As a teacher I can’t help thinking that the reduction in New Zealand students’ achievement levels, in global comparisons, comes down to what happens before teachers teach.
Firstly, the current model of user pays means there is no pre-selection of trainees to ensure the person is already well-educated enough to be trained as a teacher. They should have excellent knowledge and skills before their training.
Secondly the training should only have to cover the theories of education, curriculum layout, and craft of teaching. From my observation in schools and inquiries among first-year teachers over the past 20 years, many are ill-educated and most are woefully unprepared by their service providers.
These two problems cover why we now appear to need the Common Practice Model the Ministry of Education is working on.
Their roll-out of the model and endless other professional development for teachers is an expensive exercise too little and far too late. It will keep the teachers out of the classroom and away from your children yet again.
