2014 Forward Magazine

feature GREAT HEARTS + MINDS

Maori Men Making Their Mark THE POWER OF A PASSIONATE CREED TEACHERS ON PRACTICUM: A REVOLUTIONARY APPROACH CULTIVATING A LIFE IN COMMON SOCIAL CHANGE: A WORK IN PROGRESS 2015 PROGRAMMES & KEY DATES

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DEAN’S COMMENT INTERVIEW - The Power of a Passionate Creed IN BRIEF - LOCAL/INTERNATIONAL/TRENDS/NEWS FEATURE - Teachers on Practicum: A Revolutionary Approach OPINION - Cultivating a Life in Common FEATURE - Maori Men Making Their Mark A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF: A Newly-Wed Couple Teaching in Thailand 2015 KEY DATES LIFE - CULTURE/LEARNING/FAITH INTERVIEW - Social Change: A Work in Progress SPOTLIGHT - Worthy Recipients BTI Programme Information TOP 5 - Ways to Wellbeing THE FINAL WORD

Forward is published annually by Bethlehem Tertiary Institute (BTI) Editor: Wendy Pyne Contributing Writers: Kathryn Overall, Wendy Pyne Contributors: Dr James Arkwright, Cathryn Bell, Dr Andrew Smith, Raymond Stripling Design: Bayly & Moore, Jenny Kyle, Wendy Pyne Advertising/Editorial Enquiries: Wendy Pyne - info@bti.ac.nz Printing: Publicity Printing

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editorial

DEAN’S COMMENT Dr Andrew Smith, Dean of BTI, welcomes you to the fourth edition of Forward magazine

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Welcome to the fourth edition of Forward - and thank you to all who have contributed in one way or another. I have recently returned from nine days in Cambodia, the key purpose of which was to visit a World Vision project there.

(It seems a fitting place to start as Chris Clarke, the CEO of World Vision, has the last word in this edition). I was impressed by the great work the World Vision team is doing in the Area Development Project I visited, and specifically by the tangible sense of hope that the different facets of the project create - hope for education, hope for employment, hope for health, hope for a different perspective on eternity.

I brought that awareness of hope to reviewing the contents of this new Forward edition and was amazed by the diverse indications of hope that I saw through these stories as well.

As people of the Kingdom we have found hope for our own lives, and can be bringers of hope to the earth that we walk on - not sentimental wishful-thinking, but a real, tangible probability of being and doing differently.

So, as you read the different articles, celebrate the hope within!

feature

Interview The Power of Passionate Creed BTI’s distinctive approach to teacher education is formed out of a deep belief that if teachers are to develop good connections with students, they must first deepen their knowledge of themselves. Teacher Educator, Cathryn Bell, explains the significance of a teacher’s ‘Passionate Creed’.

What exactly is a Passionate Creed?

It is essentially a portable statement that each student teacher develops to capture his or her personal passion for, and beliefs about, teaching. It’s the ‘big idea’, if you like, that motivates or inspires them. It outlines what they aspire to be as a teacher and what they want to accomplish within their classroom. We have been influenced by the work of Vicki LaBoskey (1994) who says that passionate teachers are teachers who are willing to ask the question ‘why’. This type of questioning delves deeper than issues of curriculum or methodology. It asks questions like, ‘Why am I teaching this’, ‘Why am I teaching this way’, ‘What is guiding my educational choices’, ‘Why am I responding like this’, ‘Why do my buttons get pressed by this’, ‘What am I passionate about’?

How individual is each student’s Passionate Creed?

Each passionate creed addresses similar ideas as they are designed to communicate the beliefs underpinning a student

teacher’s practice, as these beliefs shape their understanding of teaching and learning, their philosophy of leadership, discipline and management etc. However, they also reflect the uniqueness of each student teacher. Students come to teaching with very different motivations and life experiences, all of which naturally influence their practice.

What are some of the benefits of having a Passionate Creed?

We believe that it is really important for our students to know themselves and to be self-reflective. Having a passionate creed serves our students as they continuously question, re-evaluate and refine the learning and teaching process.

The reality of the teaching profession can become draining and task focused if we are not intentional about connecting to our values and passions. Head of Teacher Education, Dr. Bev Norsworthy says that, “the research that has been done with our graduates shows that the writing of this passionate creed is a powerful part of being a resilient teacher. When the trials and pressures come, to be able to go back to a written statement in which you have articulated what you believe is really powerful.”

