A new approach to professional learning and development for technology teachers in New Zealand: Developing networks of expertise

Abstract

This article presents a study that focuses on the Mātanga’ (Māori term for expert) perspectives of their leadership in a professional learning and development (PLD) programme in technology education. Funded by the Ministry of Education’s Network of Expertise Initiative, the PLD programme was designed and delivered by Technology Education New Zealand (TENZ), to foster teachers’ engagement with the technology education curriculum. It aimed to develop teachers' specialist identity by focusing on Reinsfield and Williams’ notions of technological and technical thinking, by matching teachers with Mātanga. The Mātanga identified various factors affecting the nature of technology education in New Zealand, and had differing understandings and interpretations of technology, which resulted from their professional experiences. They recognised various factors affecting the nature of technology education in New Zealand. Most evident were the tensions in teachers’ curriculum and assessment understanding, and the pressures being placed on practitioners to remain current in their practice.

Innovative professional development for teachers of technology in New Zealand: The Mātanga Project

“…TENZ is a professional subject association, with teacher professional development as one of its core goals. The article extends the research reported in Reinsfield and Fox-Turnbull (2020).…”

Editorial

“…For example, the prioritisation of some policies in Aotearoa New Zealand, such as preparing students for National Standards testing, saw a tendency for the narrowing of curriculum focus to literacy and numeracy in primary schools (Fox-Turnbull et al, 2021). Across sectors, some teachers lack recent experience and/or motivation in programme planning, curriculum implementation and the integration of some learning areas of the curriculum into their teaching and learning (Reinsfield & Fox-Turnbull, 2020). There is also the potential for some practitioners to think of STEM as a means to enact science or mathematics, meaning there are missed opportunities for collaborative, integrative learning that goes beyond the sum of the parts (Granshaw, 2016).…”