Mandatory Review Of
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Mandatory Review of Teacher Education Qualifications
Consultation Document
23 June 2014 Prepared by: Teacher Education Review Governance Group
Page 1 of 66 Table of Contents
Page | 2 Introduction
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) is currently overseeing the Mandatory Review of Qualifications, a review of all level 1 to 6 qualifications on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF). The review aims to reduce the duplication and proliferation of qualifications; to ensure the qualifications meet the overall needs of the particular sector and are useful, relevant and fit for purpose; and meet the new requirements for listing qualifications on the NZQF.
The review of Teacher Education qualifications has governance provided by a group drawn from across stakeholders.
The Teacher Education mandatory review contains 88 qualifications which focus on a number of different roles within the education sector. These have been categorised into two sub groupings, Adult and Tertiary Teaching (ATT) qualifications and Education Specialisation and Support (ESS) qualifications.
Following discussion on the draft landscape of qualifications, the Governance Group considered the feedback and provided a brief to working groups to guide the development of a suite of qualifications. Working groups were convened and met over April and May 2014 to undertake the first stage of the qualification development process, preparing the strategic purpose statement and graduate profile for the proposed qualifications.
These draft qualifications are now available for consultation prior to being submitted for approval to develop. The Teacher Education qualifications review invites feedback on the proposed qualifications to replace current qualifications.
Background and Key Documents
Background information and reference documents on the mandatory review of qualifications can be accessed at: http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/studying-in-new- zealand/nzqf/quick-links-to-nzqf-documents/
Background information and documents related to this Teacher Education review can be accessed at: http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/qualifications/teacher- education-qualifications/
We recommend you read the ATT and ESS needs analyses. These outline the strategic need for the qualifications and support the development of the strategic purpose statement. They are living documents, will be updated during the review, and can be informed by informal feedback or formal consultation processes. The needs analyses are included as appendix 1
Governance Group Discussion
The Governance Group for the review considers there are 3 tiers involved in the ATT qualifications: the teacher educator; the candidate; and the learner.
The Governance Group defined the:
Teacher Educator – as the person or people who provide education to the person undertaking the ATT qualification(s) being developed in this review
Page | 3 Candidate – as the person being educated and will graduate with the qualification in this review Learner – as the person who, in turn, is taught by the candidate.
Dual Professionalism
The Adult and Tertiary Teaching, and Mātauranga Māori qualifications in the landscape are premised on the notion of many, but not all, the candidates being dual professionals. That is, they have existing expertise in a discipline, trade, or vocation, and are now undertaking study and are becoming qualified as a professional educator in order to teach that expertise to others.
Note that this use of the term “professional” is much broader than simply referring to those who are accredited or registered by an established professional body.
The Future Face of 21st Century Education
The working groups were asked to consider the future face of 21st century education, in that the world around education organisations is undergoing a period of unprecedented change and challenge. Teacher Education qualifications must reflect these changes, and provide for the future educational environment. They must also take account of different discourse communities in education.
The working group was also asked to note:
existing relevant practice standards/capability frameworks/guidelines which may inform the development of graduate profile statements assessment contexts - as conducted in a real or realistic context, but with real learners whether (and if so, how) a practicum is to be included in the qualification(s).
Qualifications Design
New Zealand Qualifications contain three distinct sections – the strategic purpose statement, the graduate profile (outcomes, education pathways, and employment and community pathways) and the specification. This consultation focuses only on the first two - the strategic purpose statement and graduate profile. The table below summarises the NZQA requirements for these. Please consider this when providing feedback.
Graduate profile outcomes are high-level statements of what a graduate should know, be and do. Education organisations will develop programmes of learning leading to the graduate profile. The programmes will contain the detail and topics needing to be covered.
Once the qualifications gain approval to develop, further work is undertaken to complete the qualifications specifications. This includes aspects such as entry requirements, quality assurance requirements, and any conditions attached to graduate profile outcomes. There will be a further round of consultation on the final qualifications once they are developed.
Page | 4 Qualification section What to consider and feedback on Strategic purpose A strategic purpose statement identifies why the statement qualification should be on the NZQF. It must clearly identify the: • target group of learners • industry and/or community that will benefit from the qualification • the standard at which the graduate will operate, within a defined scope of practice.
The statement should also acknowledge the cultural and social aspirations of Māori, Pasifika and other communities, where these are reflected in the needs analysis. Graduate Profile The graduate profile outlines the capabilities of the graduate as a result of achieving the specified programme of study or training leading to the award of a qualification. It defines the minimum level of skills, knowledge, understanding and attributes a graduate awarded the qualification can demonstrate.
Outcomes within the graduate profile must: • describe the performance of the graduate in relation to the designated level of the qualification awarded (e.g. the outcomes of a level 4 certificate must align with the definition and characteristics of a graduate of a level 4 certificate) • specify the key capabilities the graduate will have as a result of the programme of study or training (i.e. what the graduate will ‘do and know and understand’) • specify requirements for eligibility for licensing or professional registration and any critical practice or employment elements • use descriptors that reflect the level of the qualification − this assists in demonstrating progression and the level of performance expected of the graduate • be allocated an indicative credit value, the total of which must equal the qualification credit value • appropriately reflect the range of skills, knowledge and attributes applicable to the particular programme of study or training.
The education pathway outlines the further education pathways a graduate of the qualification can undertake.
The employment pathway identifies the areas in which a graduate may be qualified to work, or the contribution they may make to their community. Specifications At this point in the review process the specifications are indicative only. There will be further opportunity to consult on these once developed.
Page | 5 The Qualifications Landscape: A Rationale
The landscape (Figure 1) was developed on the basis of the first draft of a needs analysis, the scope of existing qualifications, the knowledge and experience of the Governance Group, consideration of education sector strategy, and analysis of learner and candidate types, and feedback on a discussion document from the sector.
The landscape is intended to accommodate current practice while providing the best possible versions of qualifications that employers already use and value. It should also enable a desired future state, through allowing qualifications design that we believe the system needs to best serve its learners.
The following outlines the rationale for each qualification, any design features the Governance Group or working groups have included and some prompt questions you may wish to consider for feedback.
Adult and Tertiary Teaching (ATT)
The 40 Credit, level 4 ATT Certificate is a credential for people who teach, but are not necessarily pursuing teaching as a career or profession. Graduates should be able to use or adapt existing materials to teach or train, and assess learners in well-defined contexts. This qualification will be relevant to the large number of community educators, volunteers, and workplace trainers who wish to achieve, or require, a base level qualification.
The 60 Credit, level 5 ATT Certificate represents the base level qualification for a proficient practitioner. It is expected that Literacy and Numeracy education would be a requirement of this qualification and rather than being overt, would be woven throughout the graduate profile outcomes.
The 120 Credit, level 6 ATT Diploma is aimed at people who aspire to be a programme leader, lead teacher, learning and development department manager, organisational development personnel, quality assurance manager, academic manager and/or a strategic leader, within an organisation.
The 60 Credit, level 6 ATT Certificates are focussed on credentialing targeted professional development for level 5 ATT graduates who wish to specialise in an area of future focus or priority.
As tertiary education continues to evolve in an environment where the use of digital technologies to support all modes of teaching and learning is fast becoming the norm, there are, inevitably, questions about the future professional roles of adult and tertiary teachers. There is an emerging consensus that we will see increased differentiation and specialisation within the teaching profession as technology offers new opportunities to share well designed resources and assessment tools.
In a complementary way and as the proportion of shared resources increases, it is expected that the work of tertiary teachers in general will change. In varying degrees as appropriate to discipline requirements and learner needs, tertiary teachers will continue to shift away from direct content delivery and spend more time proactively supporting learning on an individual basis. The specialised Level 6 certificates are designed to provide opportunities to build these new capabilities.
Page | 6 As it is expected that graduates would require the Level 5 ATT qualification or equivalent to gain entry, the qualifications have no outcomes related to underpinning knowledge of teaching and learning, as this is assumed.
The 60 Credit, level 6 ATT Pasifika Certificate is focussed on credentialing targeted professional development for level 5 graduates who wish to specialise in teaching Pasifika learners and mentor/coach other practitioners. It is expected that graduates would require the Level 5 ATT qualification or equivalent to gain entry.
The level 5 and level 6 Mātauranga Māori qualifications support the vision and priorities in the Tertiary Education Strategy of: Māori achieving educational success as Māori; and targeting priority groups. They are intended to build capability and capacity for education organisations delivering education and training based on kaupapa Māori. http://www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/TertiaryEducation/PolicyAndStr ategy/TertiaryEducationStrategy.aspx
Q. What are the pros and cons of having the level 5 ATT qualification, or equivalent, as the entry requirement for the Level 6 specialist certificates?
Q. Would you recommend any other L6 specialist qualifications be made available? If so, what qualifications, and why are they needed?
Adult Literacy and Numeracy Education (ALNE)
These qualifications support the Professional development of the sector work stream of the Adult Literacy and Numeracy Implementation Strategy which can be accessed at http://www.tec.govt.nz/Tertiary-Sector/Tertiary-Education-Strategy/Literacy-and- Numeracy-Implementation-Strategy/
The 40 credit, level 5 ALNE Certificate is focussed on credentialing adult literacy and numeracy education professional development for the adult education and training sector. This qualification is not intended to be a teaching qualification on its own.
The 80 credit, level 5 ALNE Certificate is for individuals wishing to develop specialist expertise in adult literacy and numeracy education
The 120 Credit, level 6 ALNE Diploma is for individuals wishing to gain advanced expertise in supporting adult learners with literacy and numeracy issues. The candidate would graduate with specialised academic and technical competence in the areas of adult literacy and numeracy.
Q. Should the level 6, 120 Credit ALNE Diploma be a stand-alone diploma or would it be more applicable to: (i) have no level 6 Diploma in ALNE and instead make ALNE a contextual endorsement of the L6 Adult and Tertiary Teaching Diploma (the outcomes are achieved in the context of ALNE); (ii) make the Level 6 ALNE qualification a 60 credit certificate like other specialist level 6 qualifications?
Assessment
Page | 7 The 40 Credit, level 4 Assessment Certificate is primarily, but not exclusively aimed at building capability and capacity in assessment for registered assessors/workplace assessors.
The 40 Credit, level 6 Assessment Certificate is considered a specialist ATT qualification.
Q. What are your thoughts on the need for 40 credit specialist qualifications for assessors?
Language Teaching (TESOL)
The 48 credit, level 4 Certificate and 60 Credit, level 5 Certificate are designed to enable the qualification to be endorsed as an English Language teaching qualification or endorsed in another specified language e.g. Cantonese. These qualifications are intended for graduates who will teach in a broad range of education organisations, including community organisations.
Q. What are your thoughts about Language teaching qualifications being able to be endorsed in either English Language or another target language?
Education Specialisation and Support
The qualifications proposed within the education specialisation and support cluster are aimed at people who are primarily, although not always exclusively, working to support teachers in compulsory education settings (e.g. Education Support and Care); or for Teachers wishing to undertake professional development to support their practice (e.g. Specific Learning Difficulties) or teach in a school which is based on a special character.
Specific Learning Difficulties
These qualifications are for those who help people with a specific learning disability (SLD, including dyslexia) to meet their potential and engage in life-long learning. The 40 credit, level 4 certificate is for teacher aides, parents, and others who support individuals with SLD, and the 60 credit, level 5 certificate is for educators and others who provide professional teaching and guidance.
Q. In your view, do these qualifications meet the need they are designed for?
Special Character Education
These qualifications are for staff and the wider community of education institutions who have a 'special character', such as a specific philosophy or cultural orientation. The 40 credit, level 4 Certificate provides employees, support workers, parents, and the wider community with an understanding of how they can support learners within the special character, and the 60 credit, level 5 Certificate is for educators and others who provide professional teaching and guidance within the special character.
Q. In your view, do these qualifications meet the need they are designed for?
Page | 8 Education Support and Care
These qualifications are for those people seeking an education support position. Three 40 credit qualifications have been developed: a level 3 and 4 qualification for those seeking a teacher aide position, and a further level 4 qualification for those wishing to supervise out of school care and recreation programmes.
Q. In your view, do these qualifications meet the need they are designed for?
Childbirth Education
This qualification is designed for those people wanting to deliver pregnancy and early parenting education to expectant parents in community and other education settings.
Q. In your view, does this qualification meet the need it is designed for?
Page | 9 Page | 10 Appendix 1: Qualifications for Adult and Tertiary Teachers / Educators: Needs Analysis
Preface
This draft is an attempt to develop a broad-brush needs analysis for qualifications concerned with Adult and Tertiary Teaching (ATT). It does not cover the Education Specialisation and Support qualifications that are also in the Teacher Education field: there is little if any overlap between the two groups of qualifications and these will be subject of a separate analysis that involves the stakeholders concerned.
Page | 11 The analysis explores, where information is available, the way in which qualifications presently in the ATT sub-field are utilised in the tertiary education sector in Aotearoa, New Zealand. It draws on Ako Aotearoa’s commissioned report on the status of qualifications and support for tertiary practioners (Projects International, 2010)1 and on the recent review by the MoE of changing conditions in the teaching workforce within tertiary education providers2. We can probably infer that similar changes are occurring in other contexts where tertiary education takes place.
