Latest research shows that the thing that has the biggest impact on student achievement is the confidence teachers have in their own effectiveness, a meeting of Mahurangi teachers was told on February 27.
About 70 teachers met to hear education consultants Selena Hinchco and Mary Chamberlain at Mahurangi College.
Ms Hinchco said after comparing 250 influences that have an impact on student learning, it was found that “collective teacher efficacy” was more effective than anything else.
Ms Hinchco defined collective teacher efficacy as “the collective self-perception that teachers in a given school make an educational difference to their students over and above the educational impact of their homes and communities”.
She said when collectively teachers “believe they can do it”, there is a huge impact on how they operate in the classroom.
“We are more likely to learn from our mistakes. We’re more likely to give our students ownership of their learning, and we are more likely to keep persisting when things go wrong,” she said.
She said the number one thing teachers could do to achieve collective efficacy was to engage in “collaborative enquiry”, which involves teachers working together to find out what works, what doesn’t and how things can be improved for learners.
Teachers attending the meeting are part of a Kahui Ako (learning together) group, which seeks to put collaborative enquiry into practice.
The Mahurangi Kahui Ako comprises teachers from Mahurangi College, Warkworth Primary, Snells Beach School, Leigh School, Matakana School, Pakiri School, Kaipara Flats School and Horizon School.
Horizon School principal Helen Pearson, who is also lead principal of Mahurangi Kahui Ako, said over the last few months the group had been involved in building networks and training an inquiry team to investigate learning in participating schools.
Following the talk by Ms Hinchco, Mary Chamberlain, of Sandspit, told teachers that belonging to Kahui Ako gave them a great opportunity to create new possibilities that will make a difference for their students and the wider community.
