PLD Goals — Portfolio | Te Kete Ako

Goal 1: Development of Te Kete Ako

Goal Type	Professional, Curriculum, Tool-building
Goal Statement	Build a platform that gives New Zealand teachers better, mātauranga-Māori-aligned resources and saves them planning time — so their energy can go back to their students, where it belongs.
Links to Professional Standards	Teaching Council Standards: Standard 1: Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership — embedding mātauranga Māori across subjects, not only Social Studies (ala Bishop & Berryman) Standard 5: Design learning grounded in curriculum and pedagogical knowledge Standard 2: Use inquiry and professional learning to improve capability
Specific Targets	Build a working platform from scratch to host and share curriculum resources Provide the broad-subject unit and lesson planning Mangakōtukutuku lacked Embed mātauranga Māori across subjects — including Maths and Science, where the content is rich but too rarely used well Grow it into a resource other kaiako find and use in their own practice
Initial Learning Actions	Teach myself web development from zero — I had never programmed from scratch, never opened an IDE, and did not have a GitHub account Start with my own resources; share a link rather than printing everything Focus first on Mangakōtukutuku's planning gaps
On-going PLD Needs	Web development and infrastructure; accuracy of curriculum alignment (there is still a tail); and quality control on AI-assisted authoring so the platform stays genuinely good rather than "sloppy".

Date	Strategy/Action & Rationale	Reflection/Review
Holidays Term 2–3, 2025	Strategy: Started building a website to hold and share the resources I was making. Rationale: I could see teachers are massively overworked, and that good planning takes an enormous amount of time and energy. If I could make that easier, it would free teachers to focus on their students. I also needed these resources myself, and Mangakōtukutuku desperately needed stronger unit planning across a broad range of subjects — a gap recognised both by me and by ERO.	The beginning: I realised the resources I was making should be shared, and could be, by building my own site. I called it Te Kete Ako. At first it was just to help Mangakōtukutuku.
Term 3–4, 2025	Strategy: Taught myself to build it properly, from nothing. Rationale: A link is easier to share than a pile of printouts, and a real platform could hold whole units, not just handouts.	The hard yards: I had never done any real programming — only website builders, never raw from scratch. The early AI coding models were not good enough. Just getting authentication working took ages. Getting the curriculum right took forever (and there is still a tail). At one point I undid more than a month's work because the site had become too AI-sloppy — that was heartbreaking, but it was the right call. I learnt an enormous amount: I had not heard of the tools, I thought I would have to build the backend from scratch, I did not know backend-as-a-service existed.
2025 (in the classroom)	Strategy: Used Te Kete Ako to teach, and supplied a full unit built on it to my department. Rationale: The real test of a teaching tool is whether it works with real learners.	It was used: I taught a Kai / economics unit (food security and related ideas) that lived entirely on Te Kete Ako and gave it to the department. The Māori Wordle became a go-to Do Now — not just in my class, but in other classrooms too. Teachers found the site organically and used it. (Honest note: that Kai unit has since been enriched so heavily it is nothing like the original — the first version is gone.)
2026 (where it is now)	Strategy: Keep growing it, with mātauranga Māori aligned resources for all learners at the centre. Rationale: Outside my own subject of Social Studies, many teachers do not incorporate mātauranga Māori well — especially in Maths and Science — even though there is such rich content there. Ala Bishop & Berryman, this is not only for Māori learners; it is for everyone.	Reach: Principals have shown real interest, and teachers across the motu are using it. There are a surprising number of users in Christchurch, and it is being used in some kura — I had expected it to take hold in more Māori-predominant areas first, so that was a good surprise.
Evaluation: This is the goal I am proudest of and the one still most alive. Te Kete Ako is real, it is used, and it started from a genuine need I felt as a teacher. It is not finished — the curriculum-alignment tail remains, and the standard I hold it to (quality over "AI slop", mātauranga Māori done well across every subject) is an ongoing commitment rather than a box ticked. Building it also taught me an entire discipline from scratch, which is itself evidence of how I approach a problem I care about.

