Growing your teaching practice with PLD

Professional learning and development (PLD) is a crucial aspect of a career in education. Ongoing teacher training ensures that teaching practices are up-to-date, relevant and high quality, integrating the latest learning theories and education research with classroom practice.

PLD is vital for not only better career outcomes, but better learning outcomes. With the recent curriculum changes, PLD is also mandatory to ensure consistent and effective delivery across the country for all ākonga.

Read the latest print edition of School News online HERE.

Research from NZCER in 2022 found that a strong culture of ongoing PLD in schools was associated with good classroom practices and strategies, and teachers reported higher morale and being better able to manage their workloads.  

Education in the 21^st century

Technology, and the world at large, is evolving rapidly. New technology and software are constantly coming onto the market, and effective educators can utilise these new tools to full advantage.

Edtech is a huge market, especially in New Zealand, and represents endless opportunities. Educators might wish to look at their own digital capacity. Are you able to fully implement available technologies at your school or kura, like smartboards or interactive displays? How about using AI in your teaching practice, or managing cloud-based platforms? Some edtech can also boost inclusivity in the classroom—are you comfortable guiding students through using support tools?  

Customising PLD

PLD can align with personal professional goals. Considering PLD courses is an opportunity to look at schoolwide and national goals, and analyse these against your personal teaching practice.

Leadership development, switching subjects or year levels or incorporating different teaching philosophies—whatever your goals, PLD is an accessible way to outline your future career pathway. Options range from self-guided online study to day courses, to a more involved tertiary diploma or degree.

School News spoke to some providers about the PLD options and opportunities they offer.

Learning MATTERS is a trusted provider of Structured Literacy professional learning, supporting schools across Aotearoa for many years with deep expertise, practical tools, and a strong evidence base.

Working alongside educators, Learning MATTERS deliver professional learning that is practical, research-aligned, and designed to support real, sustainable change across Years 0 to 8.

Structured literacy PLD courses on offer are Ministry of Education-funded, helping teachers and leaders embed instructional practice aligned with Te Mātaiaho and the refreshed NZC. This includes hands-on support with planning, assessment, delivery, and tiered literacy instruction.

The Learning MATTERS Intervention Teaching (LMIT) certification is also Ministry-funded and equips kaiako with the knowledge and tools to accelerate progress for students needing targeted support.

Learning MATTERS offers ongoing coaching through experienced Literacy Coaches—supporting teachers in-class to refine and apply their learning over time.

Educators can also enrol in the writing instruction course, which offers a clear, structured approach to building sentence-level writing confidence and capability. The Cultivating the Literacy Landscape Symposium this August offers educators two days of keynotes and practice-rich workshops from experts across Aotearoa and beyond.

Life Education Trust is New Zealand’s largest health education provider in schools, educating New Zealand children for more than 35 years.

In response to growing concern among school leaders about student anxiety, in 2021, Life Education Trust introduced PLD around managing student anxiety. Last year, Life Education Trust reporting showed 86 percent of school leaders considered anxiety to be an issue for their students. Teachers are often the first port of call for families who are concerned about their child’s emotional wellbeing or behaviour, and play an important role in supporting students with anxiety. 

As part of the Nurturing Healthy Minds series, Life Education Trust has PLD workshops available on Anxiety, Neurodiversity and Self-Care for educators. These are delivered online, outside school hours, and led by an experienced live facilitator.  

The anxiety workshops, developed with Anxiety New Zealand, cover the signs and symptoms of anxiety, calming strategies, types of treatment and where to turn to for help. The neurodiversity workshops were developed in response to an increasing awareness of neurodiversities like ADHD, autism and dyslexia. Educators learn about neurodiversity and how to support neurodiverse learners. 

Teachers can also find PLD through Life Education Trust to support their own wellbeing. With relatable examples and practical tools to reduce overwhelm, the self-care workshop will empower teachers to take care of themselves, so they can continue supporting others.

Hillary Outdoors delivers impact by fostering youth development and supporting teachers’ professional growth. The tailored school programmes offer ongoing opportunities for accompanying teachers to engage in meaningful professional development while building strong, supportive relationships with their students. These connections are key to social and emotional learning.

Led by experienced instructors, students participate alongside their teacher, cultivating confidence, trust, and responsibility throughout the school programme. Teachers gain valuable insights and practical skills from Hillary Outdoors’ instructors to bring back to the classroom, enriching student learning and strengthening their own practice. This shared experience creates lasting benefits that extend well beyond the programme.

A Teacher from Taita College shared: “I got so much out of our school programme. It really helped me grow professionally. One big takeaway from our Hillary Outdoors Instructor was the value of letting students figure things out for themselves. Like when they forgot something on their overnight expedition, they had to make do with what they had, no one was going back to get it. It taught them responsibility in a very real way. Even if packing took 20 minutes, that was part of their learning. I’ve started bringing that same approach into my own teaching, giving students space to learn through experience.”

Developed at the University of Canterbury, the Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA) is an evidence-based structured literacy approach that provides professional learning and development (PLD) for teachers and literacy specialists working across Years 0 to 8.

Over 7000 educators and 100,000 students across New Zealand have now benefited from this PLD. Research shows that the BSLA PLD increases educators’ knowledge, skill, and pedagogy across the areas of phonics, phonological awareness, and morphology, as well as increasing confidence in their ability to teach early literacy.

