Week 26: Discuss laws, regulations or policies

As teachers we are responsible for the success and well-being of the students in our class. We make a commitment to learners, families and whānau, the teaching profession and society. We are expected to apply high professional standards and make sound ethical decisions in all of our work.

The Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand (previously the Education Council) have combined the Code of Professional Responsibility and Standards for the Teaching Profession into one document, Our Code, Our Standards (Education Council, 2017). This code of conduct is binding on all teachers who hold a practicing certificate under The Education Act (1989) Section 387: Code of Conduct (New Zealand Government, accessed 1 October 2019).

The main purpose of Our Code Our Standards is to set standards of  behaviour and expectations for teachers. The document is used to establish and maintain teacher certifications, and can be used to evaluate a teacher’s professional conduct if a complaint is made. In relation to teacher inquiry, Standard 2 Professional Learning is most pertinent. This standard states that teachers are expected to inquire into their practice to make sure their teaching is effective.

In the 2012 Education Review Office report Teaching as Inquiry: Responding to learners (Education Evaluation Reports, 2012), ERO stated that when inquiry is implemented well there are clear benefits for students. Teachers build on their practice to better meet the needs of all learners, but in particular priority learners. This has recently been evident at my school.

Teaching as inquiry was introduced to our school in July 2014, based on the framework in the New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007). However, when ERO visited in 2016 they noted in their Kaikohe West School Report that this was one of the many initiatives which were not working effectively. None of our school policies referred to teaching as inquiry.

Following this ERO report, a Limited Statutory Manager (LSM) and Student Achievement Function (SAF) practitioner were assigned to our school. In Term 2 2017 a Teacher Appraisal policy was reviewed at school. This policy states that teaching inquiry is a requirement of our teacher appraisal (Kaikohe West School, 2017).

We now have regular Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings where we share challenges and successes related to our inquiries. When ERO revisited in 2019 they noticed a significant improvement in the quality of teaching and learning. They attributed this to the ‘teaching as inquiry’ model. Teachers now regularly evaluate the effectiveness of their practise using achievement data.

Teachers in New Zealand are well supported to use teaching as inquiry through the New Zealand Curriculum and Our Code, Our Standards. Having a school appraisal policy which requires all teachers use teaching as inquiry has improved practice across my school.

Kaikohe West School (2017), Appraisal of Teaching Staff. Schooldocs Policies and Procedures.