The tertiary education work force is extraordinarily diverse. This diversity is its strength: it is required to meet the continually changing needs and expectations of an even more diverse cohort of well over half a million learners in both formal and informal tertiary education across New Zealand. Ultimately these qualifications for adult and tertiary educators are about supporting practitioners to meet the needs of these learners.
While the starting point for the needs analysis is, necessarily, the use that has been made of qualifications at present, discussion about new qualifications must reflect the diversity of the sector as a whole and be (as far as possible) future-proof.
Introduction and overview
A changing environment and current priorities
There is no doubt that the role of the tertiary teacher / educator is changing. Students are more diverse and their needs and expectations will vary depending on their level of academic preparation, the cultural capital they bring to their programme of study, their familiarity with on-line technologies and, where they are familiar, their ability to translate that familiarity into uses that support formal study. Increasingly, too, because of the costs of study, many, if not most students view tertiary education as an investment rather than an opportunity: this again shapes their attitudes and expectations.
They also study in a wide range of diverse settings. The Tertiary Education Commission reports that 469,000 tertiary learners (280,000 EFTS/STMs) studied in formal TEC funded programmes in 20123. Of these 42% (on an EFTS basis) studied at university, 24% at ITPs, 9% at Wānanga, 10% at PTEs and 15% in the workplace under the guidance of ITOs. The majority of these learners will study with organisations where a teaching qualification is not a formal requirement for the staff who will facilitate their learning.
In addition, many learners are engaged in adult and community education in non-formal programmes of study. By definition, the nature of ACE programmes is diverse and wide- ranging and designed to support life-long learning and community empowerment. Many of these programmes are concerned with adult literacy, numeracy and language or health and social well-being. There are no formally recognised pre-degree qualifications for ACE practitioners per se, except that several providers engaged in ACE provision offer qualifications in adult literacy and numeracy education.
1 Projects International (2010) Taking Stock: Tertiary Practitioner Education Training and Support. Publ. Ako Aotearoa, Wellington. 2 Ministry of Education (2012) The changing structure of the public tertiary education workforce. Publ. Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education, Wellington. 3 Tertiary Education Commission (2013) 2012 Tertiary Education Performance Report. Publ. Tertiary Education Commission Wellington. Page | 12 Despite there being no formal requirements for teaching qualifications, New Zealand policy makers, in common with other western tertiary education systems, are placing an increasing emphasis on ensuring public accountability for the quality of tertiary education provision. Particular priorities for tertiary education are, firstly, about ensuring equity of opportunity, especially for learners who have been under-served by the school system. Secondly, there are the challenges and opportunities that on-line technologies present for educational delivery, networking and collaboration. Any future tertiary teaching qualifications should seek to enhance tertiary teachers’ capabilities in both these areas.
The work-force
Estimating the number of people employed with teaching responsibilities in formal tertiary education in New Zealand is difficult because of the diversity of the sector, but over 27,000 seems to be a reasonable working estimate. Pre-degree teaching qualifications may be of relevance to more than half this number (essentially those outside the university sector- see following discussion). However a large proportion of these people work part- time4 which is likely to be a barrier to uptake for some through either their own resource constraints or anticipated return on investment, or through lack of support from employers.
Despite an increasing number of restructurings over recent years, turn-over rates are estimated to be low in the public tertiary sector. However there is considerable concern about a work-force with a significantly older age profile than the New Zealand work-force as a whole that will need replacing in the near future5. In the meantime, high proportions of staff are on temporary or casual contracts and casualisation of the university workforce in particular is an increasing international concern.
There are no collated data for the PTE or ITO sectors, but turn-over is likely to be higher in many PTE’s than in the public sector due to the changing nature of the market in which they operate. The reorganisation of the ITOs (and different models of training and assessment used within those ITOs) makes the situation particularly unclear in this sector at present.
Pre-degree qualifications for tertiary teachers
Over the period 2009 - 2012 an average of 1,800 people a year gained a formal pre- degree qualification in tertiary teaching6 (in 20087 almost 400 gained level 7 qualifications or higher). On the face of it, this suggests that most of the staff outside the university sector are likely to become qualified over time. However the numbers are considerably inflated by the activity of the Skills Organisation / Learning State and Te Wānanga o Aotearoa who put large numbers of people through qualifications in the four year period 2009-2012, accounting for almost 55% of NCAET graduates.
4 Ministry of Education (2012) The changing structure of the public tertiary education workforce. Publ. Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education, Wellington. 5 ibid. 6 NZQA usage data – note: may be some double counting. 7 Latest data available: Projects International (2010) Taking Stock: Tertiary Practitioner Education Training and Support. Publ. Ako Aotearoa, Wellington. Page | 13 Traditionally ITPs have placed a high value on full-time staff gaining a teaching qualification (often provided as a local qualification in house). Universities, in contrast, have not had this requirement (inevitably too, they look to offer those staff who are interested opportunities to undertake qualifications at Level 7 and above). Policies of PTEs vary considerably, with a significant proportion (around 40%) regarding it as an important pre- requisite for employment.
Even if it wasn’t for the imperatives created by the Mandatory Review of Qualifications, there is a clear need for the rationalisation of qualifications available in this discipline area. Many local qualifications are producing very limited numbers of graduates and there is a lack of discrimination of expected outcomes from qualifications at different levels.
There is also a strong sense across the sector that any qualifications review needs to re- evaluate the priorities afforded to ensuring tertiary teachers are fully equipped to address the following:
Achieving parity of success for Māori and Pacific learners
Engaging younger learners
Addressing literacy and numeracy needs for tertiary learners
Ensuring all learners have the appropriate digital literacies to support successful study
Providing quality international education both within New Zealand and overseas.
Professionalisation of tertiary teachers
In parallel with this, there is a growing international debate about the professionalisation of the tertiary teaching profession. Part of this discussion is the role that tertiary teaching qualifications should play in any professional accreditation process8. While this debate is only beginning in New Zealand, a strong profession, whether a formal body or not needs a critical mass of members with the capability to continually evaluate the effectiveness of their own individual and collective practice.
Another dimension is the need for tertiary educators individually and collectively to be equipped to be active players in the continuing policy and practice debate about how best to frame our tertiary education system in the future.9
The following sections expand on some of these aspects in more detail.
8 Suddaby, G. and Holmes, A. (2012) An accreditation scheme for tertiary teachers in New Zealand: Key informant draft discussion document. Ako Aotearoa discussion paper. 9 See for instance, Tertiary Education Union (2013) Te Kaupapa Whaioranga; The blue print for tertiary education. Wellington, Tertiary Education Union; OECD (2011) Building a high quality teaching profession; lessons from around the world. Paris, OECD Publishing. Page | 14 Exploring the available data
Teachers in tertiary education in New Zealand10: the workforce and emerging issues
Overall numbers
In 2012, over 35,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff were employed by recognised tertiary education organisations (TEOs). Of these, nearly 15,600 FTEs were identified as teaching staff (Table 1). This comprises about 44% of the total tertiary education workforce. It is estimated that this represents over 21,000 individual tertiary teachers, of which 11,300 work in the university sector who, as noted above, are unlikely to be interested or have the opportunity to gain pre-degree qualifications.
Table 1: Full-time equivalent teaching staff employed in the New Zealand tertiary sector in 2012.
Part of sector No. of FTEs
Universities 7,060 ITPs 4,440 Wānanga 751 PTEs 3,370 Total 15,570
Note, however, that this data does not include practitioners contributing to education and training in the workplace or providing non-formal education (especially in the Adult and Community Education sector), nor does it include ‘non-academic’ staff within TEOs who may have important learning support roles, either as learning advisors or working as casual tutors. ITOs, for instance, have several thousand staff (possibly up to 5,00011) involved in assessment in the workplace. Many of these staff are involved in mentoring of trainees and other education support activities.
This means that the total number of staff involved in tertiary education as teachers, learning facilitators or assessors is likely to be around 27,000 of which pre-degree qualifications may be of relevance to up to 16,000.
Investment in staff
10 Data in this section from: Ministry of Education (2013) Profile & Trends: New Zealand’s Tertiary Education Sector 2012. Publ. Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education, Wellington and Ministry of Education (2012) The changing structure of the public tertiary education workforce. Publ. Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education, Wellington. 11 Extrapolating from survey responses from ITOs in Projects International (2010) Taking Stock: Tertiary Practitioner Education Training and Support. Publ. Ako Aotearoa, Wellington, plus recent comment at pre-review regional fora. Page | 15 The cost of employing personnel constitutes a very significant investment. While no collated data are available outside public tertiary providers, 60% of all expenditure in tertiary education institutions is on staffing. In 2011 personnel costs were $2.57 billion in 2011 (for both academic and non-academic staff). The MoE analysis suggests that these costs have risen by 2.8% per year since 2001 when they were under $1.4 billion.
Full-time versus part-time
Over the period 2001 – 2011, the number of academic FTEs in the public tertiary education institutions (TEIs) has increased by 18%. Detailed data are not available for private providers, but the 12,000 FTEs in the public tertiary education institutions comprise around 17,000 individuals.
The increase in proportions of part-time staff 2001 - 2011 is entirely due to changing profiles in the university sector, particularly in the first half of the last decade and is in common with international trends. The proportion of part-time staff employed by Wānanga has decreased over this period (now 29%), while the part-time / full-time ratio in the polytechnic sector although varying considerably from year to year shows no overall trend (44% of ITP academic staff were part-time in 2011).
An ageing workforce
There are significant concerns about the ageing tertiary teaching workforce. Statistics New Zealand estimated that around 38% of academic staff in tertiary education were over 50 in 2006. By 2016 it is estimated that 25% of ITP staff will be over 60. In the university sector the age profile appears to be even more biased to the over 60’s12.
Increasing workloads
Although a crude measure, changes in student: academic staff ratios (SASRs) suggest that the ‘productivity’ of academic staff is increasing. In the period 2007 – 2012, SASRs increased from 17.8 to 19.0 in the universities and in the polytechnic sector from 17.0 – 18.1. However in the Wānanga sector SASRs have decreased from 41.2 to 32.9. Of course actual workloads are not solely dependent on SASRs: how on-line learning is deployed, the availability of casual tutorial / demonstrator staff and marking support all have significant impacts on the effects of these ratios.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that in many cases support for teaching staff is decreasing while expectations of higher quality provision continue to rise. However this very much depends on individual organisations priorities and expectations. There is no doubt that the pressures on university academic staff have increased as a consequence of the PBRF.
12 Exactly comparable data not provided. Page | 16 Gender13
While the proportion of women employed as tertiary teachers is increasing. Women now comprise 48% of the university academic workforce, 53% of the ITP workforce and also constitute a majority in the Wānanga (no data provided). In the universities women are disproportionately in junior roles or occupy part-time positions. In the ITP sector there are also significantly more women than men working part time (54% versus 33%). However, the number of women in senior roles is broadly similar to men, as is the case in the Wānanga.
Ethnicity of the tertiary teaching workforce
The MoE only started collecting data on the ethnicity of the New Zealand tertiary workforce in TEIs in 2012 and any summary data has yet to be published. Māori and Pacific academic staff are clearly under-represented in universities and ITPs in comparison to the levels of participation of those key priority groups.
Turn-over rates
The turn-over of academic staff in tertiary education is difficult to quantify. The age profile suggests that turn-over in public TEIs is low, except where organisations have chosen to restructure different parts of their operation. Internationally, it is a commonly raised concern that younger academics have increasing difficulty securing permanent employment. The situation seems to be no different in New Zealand14.
Anecdotally the turn-over of staff in many PTEs may be higher, but there is no national collation of data for the private tertiary sector.
Requirements for and value placed on tertiary teaching qualifications by employers
Present value placed on qualifications by employers
In 2010 Ako Aotearoa’s report ‘Taking Stock’15, reported that no Universities or ITPs required a teaching qualification as a pre-requisite for appointment of full-time staff, although 40% of PTE respondents did. Most polytechnics expected their new full-time appointees to gain a teaching qualification within a set time after employment, as did 50% of PTEs. This was not a requirement for any New Zealand University. Both ITPs and PTE’s had significantly lower expectations for part-time staff. The ‘Taking Stock’ report also found
13 Data from Ministry of Education (2012) The changing structure of the public tertiary education workforce. Publ. Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education, Wellington. 14 The MoE (2012) report (op.cit.) indicates this is the case by looking at the levels of part-time employment for ‘other’ academic staff as a proxy for the pool available to recruit new academic staff to permanent positions. This part of the workforce is becoming increasingly casualised. 15 Projects International (2010) Taking Stock: Tertiary Practitioner Education Training and Support. Publ. Ako Aotearoa, Wellington. Page | 17 variations between organisations in approaches to general professional support and development.
There is anecdotal evidence that some polytechnics have been less able to implement their policy requirements for trained tertiary teachers over recent years.
Most ITOs require the completion of a unit standard in assessment by work-place assessors16, but there is no clear picture of how ITO’s value the completion of full qualifications in adult education and training. With the notable exception of Learning State / The Skills Organisation, few ITOs have made much use of these qualifications (see page 9).
