Teacher Education

The initial teacher education programmes in Te Puna Akopai—School of Education prepare student teachers to teach in transformative and inspiring ways for all ākonga (students) across early childhood, primary and secondary education sectors in Aotearoa New Zealand. Relational, reflexive, and adaptive practices and ethical sensitivity are at the heart of our programmes. Our programmes focus on developing student teachers’ deep knowledge and critical thinking to ensure high quality education for all learners, including those who have been underserved by education.

Te Waharoa

Te Waharoa frames our vision for transformative initial teacher education in which graduates are agents of change for teaching, learning and wellbeing. Graduates work from a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and social, cultural and ecological justice, to enable learners to transform their complex, diverse and changing worlds.

To support this vision, initial teacher education programmes:

• incorporate Māori worldviews, emphasise criticality, and insist on depth of knowledge (mātauranga)
• are culturally located and place-based (te mana o te whenua)
• build and sustain te reo and tikanga (te reo me ngā tikanga)
• foster tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti identities and aspirations, including those of Pacific and migrant communities (tangatarua)
• promote inclusion, relationality, and collective success (whanaungatanga)
• enhance the spirit of education (wairua), including creative and embodied learning

Te Waharoa is a reflection and reminder of the legacy of Te Whare o Akopai, Wellington College of Education, Karori.