Source: Teacher Development, Volume 14, Issue 2, (2010) pages 173-187.
This article describes Te Kotahitanga which is a research and professional development project. This project aims to support teachers to raise the achievement of New Zealand’s indigenous Māori students in public/mainstream classrooms.
An Effective Teaching Profile, developed from the voices of Māori students, their families, principals and some of their teachers, provides direction and focus for both the classroom pedagogy and the professional development.
The article focuses on the professional learning opportunities developed for classroom teachers within this project to support the development of more effective classroom relationships and interactions with Māori students.
This has resulted in Māori students attending school more regularly, engaging as learners and achieving to levels where they begin to realise their true potential.