Learning and Leading - February 2011

key competencies related to participation, contribution, and self-manage-ment at the beginning of the school year when we were visiting. The focus on students’ learning addresses home culture influences on the student in school as well as how the school culture affects behaviors at home. Student presentations consist of an e-portfolio with samples of work, including annotated photographs, videos, and reflections. Students develop leadership skills as participants in the assessment of their own learning, recognize the transparency of expectations, and accept responsibility for self-regulated learning.

Teacher Leadership

New Zealand supports teacher leader-
ship with professional development.
The Ministry of Education supports
professional development at the na-
tional level through a cluster model.
Clusters comprise like-minded schools
to leverage resources and col-
laborative learning oppor-
tunities. The Ministry
enlists CORE Educa-
tion, the agency that
hosted our study tour,
to advise clusters and the
schools within them on the
implementation of the national
curriculum. The nonprofit research
and development organization sup-
ports the use of educational technol-
ogy across New Zealand through
professional development, consulting,
and education events. CORE is also
involved in providing professional
development through two national
conferences: Learning@School and
ULearn. The goal of these conferences
is to provide opportunities for profes-
sional learning that educators can
effectively and directly apply in teach-
ing and learning. CORE also provides
EDtalks, a free repository of videos
featuring leaders and innovative edu-
cators. Targeted professional develop-
ment for specific topics in schools
includes ICT projects and initiatives,
staff development across the educa-
tion and business sectors, facilitation
training, new curriculum and learning
design, online communities of prac-
tice, and international study tours,
such as the SIGTE visit.

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