Does the BTI Teacher Education cluster have a Passionate Creed?

Yes, we do. Our Passionate Creed is that we aspire to ‘release wise teachers, who are gracious, secure and teachable, whose teaching is relational, transformative and responsive’.

Our students and graduates are intimately acquainted with this statement as they have all lived and embodied these ideals throughout their teacher education programme.

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In Brief LOCAL

INTERNATIONAL

TRENDS

NEWS

SUPPORTING TEACHERS OVERSEAS The programme of preparation for teaching that BTI is running on the Thai-Burma border continues to grow. In February of this year we celebrated the completion of the programme by the first group. Thirteen students, mainly Karen people, graduated amidst much celebration.

Most of the group will be starting their first teaching positions in schools either on the border or back in nearby schools within Burma/ Myanmar. The schools they will be working in are generally in village contexts and extremely under-resourced both in terms of people and materials, so the graduates will be facing significant challenges. Our goal is to find ways to support and encourage them as they embark on putting the learning of the last two years into practice. Graeme and Kendal Cook organised several days of activity to mark the finish of the programme, and it was very encouraging to hear from each of them how they felt the two years had transformed them as people, and equipped them for what God has in store.

The celebration finished with an impressive firework display – which as an experience was a first for most people there!

The new year started in May with 21 continuing into the second year, and 15 new students. Graeme and Kendal have been joined by an Australian couple, Stuart and Trish Kenealy, both experienced teachers who will be able to support what is happening at NohBo. I was joined by Sue Martin (Year 2 teacher at Bethlehem College) and her husband Lewis (who teaches health at the BOP Polytech) for a week-long 6

intensive to start the year. Working in Noh Bo has some very real challenges – weather, health and resources to name but a few - and we are very proud of the great job that Graeme and Kendal do as they multi-task teaching, making sure that students have enough food and fixing what needs fixing - water supplies, internet access, large insect removal etc! Their love for, and commitment to the students is an inspiration.

Being involved in the programme seems very timely and strategic in the light of the political changes that continue to unfold in Burma/Myanmar, and it will be exciting to see how the project develops into the future. The group truly does have the opportunity to change a nation.

Dr Andrew Smith, Dean, BTI

200 YEARS OF THE GOSPEL IN NZ “Behold! I bring you glad tidings of great joy.” These were the words used on Christmas Day 1814 by Rev. Samuel Marsden as he began his sermon at Oihi, Bay of Islands in what was to be known as the the formal inauguration of missionary involvement in New Zealand.

Since these nine words were spoken to a small joint Maori/ Pakeha congregation 200 years ago, Christianity in New Zealand has grown with over 1.9 million followers in 2013,

in brief Job Outcomes For Primary Teaching Students Double The National Average Do you remember a teacher who had a huge influence on your life? Maybe there was more than one? The really good ones encouraged us, inspired us and believed in us. They made a huge difference in our lives and for many, set us on the successful paths we find ourselves on today.

BTI teaching graduates have this influential quality. Whilst studying, they learn that they teach out of who they are, that this is what the children remember. This unique approach means that graduates are highly sought after by schools and, as a result, successful job outcomes are over double the national average. some 45% of New Zealand’s population (source: Statistics NZ).

At first glance, this remarkable increase in Christ followers is heartening. However, on closer inspection what we see is that there has been a steady decline (11%) since the 2001 census (2001 56%, 2006 51%).

What would cause such a marked decline?

We know that the population of New Zealand grew by over 500,000 between 2001 and 2013, so we might expect to see an increase in Christian affiliation, but with greater numbers of migrants entering our shores comes greater religious diversity - is this having an impact? Probably.

In our 2014 graduation survey, 83% of our primary teaching students reported that they had already secured a teaching job by the time that they graduated. This is an increase of 18% from 2013, which is excellent news for those wanting to enter the profession, as it shows that there are jobs for primary teachers despite what is being reported in the media.

The skills that BTI students learn are not just focussed on the specific practice skills required. They also learn transferrable skills such as problem solving, communication, and working as part of a team. We believe that this approach, together with the graduate’s understanding of “who they are” and “how they teach”, makes them highly desirable to stakeholders in both Christian and non Christian schools, and so leads to successful job outcomes.

We also know that as recently as 2011 some non-Christian schools took the decision to remove religious education as an integral part of the syllabus that students were exposed to at primary school age and beyond. Sadly, not only has this stance grown momentum in the past three years, but the rationales given for this course of action include ‘time pressures’, ‘inappropriate programmes’ and because ‘religious instruction is seen as a parental responsibility’.