Goal 2: Te Reo Māori & Tikanga

Goal Type	Classroom Practice, Personal, Cultural Competence
Goal Statement	Develop my abilities to communicate in Te Reo as well as Tikanga Māori and seamlessly utilise it throughout my classroom practice.
Links to Professional Standards	Teaching Council Standards: Demonstrate commitment to tangata whenuatanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership in Aotearoa New Zealand Standard 3: Design and plan culturally responsive pedagogies Standard 4: Establish a culturally inclusive learning environment
Specific Targets	Complete Te Whanake 1: Te Kākano 3rd Edition Successfully complete year-long "Te Reo for the Classroom" university course Establish regular hui with Poihakena Marae in Whaingaroa Integrate te reo Māori greetings, instructions, and curriculum content daily
Initial Learning Actions	Work through Te Whanake 1: Te Kākano systematically Attend all sessions of university te reo course Coordinate with Poihakena Marae for immersion opportunities
On-going PLD Needs	As I progress, I will identify additional professional learning needs in cultural practice, pronunciation coaching, and curriculum integration of mātauranga Māori.

Date	Strategy/Action & Rationale	Reflection/Review
Feb-March Term 1	Strategy: Enrolled in university "Te Reo for the Classroom" course AND Monday evening community courses. Bought Te Kākano and Scotty Morrison's Māori Made Easy. Downloaded Drops app. Made classroom labels. Rationale: Wanted to attack it from all angles. Thought evening classes plus uni course plus two textbooks would guarantee fluency.	Reality: Immediately overwhelmed. University course assumed prior knowledge. Got through only ~4 chapters of Māori Made Easy before stalling. Monday nights became a struggle to stay awake after teaching. Early Warning Signs: Fell behind on university assignments by Week 3. Good at vocabulary (kupu) but completely lost with sentence structure/grammar. Drops app used sporadically. What I Should Have Done: Recognized I was drowning and asked for help early - from teachers, from classmates, from my supervisor. Instead, I avoided the problem and hoped it would resolve itself.
April-May Term 2	Strategy: Made contact with Poihakena Marae hoping immersion would help. Tried to catch up on missed university assignments. Kept using basic karakia and greetings in classroom. Rationale: Thought marae connection might make learning click. Desperate to salvage university course.	Marae Experience: First visit to Poihakena Marae was beautiful but also intimidating. Realized how little I actually know - couldn't follow most conversations. Kaumātua were kind but I felt like an imposter. University Course: Failed first major assessment. Feedback: "Insufficient understanding of basic grammatical structures." This was crushing. Tried to attend catch-up sessions but workload from teaching + GradDip felt impossible. Evidence: Friends commented that my pronunciation was improving. One noted, "It sounds so naturalistic the way you weave te reo into your everyday speech." Hidden Challenge: I actually feel confident listening and reading, but my Canadian accent means people underestimate my ability. I know the kupu, but I freeze on grammar when speaking.	Classroom Use: Kept using basic phrases but started a "Lexicon Shift" - replacing specific English words permanently. "Kirikiriroa" comes to mind faster than "Hamilton" now. Also "Ngā mihi", "Aroha mai", "mahi", "kai", "tikanga", "kumareti" . This felt like real, permanent change even if the grammar wasn't there.
June-July Term 2-3	Strategy: Made difficult decision to withdraw from university course rather than fail. Continued self-study with Te Whanake at much slower pace. Maintained some marae connection. Rationale: Withdrawal better than failing on transcript. Self-study removes pressure and allows learning at my own pace.	Withdrawal: Officially withdrew from university course June 15. Felt like massive failure - this was one of my three main PLD goals. Had to tell colleagues and principal. Embarrassing. Self-Study Reality: Working through Te Kākano 1 slowly. I've accepted that my strength is reading and listening comprehension, while speaking requires more confidence to overcome the grammar barrier. Creative Win: Created a Māori Wordle game for the students (and myself). It's actually amazing! It helped me engage with vocabulary in a fun, low-pressure way without the anxiety of sentence construction. Students loved it too. Classroom Integration: The "Lexicon Shift" strategy worked better than formal lessons. Using "Aroha mai" or "Ngā mihi" is automatic now.
