Increasingly, teacher aides are encountering complex issues in classrooms. When well equipped, teacher aides can be an excellent form of support for learning within schools.

We have a number of Level 5 courses that form part of the first year of our Bachelor of Education degree that are excellent in equipping teacher aides or those in your whānau community who would like to be employed in a school.

These papers are grounded in the NZ Curriculum and provide learners with an introduction to using the curriculum, planning for small groups, and diagnostic, formative, summative and assessment for learning. Specific skills are listed over the page for each course.

If you have teacher aids or whānau members who are interested in gaining skills in this area, these courses would be an excellent opportunity for them. A combination of two courses leads to a Certificate of Proficiency or could be worked on over time to complete a Bachelor of Education (and thus entry to the teaching profession).

A cost effective option is engaging with these courses without achieving formal credit for them. This means for a lesser price students can have access to the content and teaching without receiving formal credit upon completion.

Bicultural Relationships

Semester Two 2022 | 17 July-18 Nov  
Fridays 9am-3pm One
Overnight Noho Marae

People of all cultures draw their own self-knowledge from their engagement with other people and the world. In the Aotearoa New Zealand context this means an honouring of the covenantal spirit of the Treaty of Waitangi and an awareness of its relational intent. This course introduces tikanga Māori on the basis of understanding people in their contexts, and combines theological, theoretical and historical reflection with the development of practices drawn from an integration of these. It includes regular oral activities to develop fluency in te reo and tikanga in a range of settings. The culmination of this oral learning is participation in the Noho Marae, where an overnight stay on a marae provides an integrated opportunity to engage with Māori culture beyond the classroom.

Key Skills

• This course would be excellent for any teacher who is focused on developing their proficiency in te reo me ona tikanga Māori.
• Based in the stories and localities of the particular place it is offered (Auckland or Christchurch).
• Allows teachers to genuinely explore and grow into their understanding of what it means to be a teacher who is enacting te tiriti.
• Develop, learn and deliver in context a mihimihi and pepehā and receive weekly tutoring in te reo Māori that relates to the classroom context.
• A theological, Christian perspective is offered, and you’ll be asked to articulate what this means for you in your context.
• The noho marae provides a genuine way to think about education from a mātauranga Māori perspective.
• Develop your confidence in the story of this whenua, your te reo Māori and your ability to engage deeply with their role in our ongoing story.

Developing Numeracy

Semester Two | 17 July-18 Nov  
Mondays 9am-1pm

Students will develop a critical understanding of early years numeracy development in New Zealand primary schools and mathematics in the New Zealand Curriculum. Pedagogies and practices for the teaching of mathematics are introduced. The relationship between the mathematics and the digital technologies curricula will also be explored.

Key Skills
Numeracy development in school years 0-4, planning for small groups using the curriculum, assessment and differentiation in maths, stages of mathematical understanding.

Developing Literacy

Semester Two | 17 July-18 Nov  
Tuesdays 9.30am – 12.30pm

Literacy is foundational to citizenship in society. This course introduces early literacy teaching and learning strategies encompassing oral, written, and visual forms of English. The relationship between making meaning and creating meaning in Primary English across levels 1 and 2 of the New Zealand curriculum is clarified. English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) teaching theory is introduced.

Key Skills
Planning and assessing for small groups in reading and writing, using the NZ curriculum, administering and assessing running records, understanding the English Language Progressions (ELLP), working with EAL students, planning and evaluating EAL activities and collating quality literature for years 0-4 including activities to use with these.

These papers can be taken for credit towards a Certificate of Proficiency. Upon successful completion of the course, the student is awarded a final grade and credited with the course.

For NZQA Credit $796.50 per 15-credit course + $60 student services fee.
Without NZQA Credit $243.75 per 15-credit course

To find out more or to apply please email Amanda Perry, Head of Education. [email protected]