Wide range of qualifications with varying clarity of outcomes
The Taking Stock report noted a wide range of tertiary teaching qualifications available, many of which had very few completions. It was also critical of the variable content of graduate profiles and outcome statements, with the result that it was often very difficult to distinguish between expected outcomes at different levels of study.
Present policy settings requiring increased accountability for the quality of teaching and learning
In New Zealand, current government policy settings and funding expectations through investment plans have placed an increasing focus on quality of teaching. This is particularly relevant to the non-university sector at present, with particular emphasis on preparation for the new round of NZQA external reviews of TEO self-assessment processes for quality enhancement and TEC’s expectation for parity of achievement for Māori and Pasifika.
There is a growing expectation that this increased level of accountability for the quality of teaching (and support for learning) will impact on the universities in the medium term.
The increased emphasis on export education also places a strong focus on the quality of the educational experience New Zealand offers. Similarly, the growing use of on-line learning and in particular MOOCs makes the quality of educational delivery more public and transparent.
Changing student expectations
As with other western education systems, student expectations are changing for three principle reasons:
increased diversity of the student body
increased awareness by individuals and families of the costs of education
increased awareness of the potential of on-line access to learning materials and support.
16 16 of 22 respondents: Projects International (2010) Taking Stock: Tertiary Practitioner Education Training and Support. Publ. Ako Aotearoa, Wellington. Page | 18 International trends and an emerging debate about professionalisation
There is a growing international debate about the professionalisation of tertiary teachers. These include work on standards and proposals to regulate the profession by requiring qualifications as a condition of entry (particularly in Further Education). The beginnings of such work is underway in New Zealand and Ako Aotearoa is following progress in both Australia and the UK closely17.
While this debate is just at its emerging stages in New Zealand, work undertaken by Ako Aotearoa with the Metro Group of ITPs on this is attached for reference in Appendix 1. These standards were developed with reference to the New Zealand Teachers Council Registered Teacher Criteria18. Much more extensive work has been undertaken by Innovation & Business Skills Australia Ltd who have recently published a capability framework for VET practitioners19.
The New Zealand work includes an aspirational description of what a 21st century vocational educator is like (also included in Appendix 1). This work formed the basis of the development of a Graduate Diploma in Professional Education (Level 7) now being offered by Otago Polytechnic.
Current usage of existing pre-degree teaching qualifications
Non-specialised certificate level qualifications in tertiary teaching
During the period 2009 – 2012 nearly 4,300 people completed a certificate level qualification in generic20 adult education / tertiary teaching. Over 91% of these completed a National Certificate21.
There are two National Certificates in Adult Education and Training: 0378 at Level 4 and 0379 at Level 5. 59 TEOs offered (or offered opportunities to complete22) the Level 4 qualification and 29 the Level 5 qualification between 2009 and 2012. 2,546 learners gained the Level 4 national certificate during that period and 1,370 gained the level 5 certificate.
17 Suddaby, G. and Holmes, A. (2012) An accreditation scheme for tertiary teachers in New Zealand: Key informant draft discussion document. Ako Aotearoa discussion paper.
18 New Zealand Teachers Council (2009) Registered Teacher Criteria. w ww. teachers council . govt.nz/rtc 19 Innovation & Business Skills Australia (2013) The VET Practitioner Capability Framework: Implementation Guide. IBSA, Melbourne. 20 This term has been used to describe certificates designed to support teachers working in general areas of tertiary education (it excludes, for example, specialisms in adult literacy and numeracy, foundation education or Mātauranga Māori). Both the Level 4 and 5 national certificates, include strands in National Environment and The International Environment – for the purposes of this analysis these strands have not been separated out and all national certificates have been included in the generic category. 21 Figures calculated from NZQA usage data. 22 Some TEO’s reporting qualification completions are ITOs. Page | 19 By far the largest provider of the Level 4 NCAET qualification was The Skills Organisation / Learning State who graduated over 51% of the total in the four year period 2009 - 2012. Six other ITOs used the Level 4 qualification over this period, but between them produced less than 4% of the total graduates.
Over 76% of the graduates from the Level 5 NCEAT qualification between 2009 and 2012 studied at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, with another 14% graduating from 5 ITPs. Numbers of graduates from this qualification fell off markedly in 2011 and 2012, with only 105 graduating in 201223.
Of the 59 TEOs offering the Level 4 qualification, 60% had graduated less than 5 learners. The equivalent figure for those offering the Level 5 qualification was 55%. Although, in the absence of EFTS consumption data, it is difficult to be certain, the returns suggest that the majority of these TEOs had discontinued offering these qualifications.
Over the period 2009-2012, there were 10 providers offering local tertiary teacher training qualifications at certificate level (levels 4 and 524) all of which were ITPs. During this period 380 students graduated with 154 EFTS consumed. There are some striking differences between providers in the relationship between graduates completing the qualification and the number of EFTS reported.
Five of the 10 providers had over 30 graduates during the 4 year period, comprising a total of 238 qualifications awarded (78% of the total). Two providers discontinued certificate level provision during this period.
National Certificates in Adult Literacy and Numeracy Education.
There are two certificates offered in this area: one, 1212, is for educators, the other, 1253, is focussed on vocational education in the workplace. The NZQA dataset indicates that 2,570 learners graduated with these over the period 2009 – 2012. Nearly 2,200 of these qualifications (over 85%) were gained in the vocational / workplace option. However there may be some significant double counting in both options as completions of the core sections and completions of the whole certificates are reported by providers separately.
Five TEOs (Literacy Aotearoa and four ITPs) were engaged in provision of the educator option over the period surveyed with 372 qualifications awarded. Literacy Aotearoa accounted for 56% of graduates.
Thirty-five TEOs offered the vocational / workplace option. Workbase, Adult Literacy Education and Consultancy, Framework Solutions, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and Training for You were the major source of graduates accounting for almost 68% of the total, with six ITPs providing another 17% of graduates over this four year period. Half the TEOs have each graduated less than 20 learners, some considerably less.
Diploma level qualifications in tertiary teaching at levels 5 and 6.
23 In 2013 this figure fell further to 57 as at 17 October. 24 The titles of older local qualifications do not always define level of study. Page | 20 In all 417 people graduated with diploma qualifications at levels 5 or 6 in adult education / tertiary teaching in the period 2009 – 2012. However, only four providers are particularly active in this space.
Eight providers offered the National Diploma in Adult Education and Training in the period 2009 – 2012: there were only 30 graduates, with one ITP provider accounting for 70% of those. Only one other provider produced more than 1 graduate in this period.
Five providers (ITPs and Wānanga) actively offered local diploma qualifications round the country during the 2009 – 2012 period (two other providers stopped offering their qualifications after 2009 and one other seems25 to have just commenced in 2012). There were 387 graduates over the period 2009 – 2012, with one provider graduating 77% of these diplomates.
Peter Coolbear Director, Ako Aotearoa January 2014
25 NZQA usage data identifies enrolments in 2012, but no EFTS consumption. Page | 21 Appendix 2: Professional Standards
Draft proposed professional standards for vocational educators of advanced standing developed by an Ako Aotearoa and ITP Metro working group (2012)
PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND PROFESSIONAL VALUES
An advanced professional vocational educator meets the following:
Standard Evidenced by:
1. Actively practices Manaakitanga i. learners and their needs are put first ii. concern for and contribution to the success for all learners 2. Progresses individual and organisational i. contribution to maximising success for Māori commitments to the principles of Te Tiriti o learners Waitangi ii. contribution to active engagement with Iwi and other Māori groups
3. Actively develops professional relationships with i. value placed on individual learner’s perspectives learners ii. cultural competence iii. responsiveness to individual learners needs iv. ability to inspire engagement and motivate learning v. responsiveness to cultural and academic diversity
4. Adds value to the institution’s and learners’ i. relational capability communities ii. active contribution beyond the academic community on behalf of the organisation
5. Innovates for successful learning i. future focus ii. ability to manage risk while undertaking experimentation and innovation in teaching and learning iii. ability to foster learners’ creativity
6. Promotes and models collegiality and collaboration i. contribution to and leadership of teams within and across disciplines ii. engagement with organisational processes iii. promotion of interdisciplinary dialogue iv. contribution to cross-organisational programmes and projects v. shared good practice
Page | 22 PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE IN PRACTICE
An advanced professional vocational educator meets the following:
Standard Evidenced by:
7. Synthesises the dual professional roles of educator and i. expertise and leadership in work practice work expert ii. contribution to the body of knowledge in their work practice area iii. a global perspective and future focus on their profession or trade in their educative practice
8. Practice is informed by a critical understanding of i. advanced evidence-based decision making on education and cognitive theory pedagogical issues ii. development of their learners’ metacognitive skills
9. Designs and guides learning for individual success, i. learning design co-creates the learning process starting from the individual’s experience ii. promotion of active and deep learning iii. provision of appropriate guidance and support to foster learner success iv. use of technology to enhance effective learning v. use of and contribution to open educational resources (OER) vi. outcomes focus, including work and community capabilities
10. Is a practitioner-researcher i. critical self-reflection and research to advance practice from an evidence base ii. critical evaluation of the learning experience
11. Leads evidence-based assessment practice for learning i. evidence-based assessment strategies are integrated with learning design ii. assessment of prior learning including work based and informal learning
Narrative on the rationale for the practice standards
A vocational educator of advanced standing in the 21st century is a team player and a dual professional in both their trade or profession and in the facilitation of learning. She / he is focussed on the best possible outcomes for all learners in their care and works proactively in the context of Te Tiriti o Waitangi to ensure success for Māori. Highly culturally competent, she / he will exhibit Manaakitanga for all learners. They recognise and respect the multi-faceted diversity in their learners and seek to treat and value them as individuals.
Learning with these educators is challenging, exciting, supportive and purposeful. By no means least, it is fun. Above all, it is focussed on developing each learner’s capabilities to maximise their own potential and future opportunities. That learners achieve success on
Page | 23 their programmes of study is only part of the goal for these educators: ensuring their learners are best equipped for the next steps in work or further study is, ultimately, more important.
Relevant work experience and contexts are fundamental to high quality vocational education. This means that professional practice as a vocational educator is not bounded by either the limits of the educational organisation or by the qualifications offered. Emphasis is on achieving the best possible synergies between the world of education and the world of work in all the diverse forms of each.
Digital technologies are employed routinely as tools to support learning and provide access to relevant content in an organised way that suits the needs of the individual learner. Teaching and learning facilitation focuses on concepts, developing deeper understanding and the attributes that enhance learners’ employability. Learners are progressively equipped with the strategies to become confident in their studies, time-efficient and, progressively, more autonomous.
Advanced twenty-first century vocational educators are, in a very real sense, partners with their learners and negotiate the learning environment and opportunities with them. In particular these educators seek to recognise and build on the existing knowledge, strengths and skills of each learner and foster learning between peers. Their assessment strategies are designed to foster learning and build wherever possible on naturally occurring evidence. Such educators are highly skilled in actively managing any risk to learning. This means that they are not afraid to experiment alongside learners in order to foster innovative, creative and motivating learning opportunities and to learn alongside the learners in their care.
A highly professional vocational educator is continually challenging themselves about their own practice and looking for continuing quality enhancement. They are critically self- reflective and undertake this self-reflection in a systematic and evidence-based way. Nor is their self-reflection limited to their education practice: they are also future-focussed in terms of their trade or profession. They are helping their learners prepare for an inevitably changing future.
Page | 24 Appendix 3: Qualifications for Adult and Tertiary Teaching of Mātauranga Māori: Needs Analysis
Introduction
Qualifications in teaching mātauranga Māori are being reviewed as part of the mandatory review of Teacher Education qualifications within the wider Targeted Review of Qualifications26.
Teacher Education qualifications within the mandatory review have been grouped into two broad categories: (i) Adult and Tertiary Teaching (ATT), and (ii) Education Specialisation and Support (ESS).
Qualifications in teaching mātauranga Māori have been included within the Adult and Tertiary Teaching grouping, with the target audience27 being practitioners who teach or intend to teach mātauranga Māori in Adult and Tertiary education settings where the teaching and learning is underpinned by kaupapa Māori.
The following analysis provides evidence for undertaking the development of New Zealand qualifications in teaching mātauranga Māori and supplements the needs analysis for Adult and Tertiary Teaching qualifications produced by Ako Aotearoa.
It is intended that the teaching mātauranga Māori qualifications will be developed using the Mātauranga Māori Evaluative Quality Assurance (MMeQA) process28.
Research method and approach
This analysis has used both primary and secondary research to identify the need for these qualifications.
This analysis takes a hybrid approach, in that need is established from the top down by considering the strategic and workforce development needs, while acknowledging that development of the qualifications will occur from the bottom up, with decision making and design of the qualifications occurring at the flax-roots, within the framework of Te Hono o Te Kahurangi.
It is acknowledged that focussing on workforce development needs risks ignoring the notion that gaining a qualification can have an intrinsic value beyond employment. As noted in discussion document feedback from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa:
…. “becoming an educator has societal, community, and self-satisfying benefits as well. Being an educator is a great way to meaningfully contribute to the future and well-being of one’s community. It is often its own reward”.
