Managing issues during professional practice

Here are the steps of what to do if you're having an issue during professional practice.

Sometimes, despite best efforts, issues arise during professional practice, here are the steps to manage issues.

We expect that student teachers will be treated in an ethical, respectful, and responsible manner and with fairness, integrity, and empathy while they are in centres and schools. We also expect that student teachers will reciprocate by treating all colleagues, tamariki and ākonga, and whānau in their professional practice centre or school in these ways. Below is an overview of the process for managing issues.

1. Student teacher and associate/mentor teacher attempt to resolve the issue through reflection, discussion, and collaborating to find solutions. The student teacher may wish to seek support from their kaiārahi.
2. Seek mediation or support from a centre/school leader or PP coordinator.
3. Student teacher and/or associate/mentor teacher discuss situation with programme director and EPPPO manager.
4. EPPPO manager and programme director collaborate with centre/school and student teacher to support a suitable outcome.

Close relationships with school leadership teams, coordinators, and associate/mentor teachers allow the Education Professional Practice and Partnerships Office to monitor student teachers’ progress during the professional practice and to alert the programme director to any difficulties arising, so that additional support can be provided to the student teacher and associate teacher.

The role of the kaiārahi is to support student teachers with questions related to their teaching or pastoral matters. Student teachers can also access additional support through the University.