The research on CUSP has highlighted: the importance of developing mutually
respectful and trusting relationships among faculty and schools; the value of sus-
tained practice for student teachers, mentor teachers, and learners; and, the
importance of seamless learning to break down the perception of the theory/practice
divide. The research has also highlighted the issues in developing a shared
understanding across all individuals in the partnership, particularly mentor teachers,
and the commitment and persistence needed by key members in the partnership to
support deeply embedded cultural shifts by both the university and schools.
Both school and university staff, four years into the partnership, are positive and
committed to the initiative and recognise the positive difference the programme has
made to student teacher learning, relationships between the schools and university,
and the benefits to children in classrooms.
15.3.2 Master of Teaching and Learning
Building on this initiative, in 2013 we designed an exemplary postgraduate initial
teacher education (EPITE) programme in response to the Ministry of Education’s
tendering process noted above. This programme, which began delivery in January
2014, is intended for high achieving students with highly developed dispositions for
teaching. The one-year Master of Teaching and Learning (MTchgLn) degree
involves student teachers being placed in one partner school context for 4 days in a
10-day cycle for 6 months followed by a 10-week full-time experience in another
partner school. The intention of the programme was to have a closer link between
school practice and academic learning through student teachers’sustained rela-
tionships with partner schools over the academic year.
A similar process to the CUSP programme occurred involving meeting with
schools over a 6-month period to co-construct the practicum component of the
programme. Thefirst practicum experience is pivotal to the programme. It involves
sustained guided engagement with groups of students including those from priority
groups (Māori and Pasifika learners, those from low socio-economic backgrounds,
and students with special education needs) centred around teaching as an inquiry
stance, building of relationships with students and their community, using research
informed pedagogy, gathering evidence related to achievement and developing
adaptive expertise.
Cohorts of student teachers are placed in partner schools in pairs with selected
mentor teachers. A senior staff member from within each school has been appointed
as an Associate Lecturer to the faculty. Faculty lecturers, the school-based
Associate Lecturer and mentor teachers, work together on the school site to assist
the student teachers to problematise the issues relating to their group of students
through a teaching as inquiry process.
As with the CUSP programme, MTchgLn partner schools were enthusiastic to
work with these student teachers as they saw a mutual benefit to both student
teacher and their own staff learning. The conceptual framework of the programme is
15 Redesigning Authentic Collaborative... 229