NZAIMS CONFERENCE for LEADERS OF LEARNING SUPPORT
Leading Student Support / Te Tautoko Tautoko Arahi
7-9 JUNE 2023 Grand Millennium Hotel, Auckland
| WEDNESDAY 7 JUNE | THURSDAY 8 JUNE | FRIDAY 9 JUNE |
|---|---|---|
| From 9am Registration/Coffee | 8.30am Coffee with sponsors
9am-10am Keynote: Dr Melinda Webber (University of Auckland) |
8.30am Coffee with sponsors
9am-10am Keynote : Cam Calkoen |
| 10.00am Conference opening /Pasadena Intermediate
Presidents Welcome (Angela Lowe) 10.20am-10.50am Hākari |
SPONSOR SPEAK
10am-10.30am Morning tea |
SPONSOR SPEAK
10am-10.30am Morning tea |
| 11am-11.50am Keynote : Jan Tinetti | 10.30am-11.30am Keynote: Michael Carr Gregg | 10.30am-11.30am Keynote : Nathan Wallis |
| 12pm-1pm Keynote : Melanie Riwai Couch
Niho Taniwha: Improving Teaching & Learning for ākonga Maori |
12pm-1.15pm Workshop 1:
Nathan Wallis/ Julie Hook (MOE) / Abbe Waghorn (Sir John Kirwan Foundation) |
11.30am-11.45am Conference close |
| SPONSOR SPEAK
1pm-1.45pm LUNCH |
1.15pm-2pm LUNCH | |
| 1.45pm-2.45pm Keynote: Dr Michael Carr Gregg
“Breakfast at Epiphanies – surviving and thriving in education in 2023” |
2pm-3.15pm Workshop 2: Repeat sessions | |
| 2.45pm-3pm SPONSOR SPEAK/ SHORT BREAK
3pm-4pm Keynote: Dr Michael Carr Gregg “What can we learn from the Island of Kauiai, about building resilient young people?” |
WELLBEING ACTIVITIES
Check out fun things to do and RE-CHARGE… |
|
| 4.15pm Happy Hour sponsored by…
Dinner at your leisure: Restaurants in the city |
Own arrangements for dinner: Restaurants close by |
Dr Michael Carr Gregg
The Adolescent Brain – This works examines the latest research on the teenage brain in the form of an interactive quiz – and is both informative and entertaining.
Nathan Wallis
The Neurobiology of Puberty: Pedagogy and Practice
The genes responsible for puberty and the rapid changes and development associated with this stage of development are a central part of human development. These genes are actually always active but are silenced for most of your life except in infancy and again in this age group to allow for the rapid changes in development. We know it is a crucial and somewhat vulnerable time in human development because trauma experienced at this age is likely to have more impact than at any other stage of development – the likelihood of still being medicated as an adult in response to childhood trauma is greater for the 11-year-old age group than any other.
So, what does this mean for teachers of this age group? It essentially means that a focus on social development and resilience is paramount and needs to underpin the curriculum. The changes that students experience are so rapid that they may be activating the stress response system as they deal with these changes, which impacts on their ability to engage successfully in the academic curriculum. There are environments and practices associated with a successful transition through this phase of development and Nathan will explore with participants what these are, and how they can be achieved within the current structures and pedagogy of NZ schools.
Julie Hook (Chief Adviser, Curriculum Futures, Te Poutahu) and Vonnie Jones (MOE), Vicki Nelson (Lead Advisor- Common Practice Model)
An inclusive curriculum: Designing learning for all
This workshop will focus on:
- What an inclusive curriculum for all ākonga mean/ look like – what’s different ?
- Planning for predictable variability in learning
- Integrating learning supports into everyday teaching and learning
Abbe Waghorn is an experienced Mitey coach, joining Mitey after spending many years teaching in primary schools.
Mitey is a free, whole of school approach to mental health education for Years 1-8, designed specifically for Aotearoa schools. It is shaped by peer reviewed research and underpinned by the Mana Model.
Mitey was developed by a team at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education and Social Work to ensure that it was built from a deep and considered understanding of what is required to teach, embed and sustain mental health education in schools. That team included Professors Peter O’Connor, Melinda Webber and Katie Fitzpatrick. Mitey coaches (who are senior trained primary teachers) work alongside a school, providing resources and professional development across the whole school environment – from the classroom to policy to staff wellbeing to community engagement.
Mitey coaches work with each school to ensure their approach to mental health education reflects their context and localises the teaching and learning. A key aspect of Mitey is the stepped progression of learning about mental health, learning is scaffolded, progressed and assessed to ensure that tamarki have the knowledge, skills and understanding to recognise, understand and respond to their own and others’ mental health.
