Tobias McRae
Initial Teacher Education candidate, builder of educational tools, learner of mātauranga Māori
Tēnā koe
Welcome to my professional teaching portfolio. I am a provisional teacher currently completing the Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Secondary) at the University of Auckland. My teaching areas are Social Studies and Digital Technologies.
Across 2024 and 2025 I taught Year 8 homeroom and Social Studies at Mangakōtukutuku College in Kirikiriroa (commuting from Raglan) under a Limited Authority to Teach — taking responsibility for a class at a school facing an acute staffing crisis. In my first year, my students' literacy achievement rose by more than a stanine in approximately half a year. Over that time I built Te Kete Ako — this platform — as a curriculum development and resource-sharing tool for New Zealand educators. That year taught me what it means to show up for students, the depth of mātauranga Māori I am still working to acquire, and my own capacity and limits as a beginning teacher.
In 2026 I am enrolled at Waipapa Taumata Rau (University of Auckland) in the EDPROFST 614A/B course sequence — The Inquiring Professional. I have completed the CIA (Curriculum Inquiry Assignment) and my academic coursework with strong results. My practicum placements remain outstanding — not through any withdrawal or refusal on my part, but because a placement was not arranged. This portfolio documents that journey honestly, and foregrounds the classroom teaching and impact I have gained under an LAT.
Venture & Business
Te Kete Ako — Venture Overview
The business case for Aotearoa's curriculum intelligence platform — pitch, market analysis, financial projections, and grant funding arc.
→ Archived · May 2026 · UoAIdeas Challenge entry
The 1,000-word entry written for the Velocity Ideas Challenge in May — Arts & Education Prize and Kura Roa Award categories. Kept as a record; the current case is at /venture.
→ Business Plan · 2026Full Business Plan
Lean canvas, competitive analysis, 3-year financial projections, and the full grant funding pipeline from Velocity to NZTE.
→Portfolio Sections
Standards for the Teaching Profession
How the evidence in this portfolio maps to all six Standards — drawn from a full year of LAT classroom teaching and my ITE coursework. The honest answer to "does this candidate meet the Standards?"
→PLD Goals
2025 professional learning and development goals — with honest reflections on what worked, what didn't, and what I'm carrying into 2026.
→Professional Learning
Workshops, PD sessions, marae visits, self-study in te reo Māori, and course work at UoA in 2026.
→Observations & Feedback
Mentor teacher observations, associate/professional supervisor feedback, and critical self-reflections from practicum.
→Evidence Collection
Artefacts, documentation, and teaching resources showing curriculum development and classroom practice.
→Student Impact
Student achievement data, work samples, voice, and evidence of learning progression over time.
→Placement — Fraser
Human-Computer Interaction — Unit Hub
Teaching CSC1 from Task 6 onward. Anchored against the verified achievement standard, its A/M/E ladder, and its own named usability-principle categories — Nielsen's heuristics, mātāpono Māori, and accessibility.
→ Task 6Confusing Terms — Prevention vs. Recovery, Flexibility vs. Control
Full lesson plan with a reasoned answer key for the two confusable heuristic pairs, plus a modelled Google Classroom evaluation.
→Assignments & Academic Work
Class Newsletters — Year 9 Digital Technologies
Three whānau-facing newsletters for three Year 9 Digital Tech classes, one per strand specialisation (computational thinking, DDDO, physical computing). Hand-built print-ready HTML with NZC technological-areas diagrams and Careers NZ QR pathways.
40/45 · 89% · A → EDCURSEC 692 · Assignment 1 · 30%Lesson Design — Rights & Participation in Aotearoa
Three-lesson Social Studies sequence for Year 9. NZC Level 4 Political Literacy. Rangatiratanga as a live analytical lens throughout. Includes designed resource and ~500w justification.