26 See http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/studying-in-new-zealand/nzqf/targeted-review- of-qualifications/ 27 Adult and Tertiary education settings includes both formal and non-formal settings. 28 See http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/maori/mm-eqa/ Page | 25 An initial discussion document on a proposed suite of Adult and Tertiary Teaching qualifications supplied primary data through seeking specific feedback and support for the development of a level 5 certificate and level 6 diploma in teaching mātauranga Māori. The discussion document was distributed to all current qualification owners and stakeholders who had expressed an interest in the review, with a request to further forward to their networks. Analysis from this discussion is included in the body of the report.
Secondary research involved the analysis of various strategy documents and reports focussed on Māori education strategy.
Analysis
The Strategic Need
This section of the analysis focusses on two key strategic documents, the Tertiary Education Strategy 2014-2019 (TES) and Ka Hikitia – Accelerating Success 2013-2017.
The TES provides the strategic direction and clearly supports the need to develop teaching mātauranga Māori qualifications.
The TES (pg 7) recognises the role of Māori as tangata whenua and Crown partners under the Treaty of Waitangi and indicates that Tertiary Education Organisations (TEOs) must: enable Māori to achieve education success as Māori, protect Māori language and culture, contribute to the survival and wellbeing of Māori as a people.
Moreover, the TES highlights that “tertiary education contributes to Māori cultural outcomes – such as greater knowledge and use of Māori language and tikanga Māori, and development of mātauranga Māori” (pg 7).
The TES recognises the Crown’s responsibilities to work collaboratively with iwi: to help improve Māori achievement, and recognise the economic benefits to individuals, groups, and society from improved levels of skills and education under the Treaty of Waitangi to support Māori aspirations, such as strengthened Māori language and mātauranga Māori research.
Priority area 3 of the TES focusses on boosting achievement of Māori and Pasifika. It notes that by 2030 30% of New Zealanders will be Māori or Pasifika (pg 12). The TES emphasises the need for TEOs to improve culturally responsive provision by “making a commitment to Māori learner success, focusing on increasing the number of Māori teaching staff within TEOs, improving culturally responsive teaching practices, and delivering programmes that are relevant to Māori and communities” (pg 13).
Furthermore the TES notes that “TEOs’ contribution to growing and developing mātauranga Māori will provide greater opportunities for Māori to achieve in research and development, building from their unique cultural strengths” (pg 13).
Page | 26 Ka Hikitia is a strategy to guide action to make a significant difference for Māori students in education (pg 6). Focus area 4 of the strategy relates to tertiary education, with the outcome that Māori succeed at higher levels of tertiary education.
Ka Hikitia notes that while the proportion of Māori students studying at New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF) level 4 and above has increased, the total number remains constant. In order to improve system and institutional performance and accelerate progress for Māori, Ka Hikitia sets 4 goals and a series of proposed actions to achieve the goals (pg 46-48).
The goals:
1. Māori participate and achieve at all levels at least on a par with other students in tertiary education.
2. Māori attain the knowledge, skills and qualifications that enable them to participate and achieve at all levels of the workforce.
3. Grow research and development of mātauranga Māori across the tertiary sector.
4. Increase participation and completion in Māori language courses at higher levels, in particular to improve the quality of Māori language teaching and provision.
The actions (abridged):
looking for opportunities for better inclusion of mātauranga Māori in tertiary programmes, growing the research available on effective teaching and learning for Māori students so providers know what they can do to support students, providing professional development for tertiary educators and introducing culturally responsive teaching pedagogies.
Legislative Mandate
This section focuses on the legislative mandate and Government expectations for wānanga.
Wānanga are described in the education act (1989, section 162(4)(b)(iv)) as being “characterised by teaching and research that maintains, advances, and disseminates knowledge and develops intellectual independence, and assists the application of knowledge regarding āhuatanga Māori (Māori tradition) according to tikanga Māori (Māori custom). The three wānanga are designated under the Education Act 1989 as unique organisations who offer quality education based on Māori principles and values.
The Government expects Wānanga to: Create and share new Māori knowledge that contributes to whanau, hapu and iwi prosperity, and New Zealand’s economic, social, cultural and environmental development.
Page | 27 Make an increasing contribution to sector-wide leadership through advancing mātauranga Māori at all qualification levels and across all fields of study. Enable students to complete a range of sub-degree, degree and postgraduate qualifications, with clear study paths to higher levels of learning through a Māori paradigm.
Workforce Development
This section of the analysis draws from the Ministry of Education report - The changing structure of the public tertiary education workforce.
This analysis focuses on data related to the wānanga workforce, however, it should be noted that the teaching mātauranga Māori qualifications would be relevant to a wider teaching workforce such as Māori faculty staff within education organisations, Māori PTEs, and iwi education organisations.
There are limitations on this data as the MoE report does not distinguish by faculty or ethnicity in its analysis of universities and Polytechnics. As such it is not possible to distinguish Māori staff or staff involved in delivering programmes based on mātauranga Māori in universities and Polytechnics from the data available. Furthermore the report does not indicate if wānanga staff are employed to deliver programmes of learning involving mātauranga Māori, although this could be assumed. Staff turnover rates are not provided.
Undertaking further primary research to quantify and classify the wider teaching workforce would require significant resourcing and is beyond the scope of this review.
The Ministry of Education report indicates that Academic staff at wānanga numbered 955 in 201129, of which 728 staff held positions as tutors or senior tutors; lecturers or senior lecturers; heads of department; or deans/heads of school.
Feedback from the Discussion Document There were 32 responses to the discussion document, with all but one response coming from organisations or individuals engaged in tertiary education. Of these, 19 specifically responded to the question:
What are your thoughts on the need for separate specialist qualifications in teaching Mātauranga Māori?
Of these, 18 responses supported development of teaching mātauranga Māori qualifications, while one did not. A number of responses expressed concern that developing separate mātauranga Māori qualifications risked mātauranga Māori not being included in the other ATT qualifications. Verbatim responses to the question included:
From a Kaumatua for a regional Polytechnic:
“It is a good thing to have a separate specialist qualification in teaching mātauranga maori, and separate
29 Deans and heads of school, department heads, lecturers, tutors, tutorial assistants and ‘other’ academic staff Page | 28 specialist qualifications in assessment. There is a maori proverb that says “by maori for maori”. It is only when you are born a maori and been nurtured in things maori like, whakapapa (geneology) Hitoria (history), Karakia (prayers & incatations), Waiata (songs ) that you can genuinely speak as someone who has authority on te Ao Maori. And so for those that want to teach maori and assess maori must have these attributes that I speak of”.
From a wānanga:
“Fully agree but would also ask what place mātauranga Māori has in non-Mātauranga Māori adult education qualifications? What gives it the NZ flavour?”
From a private training establishment (PTE) focussed on trades training:
“All teachers of adults in Aotearoa New Zealand need some grounding in Māori concepts, teaching and learning methodologies etc. The TES prioritises Māori achieving success as Māori. (Te Reo) Māori is an official language and under the Treaty of Waitangi, Māori are tangata whenua. For all these reasons and more, at least a basic knowledge of Māori teaching and learning concepts is essential in all ATT qualifications. Further, these concepts are good practice for all learners – not just Māori, so there is ‘no harm’ in knowing and applying these concepts in the wider education sector.
However, for those teaching in a Māori organisation or from a kaupapa Māori perspective may need or want a deeper knowledge of tikanga, Te Reo, theories knowledge and techniques applicable to the context of their practice. It may then be appropriate to have specialist qualifications at the higher levels”.
From an education faculty in a metropolitan Polytechnic:
We have concerns that with the separate quals these areas may be dropped from the mainstream ATT programme. One option would be to have L5 ATT to have 30 credits as a core plus 15 credits Mātauranga Maori and 15 credits numeracy and literacy. The proposed specialist quals would remain but these topics would be safeguarded in the ATT.
From a social services tutor in a regional Polytechnic:
“This would be beneficial for the learners as it will enable the framework to come under Te Ao Maori rather than
Page | 29 mātauranga Maori being taught from a western framework, and safeguarding potential loss of integrity. All learners particular Maori will gain a greater understanding of their own culture references and ideologies rather than over attempt to integrate Mātauranga Maori into a western framework”.
Mātauranga Māori Evaluative Quality Assurance (MM EQA) The epitome of Māori culture, traditional Wharenui represents perhaps the fullest and most tangible expression of the beauty, depth and uniqueness of a Māori worldview: the concepts, values, philosophies, beliefs, practices, processes, skills, histories and aspirations.
Illustrated below, a concept based on the wharenui has been developed, in collaboration with the sector, for use specifically in a quality assurance context.
In Te Hono o Te Kahurangi, eight key kaupapa Māori principles considered most relevant in a quality assurance context, are associated with key parts of the wharenui.
Whanaungata The care of ākonga, whānau, hapū, iwi and mātauranga Māori nga relationships will be a fundamental outcome of the review.
Manaakitanga The duty of care and expression of mana-enhancing behaviours and practices will be evident between all review participants. Pūkengatanga The skills and knowledge of those directly involved in the review will ensure the values, beliefs, needs and aspirations of all participants are respected. Kaitiakitanga All review participants will ensure that the authenticity, integrity and use of mātauranga Māori is protected, maintained and transmitted appropriately. Rangatiratang The review will reflect a unique and distinctively Māori approach a to ensure the needs of ākonga, the wider community and other key stakeholders are met. Tūrangawaew The review process will ensure all stakeholders are engaged, able ae to contribute and their contributions are acknowledged.
Page | 30 Te reo Māori Te reo Māori, as the co-leading means for expressing and transmitting Māori knowledge, values and culture, will be practiced, promoted and celebrated. Tikanga Tikanga Māori, as the co-leading means for preserving, protecting Māori and transmitting ngā tuku ihotanga, will be practiced, promoted and celebrated.
For listing qualifications on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF), there are six Pātai Tuakana (key evaluation questions (KEQs)) that directly and elegantly enquire into the expression of the kaupapa (the fifth and sixth questions are focused on the extent to which the qualification is distinctly and recognisably Māori in shape and form and its contribution to preserving, promoting and advancing te reo Māori and tikanga Māori). These questions are supported by a number of tools evaluators can use to support their decisions30.
1. E tautoko ana te hunga e tika ana hei tautoko? To what extent have relevant stakeholders influenced/contributed to the qualification design? 2. He aha ngā tūmomo whāinga a ngā ākonga, whānau, hapū, iwi, hapori e tutuki ai i tēnei tohu? How well does the qualification’s strategic purpose match the needs of learners, whānau, hapū, iwi, hapori and other relevant stakeholders? 3. He aha te momo ka puta i tēnei tohu? To what extent will the qualification enable graduates to pursue intended educational, employment, community and / or cultural outcomes? 4. He aha ngā painga ka riro i te whānau, hapū, iwi, hapori me ētehi atu inā tutuki ai ngā whāinga i te ākonga? What is the value of the qualification for key stakeholders including whānau, hapū, iwi, hapori and learners? 5. E taea rānei te kī, he rangatira, he whai-mana, he Māori tonu te hanga o te tohu nei? To what extent is the qualification unique, distinctly Māori in shape and form and have mana? 6. He aha ngā āhuatanga o te tohu nei e ora ai te reo, e mana ai ngā tikanga? To what extent does the qualification contribute towards the preservation, promotion and advancement of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori?
30 http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/maori/mm-eqa/nga-taputapu-arotakenga/ Page | 31 Appendix 4: Education Specialisation and Support: Needs Analysis
Introduction
New Zealand needs educated people to meet the complexities of the 21st century, which is becoming steadily more challenging in all spheres of our lives. Our welfare and prosperity depend on people being able to adapt to continuous change and so to contribute to a positive and dynamic future. New Zealand is a bi- and multi-cultural society with diverse educational needs. Schools themselves reflect this diversity, which can be based on ethnicity, religious and/or philosophical affiliation, ‘special character.’
New Zealand needs to meet is obligation under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to ensure all children, including those with disabilities can participate fully in education and achieve their potential.
New Zealand has a significant numbers of students who underachieve, and the biggest gap between high and low achievers ( PIRLS survey ) as well as significant number of adults who have poor literacy and numeracy ( New Zealand data: International Adult Literacy and Lifestyle survey ). Costs to society in terms of un or under employment, mental health and justice system is high.
There are many causes for underachievement and poor progress at school, necessitating multimodal approaches. Diverse educational settings also of course assist all learners to achieve, particularly learners who face greater challenges than most, including because of specific learning disability and for physical reasons.
As a result, all learners can be enabled to be successful learners and to reach their potential and take a full and active part in our diverse New Zealand society, with resulting benefits for our people, our workforce, and our society generally.
Education Specialisation and Support (ESS) qualifications can empower educators/teachers, parents, and school communities to help students reach their potential, with benefits to themselves, their families, and their communities.
ESS qualifications are of four types:
‘Special Character’ qualifications for diverse educational settings including schools with a particular underpinning identity, whether cultural, religious, philosophical, …
‘SLD’ qualifications for teachers with a specialist focus on assisting learners to overcome their specific learning disability
‘Teacher Aide’ qualifications for people who support learners in their learning and/or assist teachers in their educational setting; and
Teaching languages, including Teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL).