Aug-Nov Term 3-4	Strategy: Continued slow, sporadic self-study. Focused on using what I know well rather than constantly learning new material. Maintained occasional marae visits when possible. Rationale: Realistic about capacity. Better to consolidate basic competency than keep failing at advanced goals.	Honest Progress: Finished maybe 10 total chapters of Te Whanake by December. Far from completing book. But what I have learned, I know better. Marae Visits: Visited Poihakena Marae regularly throughout the year (instead of monthly noho). Each time felt valuable for cultural understanding even if reo skills not dramatically improving. Classroom Reality: Use te reo for maybe 15-20% of classroom interactions (greetings, karakia, basic instructions). Students are familiar with these routines. Haven't progressed to full bilingual teaching envisioned. What I Actually Learned: Te reo can't be rushed. Requires consistent, sustained effort over years, not months. Cultural learning (tikanga) progressed better than language - relationships with Poihakena community are real even if my reo is still basic.
Mid-Year Evaluation (Week 5, Term 2): Progress: Struggling significantly. Behind in university course (failed first assessment). Te Whanake study inconsistent. Made marae connection but overwhelmed by cultural/linguistic complexity. Evidence: University assessment feedback showing lack of grammatical understanding. Attendance records showing missed lectures/tutorials. Partial completion of Te Whanake (4-5 chapters). Challenges: Drastically underestimated difficulty. Competing demands of teaching, GradDip, and te reo impossible to balance. Lack of foundational knowledge making everything harder. Honest Next Steps: (1) Decide whether to withdraw from university course or fail it, (2) Get realistic about what's achievable in remaining year, (3) Focus on cultural relationships even if language learning slow, (4) Stop avoiding the struggle and ask for help.
End-of-Year Evaluation (Week 10, Term 4 - December 2025): Honest Truth: Failed this goal. Withdrew from university course (incomplete). Did not complete Te Whanake 1. Did not achieve daily classroom integration envisioned. What Actually Happened: Completed ~10 chapters of Te Whanake (out of 15) - partial progress Withdrew from university course to avoid failing grade Visited Poihakena Marae regularly (valuable connection but no overnight noho) Classroom te reo limited to basic routines (~15-20% of instruction) Did NOT achieve functional fluency or seamless classroom integration Why I Failed: Combination of factors - underestimated difficulty, overcommitted with GradDip + teaching, lacked foundational knowledge, didn't ask for help early enough. Learning te reo requires sustained daily practice I couldn't maintain. What I Did Learn (Despite Failure): Lexicon Shift: Permanent replacement of core words (Kirikiriroa, mahi, kai, aroha mai) - these are now my default Receptive Skills: Listening and reading are actually quite strong, even if speaking lags behind Māori Wordle: Created a successful digital resource that engaged students with te reo in a gamified way Cultural understanding deepened through regular Poihakena Marae visits Tikanga principles now inform my teaching even when not using te reo Processing Failure: This hurt. Felt embarrassed telling colleagues I withdrew. Questioned whether I'm cut out for this work. But also learning that failure doesn't mean give up - means adjust approach. Realistic Next Year Goals: Finish Te Whanake 1 by end of 2026 (realistic 12-month goal) Consider re-enrolling in university te reo course when less overwhelmed Maintain marae relationships quarterly (not monthly) Consolidate and expand basic classroom te reo repertoire Accept this as multi-year journey, not single-year achievement Silver Lining: Students do respond to the te reo I use daily. Small impacts matter. Marae relationships are real and will continue. Failed the goal but didn't kill the dream.

Goal 3: Literacy Across the Curriculum

Goal Type	Classroom Practice, Cross-curricular
Goal Statement	Consolidate and extend my literacy teaching — pairing structured literacy with a genuine, infectious love of reading — and get better at intervention for my lowest learners.
Links to Professional Standards	Teaching Council Standards: Standard 6: Teach and respond so that learning progresses — evidenced by a measurable literacy shift Standard 5: Design for learning — disciplinary literacy in Social Studies and Digital Technologies Standard 4: A learning-focused culture — learner agency and a love of reading
Specific Targets	Lift literacy achievement by combining structured literacy with a real love of reading Embed disciplinary literacy in every subject I teach — including a substantial piece of writing in each Digital Technologies project every term Get better at early-stage structured literacy and intervention for learners who are many years behind
Initial Learning Actions	A daily SSR routine (15 minutes after lunch) and a set novel each term asTTle-style comprehension, explicit PEEL paragraph teaching, and book-report scaffolding Source cheap and free books; give every learner a chosen book to keep at year's end
On-going PLD Needs	Early-stage structured literacy and intervention for learners years behind the curve (phonemes, graphemes, and below); and sustaining love-of-reading practice even under heavy workload.

