newsletter for teachers.

In this issue, read about:

how to nominate candidates for the Teaching Council elections
our latest podcast on professional boundaries
our Give Nothing to Racism project
expressing interest in attending the 2019 Code and Standards workshops
the Tapasā Expert Group sharing expertise and knowledge
teachers from Nelson College for Girls focusing on student wellbeing
the Council's language policy changes effective January 2019.

Nominations are now open for the Teaching Council elections

This is your chance to have a say in who represents you on your professional body, and we’re keen to get as many of you involved as possible!

All teachers eligible to vote in next March’s Council elections should have received an email or letter explaining how to nominate candidates.

Teachers will elect Board members from across the profession: a teacher and principal from both the primary and secondary sectors, a teacher and leader from early childhood education, and a teacher educator. The Minister will then appoint a further six members.

If you’re a registered teacher or hold a LAT (Limited Authority to Teach) and haven’t received an email or letter about the elections, you may not be on the electoral roll. Don't forget to check your spam folder. If you’re not sure, you can phone the Returning Officer on 0800 922 822, or email info@electionservices.co.nz.

Nominations opened last week, and close on 25 January 2019. Download a poster in English or Te Reo Māori to promote the elections at your school.

Listen to our podcast and learn about how expressing boundaries can protect children and teachers

Professional boundaries are something teachers deal with on a daily basis. Our latest Teaching Today podcast explores what these boundaries mean and look like for the teaching profession from the perspective of John Parsons, who is an expert in internet safety, risk assessment and child protection.

John speaks with the Teaching Council's Francesca Hilbron about real-life examples on establishing boundaries. He also gives tips on how boundaries can help teachers navigate complex relationships, protect themselves, preserve mental health and emotional energy and uphold standards and values.

This episode is just over 30 minutes. Listen on Soundcloud or download from iTunes and Apple Podcasts. A transcript of the podcast is also available.

Let us know your opinion on the podcast, email letstalk@educationcouncil.org.nz

Thank you to everyone who is participating in the Give Nothing to Racism project.

The aim of the project is to empower the profession to have safe and productive conversations about racism, and result in changes to behaviour and practice as set out in Our Code, Our Standards.

In the past six weeks, the team at Clemenger BBDO has held one-on-one interviews with 18 teachers from the wider Wellington region. We also received 126 responses to our Give Nothing to Racism online national survey.

Keep an eye on our website for updates on the next steps in the Give Nothing to Racism project.

Join us for Code and Standards workshops in 2019

Fill in our quick survey to express your interest in attending Moving on with Our Code, Our Standards workshops in 2019.

These workshops will be an opportunity to discuss what you have accomplished with the Code and Standards so far, deepen your understandings and review appraisal systems to ensure they are valuable, manageable and learner-centred.

Choose the English medium survey or Māori medium survey.

Tapasā Expert Teacher fono shares expertise and knowledge

The implementation plan for Tapasā is a step closer following the second Expert Teacher Group fono in Wellington on 16 November.

Building on the themes from the October fono, the group used talanoa* to understand how Ngā Turu (competencies), that form the basis of the framework, relate to teaching practice in their current teaching positions, and how they can support non-Pacific colleagues to implement Tapasā.

The implementation plan will create opportunities for participation by all teachers of Pacific learners. It will focus on:

the creation of a cohesive suite of professional learning resources to give life to Tapasā
the development of strategies for socialising the framework in a way that is engaging, meaningful and digestible, and
how to use Tapasā as a lens through which to view Code and Standards for the Teaching Profession in teaching practice and appraisal processes.

The implementation plan will be finalised at the next Expert Teacher fono on 24 January 2019.

*What is talanoa?

Talanoa can be translated to mean “talk” or “discussion” in Fijian, Samoan and Tongan. It is based on the principles of trust, empathy and mutual respect, and is a popular way for Pacific communities to solve problems or manage change.

Nelson College for Girls teachers focus on student wellbeing

Spending 15 minutes every day checking uniforms and reading out notices was a wasted opportunity at Nelson College for Girls. This year, all that changed when the College's maths teacher Kathryn Stahl and biology teacher Jo Beggs put their hands up to help run a new mentoring programme, called ārahi time.

“We felt we needed to do more for the wellbeing of each and every one of our ākonga/learners and had to find a way to do that,” Jo says.

How ārahi time works is simple yet effective. Read about it here.

Council to strengthen evidence-based English language proficiency requirements

From 1 January 2019, we will be broadening the types of evidence we accept of English language proficiency to provide candidates with more ways to demonstrate they meet the standard for registration.

We are also extending the range of recognised English-language test providers. Read about the upcoming changes effective from 1 January 2019; until that date the current language requirements still apply.

Have you changed your address? Update your contact details with us here.

Save time and apply online to renew your full practising certificate (EC30) Find out more about EC30. ECE available soon!

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