Teachers who gain these qualifications will help:
To reduce the tail of underachievement in NZ education system
Page | 32 To offer differentiated education that meets needs of diverse learners and/or reflect cultural and spiritual differences and parental choices
To provide benefits to all learners and contribute to the good of the whole society
To reduce the load on other welfare services
To contribute to the prosperity of New Zealand through meeting the needs of overseas students (TESOL).
Diagram 1: From the Human Rights Commission Website (www.hrc.co.nz)
Special Character Needs Analysis
New Zealand is a bi-cultural/multicultural society with diverse educational needs. Teachers and support workers need an education qualification suitable for a range of educational approaches. Such a qualification should not be derived from a ‘one size fits all’ methodology: it should have the capacity to meet the needs of different learning communities.
Since 1975, the New Zealand government has recognised and supported the ‘special character’ of designated state-funded integrated schools. The proposed new qualification will be suitable for teachers and others wishing to work in these schools. In addition, it will provide a broad-based professional development pathway for education providers working in a range of social, cultural and spiritual communities, for example: families/whanau seeking a particular educational orientation for their children, home-schoolers wishing to offer education with a special character, teachers who wish to orientate towards a particular values based pedagogy. Both professional workers and members of these communities stand to benefit from such a qualification.
Page | 33 Why does NZ need a qualification in this area?
The proposed qualification will meet the diverse educational needs of New Zealand as a bi-cultural, multicultural society with a rapidly growing ethnic population additional to Maori-Pacific population.
Government recognition and support of ‘special character’ schooling requires a flexible, broad-based teacher education qualification in order to ensure adequate preparation and professional development within the sector.
Such a qualification could provide a model for meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse society, at home but also abroad.
Who will benefit and how?
Stakeholders who have a spiritual, philosophical, religious, cultural (Pacifica, Maori, Asian etc.) orientation and a need for this to be reflected in their children’s education.
Developing communities, both domestic and abroad, who wish to modernise whilst maintaining their cultural, ecological and spiritual roots
Qualified teachers, graduates and individuals seeking professional orientation and personal transformation through engagement in ‘special character’ education
Pupils in ‘special character’ schools and other similar education settings who need teachers with in-depth understanding of the particular character of the school’s educational approach.
Schools with a Special Character’ who need staff who understand and engage critically with the school’s distinctive educational approach.
Charter schools working in distinctive environments requiring a special character approach
Private schools aiming for a distinctive educational approach
Parents who are seeking a religious orientation for their children’s education
Parents who are seeking a cultural/spiritual orientation, which sits outside mainstream education
Teachers who want to teach in a way that fits with their moral/ethical values
What is the evidence for this?
The Private Schools’ Conditional Integration Act 1975
Since 1975 there has been legal recognition and government support for state- integrated schools deemed to have a ‘special character’. This has been through The Private Schools’ Conditional Integration Act 1975 which provides state integrated schools with a legal right to: Page | 34 Teach, develop and implement programmes reflecting the faith and or educational philosophy articulated in the special character, and to establish customs and traditions that authentically reflect these.
Administer staff appointments and arrange staff composition in a manner that recognises the special character of the school.
In the first place to enrol children of parents who identify strongly with the special character of the school.
To uphold the right of the school’s community to make a tangible financial contribution towards the cost of maintaining the school by way of fees.
In the light of the above, there is an evident need for a broad-based qualification pathway for teachers, managers, administrative staff and others wishing to work in or support schools that have a special character. This qualification pathway would need to be suitable for a range of different communities, for example, those with religious orientation such as Seventh-day Adventist, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Jewish, Muslim or non- Denominational Christian. It should also meet the needs of more philosophically-orientated learning communities such Rudolf Steiner or Montessori.
The Private Schools’ Conditional Integration Act 1975 New Zealand Registration (2000).
Available at: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1975/0129/latest/DLM437347.html
‘Special Character’: statement issued by the Association of Integrated Schools in New Zealand.
Available at: http://www.aisnz.org.nz/special-character
Rapidly-increasing Ethnic Diversity
Arguing that a strategic approach to dealing with rapidly-increasing ethnic diversity is vital for the future of New Zealand, Mervin Singham (2006) notes that:
New Zealand is one of the highest migrant-receiving countries in the world. The 2001 Census revealed that 10% of the population is comprised of ethnic minority people other than Māori and Pacific peoples. This figure is projected by Statistics New Zealand to be 18% by 2021.
As an example of the 2006 Government’s efforts to eliminate discrimination and assure fundamental human rights for all citizens (including minority groups), he quotes Helen Clark, the then Prime Minister, who was speaking at a Regional Interfaith Dialogue Conference (March 14 2006).
“We regard the building of greater understanding through dialogue as of the utmost importance in the Asia-Pacific. Our wider region is one where all of the world’s great faiths
Page | 35 are to be found – and the same is true of New Zealand itself, which is becoming increasingly multi-cultural and diverse… In dialogue, we can empower each other, affirm our hope, nurture our relationships and achieve mutual respect for each other. We can also affirm our commitment to tolerance and our rejection of extremism and violence”
Singham, M. (2006) Multiculturalism in New Zealand: the need for a new paradigm. Aotearoa Ethnic Network Journal Vol.1 Issue.1 June 2006
The above narratives make a compelling case for developing, eight years on, a broad- based qualification for teachers, managers and administrative staff that could meet the needs of increasing ethnic and cultural diversity in 21st Century New Zealand.
The New Zealand Curriculum Principles
In 2012, the Education Review Office produced a report on The New Zealand Curriculum Principles: Foundations for Curriculum Decision-Making (July 2012 19/07/2012). In the section on ‘Cultural Diversity’, the report states that ‘the limited evidence of this curriculum principle at both school level and in classrooms is of concern as the diversity of New Zealand society and schools grows’. The report goes on to note that ‘many teachers appeared to lack knowledge about how to engage with culturally diverse families and use the resource these students and their families can potentially provide to enrich the learning of all students’. Later in the report, mention is made of special character schools which ‘often demonstrated a strong commitment to valuing and celebrating cultural diversity’.
The fact that official concern is still expressed 37 years after the 1975 ‘Private Schools’ Conditional Integration Act’ is a sure indicator that there is a need for a qualification pathway which would encourage more schools and teachers to address the issue of cultural diversity more extensively and with greater depth.
Report available from: http://www.ero.govt.nz/National-Reports/The-New-Zealand- Curriculum-Principles-Foundations-for-Curriculum-Decision-Making-July-2012/Overview
The 2013 Census
The 2013 Census shows the total school population in NZ in 2013 was 762,400. Of this 110,731 (14.5%) either had ‘religious or organisational affiliation’. Analysis of groupings shows the following and suggests the need for a qualification appropriate for enabling the further development and support of ‘special character’ schooling:
Affiliation Number of pupils Anglican 13,885
Jewish 159
Presbyterian 8,590
Roman Catholic 65,712
Seventh Day Adventist 1,588
Reformed Congregation of New 102
Page | 36 Zealand
Hare Krishna 93
Non-Denominational Religion 12,450
Muslim 613
Pentecostal 1,174
Methodist 310
Open Brethren 71
New Life Church of NZ 442
Abundant Life Centre 227
Baptist 37
Rudolf Steiner 2,266
Trust 2,188
Maori Trusts 604
Montessori 220
No Affiliation 651.669
Total 762,400
Table 1: From Education Counts (2013) Statistics: Student Numbers: One-on-One Dimensional Tables for Student Numbers: School Affiliation.
References
Association of Integrated Schools in New Zealand (2012) Statement on ‘Special Character’ issued on-line. Available at: http://www.aisnz.org.nz/special-character
Clark, H (2006) Prime Minister’s speech at Regional Interfaith Dialogue Conference: March 14 2006 quoted in Singham (2006) p. 35.
Education Counts (2013) Statistics: Student Numbers: One-on-One Dimensional Tables for Student Numbers: School Affiliation. Available at: http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/maori_education/schooling/6028
Education Review Office (2012) The New Zealand Principles: Foundations for Curriculum Decision-making (July 2012) 19/07/201. Available at: http://www.ero.govt.nz/National-Reports/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum-Principles- Foundations-for-Curriculum-Decision-Making-July-2012
Page | 37 New Zealand Registration (2000) The Private Schools’ Conditional Integration Act 1975, New Zealand. Available at: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1975/0129/latest/DLM437347.html
Singham M. (2006) Multiculturalism in new Zealand- the need for a new paradigm, Aotearoa Ethnic Network Journal Vol.1 Issue.1 June 2006 specifically pp.33-34
Page | 38 Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) Needs Analysis
The definition of a specific learning disability is a disorder in one or more basic psychological learning processes that involves difficulties in understanding or using language, spoken or written. It will be reflected predominantly in difficulties in listening, thinking, speaking, reading, hand-writing, written language, spelling and/or maths.
The qualifications related to SLD are the Certificate in Specific Learning Disabilities (Level 5) 40 credits, (developed by SPELD NZ) and the Diploma in Specific Learning Disabilities (Level 5) 120 credits, (developed by the Seabrooke McKenzie Centre).
The target audience for the qualifications are existing teachers, educators and other related professionals that wish to up-skill in the specialist area of SLD.
It is noted here that people with SLD have a right to access education pursuant to the Human Rights Act 1993 and to fulfil NZ’s obligations under the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
Why does NZ need qualifications in this area?
Teachers, educators and other related professionals that gain these qualifications will help:
Individuals with SLD to achieve their potential and engage in life-long learning;
To reduce the tail of underachievement in NZ education system;
To provide benefits for all learners and contribute to the good of the whole society;
To reduce the load on other welfare services.
Who will benefit?
Society will benefit due to a greater level of work and education participation and reduce the number of those not in education, employment or training (NEETs);
Employers will benefit by having a more literate workforce;
Schools will benefit through teachers at schools bringing the specialist knowledge and experience that is not currently provided within existing teaching degree programmes (at undergraduate level), and to disseminate this knowledge to other colleagues;
Individuals with SLD will have a greater opportunity to succeed at school and in education and work, bringing the additional benefits to:
- increase academic success;
- reduce the need to access mental health services;
- increase students’ self-esteem;
Page | 39 - improve the students’ life skills and ability to work and engage in further study;
- and reduce the risk of offending.
What is the evidence?
Numbers affected by SLD
There are differing definitions of SLD. Historical NZ figures are based on UK, USA or Australian figures. Since 2007 the Ministry of Education has recognised Dyslexia as an established fact and the Ministry are generating their own research on SLD. However a 1972 figure based on the Otago University Longitudinal Study estimated that 7% of the school aged population had some form of SLD. This was a conservative figure compared to British Dyslexia Association figure of 10 % and International Dyslexia Association estimates 15-20% of the population have a learning-based difficulty. Therefore, depending on the definition of SLD between 7 and 20 % of the population have some form of learning disability.
Available from: http://www.interdys.org/FactSheets.htm
“Dyslexia is widely accepted to be a specific learning disability and has biological traits that differentiate it from other learning disabilities. Dyslexia is the most common specific learning disability and is estimated to affect from 3 to 20 % of the population around the world. The Specific Learning Disabilities Federation of New Zealand (SPELD NZ) which provides specialist tutoring services within New Zealand estimate that 7.1 % of all students have specific learning disabilities, which equates to approximately 55,000 school age children. However there is no empirical evidence to confirm this statement. Findings from the 1996 International Adult Literacy survey (Chapman et al., 2003) have 7.7 % of New Zealand adults identifying themselves as having a reading disability; based on today’s population this equates to around 265,000 adults. However, as the survey only focused on reading problems and not all possible learning difficulties it is reasonable to assume that at least to assume that at least 10 % of the population experiences some type of specific learning disability”. Ministry of Education literature review, is attached. The numbers must be significant for MoE to recognise dyslexia in 2007 and to publish a teacher resource ‘About Dyslexia’ in 2008. SPELD NZ collaborated in this publication.
Report available: An International Perspective on Dyslexia (PDF 537KB)
SPELD NZ stats: Over the last 6 years SPELD NZ received about 150-200 Certificate in SLD training enquiries each year. Between 2008 and 2013 (inclusive) there have been 331 teachers enrolled on the Certificate in SLD. Evaluation surveys completed by CSLD graduates frequently say that the course is invaluable: they wish the course information had been presented during their teacher training. Teacher training left them inadequately prepared to deal with the needs of the SLD learner.
Page | 40 SPELD NZ receives approximately 24-30 enquiries a day seeking help from SPELD services for assessment and/or tuition. SPELD NZ provides help each year to about 2600 families: approximately 700 of which were new membership applications- the balance are membership renewals.
For the Seabrook McKenzie Centre, in Christchurch alone there were 632 new clients in 2013. Of these 450 went on to use the services of a trained SLD teacher.
Available from: ( http://www.magazinestoday.co.nz/Features/Education/Suffering+in+silence.html ).