The BSLA PLD can be accessed through three options. Class Teachers (Years 0 to 3) is suitable for teachers working in Phase 1 of the ELA curriculum; Year 0 to 3 learners. Class Teachers (Years 4 to 8) is suitable for teachers with learners in Phases 2 or 3 of the ELA curriculum; Year 4 to 8 learners. Literacy Leadership (Years 0 to 8) is suitable for roles with responsibility for literacy leadership and literacy support within or across schools (for example RTLits, RTLBs, literacy leads, SENCOs, LSCs, APs, DPs or principals).

All options provide high quality PLD in structured literacy teaching and assessment practices and include communities of practice aligned with your role in the school. Successful completion of the course will lead to a certificate of proficiency in structured literacy (15 points at postgraduate level, approved by the University of Canterbury).

Tātai Aho Rau Core Education has a wide range of exciting and informative PLD available, including maths PLD, personal coaching and mentoring, te reo Māori, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and PLD for mentor teachers. 

Tātai Aho Rau is Ministry of Education-accredited to deliver maths PLD that supports the successful implementation of the revised Mathematics and Statistics Learning Area for Years 0 to 8. This PLD is available throughout 2025 and 2026.   

He Waka Unua Coaching and Mentoring is designed to build educators’ knowledge and skills. The course supports capabilities, leadership, and enables educators to make meaningful and sustainable changes to work and life.  

He Waka Houkura is a suite of equity and inclusion PLD which offers organisations the opportunity to explore equity at every level and stage of their foundation and operations.  

Tātai Aho Rau offers a beginner course in te reo Māori, Whiria te Reo. Delivered online through modules, live webinars and learning materials, the course is designed at a pace to suit kaiako and other learners.   

Te Tiriti Ināianei | The Treaty Now is a micro-learning experience through online modules. With topics that are not always covered in other Tiriti training programmes, it offers a new and fresh approach for this important kaupapa. Te Poipoi Kaiako is PLD targeted toward Mentor teachers | Pou Tautoko and Provisional Teachers in both Māori medium and English medium settings.

Pause Breathe Smile is a New Zealand-developed, evidence-based mindfulness programme that equips teachers to support the wellbeing of themselves and their tamariki. Educators learn how to foster positive classroom environments by teaching students’ tools and strategies to regulate emotions, improve focus, and build resilience.

Grounded in Te Whare Tapa Whā, a Māori model of holistic health, Pause Breathe Smile offers comprehensive wellbeing professional development for teachers, through either an in-person workshop or online sessions, at no cost, thanks to funding by Southern Cross. Teachers and schools can choose between a one-day workshop, or four, one-hour online modules. Teachers can revisit these modules again and again whenever they are needed, ensuring kaiako are prepared for any classroom scenario. 

Educators can also take a teacher wellbeing module, which helps teachers to maintain personal wellbeing through mindfulness. Participants are guided through the course with practical examples relevant to adults.

More than a decade of research indicates significant benefits: students exhibit increased calmness, enhanced self-awareness, and improved conflict resolution skills. Teachers report reduced stress levels and greater job satisfaction.

Pause Breathe Smile is a professional development option that enables teachers to support their own, and their children’s mental health, providing resources to help kaiako with their teaching practice, and to meet the pastoral needs of their ākonga.

For over a decade, Brightstar has been delivering impactful education events that blend research, practical tools, and peer networking to enhance teaching practices and foster continuous improvement. These events provide educators the opportunity to learn from sector leaders and industry peers.

Brightstar believes education is the cornerstone of personal and professional development, and their events in the education sector connect educators, leaders, and policymakers to explore trends, innovations, and strategies that improve teaching, learning, and professional development. 

Each year, Brightstar runs the Legal and Governance Essentials event for School Leaders in Auckland and Wellington. This event ensures school leaders are up to date with employment law, privacy, student and staff well-being, communication strategies, tech advancements, and more.

Brightstar also runs the New Zealand School Leaders Summit, which promotes collaboration and innovation. Gathering principals, administrators, and policymakers from across Aotearoa, participants tackle the sector’s most pressing challenges.

Brightstar’s STEAM Education Summit encourages the integration of STEAM programmes in schools. This event equips educators with the tools to inspire creativity, problem-solving, and future-focused learning.

RTEACH INSTITUTE facilitator-coaches work alongside school leaders to develop and implement PLD that meets the needs of staff and students, starting small, and extending into school and community-wide strategies.

Reciprocal Teaching-RT3T is a modernised and proven approach to reciprocal teaching, an approach that builds thinking skills and accelerates reading comprehension for significant gains over a short period. RT3T is about working smarter, not harder. In his meta-analyses, Professor John Hattie placed reciprocal teaching as extremely effective for improving student achievement.

RT3T PLD includes kaupapa and practice during workshops and in-class co-teaching, providing all participants the opportunity to learn and embed essential skills and strategies for lasting pedagogical change. RT3T provides a shared language and seamless approach. The PLD is practical, purposeful, and grounded in what truly matters—relationships and relevance.

RT3T is a high impact cross-curricular pedagogy that centres ākonga identity, language and culture; connects classroom learning to real-world relevance and rapidly engages and empowers learners.  The approach inclusively develops oral language, vocabulary, critical thinking, confident teamwork and leadership, setting ākonga up for success for NCEA, and for life.  

RTEACH INSTITUTE provides students and teachers with dynamic skills central to all year levels and subject areas of The New Zealand Curriculum, while deepening understanding of assessment for learning. The programme complements other PLD including Manaiakalani, Reading Together, DMIC, and structured literacy approaches. 

He kaupapa mō te tangata – a model grounded in people, purpose, and place.