As our children learn through stories and by mimicking the actions of those around them, will society suffer because the next generations of young adults are not exposed to biblical teachings in schools? We hope not.

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feature finds out why this practicum model is so rewarding for both student teachers and for their host schools.

Alan Ronberg hadn’t expected Saint Kentigern College to be so beautiful. As he walked through the school gates on February 21st 2013, the chattering din of students faded in his consciousness as Rangitoto, dark against the blue sky and the vista of the Tamaki Estuary came into view. The fact that he was there at all was surprising enough. The whiplash of an unexpected redundancy and career side-step into secondary school teaching just five weeks earlier was still fresh. And yet, here he was, enrolled in the Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) at Bethlehem Tertiary Institute (BTI) with just two weeks of intensives and two weeks online training under his belt, about to begin a one-day-a-week practicum placement at this prestigious school that would last for the whole academic year.

TEACHERS ON PRACTICUM: A REVOLUTIONARY APPROACH In 2009, the Teacher Education team at BTI introduced a revolutionary new practicum model into their secondary teacher training programme. The Ministry of Education was cautious, and schools were hesitant. Fast forward four years and the story is remarkably different. Kathryn Overall 8

“I arrived all dressed up in my suit and tie,” says Alan. “They say first impressions last, so I didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot.” He was scheduled that day to meet Susan Mudford, the Head of Christian Education at Saint Kentigern College. As his Associate Teacher for the year, Susan was to be his guide on the path ahead, a path that was designed to develop him into a competent and confident teacher of teenagers. “As I sat waiting I thought back to those many times waiting in reception at Palmy Boys,” says Alan. “It was nice to think I wasn’t waiting to see the principal and that corporal punishment is now illegal.”

His tongue is firmly in his cheek of course. Actually, as one of the last generation of New Zealanders to receive corporal punishment at school, his memory of that dubious method of student discipline may be all too real, but his tone here is jocular. It’s a tone that I imagine has been honed to fineness during his many years of working with teenagers in churches and para-church organisations.

A sociable extrovert by temperament, he has the trademark youth pastor’s cheeky glint in his eyes, a ready laugh, sincere one-liners, witty quips, and stories at the ready. He strikes me as someone who would be ready to engage in either fun banter or a significant ‘deep and meaningful’ at any moment;

feature as readily prepared as any self-respecting soldier facing battle. And who could possibly need to be more battle-ready than a man whose year would include teaching compulsory Christian Education to Year 10 boys? But this was just the first day. All of that was still ahead.

“They see the ‘warts and all’, coal-face, everyday experience of what teaching is. But because it is through the year, trainees can see most of a teaching and learning programme rather than just 6 weeks of it.”

in Lower Hutt, when she used to mentor student teachers from an outpost programme in Karori. This programme had been designed for teachers who were returning to teaching after a long break. In addition to college lectures and block practicums, the student teachers would be placed in a school two days a week for the whole academic year. “I noticed a vast difference between the students who were in this programme and those who were just going on block practicum,” says Barbara. “They were actually reflecting and thinking and developing their competence and confidence.”

At the time of these discussions, the BTI Teacher Education team was preparing for its scheduled Ministry of Education (MOE) secondary programme re-approval process. Together, the team explored the idea of reducing the length of the block practicums and introducing a one-day-a-week host school practicum lasting for the whole academic year, thus enabling students to make connections between what they are learning and what they see in practice. Ultimately, they decided to write it into the programme, and simply give it a go.

This experience of reporting for duty at a school, just four weeks into their programme is one that has been experienced by every student to pass through BTI’s one year secondary teacher training programme. Every student, that is, who has enrolled since 2009. That was the land-mark year in which this innovative, whole-year approach to practicum placements was introduced at BTI. Barbara Caygill had just been chosen to lead the programme after lecturing in it for several years and she brought to the role some probing questions about the effectiveness of the traditional six or seven week block practicum placements.

“I was very unhappy and uncomfortable with the way we were doing practicum,” says Barbara. “Block practicums are times of intensive teaching, but I didn’t believe that they gave student teachers sufficient time to be able to reflect on what they were learning, get feedback and make adjustments accordingly.”

Barbara thought back to her days of secondary teaching

Alumnus Alan Ronberg graduated in 2014 with a Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) degree.

