of New Zealand that were selected in thefirst round of the competitive tendering
process. Also discussed are the two undergraduate level practicum projects that
informed the development of the two masters’programmes.
15.3 Case Study: The University of Waikato
15.3.1 Background
In New Zealand, normal schools were mandated in the Education Act in the 1870s
to support Teacher Training Colleges. The University of Waikato has always val-
ued its relationships with its six local normal primary schools who have supported
the Faculty of Education to deliver a practicum programme which involved students
engaging in microteaching in a range of curriculum learning areas. This model
involved the university requesting times that student teachers could teach groups of
children prescribed lessons with a particular class level, and lecturers observing
student teachers interact with small groups of children. While well supported by the
normal schools this process disrupted classroom programmes and focussed on
student teachers as learners rather than the children as learners and was often
referred to by schools as ‘child banking’. A revision of the New Zealand
Curriculum, coupled with the introduction of National Standards in Numeracy and
Literacy implemented in 2010, impacted on school programmes and the delivery of
curriculum, which led to schools’reluctance to disrupt programmes to meet uni-
versity practicum and coursework needs.
15.3.1.1 Collaborative University Partnership (CUSP)
In 2011, university staff and school leaders from the six normal schools met reg-
ularly over a 6-month period to co-construct a new school placement/practicum
programme. The development provided opportunities for shared meaning making
through co-generative dialoguing (Tobin and Roth 2005 ) and an opportunity for
differences in agendas and perspectives to be shared and acknowledged. Thefirst
step was to establish principles that underpinned the CUSP initiative. Principles
centred on the central focus on children’s learning, shared decision-making and
shared responsibilities. Schools also insisted that the development be researched.
The co-construction of the CUSP programme resulted in student teachers in the
first year of the 3-year Bachelor of Teaching programme being placed in pairs in
classrooms for one day per week for the academic year. Three schools in addition to
the six normal schools were recruited to accommodate the student teacher numbers.
The programme’sfirst professional practice paper was co-taught in the school
context in thefirst 6-months and a 4-week practicum block was completed at the
end of the year in the same placement school. The schools were agreeable to taking
226 B. Cooper and L. Grudnoff