Top 10 Ako articles for 2024
Thank you to all our Ako Journal readers and contributors this year. Here’s a roundup of our most-read articles published in 2024.
SarahSilver
Posts by SarahSilver
What’s on your summer book stack?
Is your bedside book stack piled so high it’s about to fall over, or are you wondering what to read this summer? We asked a few NZEI Te Riu Roa members what they are hoping to get into for some downtime over the break. Here are their lists.
Creating change: Students leave lasting legacies
In the past two years, Ōmokoroa Point School in Bay of Plenty has been the centre of two community-changing projects that have impacted the entire Ōmokoroa community. Years 5 and 6 teacher Deirdre Duggan shares her experience of supporting students to stand up for what they believe in.
Music, magic, mana reo: Waiata in early childhood centres
Educators across the motu are building brains through music. It’s unseen and often undervalued work, but that mahi is helping tamariki thrive right across the curriculum. AKO spoke to kaiako who love using music to build communication, wellbeing and impulse control in tamariki.
Enhancing the mana: cultural leadership in Taranaki
Last year, NZEI Te Riu Roa won an allowance for existing teachers who hold cultural knowledge and expertise to recognise the work they are already doing in kura, schools and kindergartens. It came into effect this year and the applications for the funding were overwhelming.
Ngāmotu-based writer Emma Hislop (Kāi Tahu) sat down with a few of the kaiako who received the Cultural Leadership Allowance in Taranaki, to find out about their roles – and what receiving the funding meant to them.
Mana taurite: the mahi behind the scenes
NZEI Te Riu Roa has launched its biggest pay equity claim so far – for all teachers. We talk to members who have been through the process and some involved in the new claim, to find out what out what’s involved – and why it’s worth it.
“We were refugees” Displaced by the cyclone
While many schools and centres were damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle, a few were forced into long-term closure with staff and children having to re-establish elsewhere. Ako talked to kaiako from three different institutions that found new premises, or were taken in by a neighbouring school or centre.
The power of collective action
During the recent weather events schools have emerged as first responders to crisis in many close-knit communities. Where local authorities failed, groups of educators joined together as hubs of help. Ako spoke with one group of schools in Tāmaki Makaurau about their joint efforts in the face of crisis.
Surviving Gabrielle
In times of tragedy and crisis, schools are often the glue that holds communities together. At the close of term one 2023, Ako visited one small school in Hawke’s Bay to learn how it became a regional hub after Cyclone Gabrielle.
July 2023 Picture Book and YA Book Reviews
Reviews of nine new books for tamariki and rangatahi.
Putting the Educational Leadership Capability Framework into practice as a middle and senior leader
Deputy principal Tania Yorke recently completed her Master of Educational Leadership. She shares what she learnt about developing as a leader and why the Teaching Council’s Educational Leadership Capability Framework is a goldmine of a tool.
Mānawatia a Matariki
As the Matariki and Puanga stars rise again in our winter skies, Ako asked members what Matariki means to them, how they celebrate it and how it supports their wairuatanga. Here’s what they told us.
Q&A with teacher and author Norah Wilson
Norah Wilson is a teacher at Bayswater School in Tāmaki Makaurau and author of the recently published picture book series E Oma, Rāpeti. She spoke to Ako about influences on her writing and her passion for sharing books in the classroom.
Learning from others
It is a pleasure to bring you the latest edition of Ako journal. As the new national president, I know I have a lot to learn, so the theme akoranga is not without relevance to me.
Building relationships with iwi – a regional and a national initiative
While eight tangata whenua iwi in the top of the South Island came together recently to improve outcomes for tamariki in education; another initiative has provided support for a growing number of principals and schools throughout several regions to connect with hapū and iwi since 2013.
Whiria te tāngata
Staff and students at two Te Tai Tokerau kura have been learning the challenging skill of tāniko and other weaving techniques. Ako finds out how this akoranga is supporting hauora and weaving the school community together.
Capturing communication
An innovative language project involving 19 kindergarten teachers has shown the value of collaboration and using data to enhance intentional teaching in early childhood education.
Te whakatipu toa reo
Puta noa i te motu e ngana ana te hunga tangata ki te ako i te reo Māori me Te Reo Turi/New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL), koia nei ngā reo taketake o Aotearoa. I kōrero ake a Ako ki ētahi o ngā ākonga e ngana nei ki te whai i tēnei kaupapa, ko te whāinga hoki ko te whakamana i ngā reanga e kake ake ana, e mōhio ai rātou ko wai rātou, nō hea rātou.
Growing language champions
Across the country people are making it their mission to learn te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL), both official languages in Aotearoa New Zealand. Ako spoke to educators who have taken up the language learning challenge, with the aim of empowering the next generation to be confident in who they are and where they come from.
Learning for life
Professional learning and development (PLD) is a critical part of practice for all educators. But how do they ensure their ongoing learning has the best impact for ākonga? These personal stories showcase some outstanding PLD experiences that benefit students, educators and whole communities.