Nathan Wallis
The Neurobiology of Puberty: Pedagogy and Practice
The genes responsible for puberty and the rapid changes and development associated with this stage of development are a central part of human development. These genes are actually always active but are silenced for most of your life except in infancy and again in this age group to allow for the rapid changes in development. We know it is a crucial and somewhat vulnerable time in human development because trauma experienced at this age is likely to have more impact than at any other stage of development – the likelihood of still being medicated as an adult in response to childhood trauma is greater for the 11-year-old age group than any other.
So, what does this mean for teachers of this age group? It essentially means that a focus on social development and resilience is paramount and needs to underpin the curriculum. The changes that students experience are so rapid that they may be activating the stress response system as they deal with these changes, which impacts on their ability to engage successfully in the academic curriculum. There are environments and practices associated with a successful transition through this phase of development and Nathan will explore with participants what these are, and how they can be achieved within the current structures and pedagogy of NZ schools.
Julie Hook (Chief Adviser, Curriculum Futures, Te Poutahu) and Vonnie Jones (MOE), Vicki Nelson (Lead Advisor- Common Practice Model)
An inclusive curriculum: Designing learning for all (REPEAT)
This workshop will focus on:
- What an inclusive curriculum for all ākonga mean/ look like – what’s different ?
- Planning for predictable variability in learning
- Integrating learning supports into everyday teaching and learning
Abbe Waghorn is an experienced Mitey coach, joining Mitey after spending many years teaching in primary schools.
Mitey is a free, whole of school approach to mental health education for Years 1-8, designed specifically for Aotearoa schools. It is shaped by peer reviewed research and underpinned by the Mana Model.
Mitey was developed by a team at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education and Social Work to ensure that it was built from a deep and considered understanding of what is required to teach, embed and sustain mental health education in schools. That team included Professors Peter O’Connor, Melinda Webber and Katie Fitzpatrick. Mitey coaches (who are senior trained primary teachers) work alongside a school, providing resources and professional development across the whole school environment – from the classroom to policy to staff wellbeing to community engagement.
Mitey coaches work with each school to ensure their approach to mental health education reflects their context and localises the teaching and learning. A key aspect of Mitey is the stepped progression of learning about mental health, learning is scaffolded, progressed and assessed to ensure that tamarki have the knowledge, skills and understanding to recognise, understand and respond to their own and others’ mental health.
Melanie uses a narrative approach drawing from her experiences as a student, mother and twenty plus years as an educator to highlight examples of practice that promote Māori student engagement and achievement.
Dr Melanie Riwai-Couch is the Kaihautū Māori (Senior Māori Manager) and an education consultant for Evaluation Associates Ltd. She is also a lecturer in the Indigenous Education Masters programme for Blue Quills University in Alberta Canada.
Melanie has a significant profile in the education sector. She has presented at regional, national and international conferences about education, Māori education and improving outcomes for Māori learners. Melanie is an appointed member of the Ngārimu VC 28th Māori Battalion Scholarship Board and a member of the Competence Authority of the New Zealand Teaching Council | Matatū Aotearoa.
Title: The centrality of the Mana Model to Mental Health Education
Keynote Outline:
In this keynote I will discuss the relevance of the Mana Model in relation to three important educational questions:
- What motivates ākonga to engage, persist, and flourish at school?
- How can whānau help their tamariki to achieve at school and beyond, thereby increasing their academic efficacy, wellbeing, and aspirations for the future?
- What can teachers do to recognise, acknowledge and amplify the mana of ākonga?
Bio: Professor Melinda Webber
Te Tumu – Deputy Dean, Te Kura Akoranga me te Tauwhiro Tangata, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Melinda is of Ngāti Hau, Ngāti Kahu, and Ngāti Whakaue descent. Melinda teaches and researches at the Faculty of Education and Social Work at The University of Auckland. She leads a number of research projects focused on better understanding the effects of Māori student motivation and academic engagement, culturally sustaining teaching, localised curricula, and enduring school-family-community partnerships for learning
CAM CALKOEN
Cam was born with Cerebral Palsy and his life has been “normal” for him since birth & his life would have carried on in whatever direction he chose to take it.
The fact that Cam chose to extend himself way out of his comfort zone to have done the two things doctors said he would never be able to do, and to a very high level (running & speaking) means the message he delivers is very powerful and unique.
In a few words “Cam delivers a unique message that inspires people to believe things are possible way beyond their thinking”.
Teachers regularly have to juggle many competing demands. As a result, they can easily put other people’s mental health and wellbeing needs ahead of their own.
This presentation argues that it is crucial for teachers to make the time to prioritise their own mental health and wellbeing, for not just their own benefit but that of their students and the whole school community.
