Professional development (PD)
The term professional development covers any activities that develop an individual’s or group’s skills, knowledge, expertise and characteristics as a teacher or educator. These activities can be formal or informal and support a culture of ongoing professional learning in early childhood services.
It is a management responsibility to ensure opportunities for professional development are provided for staff. The focus of these opportunities could be identified through the service’s self-review and performance management processes where it can support individual or service wide goals.
There are many ways to provide these opportunities including:
- the development of professional networks either within individual services or with other services close by
- circulating and discussing topical and relevant readings within your team
- providing team members with opportunities to take leadership in different areas of curriculum delivery, and
- attendance at conferences and/or externally facilitated development opportunities
The Ministry of Education funds some professional development to support services in their professional learning journey. These programmes are delivered through regional ministry staff and contracts with external providers. Services with high proportions of Māori and/or Pasifika children are given priority along with rural and remote services and services facing issues and challenges. There is also a coordinated effort to include those services who have not received recent significant government funded PD.
Te Whāriki Professional Development
Improving learning outcomes for infants, toddlers and young children, particularly those for whom the education system is currently under performing is the major focus of professional development (PD) programmes to support the implementation of Te Whāriki. The programme aims to provide the knowledge and skills necessary to develop, support and strengthen:
- teaching and learning practice that embodies the socio-cultural learning and teaching theory of Te Whāriki and the bicultural nature of the curriculum
- effective teaching practices that are responsive to Māori and Pasifika learners and their families
- curriculum and teaching practice that is responsive to the cultural and social context of the family and enables responsive, reciprocal and respectful relationships between teachers, parents, whānau and children
- an evidence and inquiry-based culture that informs teaching and learning practices and supports the growth of professional learning communities.
Kei Tua o te Pae Professional Development
The Ministry also provides professional development (PD) to support the implementation of Kei Tua o te Pae Assessment for Learning: Early Childhood Exemplars, assisting early childhood education teachers and educators to develop effective socio-cultural assessment practices.
Providers
Below is a list of Ministry contracted providers by region. Contact details for these providers are available in the download section to the right.
Auckland/Northland
- Auckland Uniservices
- Hana Clannad
- Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa/NZ Childcare Association
- Educational Leadership Programme (Auckland)
- New Zealand Playcentre Federation
- Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust
- Waikato University (Hauraki District)
- Ngahihi (Tainui District)
Waikato
- Hana Clannad
- Ngahihi
- Educational Leadership Programme
- Waikato University
- New Zealand Playcentre Federation
- Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust
Bay of Plenty
- Hana Clannad
- Ngahihi
- Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa/NZ Childcare Association
- New Zealand Playcentre Federation
- Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust
- Waikato University
Gisborne/Hawkes Bay
- Hana Clannad
- Ngahihi (Gisborne)
- Massey University
- New Zealand Playcentre Federation
- Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust
- Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa/NZ Childcare Association (Gisborne)
Wanganui/Taranaki
- Ngahihi (Taranaki)
- Massey University
- New Zealand Playcentre Federation
- Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust
Manawatu/Horowhenua
- New Zealand Playcentre Federation
- Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust
- Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa/NZ Childcare Association
- Massey University
Greater Wellington
- Hana Clannad
- Victoria University
- Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa/NZ Childcare Association
- New Zealand Playcentre Federation
- Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust
Nelson/Marlborough/West Coast
- Canterbury University
- New Zealand Playcentre Federation
- Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust
- Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa/NZ Childcare Association (Canterbury)
Otago/Southland
- Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa/NZ Childcare Association
- New Zealand Playcentre Federation
- Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust
- Otago University
- Hana Clannad (Central Otago)