Speech notes: NZ Graduate School of Education (NZGSE) 6/4/09

E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha.Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

Thank you Andrew [Andrew Withington, NZGSE tutor] for inviting me to speak with graduates about what the Government expects from teachers to lift educational standards.

I follow in the footsteps of some illustrious speakers who have addressed graduates here — one of whom was the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, the Honourable Bill English. So I am delighted to be here as part of the new Government, and as Minister of Education.

You are graduating at an exciting time for education in New Zealand. The Government has set some formidable goals to achieve in a short time. Your work as teachers is essential to achieving them.

You have been given a magnificent start here at the New Zealand Graduate School of Education. As I speak about Government priorities, you will recognise many of the areas that you have received solid grounding in. You have been well prepared.

The Government’s single biggest priority is raising education standards at all levels.

At the primary and middle schooling levels, the government is committed to clear expectations of what students should be able to achieve in literacy and numeracy, effective assessment, and upfront reporting to parents in plain language. These are all part of our flagship National Standards policy Earlier today, I announced details of the consultation process on the Standards that will run from 25 May to 3 July. I am looking forward to the day when this milestone development in our education system is implemented.

We need a clear focus on literacy and numeracy as the building blocks of learning at primary, intermediate and secondary school. All students must be able to leave secondary school able to read, write, and do maths, so they are ready for work, training or further study.

The challenge is to reduce the number of students underachieving. One of the first steps in reducing underachievement is to be able to identify those students who are struggling. Identifying problems earlier and acting quickly is the key. 

At the secondary level, the government is committed to reducing underachievement for all students, ensuring alignment of NCEA standards to the New Zealand Curriculum, remaining tough on truancy and coming up with workable solutions to deal with disruptive students.

National Standards

You will all have heard about my goals around National Standards. These Standards will set clear expectations of what students should be able to achieve in literacy and numeracy, and by when. Parents will be told in plain language how their child is doing at school.

Those of you in primary, intermediate and middle schools will be familiar with my message that National Standards are not about one national test all students sit on the same day at the same time. They are about using current assessment methods consistently.

You will know from your study at this school, how important it is to use assessment methods as teachers to effectively to change what goes on in your classroom.

The most recent study by the Education Review Office has found that just under half of our schools are not using current assessment techniques in ways that improve teaching and learning. This must change.

NCEA Standards

Those of you from secondary schools will be familiar with the NCEA Standards Review. We want the fine tuning of the NCEA Standards to continue to build confidence that our education system delivers a sound and meaningful qualification.

Fine-tuning includes:

o     ensuring the NCEA standards align with the outcomes expressed in the New Zealand Curriculum

o     ensuring parity between standards so that they fairly reflect achievement, and

o     ensuring moderation of internal and external assessments is effective and fair.

Ka Hikitia

I said earlier that the Government wants to see all children achieve. Ka Hikitia: Managing for Success is the plan for change to see the system step up its performance for Māori to achieve education success. 

I want to see all teachers owning Ka Hikitia and ensuring its success. We need to move away from the concept of failure of Māori learners within the system and work on how the system can maximise Māori success.

The evidence is clear that what works for Māori is recognition of their language, culture and identity, personalised teaching and learning, and also ako, the concept of teacher as learner. An effective teacher embodies this approach.

Student Behaviour

One of the steepest learning curves for any teacher new to a classroom is learning how to manage student behaviour. You have Kevin’s expertise to thank for this School’s focus on preparing you to deal with classroom management.

Managing behaviour issues positively is part of the Government’s priority to raise student achievement. Disruptive behaviour is a barrier to our students’ achievement. It impacts on other students in the classroom and affects your job satisfaction.

However, responsibility for managing behaviour does not rest with you alone. Your role is to work as part of the school team. As I have said recently to principals, whole-school approaches to behaviour management need to be led by them.

At the recent national behaviour summit, the Taumata Whanonga, evidence was put forward on the importance of strong relationships between schools, families and whānau are a significant part of addressing behaviour issues. Your contribution to school and home relationships is important — both with behaviour issues and with involving family and whānau in your students’ learning.

You have had the opportunity in your school placements to work with children and young people with special learning needs. This makes you valuable to the schools that employ you. Behaviour issues and learning difficulties are distinct, but both impact on student achievement.

Effective teaching is the education system’s single largest influence on students. That’s why I rely on you to make a difference to the educational achievement of this country’s students.

I want you to hold high expectations of all your students, to understand how each of your students learn, and to continue to develop your skills to teach and assess your students so that every one of them achieves the best possible learning outcomes.

Concluding Remarks

You are privileged to be graduating from NZGSE. You have been well prepared and supported by the opportunities provided through the substantial supervised practical experience. You have had the benefit of learning in an institution that does not just train teachers, but has ongoing active involvement in supporting experienced teachers and school leaders.

This school’s founders looked at what was effective in teacher education and put together a programme based on evidence that works. With 80 per cent of students gaining teaching positions before they graduate, this is demonstrably true.

Schools who employ you make a good choice. You are committed to learning how to be great teachers.

You are integral to the Government’s priority of improving the success of every young learner in the schooling system. Let me repeat what I am asking of you:

o   Use your knowledge of student achievement to inform what you do as a teacher in your classroom.

o   Focus on doing those things that evidence tells us works for every child or young person in your classroom.

o   Continue to manage behaviour issues well and be open to sharing best practice with your colleagues in other schools.

o   Assist young people to build clear links between their education and their future careers.

You may think that your time for learning and study is over. It isn’t. Effective teachers are learners right throughout their careers. Work with and continue to learn from each other, and stay involved in professional learning.

I wish you well as you take up the challenges and rewards of being teachers. It has been a pleasure speaking to you today. Thank you.