What makes a good teacher? A new report investigates young people's responses. © Drazen- stock.adobe.com
<h2><span data-contrast="auto">Good relationships, skilled teaching and effective classroom management are the three characteristics of the best teachers, say 13-year-olds participating in the Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) study. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></h2>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Last week, new research was released from the University of Auckland’s </span><i><span data-contrast="auto">Our Voices</span></i><span data-contrast="auto"> project, analysing survey responses from the thousand 13-year-olds who participated in the GUiNZ survey. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">The report, titled ‘Schools &; Teachers: Infuences that Matter’, asked what it means to be a good teacher, following findings that positive school experiences are partly dependent on teacher quality. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
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<p><span data-contrast="auto">The question “What makes a good teacher” received a range of responses from rangatahi and reflected how students saw themselves. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";134233117";:false,";134233118";:false,";201341983";:0,";335551550";:1,";335551620";:1,";335559685";:0,";335559737";:0,";335559738";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Many young people valued learning and consequently valued teachers who were capable, skilled and passionate. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";134233117";:false,";134233118";:false,";201341983";:0,";335551550";:1,";335551620";:1,";335559685";:0,";335559737";:0,";335559738";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“Someone who cares about what they teach. Wants the best for students. Knows what they are teaching well,” read one response. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";134233117";:false,";134233118";:false,";201341983";:0,";335551550";:1,";335551620";:1,";335559685";:0,";335559737";:0,";335559738";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
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<p><span data-contrast="auto">Young people also said they wanted positive classroom environments, recognising teachers as authority figures. They expressed the best teachers struck a good balance between control and respect. Rangatahi also voiced their sense of fairness. One respondent says a good teacher should be fair, and listen well, without favouritism. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";134233117";:false,";134233118";:false,";201341983";:0,";335551550";:1,";335551620";:1,";335559685";:0,";335559737";:0,";335559738";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Teachers who were able to provide pastoral as well as academic care were also valued by young people. Students expressed that good teachers were able to form strong student-teacher relationships. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";134233117";:false,";134233118";:false,";201341983";:0,";335551550";:1,";335551620";:1,";335559685";:0,";335559737";:0,";335559738";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Lead investigator, Associate Professor Kane Meissel, said “interpersonal relationships, between students, and teachers and students, are central to a positive school experience, and our rangatahi aspire to be good people and want to surround themselves with good people.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{";134233117";:false,";134233118";:false,";201341983";:0,";335551550";:1,";335551620";:1,";335559685";:0,";335559737";:0,";335559738";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Students who had a negative experience of school often described “good” teachers in the negative, i.e a good teacher was someone who did </span><i><span data-contrast="auto">not</span></i><span data-contrast="auto"> do certain things. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";134233117";:false,";134233118";:false,";201341983";:0,";335551550";:1,";335551620";:1,";335559685";:0,";335559737";:0,";335559738";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“Not yelling because you don’t understand something,” wrote one student. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";134233117";:false,";134233118";:false,";201341983";:0,";335551550";:1,";335551620";:1,";335559685";:0,";335559737";:0,";335559738";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<h3><b><span data-contrast="auto">What makes a good school?</span></b><span data-contrast="auto"> </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></h3>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">The report also analysed responses from young people about what made a good school. Many young people took a holistic approach, stating that school should not just be about receiving a quality education, but a place that is friendly, safe and fun. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Rangatahi reported safety, positive peer relationships and culture, and good students and teachers as being important to a “good” school. They also reported valuing a broad range of extracurricular activities and facilities, as they offered experiences that helped students prepare for life after school. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Survey responses from the GUiNZ study indicated a “good” school was: “a safe friendly learning space”; “a place where you can learn and have fun at the same time” and had “heaps of opportunities for you to get stuck into”.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<h3><b><span data-contrast="auto">Sailing the waka</span></b><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></h3>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Based on its findings, the report outlines a model of what it means to be a good teacher, based on the waka hourua, or the double-hulled waka. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“Teachers are instrumental to supporting students and their learning,” notes the report. It draws a comparison between the waka hourua as an efficient mode of transport, and teachers as a “vessel that helps to move students grom their starting point to the end where they have fulfilled their academic potential and enjoyed the learning and school experience.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">In this model, the two hulls are “being a good person” and “quality teaching”, which teachers have direct control of in their teaching practice. The sails are the classroom climate, which teachers can influence as leaders, but require student cooperation. Additionally, though teachers and students can help adjust the sails, neither teacher nor student can control the ocean they sail in, representing the wider social climate and education policy settings. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">The full report and its findings can be found </span><a href="https://bpb-ap-se2.wpmucdn.com/blogs.auckland.ac.nz/dist/d/793/files/2025/03/Our-Voices_School-and-Teachers_Influences-That-Matter_Final.pdf" target="_blank"><span data-contrast="none">here</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>

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