The intense focus on Collaborative Teaching in NZ Schools was inspiring and heart warming during the NZ Contemporary Learning Tour.
No matter where we went teachers talked about the huge amount of professional development guided by these Maori concepts and it appeared that they are only best described in first nations language.
Whakawhanaungatanga provides opportunities to support positive and collaborative relationships, explore what is important, and help to co-construct being and learning.
Tuakana-teina is a concept from te ao Māori and refers to the relationship between an older (tuakana) person and a younger (teina) person.
In te ao Māori, the concept of ako means both to teach and to learn. It recognises the knowledge that both teachers bring and learn.
If you wish to learn more about the professional learning aspects which New Zealand schools implement to enable Teacher Teaming then please ask.
Derek Bartels
Learning Leader - Innovation
derek.bartels@levnt.edu.au