In order to achieve this goal, this talk offers teachers a simple, evidence based model which enables them to embed mental health and wellbeing activities in their lives in an ongoing and holistic manner.
In the 1970s, researchers investigating children at risk for psychopathology noted that some children had good outcomes despite being exposed to risk. One of the most significant studies in this area, was conducted by Professor Emmy Werner on the Island of Kauai.
This talk discusses the key elements of children who thrive in the face of adversity, and outlines how we can build resilience in the intermediate years
Nathan Wallis
Days 4000 to 5000 (7-10 yrs) The Honeymoon Stage
Piaget spoke of this stage of development as the “concrete operational’ stage in which children are able to begin engaging in more formal learning. It was sometimes called ’The Honeymoon Stage’ because children had now begun to have access to the cognitive networks required for formal learning and had settled into school, but the complexity of puberty had not yet begun.
As any teacher of this age group knows – it is not always that straight forward and success at this age assumes the dispositions for learning are all in place, which is not always the case! While Piaget clearly didn’t have brain scans to back him up, his observations saw that typically children around the ages of 7-8 were able to engage in more comprehensive cognitive tasks such as symbolic thinking – a prerequisite for literacy. Today we see that supported by brain scans where we can see the child has more ability to access the frontal cortex. We also have more knowledge about a neurological process called ‘lateralisation’ that sees the child at ages 7-8 being able to isolate more effectively the use of the left frontal cortex – the brain region associated with intelligence and success for the whole curriculum.
The entire western education system is based on Piaget’s stages of cognitive development – school stating at 6 in most western countries is based on the idea this gives them one year to get used to school and build the necessary dispositions and relationships needed to engage in the formal curriculum beginning between 7-8 years of age. However, it is also an age where self-esteem takes a central role in the child’s ability to learn, as they become conscious of their understanding of themselves as a learner as part of their ‘bibliographic self’ concept. This is also the age where Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development was seen to be most crucial. Nathan will discuss how these traditional concepts align with neuroscientific research, and how they are best facilitated in today’s curriculum.
Fi McMillan
Tales from the Dark Side
In this session you will hear the Patient’s Tale, of the principal who successfully defended her position when her Board did not want her to return to school from sick leave. You will be inspired by the Knight’s Tale of the brave principal who went to Court to challenge her unjustified suspension, and you will be shocked and saddened by the Dog’s Tale.
When you are busy balancing competing demands from parents, students, staff, the Board, the Ministry, ERO and other agencies, it can be hard to find time to look after yourself. Just like any employee you are entitled to have a safe and healthy work place and to be treated fairly and reasonably. Sometimes this gets overlooked. This series of cautionary tales may be alarming, but the tales are, unfortunately, all true. Being aware of some of these potential issues can help you avoid becoming the next Tale.
Maori Leadership
Ko Taumarere te awa.
Ko Puketohunoa te maunga.
Ko Ngati Manu te hapu.
Hon Kelvin Davis is a successful former teacher and school principal who turned a struggling Northland school around, and enabled the students to achieve beyond their potential.
In the 2020 Labour Government, Kelvin was appointed Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti, Minister for Children with responsibility for Oranga Tamariki, Minister of Corrections and Associate Minister of Education.
In the 2017 Labour-led Government he was Minister of Corrections, Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti, and Tourism, and Associate Minister of Education.
He has held roles on a number of Select Committees including Māori Affairs (Deputy Chair), Law and Order, Local Government and Environment, Education and Science and Transport and Industrial Relations.
Kelvin has also held the spokesperson roles in Corrections, Biosecurity, Education (including Special Education and Māori Education), Māori Affairs, Tourism, Regional Affairs and Justice (Sexual and Domestic Violence).
Kelvin visited Australia, including Christmas Island in 2015 to advocate for the rights of New Zealanders living in Australia, particularly those in detention centres
Born and bred in the Bay of Islands but now living in Kaitaia, Kelvin is a man of the north who brings skills in education and Māori issues to the Cabinet table to improve outcomes for all New Zealanders educationally, financially, culturally and socially.
He is a person with common sense and pragmatism who is able to relate across all sectors of society, but is most at home either fishing or up in the bush of his beloved Karetu Valley.
Glen Savage
Our MC Glen Savage
Tena koutou katoa, my name is Glen Raana Savage of Ngati Awa and Ngati Porou.
I am currently an Associate Principal at Northcross Intermediate in Tamaki Makaurau. I have been teaching for 27 years, predominantly in West Auckland before moving across the bridge to the beautiful Hibiscus Coast.
I am the proud father of two teenage daughters who are actively involved in surf lifesaving, volleyball and netball. Outside of school I am involved in Surf Lifesaving, golf and have been on my own personal journey in learning Te Reo me nga Tikanga Maori these past few years.