Negative behaviour statistics affected by SLD
a) The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Disability Study (which is ongoing) notes that: 23.5% of ‘normal readers’ in the Study attained Bachelor’s degree compared with 2.7% of dyslexic readers. ‘Normal readers in the study had a median income before tax of $30k -$40k compared with dyslexic readers in the study with a median income before tax of $20k-30k. Scores for stress/alienation/aggression/socialised aggression/conduct disorders and anxiety for Dyslexics were significantly higher than non-dyslexics.
b) An Examination of the Relationship between Dyslexia and Offending in Young People and the Implications for the Training System Gavin Reid and Jane Kirk: Originally Published in Dyslexia Journal 2001. The 2001 Polmont prison Study is a startling piece of research, conducted at Polmont by Gavin Reid, a psychologist and senior lecturer in the faculty of education of Edinburgh University, and Jane Kirk, the University's dyslexia study adviser. In the population as a whole, between 4 and 10 per cent of people are affected by the range of learning difficulties classified as dyslexia. But previous research has suggested a higher than average incidence among young male prisoners. Before making the programme Gavin Reid and Jane Kirk had anticipated that the proportion at Polmont might be between 15 and 30 per cent. The results of the screening are dramatic - half of the inmates at Polmont show indicators of dyslexia. Jane Kirk says: "Dyslexia is a continuum of processing difficulties, and 50 per cent of the samples were somewhere on that continuum. Many of them had many of the indicators, and few were borderline. We identified more young dyslexics than we expected.”
c) Criminal Offending and LD in NZ Youth –Does reading comprehension predict Recidivism? Rucklidge & McLean Crime & Delinquency 2009. Numerous references within the article. 60 young people from youth prison sites were assessed with 91% having an LD. 4 years post assessment recidivism rates and investigated: reading comprehension predicts future offending.
d) Criminal offending in the US. Dyslexia in the Prison Population notes that while the prevalence of dyslexia in the general population is up to 20%. The prevalence of dyslexia in prisons is more than twice that, or 48% according to a scientific study conducted at the University of Texas Medical Branch in conjunction with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (published 2000).”
e) Available from: http://www.educationupdate.com/archives/2008/DEC/html/spec-- dyslexia.html
Page | 41 f) The link between dyslexic traits, executive functioning, impulsivity and social self- esteem among an offender and non- offender sample. Baker & Ireland International Journal of Law and Psychiatry vol 30 2007. Offenders presented with more dyslexic traits than non- offenders.
g) NZQA evidence shows a 33% increase from 2012 to 2013 of demand for reader/writer assistance in exams Figures for pupils receiving special assessment conditions (SAC), were released by NZQA under the Official Information Act.
h) PISA research shows a large gap in NZ between high and low achievers in writing. Available from: (http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/series/2543/pisa-2012/pisa- 2012-top-line-results-for-new-zealand)
SPELD NZ commissioned NZCER in 2009 to undertake an ‘Evaluation of the Effectiveness of SPELD in NZ’. The research covered the following questions:
What evidence is there of shifts in achievement for students who participate in SPELD?
What evidence is there of shifts in attitudes to learning for students who participate in SPELD?
What components of the SPELD tutoring programme are perceived to contribute to positive shifts in student outcomes?
Do the shifts made by SPELD students differ according to student characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, or initial achievement levels?
Do the shifts made by SPELD students differ according to other conditions such as school characteristics, their tutor, or the process by which they are referred?
How effective are the activities designed by SPELD NZ to build sector capability (e.g., professional development, conferences) perceived to be?
Answers to these research questions are set out in the paper as follows:
https://www.google.co.nz/#q=Evaluation+of+the+Effectiveness+of+SPELD+in+NZ +
SPELD NZ in 2010 conducted a further pilot study of the quantitative analysis of the effectiveness of SPELD NZ intervention. The results were analysed by Dr K Waldie who presented a summary paper at SPELD NZ conference 2012. The full analysis will be published in The NZ Journal of Educational Studies in 2014. SPELD NZ initiated research was conducted showing gains from SPELD NZ tuition (initial assessment followed by tuition then reassessment to show gains). For example, children are increasing their predicted reading success by 20-44% (The Record, Nov 2012, Vol 56)
Page | 42 Research from Prof. Tom Nicholson, Professor of Literacy Education at Massey University (http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/expertise/profile.cfm?stref=967930) examines the challenges facing Maori students in New Zealand “where one of the biggest challenges in this country is to raise Maori achievement in literacy. Maori are the first nation, and it seems unjust that their literacy levels are not on par with those of Pakeha despite massive efforts to close this gap. In this review it will be argued that Maori children in New Zealand fail to receive a fair deal (equity) in learning to read for a number of reasons, but primarily because our schools employ the wrong method of teaching reading;
Why the NZ National Literacy strategy has failed and what can be done about it? Tunmer, Chapman et al. July 2013 noted the following conclusions:
schools' approach to literacy is "fundamentally flawed", and gaping inequalities continue to be ignored, despite more than $40 million being spent on reading recovery each year by the Ministry of Education.
the large gap between Pakeha and Maori children had not closed and "misguided policy decisions" were to blame. E.g. "Maori children, on average, are performing to the equivalent of literacy rates in Georgia, and for Pasifika children they're equivalent to those in Trinidad and Tobago.
Prof Chapman and colleague Professor Bill Tunmer have been researching literacy for 25 years and said their professional advice had been ignored. In the early 1990s, they were funded by the ministry to examine falling literacy rates. Their advice was that the reading recovery programme, which has been in place for 30 years, was not working. The same advice was given to a literacy taskforce established by the Government in the late 1990s.
The Tertiary Education Strategy 2010-2015 notes that two of the key priority areas for 2010-2015 are:
More young people (aged under 25) achieving qualifications at levels four and above, particularly degrees where there is a significant wage premium for people who complete higher-level study, particularly Bachelor degrees. Skills are regarded as one of the Government’s six key productivity drivers. For New Zealand to increase its rate of productivity growth, a change in the skill level of the working population is needed. We need more people completing degrees (including applied degrees) and advanced trade qualifications (typically at levels four to six).
More young people moving successfully from school into tertiary education. The Government wants to have more young people engaged in and successfully completing tertiary education. Completing a vocational or professional qualification early in adult life has a higher return for both the individual and society. Those who enrol in tertiary education directly from school are more likely to complete a qualification than students who enter from the workforce or unemployment, largely because school leavers are more likely to study full time and have fewer other commitments. Targeting young people can therefore improve the return on public funding.
Page | 43 New Zealand also has relatively low participation rates in all types of education at ages 15 to 19. Seventy-four percent of 15 to 19 year olds in New Zealand were enrolled in education in 2006 (compared to the OECD average of 81.5%). The Government Better Public Service targets are:
85% of 18-year-olds will have achieved NCEA Level 2 or an equivalent qualification in 2017; and
55% of those aged 25-34 years will have a qualification at Level 4 or above in 2017.
Diagnosing SLD at an early age will help Government achieve these targets.
TEC 2008 “Learning Progressions for Adult Literacy and Numeracy” notes that approx. 50% of adult NZ population has low numeracy and literacy scores.
The Characteristics of Adult Readers in Entry Level tertiary Settings in NZ Janet McHardy 2009 University of Waikato Findings show that around half the adult population in NZ have literacy levels below the minimum level of competence required to meet everyday life. (MoE 1998; 2001; 2005,2007).
Page | 44 Teacher Aides Needs Analysis
Why does NZ need qualifications in the area?
All children with disabilities have a right to be acknowledged as equal partners in learning ‘equitable opportunities for learning, irrespective of gender, ability, age, ethnicity, or background’ (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.66). Children with disabilities should not be discriminated against and should have qualified/educated, knowledgeable and appropriate support teachers working alongside them. This challenges equity for children.
Equipping untrained teachers with skills and knowledge to effectively support the learning of early childhood, primary and other educational setting, both in group settings and individually is invaluable for the teachers, families/whanau, child and the support worker/teacher aide. Prospective teachers in New Zealand need a base qualification with appropriate knowledge and skills in order for them to make knowledgeable decisions as to whether they wish to teach early childhood, primary, intermediate or high school. This base qualification needs to give a basic understanding of the needs of all children, in particular children with special needs.
Supporting children with special learning needs, literacy and behaviour issues is a growing concern and requires specialist knowledge. One in five New Zealanders has a long- term impairment. Many are unable to reach their potential or participate fully in the community because of barriers they face doing things that most New Zealanders take for granted. The barriers range from the purely physical, such as access to facilities, to the attitudinal, due to poor awareness of disability issues. The aim of the NZ Disability Strategy: Making a World of Difference - Whakanui Oranga is to eliminate these barriers wherever they exist (The Office of Disability Issues, 2014).
Available from: http://www.odi.govt.nz/resources/publications/nzds/foreword.html
New Zealand adopted the UNCRC - UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD in 1989 and ratified it in 1993. UNCRC is obligated to support all children, specifically children with special needs. A statement discussion on how essential it is, that they [staff] have sound, up-to-date theoretical and practical understanding about children’s rights and development; that they adopt appropriate child-centred care practices, curricula and pedagogies; and that they have access to specialist professional resources and support. (General Comment 7, 2005, V, 23).
Available from: http://www.nzare.org.nz/pdfs/ece/Anne-Smith-keynote.pdf
The NZ Disability Strategy - Objective 3: provide the best education for disabled people – ensure inclusion and opportunities to reach potential. Article 30 (A30); The right to learn and use the language and customs of your family whether or not these are shared by the majority of the people of the people in the country where you live and A12; voice and respect (UNCRC, 2007).
It is the Government’s aim is to provide the best education for disabled people by the following goals:
Make sure every disabled child can go to their local school.
Page | 45 Make sure disabled people have help to communicate effectively.
Be sure teachers and educators understand the learning needs of disabled people.
Make sure disabled people have fair access to the things they need to get the best education.
Make sure schools meet the needs of disabled students.
Help disabled people to have further education once school is finished.
Make sure that all learners reach their potential through having knowledgeable and skilled teachers.
And to also: Promote the involvement of disabled Maori and Pacific peoples so that their culture is understood and recognised (The New Zealand Disability Strategy Making a World of Difference Whakanui Oranga, 2014). To support diverse children with disabilities is to work as a partner with all families and understand that communication is via a social practice with different expressions and gestures varying from culture to culture. The person working alongside a child must be able to see these significant differences to help the child with literacy and to interpret and teach effectively. To do this we need to include families in decision making, have mutual respect, Waiora - whereby the total wellbeing for the individual child and family are catered for (Pere, 1997). I relate this to Article 30 (A30); The right to learn and use the language and customs of your family whether or not these are shared by the majority of the people of the people in the country where you live and A12; voice and respect (UNCRC, 2007).
This is to enable success for all – Every School, Every Child. The Government’s vision and work programme is to achieve a fully inclusive education system. It builds on the views of more than 2,000 people from across New Zealand who made submissions to the Government’s Review of Special Education 2010. Read the submissions [External website] on the Review of Special Education 2010 website.
The Government has set a target of 100% of schools demonstrating inclusive practices by 2014 and has a programme of activities to achieve this. These activities look at improving inclusive practices and improving special education systems and support. More children receiving support. The Ministry has also extended the Communications Service to an additional 1,000 students aged 5-8 with complex and significant communication needs who don’t qualify for ORS, (Ministry of Education, 2014).
There is a gap whereby there is no special learning needs qualification at lower level. Current qualifications include special learning needs within the broader teacher aiding qualifications. It is recommended that special needs focussed qualifications be included within the ESS group.
Employer demand for qualified support staff (teacher aides, education support workers and community support workers). Supported by unions. ie. schools – across the range, tertiary, EC centres, OSCAR, community support with disabilities, All staff working in schools with children need to have some level of training/ qualification to effectively work with children and to enhance the knowledge and skills they have as parents etc. Increasing premature births – mainstreaming in schools – these children teacher aides working with these children.
Page | 46 Ensuring we have people with knowledge to work alongside all children and with special learning needs.
Ensure equitable opportunities for students with special learning needs to participate in education opportunities
Government policies to move people from benefits to work – trend of people being enrolled in Teacher Aiding and OSCAR programmes.
Social and Economic Good
Pathways
This qualification is a stepping stone towards higher education in teaching or other careers. It is often used as bridging and confidence building (second chance learners and others wanting a career path/work). In New Zealand we have an issue with our aged people (baby boomers) retiring within our current teaching workforce; we need to have an introduction qualification which allows diverse people of New Zealand to have an opportunity to work alongside children either supporting, or furthering their career in teaching:
‘Historically the education industry has been one of the biggest employers in New Zealand. Presently, this industry employs a wide variety of highly skilled workers from pre-school to tertiary level with a trend towards higher level qualifications in all sectors.
Over the coming years, the significant number of workers in the older age groups could lead to a rapid loss of knowledge and skills within the industry as teachers retire. This applies particularly to the primary school sector and senior academic and management level positions in universities. With population projections indicating increases in the size of the primary school age population, there will be added pressure to increase the number of primary school teachers in the future’ (Labour Market, February,2014) Available from: http://www.dol.govt.nz/services/LMI/tools/skillsinsight/snapshots/education/index.asp
Further Training Work
Teacher Training ESW - ECE
Primary Teaching Teacher Aide ECE
Special Education Teacher Aide Schools
Sign Language ECE worker
Human Services Community Support Worker
Health, Disability, and Aged Residential & Private Aged Support (Foundation Skills) Care
Intellectual disabilities ICT
Librarian
School administrator
Page | 47 RTLB
Nannying and Family Day Care
Before and After School Care
Table 2: Potential Pathway from Qualification to Career
Further training can provide the opportunity to become a Behaviour Consultant, Specialists Educator, Counsellor, School Teacher, Working for Hearing Impaired, Ministry of Education co-ordinator for ESWs, Health and Disability Co-ordinator, Vision and hearing screening, brain injury support, mental health and addiction support, or social services.
