Helen Timperley, John Loughran, and Lorna Earl

These learning materials are a legacy of the INSTEP research and development project. One of the rationales for INSTEP was to address a gap in educational research and literature about the practice and learning of inservice teacher educators (ISTEs). Ki te Aotūroa makes a significant contribution to filling that gap; through its proposed theory of improvement and chapters on areas of ISTE knowledge and expertise, it provides an important knowledge base that will inform and strengthen a principled approach to the professional practice and learning of teacher educators.

Ki te Aotūroa also offers compelling evidence of the value of adopting an inquiry approach for the development of practice. The learning cases and learning stories provide strong examples of ISTEs placing themselves in challenging and risky situations in which their learning about themselves shapes their subsequent practice in meaningful ways. The participants demonstrate a deep concern about how they work with others and, in relation to self-study, a desire to seek evidence to inform change and ensure genuine professional learning. The approaches to inquiry discussed and illustrated throughout the materials will help ISTEs see into practice in ways that can shape not only what is learned but also how that learning is put into action to help others.

The Teacher Professional Learning and Development: Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration (2007) concluded that little attention has been paid to identifying or developing the knowledge and skills ISTEs require for working with teachers in ways that have positive outcomes for students. Yet the pivotal role of ISTEs in assisting teachers to improve outcomes for students was very evident. The synthesis identified that the most powerful professional development for teachers involves them in an inquiry and knowledge-building cycle that starts with the identification of students’ needs, moves to develop the skills and knowledge teachers require to meet those needs, and then checks to find out if changes in teaching practice have achieved the desired outcomes. These learning materials have adapted this cycle to show the critical place of ISTEs and their learning in improving outcomes for students. They will make a significant contribution to ISTEs’ own inquiry and knowledge-building.

Ki te Aotūroa also reflects the importance for ISTEs of collaborative inquiry, a systematic process by which adults make meaning from their experience. When ISTEs examine their practice collaboratively, they are able to challenge one another’s thinking by sharing and discussing research on effective teaching and learning, by monitoring the impact of their work, and by discussing how effective their practice is and why – all in a spirit of understanding, confidence, and competence as professionals.

It has been a pleasure and a privilege to have been involved in the INSTEP project and to have contributed to the development of these learning materials. We commend them to you as a powerful resource for increasing your capacity to adapt successfully to changes and challenges and to acquire and apply new knowledge and skills for the benefit of the school leaders, teachers, and students with whom you work.

Professor Helen Timperley, The University of Auckland

Professor John Loughran, Monash University, Australia

Dr Lorna Earl, Aporia Consulting Limited

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