Date	Strategy/Action & Rationale	Reflection/Review
2024 Term 3 (took over the class)	Strategy: Combined structured literacy approaches with a genuine love of reading that I shared openly with the ākonga. I built the in-class library around hundreds of my own childhood books — real copies with my and my siblings' names in them, "Happy Birthday Toby 1999" and the like — kept in the room and used regularly. I topped the library up constantly from op shops (some started charging me pennies once they knew the books were going to rangatahi). Kids took books home and I made no effort to get them back: if they came back, good; if a kid loved a book enough to keep it, even better. We ran SSR for 15 minutes after lunch, and I set a novel each term. Rationale: Because I genuinely love books, my enthusiasm was infectious. If I raved about a favourite and then produced the actual dog-eared copy, that landed.	What happened: The Term 3 novel was Lemony Snicket's The Bad Beginning — short, and wonderful for the way it plays with prose and defines complex words (describing someone as "cantankerous", then explaining it). Kids borrowed my books, and I gave many away. The love of reading was real because it was mine first.
2024 Term 4 (the big push)	Strategy: Reading and Writing were taught as separate subjects, every day. Learners chose the order of the day's lessons — they knew it would be one maths, one reading, one writing, and one other thing I had planned, but the order was theirs. I used asTTle-style comprehension texts, and added a bonus book report on top: a learner-chosen book (with my approval), written about anything except the plot — "I don't care what happens; I care what you thought, the bigger ideas, the purpose, how it made you feel, whether you resonated with a character." I taught PEEL paragraphs explicitly and scaffolded the report heavily. Rationale: Give learners agency over their day, and make the writing about their thinking, not recall.	Result: The class lifted their literacy achievement by more than a stanine in about half a year — I have their asTTle data to evidence it. My proudest moment came from a hyperactive Year 8 girl (the one who later gave me the crocheted rabbit noted elsewhere in this portfolio). She burst into the room one morning and told her friends that her brother had barged in while she was reading — "ewww, why are you reading?" — and she had kicked him out: "yeah, get out — I read books now, I LOVE it!" I had to growl her in the moment for the noise and the language, but inside I was bursting; I was raving about it in the staffroom minutes later. I also made sure learners who needed learning support got it, and designed resources specifically for them. When a very experienced teacher joined our Year 8 team and treated me dismissively as "only a LAT", I marked my class's asTTles and asked her to moderate my marking, since I had never done asTTle marking before — a professional response that also settled the matter.
2025 (an honest step back)	Strategy: Continued literacy across my teaching, but leaned more on structured literacy and traditional classroom methods. Rationale: I was pushed to my limits in the role that year, and fell back on what was most controllable.	What I learnt: I was less successful at making the kids love reading, because I relied on structure over spark — and, looking back, that was the wrong trade. Structured literacy has its place, but instilling a love of words is the magic sauce. I also hit a design limit: I had learners so far behind — some Year 8s could not yet write their name or form all their letters — that lessons which were good for the class were too hard for my lowest. I caught myself doing it. Too many teachers pass their lowest learners to learning support and consider their duty done; it is so much more than that, and I want to be better at it.
Why literacy, and where next: Literacy enables thinking — it lets people understand themselves, their emotions and their ideas — and a lack of it becomes a serious barrier in the senior years, where the curriculum assumes a level of literacy across every subject. Age 12–13 is a superpower age for learning fast, and I want learners to feel that in themselves. Literacy is every teacher's job: in Social Studies it is a natural fit (even more than English, given the range of non-fiction sources to decode); in Digital Technologies it is a design decision teachers too often skip — so I build a substantial piece of writing into each project (see my class newsletters), and in an AI world, literacy is the skill of operating a language model well. My goal now is to get genuinely good at early-stage structured literacy and intervention for my lowest learners, while holding on to the love-of-reading magic even when the workload is heavy. I still give every learner a chosen book to keep at the end of the year.