The Careers NZ Website indicates that “a relevant qualification such as a certificate in teacher aiding or diploma in education support, and relevant experience may be preferred by employers”
Available from: (http://www.careers.govt.nz/jobs/education/teacher-aide/how-to-enter- the-job ).
The benefits of this type of training also includes: Parent as learner role modelling to families, up skilling in literacy, numeracy, child development, personal and academic confidence building in a professional environment. Learning skills in the workplace that can be applied within own family and wider environment. Understanding of one’s self as an adult learner. Additional income / school term tenure and school day hours.
OSCAR – Out of School Care and Recreation programmes align with those for teacher aiding but with specialist components related to caring for ‘groups’ of primary –age children without the support of qualified teachers. Suggest a specialist small qualification – level 4. We currently have a situation in New Zealand where training is not mandatory for homebased educators yet they are looking after groups of children from ages 5-13 (can be up to 30 to 50 at one time) in group care situations for up to periods of 3 hours to full day. Specialised skills and knowledge are required to provide a programme that engages children and ensures their wellbeing during this time (refs to be found although not a lot of research on OSCAR). A rounded knowledge to work with children across the primary lifespan requires deeper learning than the knowledge of how to provide recreation activities. (Ministry of Social Development, 2014).
Available from: https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/work- programmes/policy-development/out-of-school-services/#WhatisOSCAR1
Page | 48 Stakeholders- who will benefit & how
Students
Female, often older -35 or over, (although younger ones supporting young children in early childhood settings, and then go onto further training). All from diverse backgrounds and needs.
Some are returning to workforce, new immigrants, often parents juggling families, often high numbers of Maori and Pacific. This group are often individuals with no or limited formal qualifications and will benefit through a formal qualification which gives them specific skills and knowledge to better foster and support the learning and wellbeing of learners with the aim of assisting them to reach their potential.
Employers
Early childhood centres - ESWs work alongside educators to support the inclusion of children with the highest needs. ESWs work under the guidance of an early intervention specialist, and as part of a team of parents, whānau, specialist education practitioners, educators, and health professionals. This team works together to develop an IP to support the inclusion of the child in the service. (Ministry of Education, 2014). Hence, the reason to have some basic knowledge and experience to be able to do this work and to be able to communicate with both parents, teachers and children.
Available from: http://www.ero.govt.nz/National-Reports/Inclusion-of-Children-with- Special-Needs-in-Early-Childhood-Services-December-2012/Introduction/Education- support-workers
All Retrieved from
http://www.nzcer.org.nz/system/files/teacheraide.pdf
Evaluation of the Introductory professional development programme for teacher aides Report to Ministry of Education, M Cameron, L. Sinclair, P Waiti, C Wylie NZCER 2004
APPENDICES to the Teacher Aides needs analysis – OSCAR: Out of School Care and Recreation
Out of school care and recreation (OSCAR) differs from primary and early childhood education, including staff who are not registered teachers. Group size can range from 5 to 120 children aged from 5 to 13. OSCAR services are delivered by a wide range of providers of varying size, staff expertise experience, training and location throughout NZ.
The range of services is diverse: before school (1-2 hours per day), after school care (ASC), 3 hours per day) and holiday programmes (up to 10 hours per day. Programmes operate from a variety of venues, often school or nearby halls.
Currently some local training is delivered by the Auckland and Christchurch OSCAR Networks. Available from: http://www.oscn.org.nz/parents.html
Page | 49 Why does NZ need a qualification in this area?
Currently an OSCAR qualification is not mandatory. CYF requires MSD funded programmes to have some limited training, primarily child protection and first aid.
About 700 OSCAR providers, operating 2000 services were funded by MSD in 2013. (Cabinet paper 15 March 2013). In January 2014 Work and Income had 1,398 OSCAR approved OSCAR providers listed on their website. An estimated 35,000 plus children attend OSCAR programmes a day. An OSCAR programme is responsible for all aspects of programme delivery, ie compliance with all Acts of Parliament and legislation relevant to providing child care services but without the protection of schools’ infrastructure. OSCAR is not part of the mainstream school system.
OSCAR needs a qualification which reflects the diversity of the roles and responsibilities and a qualification providing some consistency of delivery of OSCAR which would strengthen the confidence of parents. OSCAR staff experience and expertise is often limited, which conflicts with MSD’s statement. “A rounded knowledge to work with children across the primary lifespan requires deeper learning than a knowledge of how to provide recreation activities.”(Ministry of Social Development, 2014).
Available from: https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/work- programmes/policy-development/out-of-school-services/#WhatisOSCAR1
International best practice requires qualifications and registration of OSCAR programmes . In 2012 Australia the Federal Government introduced Standards for all Out of School Services (OSS) and registration of all OSS. Training is mandatory in most states.
Who will benefit?
NZ Government for the provision of OSCAR services for working parents which is critical to the Working for Families package (Cabinet papers 26 April 2004)
Employers who have employees caring for children who are knowledgeable, professionals.
Employment for people for youth students, people returning to the workforce, new immigrants. This group often includes individuals with no or limited formal qualifications who would benefit through a formal qualification which gives them specific skills and knowledge and confidence to engage in further study
Parents in employment will know that their children are being cared for by trained professionals or at least there is a qualification in place for untrained staff to work towards.
Children who need staff who know how to understand and engage with children.
Society as a whole will benefit from the education of (currently untrained) OSCAR staff who interact with children for more hours a day than parents during the working week.
Page | 50 OSCAR students who are-equipped with skills and knowledge to effectively support the learning of primary aged children is invaluable for teachers, families/whānau.
What is the evidence?
Government policy i.e. the Working for Families package from 1999 has supported the growth of the OSCAR sector. This included introduction of the OSCAR childcare subsidy in 1999 and MSD funding for OSCAR programmes in 2002
Working For Families: Cabinet Minute of Decision 26 April 2004 Working for Families package noted:
the Childcare Assistance changes will help reduce childcare costs, which can act as a barrier to employment, particularly for women.
the objective of the Childcare Assistance initiatives is to improve outcomes for low and middle income families with childcare costs by reducing a barrier to work and making quality ECE and Out of School Care and Recreation more affordable.
Families Commission Report: When School’s Out 2007 Conversations with parents, careers, and children about out of school services. Donnella Billet and Marny Dickson :
Staff qualifications are a highly visible indicator of quality. Almost all parents expressed a desire for trained, qualified staff to be involved in running OSCAR.
Australia: Four out of seven states require OSS meet minimum standards. Training is mandatory in some states eg ACT.
Sweden: High quality and part of the education system. Staff have relevant university training.
The recommendations from the Chair of the Cabinet Social Development Committee as reported in The Further Findings from the review of the quality assurance framework for out of school services: Work force development. 2007 were:
Research indicates that quality relies on a combination of factors including ratios, types of activities, staff training and experience, and interactions between children and adults.
To increase the capacity of the sector to train and develop its own workforce
The government continues to support the provision of OSCAR services, and undertook a review of OSCAR funding in 2012/2013. Government policy continues to be focussed on moving people from benefits to paid work or training to obtain work. Cabinet Paper: Cabinet Social Policy Committee 15 March 2013 Out of School Care Grant funding:
Currently 699 providers who run more than 2000 funded OSCAR services. Under the current grant funding system, with total funds at $16.9 million per year. $1.9 Million added to grant funding for 2013/14 to support transition to the changed funding regime from the 2012/13 surplus. Through the income tested OSCAR subsidy, the crown paid out 31.3 million in the 2011/12 fiscal year to support OSCAR attendance for 10,000 children.
Page | 51 Better use of existing OSCAR capacity as well as growth in area with adequate supply of OSCAR programmes will support the Welfare Reforms. These programmes provide more options for parents to move off the benefit system into full time work while their school aged children attend OSCAR programmes.
The Estimates of Appropriations for the Government of New Zealand for the Year Ending 30 June 2014. Ministry of Social Development Budget appropriations for Childcare Assistance grants NZ Government Budget (Includes ECE and OSCAR)
2011 $188,107,000 Actuals ($31,300,000- OSCAR subsidy = 16.6% of total
2012 187,755,000 Actuals
2013 185,742,000 Estimated actuals
2014 183,660,000 Main estimates
Pathways for OSCAR
OSCAR qualified people have a number of pathways to pursue in either employment or undertaking on-going learning.
Sport and recreation (further learning and/or employment)
Coaching(further learning and/or employment)
Sport officiating (further learning)
Nannying (further learning and employment)
ECE (further learning)
Primary Teaching (further learning)
Teacher aiding(further learning)
Community recreation (employment)
Page | 52 TESOL Needs Analysis
Summary
The members of the working party reported a clearly demonstrated need for a TESOL/Language teaching qualification at Level 4 and Level 5. There was a lesser demonstrated need for level 6. The main drivers are: New Zealand’s recently acquired characterisation as a “superdiverse” population (the Royal Society, 2013) and resultant demand for English language learning and teaching; the case for teaching additional languages in schools (Harvey, 2013); the growth of New Zealand as an international education destination; and the international demand for language teachers. It is expected that provision of a rigorous and consistent qualification will contribute to the health of an increasingly multicultural society.
End users of such qualifications are many and varied and include the graduate themselves and those who receive the flow-on benefits of this training, including students and prospective employers. While the qualification would be contextualised to New Zealand, and would include the teaching of languages other than English in NZ, it would also need to meet the needs of teachers planning to use the qualification overseas.
The new qualifications will need to be underpinned by a sound understanding of the way in which languages are learnt and the vital role of language in people’s learning and identity construction (Baker 2011; Ellis 2008; Ortega, 2009)
P.S. The qualification’s title requires further discussion: TESOL/Language Teaching.
Potential candidates
Candidates include both domestic and international students who may or may not have existing tertiary qualifications.
Non-Native Speakers wanting to teach English and/or their own language
Expert users of English wanting to teach in voluntary or paid positions
Beginning teachers (school leavers or those wanting a career change)
Qualified teachers (NZ qualified, Overseas qualified)
Those wanting a qualification i.e. to teach
- English or other languages
- English for specific purposes
- General English
Those wishing to teach in: the community or the primary, secondary or tertiary sector.
Page | 53 Analysis of Need: Why does New Zealand need graduates of this type?
Government Level
The need for TESOL qualifications is supported by the Ministry of Educations Tertiary Education Strategy (TES), and Education NZ English Language Sector strategy.
In summary:
the TES has a strategy to increase the language, literacy and numeracy skills of learners, especially at foundation level, to which TESOL teachers can contribute (teachers with TESOL quals are already working in the adult literacy space).
Education NZ is a crown entity charged with achieving the government’s goal of doubling income from international students by 2025. International students frequently are required to learn English before entering tertiary education. Thus qualified teachers are needed.
The Education NZ roadmap workshop (see excerpt below) has identified TESOL as a product that New Zealand could offer internationally.
Diagram 2: Excerpt from the English Language Sector Roadmap (p.13). Available from: http://www.educationnz.govt.nz/our-services/international-education-industry- strategic-roadmaps/english-language-sector-roadmap
TES statements regarding international students:
Page | 54 Diagram 3: Excerpt from the Tertiary Education Strategy (p.15). Available from: http://www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/TertiaryEducation/PolicyAndStra tegy/TertiaryEducationStrategy.aspx
Aligns with TEC strategy for Literacy: The Tertiary Education Strategy describes that it is an expectation that ITOs, PTEs, ITPs will work to increase language and literacy levels. There is a need for people who know how to do this (most of which is addressed in LLN quals, some of which may be addressed by TESOL).
Page | 55 Diagram 4: Excerpt from the Tertiary Education Strategy (p.13). Available from: http://www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/TertiaryEducation/PolicyAndStra tegy/TertiaryEducationStrategy.aspx
In short, provision of such courses aligns with Government policy. They would meet the needs of:
existing and potential domestic and international candidates
community teachers of other languages and those wishing to teach an international language in the tertiary system
immigrants and citizens (non English speakers/learners needing English language development/learners of heritage and community languages) by provision of skilled English and other language support.
Page | 56 NZ People
To provide the community with more highly educated members
To develop inter-cultural awareness and publicly celebrate linguistic and cultural diversity
To provide the community with a higher level of awareness of another language
Graduates
To have a NZ qualification that is on NZQF to enable international students to get a visa, and domestic students to qualify for funding
To have a qualification, which is specific to our NZ context i.e. programmes can be developed to meet the needs of candidates in NZ
To have a qualification that incorporates methodologies and practices used in NZ educational context
To have the potential to teach in NZ and overseas
To have greater confidence to participate in and contribute to NZ society
To equip NNS learners and NS learners with the skills to pathway into employment or further study
To enable NNS learners and NS learners to assist their family in daily life and to participate in and contribute to NZ society
What benefits will these graduates bring?
The ability to contribute to the economy of NZ by creating employment opportunities for others e. g. new businesses
Effective language teaching
Qualified language tutors will be able to share expertise within the general educational setting and bring a focus on the role of language in learning (Koefoed, 2012; Scott & East, 2012).