80% · A- → EDCURSEC 692 · Assignment 2Assessment Design: Design Your Own Society
A Years 9–10 Social Studies group presentation assessment where students research real-world governance models, design a functioning society, and justify their choices. Includes task brief, NZC curriculum alignment, society design blueprint, and a standards-based assessment schedule.
28/30 · 93.3% · A+ → EDPROFST 614 · CIA Part 1Student Engagement — Literature Review
How can I engage the learners in my classroom? A scholarly essay drawing on Te Kotahitanga, Alton-Lee's BES, and Webber's identity research. ~1050 words.
19.5/20 · 97.5% · A+ → EDPROFST 614 · CIA Part 2Inquiry Portfolio & Reflections
Reflective inquiry on student engagement strategies at Mangakōtukutuku College, evidenced by peer/mentor observations and pseudonymised student work. ~1030 words.
18.5/20 · 92.5% · A+ → EDPROFST 613 · Ecological MapBronfenbrenner Eco-map
Interactive ecological systems map exploring the contextual factors that shape my teaching identity and professional context.
86.5% · A → EDPROFST 613 · Narrative Discussion — 60ptsMotivation & Engagement — Narrative Discussion
A narrative discussion drawing on two adolescent participant interviews, analysed through self-determination theory, expectancy-value theory, and attribution theory. ~1480 words.
50/60 · 83.3% · A- → EDPROFST 613 · Collegial Discussion — 20ptsKōrero Ngaio — Collegial Discussion
Professional collegial kōrero with Vidya Ram (Year 8 LF) exploring ākonga engagement, literacy across the curriculum, and cross-curricular learning at Auckland Zoo.
20/20 · 100% · A+ → EDPROFM 600 · Resource Investigation — 40ptsMāori Resource Investigation — Wayfinding
A Māori resource pack for new teachers: kāpehu whetū, waka hourua and the revival of traditional navigation — five verified authoritative resources and three Year 9–10 learning experiences anchored on Te Kete Ako.
→ EDUC 603 · Film Analysis — 50ptsFilm Analysis — Two Cars, One Night
An 800-word analysis of Taika Waititi's 2003 short film as a text for teaching. Examines the film through Dalton's Hollywood Model, Freire's banking education critique, and Bishop & Berryman's Te Kotahitanga framework. ~840 words.
50/50 · 100% · A+ → Posting 1 of 4CALD Learners — Lecture Reflection
A critically reflective response to Constanza Tolosa's materials on culturally and linguistically diverse learners, exploring BICS/CALP and Social Studies strategies. ~460 words.
5/5 · 100% · A+ → Posting 2 of 4Historical Significance & Changed Perceptions
A reflective response to Graeme Ball's presentation on the ANZH curriculum, the "lottery" of historical knowledge in NZ schools, and placing Te Tiriti at the centre of history teaching. ~370 words.
5/5 · 100% · A+ → Posting 3 of 4Literacy Strategies — Lecture Reflection
A critically reflective response to Aaron Wilson's lecture, focusing on disciplinary literacy, cognitive load, and scaffolding in Social Studies. 474 words.
5/5 · 100% · A+ → Posting 4 of 4Pacific Learners — Lecture Reflection
A critically reflective response to Tanya Samu's lecture on supporting Pacific learners — deficit thinking, identity complexity, and Tapasā as a framework for practice. ~480 words.
5/5 · 100% · A+ → Posting 5Assessment — Lecture Reflection
A critically reflective response to Gavin Brown's assessment lectures — validity, verifiable evidence, marker reliability, and the 2026 Year 9–10 assessment changes. ~505 words.
5/5 · 100% · A+ →CV, Profile & Core Documents
ITE Programme Context
University of Auckland ITE
EDPROFST 614A/B — The Inquiring Professional. My current programme context, course structure, and key readings.
→ITE Programmes Compared
Comparative overview of all NZ Initial Teacher Education providers — useful context for my own programme choices.
→Critical Reflection Module
Notes and resources from the pedagogical module on critical reflection — core to the CIA inquiry cycle.
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