Teacher Education takes Centre Stage at the University of Auckland
The University of Auckland proudly hosted the 25th Anniversary Teacher Education Forum of Aotearoa New Zealand (TEFANZ) Conference over the inter-semester break.
On Thursday, 11 July close to a hundred teacher educators and researchers descended on the spectacular B201, where staff and students from the Faculties of Education and Social Work, Arts and Creative Arts and Industries are located for a celebration 25 Years of teacher education advocacy.
The theme of the conference was ‘Educating the professional’ or ‘training the worker’? Keeping sight of Teacher Education in times of change’ and University of Auckland scholars past and present responded to this provocation through keynote speeches and oral presentations.
Following a mihi whakatau and book launch for ‘A Voice for Teacher Education: A History of TEFANZ 1999-2025’ Professor John Morgan kicked off proceedings with an entertaining and insightful keynote analysis of the global teacher education project over the last hundred years and the challenges the sector must navigate in the future.
Our distinguished alumina, Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific, Associate Professor Jacoba Matapo of Auckland University of Technology responded to some of the challenges proposed by Professor Morgan in her evocative keynote address “Ka mua, ka muri – walking backwards into the future: The legacies and future of Pasifika Early Childhood Education in Aotearoa”.
University of Auckland Academic Staff and Graduate students occupied 3 of the 24 oral presentation places. Professor Elizabeth Rata and Dr Barbara Ormond spoke to the ‘Change in the Education Sector and ITE ‘ sub-theme in their respective presentations while Dr Tauwehe Tamati, Veronica Peri, Krystal Worters and Jasmine Wilson presented on a culturally sustaining pedagogy that embraces Te Tiriti in Initial Teacher Education. Dr Paul Heyward spoke to the ethical challenges faced by student teachers, associate teacher and University professional supervisors in the dilemmatic space of practicum.
A highlight of every conference is the presentation of awards, and our very own Associate Professor Lexie Grudnoff was honoured with the prestigious “Fellow of TEFANZ” award for her pivotal role in the establishment of the forum and her ongoing scholarship and leadership in the teacher education sector.
While teacher education faces many challenges locally and globally, the 25th Anniversary TEFANZ Conference provided evidence a plenty that the sector is intellectually and emotionally prepared to navigate the turbulent times ahead.