Develop inter-cultural awareness and recognise linguistic and cultural diversity (TEC date? Harvey, 2013; the Royal Society, 2013;)
Are there potential candidates – Is there demand?
Data tracking demand
1. TESOLANZ : Number hits on website TESOL qualifications page (http://www.tesolanz.org.nz/Site/Publications/directory.aspx)
Page | 57 Month Number
2014-Feb 453
2014-Jan 1104
2013-Dec 954
Nov 959
Oct 857
Sep 798
Aug 794
Jul 834
Jun 797
May 459
Apr No data
Mar 856
Feb 810
Jan 869
Table 3: Number of hits on the TESOL qualifications page
To put that in perspective, this was the third most popular webpage until last October, when it became the first (behind the home page). The TESOLANZ website gets around 2,500-3,000 hits per month so nearly one in three visitors look at this page.
2. Enrolments in the TESOL qualification at Level 4 at North Shore Language School support the demand:
Name Level Numb Numb Numb Qualific of of Prov er of er of er of ation Qualificati Qualificati ider enrolmen enrolmen enrolmen Number on on ts 2011 ts 2012 ts 2013
Nort Certific h Shore 112029 ate in Level 4 Langua 109 128 103 TESOL ge School
Page | 58 Table 4: Number of Enrolments in the TESOL qualification at L4 at North Shore Language School
Unitec has trained on average 30 teachers per annum between 2010-2013
Industry demands a robust standard of qualification
On-going demand for teachers due to turn over rate and fluctuation of student numbers
Number of sts and no. of teachers required to service this (evidence)
Education Tourism
Candidates are coming to NZ to gain TESOL qual. 7% of Unitec’s graduates were from overseas (2010-2012).
Graduates from other degrees seeking specialisation in TESOL
Beginner and qualified teachers
Unemployed
School Leavers eg catering to TEC priority group for under 25s. See the following data from enrolments in the TESOL qualification at Level 4 at North Shore Language School in the TEC priority group for under 25s:
Qualific Name Level of Provi Numb Numb Numb ation of Qualificatio der er of er of er of Number Qualificatio n enrolment enrolment enrolment n s 2011 s 2012 s 2013
North Age Age Certific Shore 18-24: 18-24: Age 112029 ate in Level 4 Languag 18-24: e School 36 39 TESOL 34
Age Age Age 25+: 25+: 25+:
73 89 69
TOTA 109 128 103 L:
Page | 59 Table 5: Number of students Under 25 enrolled in the TESOL qualification at L4 at North Shore Language School
Those wanting a career change/upskill
NNS / NS
Domestic and international
Number of international students and domestic students in the TESOL qualification at Level 4 at North Shore Language School:
Qualific Name Level of Provi Numb Numb Numbe ation of Qualificatio der er of er of r of Number Qualificatio n enrolment enrolment enrolments n s 2011 s 2012 2013
112029 Certific Level 4 Nort ate in h Shore TESOL Langua Dome Dome Domes ge stic: stic: tic: 100 School 96 120
Intern Intern Interna ational: ational: tional:
13 8 3
TOT 109 128 103 AL:
Table 5: Number of International and Domestic students enrolled in the TESOL qualification at L4 at North Shore Language School
Who are the end users? I.e. employers of the graduates/further education providers
Educational Organisation with language programmes or Learning support (PTEs, ITPs, General Education setting)
Educational Organisation with foundation programmes
Page | 60 Educational Organisation overseas and overseas government programmes (TALK in Korea)
Community Organisations
Immigrant support groups
Corporations eg banks, airlines,
Defence forces
NZ Government run programmes e.g. Oscar
Tourism
References
Baker, C. (2011). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.
Ellis, R. (2008). The study of second language acquisition. Oxford, London: Oxford University Press.
Koefoed, G. (2012) Policy Perspectives from New Zealand in Byram, M. & Parmenter, L. (Eds). The Common European Frame of Reference: The Globalisation of Language.
Harvey, S. (2013). Revisiting the idea of a National Languages Policy for New Zealand: how relevant are the issues today? The TESOLANZ Journal, Vol. 21, 1-13.
Ortega, L. (2009). Understanding second language acquisition. London, England: Hodder.
Scott, A. & East, M. (2012) Academic Perspectives from New Zealand in Byram, M. & Parmenter, L. (Eds) . The common European Frame of Reference: The Globalisation of Language
The Royal Society of New Zealand. (2013, March). Languages in Aotearoa New Zealand
Wait, J. (1992). Aoteareo: Speaking for ourselves. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
Page | 61 Childbirth Qualifications Needs Analysis
Introduction
“Pregnancy and Parenting Information and Education is an essential and valued part of maternity services delivered to pregnant women, expectant fathers/partners and whanau”.
(Ministry of Health 2013)
In New Zealand there are over 65,000 births per year. Further data indicates that approximately 35% of babies are born to first-time parents (Ministry of Health, 2013) also “a national survey in 2011 found that almost three-quarters of first-time expectant women accessed antenatal education” (Litmus, 2013, p2).
In the New Zealand the Ministry of Health (MOH) is responsible for ensuring women have access to quality services in relation to pregnancy and parenting information and education. Pregnancy and parenting education is part of New Zealand Maternity Standards which are a fundamental part of the Maternity Quality and Safety Programme (MQSP).
The MOH provide funding to District Health Boards (DHB) who then have the responsibility to provide pregnancy and parenting education services for their respective population. These services may be provided directly or through sub-contracts with organisations or independent educators.
In 2011 the MOH commissioned Litmus to undertake a review of childbirth education and used this review as the basis to guide the ongoing development of pregnancy and parenting education services and to update service specifications.
The MOH and DHBs are reliant on access to suitably qualified childbirth educators or health professionals with a relevant qualification in adult teaching to provide information and facilitate pregnancy and parenting education courses.
Aoraki Polytechnic is the academic provider of the Diploma in Childbirth Education. The programme is provided in partnership with Parents Centre NZ Inc (PCNZ). The relationship is long standing and acknowledges the early work of Parents Centre in improving birthing practices and access to information and services for women. The partnership was responsible for professionalising pregnancy and parenting education and setting quality standards to ensure women were empowered to make informed decisions in relation to pregnancy and birthing care. Aoraki Polytechnic is the only provider offering the Diploma in Childbirth Education qualification in New Zealand.
The Diploma in Childbirth Education is a national qualification run as a distant learning programme. It is specifically designed for adult students wanting to teach pregnancy and parenting classes to expectant parents in a wide variety of settings.
The aims of the programme are to:
Provide students with a sound knowledge base in the anatomy, physiology, psychology and sociology of the childbearing year in all its variation.
Facilitate the development of skills which will enhance the ability to plan, implement and evaluate effective childbirth education programmes in response to the client needs.
Page | 62 Foster the development of childbirth education as a credible profession within the healthcare circle as educators fulfil their role in facilitating the skills of informed decision making in childbearing families
Why does NZ need this qualification?
Pregnancy and parenting education has always been a priority for the MOH and is an integral part of the New Zealand Maternity Standards and Maternity Safety and Quality Programme. The importance of this is demonstrated by the recent review of the services and the ongoing development of pregnancy and parenting education and information.
The childbirth education qualification meets the criteria set out in the Ministry of Health pregnancy parenting information and education service specifications therefore students that achieve the Diploma of Childbirth Education have the clinical knowledge, facilitation and adult teaching skills to provide quality childbirth education courses in their respective DHB regions.
Childbirth educators reinforce stakeholders information which ensures consistency of key health messages. They are reinforcing information from other health professionals such as Lead Maternity Carer (LMC), general practitioners (GP), obstetricians, lactation consultants and other relevant providers of pregnancy and parenting information and education.
Maintaining a pool of qualified childbirth educators ensures pregnancy and parenting education and information is provided by professionally qualified adult educators with a sound clinical knowledge base in relation to pregnancy, birth and postnatal period.
The Diploma in CBE programme partnered with PCNZ who is the main employer of childbirth educators in NZ. PCNZ holds contracts in most DHB regions in New Zealand.
Ministry of Social Development (MSD) – whanau ora contract. Parenting education to be targeted to vulnerable groups as identified by Ministry of Health.
What is the evidence?
PCNZ were instrumental in advocating for the right of the pregnant and birthing women to be informed of their choices and to make decisions on their care and support during pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal period.
The MOH service specifications review identified that three-quarters of first-time expectant women accessed antenatal education
Pregnancy and parenting education is provided in a variety of settings including DHB maternity services, PCNZ regional centres, Home Birth Association, Multiple Birth Association, Maori health services as well as by individual practitioners.
The HDC Code of Health and Disability Services Consumer’s Rights Regulation 1996 “establishes the rights of consumers, and the obligations and duties of providers to comply with the Code. It is a regulation under the Health and Disability Commissioner
Page | 63 Act”.31 While the 10 rights within the Code of Rights are significant in the provision of pregnancy and parenting information In relation to the role of childbirth educators the following 2 are the most significant.
- Right 7: Right to make an informed choice and to give informed consent
- Right 6: Right to be fully informed.
The Diploma in Childbirth Education curriculum prepares students to teach mandatory information as outlined in the MOH pregnancy and parenting curriculum.
Students that complete the qualification have the required competencies in adult teaching to meet the MOH requirements as pregnancy and parenting educators. “Ideal educators uses adult education principles and a collaborative parent centred approach” (Litmus 2013)
Improving access of Pacific peoples to information about pregnancy and the care of infants is an important step in improving health outcomes for Pacific women and their families. “Pacific pregnant women have the lowest uptake of antenatal (or pregnancy and parenting) education in NZ with less than 1% of all pregnant women (Families Commission 2009)”. (Poutasi, N. 2013).
Who will benefit?
Students that complete the Diploma in Childbirth Education have increased employment opportunities with PCNZ, Plunket and Well Child/Tamariki Ora providers, Home Birth Association, Multiple Birth Association, La Leche League peer counselling programme. While the qualification is specific to childbirth education other employment opportunities are available in health education, health promotion and culturally specific services.
Graduates that pursue a career in childbirth education and demonstrate leadership qualities can undertake further professional development with Aoraki Polytech which leads to other roles as supervisor, markers, and workshop facilitators.
Students have adult teaching, facilitation skills plus clinical theory – opens opportunities in teaching, health education, and health promotion.
Women, partners and whanau – childbirth education ensures women have access to relevant, evidence based, up-to-date information to make an informed decision on their pregnancy, birthing and early parenting choices.
Contributes to child health outcomes
Babies and children – parents and caregivers are empowered to make good parenting choices with long term health gains for babies and children
MOH health targets - contributes to birth outcomes, breastfeeding initiation and duration
31 http://www.hdc.org.nz/the-act--code/the-code-of-rights Page | 64 Long term health gains – for example breastfeeding reduces the incidence of diabetes obesity and cardiovascular disease.
Social and cultural
- Relationships established with other community services
- Support networks are established that provide support in early parenting which often remain long term i.e. post natal coffee groups, Baby and You (PCNZ), Pepe groups (Plunket)
- culturally appropriate support groups – puna groups (kaupapa Maori parent support groups, Pacific Island Parenting groups.
Leads women with no formal qualification or tertiary learning back to study and employment.
Improved access to culturally specific pregnancy and parenting information and education. students who complete the qualifications have the clinical knowledge and can then diversify into culturally specific programmes such as:
- Te Ha Ora - a kaupapa Maori antenatal education run in the Bay of Plenty and provides additional information in relation to traditional Maori birthing and early parenting practices.
- TAHA -Well Pacific Mother and Infant Service has developed an education curriculum where childbirth educators extend their knowledge and skills to work within pacific communities through the Tapuaki programme (Pacific pregnancy and parenting programme).
- Kokiri - a programme provided by Whanau Biz where graduates can teach in kaupapa Maori services. “Initial training will enable poutoko whānau and their organisation to begin implementing kaupapa Māori childbirth and early parenting education” (Whanau Biz, 2014). It is anticipated graduates can then extend their learning and gain a NZQA qualification through the diploma in childbirth education.
References
Dobbie, M. (1990). The Trouble with Women: the Story of Parents Centre New Zealand .
Litmus (2013). Review of Pregnancy and Parenting Education Services: summary report.
Ministry of Health (2013). Updating the Pregnancy and Parenting Education Service: Consultation Document . Ministry of Health. Wellington.
Ministry of Health (2013). Maternity Services – DHB Funded Pregnancy and Parenting Information and Education Tier Level Two Service Specification: Draft for Consultation. Ministry of Health. Wellington.
Page | 65 Ministry of Health (2012). New Zealand Maternity Standards. Ministry of Health. Wellington.
Ministry of Health (2010). Maternity Services Report. Ministry of Health. Wellington.
New Zealand Breastfeeding Authority (2014). Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative Documents. Retrieved from www.babyfriendly.org.nz
Poutasi, N. (2013). Personal email correspondence, 19 February 2013.
TAHA (2013). Tapuaki: Pacific Pregnancy and Parenting Curriculum. University of Auckland. Auckland.
Whanau Biz (2014). Kokiri. Retreived from www.whanau.biz
Page | 66