Becoming Unlimited
I’ve long felt that the way in which we train our kaiako, and support their ongoing professional development is missing something.
I’m happy for the universities and academics to continue to lay an academic foundation for teachers. They bring the research based theoretical understandings to light. Teachers do need to understand learning theory, in my opinion. It’s our professional responsibility to be as informed as we can be about such things in order to intelligently refine our practice. Could you imagine a surgeon who was taught how to remove an appendix without understanding how the body recovers and heals from such an invasion?
I’m also happy for PLD providers of various kinds to continue to strengthen the practical and pedagogical practices of kaiako. They help kaiako apply theory to practice in ways that optimise delivery of the curriculum. They work diligently to bring new technologies and technical expertise to the kura environment so that kaiako present learning experiences that are stimulating and relevant for mokopuna. These are experts in their field whose job it is to develop programmes and systems for delivering high quality support to kura, tumuaki and kaiako for the sake of our mokopuna.
That’s not my arena, not really. If I think about what cause, specifically, I want to serve through my work I’m drawn mainly to the mindset aspect of being an educator. Teaching is a complex process situated in a complex social environment that has to continually contend with political movements and fiscal accountability. It’s hard work and I applaud all of you, kaiako mā.
It’s my personal belief that the missing element in kaiako support is the inner development of the kaiako. The current buzzword for it is mindset. It’s more than simply a belief in “can do”. Mindset refers to the set of beliefs that an individual has that shape the way in which they interact with their world.
During my years working with tumuaki and kaiako as a PLD provider I found that the aspect of my work that felt most fulfilling were hours I spent just talking. I talked with tumuaki to gain an understanding of the issues that they faced. I talked with kaiako as individuals and staff groups to get an understanding of their perspective on issues that they faced in kura. What grew from this was the realisation that by drawing out their opinions and beliefs we all gained a fresh perspective and most importantly, a way forward.
It’s coaching. I’d found my purpose. By digging under the habits, practices and systems to find the beliefs that underpin them we can start to rethink and reshape them. So I went off and trained as a life coach to build up my own knowledge and gain a new skill set to help kaiako. The better I could help kura, any kura, serve their ākonga, I reasoned, the better off my mokopuna would be. It’s a Nanny thing.
So here it is. This is my way of doing whatever I can to push the slow moving education machine into the digital age of instant access to knowledge. Education is no longer about knowing stuff, it’s now about being smarter - adaptive, agile, responsive, aware. In order to be those things you really need to examine the beliefs your practice is built on so that you can change what’s not working, improve what is and discover new pathways.
So, this is my introduction to the kaiako section of my blog. I’ve got a bunch of ideas up my sleeve that I’m working on but if this post has sparked something in you then leave a comment here on the blog or over on my Teachers Unlimited Facebook page. Subscribe to my blog too, and I’ll keep you up to date with all the developments.
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