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feature “We went through quite a grilling during the re-approval process,” says Barbara. “There were concerns simply because there was a well-established traditional way of doing practicum and we were proposing something very different.

Nobody else was doing it at the time.”

In the end the MOE gave their conditional support, provided that BTI could get enough schools on board. This provision also proved challenging. “The initial reaction of the schools was very resistant because they knew nothing else and they couldn’t see how it would work effectively,” says Barbara.

Happily, there were enough schools that were willing to buy into the new model despite their concerns, and the new programme was allowed to see the light of day.

Four years down the track, the picture is very different and it’s safe to say that the new model has been extraordinarily successful. “We have huge buy-in now from schools,” says Barbara. “In our latest MOE Monitor’s report, the monitor reported that one of the host school senior teachers stated that ‘all ITE institutions should follow BTI’s model as it was so effective’, and another said just how pleased he was to

be able to express his strong support for the BTI programme as he considers these students to be the best he has on placement and would always look to employ them when he can.”

Schools were concerned initially that the one-day-a-week model would prove burdensome for Associate Teachers, but the feedback on this has also been positive. Barbara says, “Many of the Associate Teachers at the host schools have moved into this whole idea of mentoring and they love it.

They have acknowledged their own professional growth in the process which most often comes from having to articulate and justify their practice. They find that the one-day-a-week is in many ways more effective than the big block. ” Over the four years, many graduates have reported back to BTI that they found it valuable to be part of the ebb and flow of school life for a whole year during their training.

The classroom, after all, is only one aspect of the teaching life. A school is a system, a community, an organism. The opportunity to not just observe, but become part of the rhythms of school life has given these students a huge advantage as beginning teachers.

Alan’s Associate Teacher, Susan Mudford would concur. “I think the host school practicum model is highly effective, as it gives trainees insight into the workings of a school over most of the year,” she says. “They see the ‘warts and all’, coalface, everyday experience of what teaching is. But because it is through the year, trainees can see most of a teaching and learning programme rather than just six weeks of it.”

What they actually do during their one-day-a-week is quite flexible, and is arranged between the student and Associate Teacher. They may observe, help with lesson planning, assist with group discussions, and will, of course, have many opportunities in the classroom both to co-teach and to teach on their own.

Alumna Bronwyn Dyer graduated in 2013 with a Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) degree.

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Each unique fusion of student and school can give rise to particular, and sometimes unexpected, opportunities. For instance, during his host-school year Alan was able to attend an impacting three day Christian Education conference, to be part of a brand new assessment planning process with his department. He even had the opportunity to write a 7-unit lesson for Year 9-13 Christian Education based on the movie

feature ‘Avatar’, a course that has now been incorporated into the curriculum.

While each student’s experience is unique, Barbara Caygill says that over the four years that BTI has been collecting data and feedback, two things have emerged very clearly. “Firstly, putting them in a very authentic and relevant context has proved extraordinarily successful in helping student teachers make the connections between theory and practice,” says Barbara. “Secondly, it’s very, very obvious that this model is building confidence and competence in our students much more effectively. If we can get them out into the host schools very early in the year, they go into their first block practicum in a totally different place in terms of their level of confidence.”

Alan would have to agree. “I am very much a relational person,” he says. “I probably learnt more in the host school than I did sitting reading articles. You absolutely need both - you need the theory, you need the foundational knowledge and you need the school, it puts your learning completely in its home. Also, before you hit your first practicum, you’ve got a bit of experience at being in a classroom, seeing how a teacher works, asking questions of practice. I felt quite confident when I got to my first practicum.”

“I probably learnt more in the host school than I did sitting reading articles.

You absolutely need both - you need the theory, you need the foundational knowledge and you need the school, it puts your learning completely in its home.”

Alan’s teaching career may have begun suddenly, but in the dynamic environment of his host school experience it matured deeply and quickly. His blog-reflection, posted on the 16th October 2013, captures some of this journey. “There is a remarkably different tone to when I first set foot in this place just over eight months ago. I feel that I walk through the gates as part of the story of the school. When I speak with a teacher at the coffee machine, it feels like I am talking to a colleague. The opportunity to be here over the course of a school year has definitely allowed me to feel a part of the life of this place. The concept of the host school sits well with me, as I feel I have grown in my identity as a teacher, not through theory, but through critically evaluated practice.

I have had access to passionate educators that have never treated me as a student, but as a valued part of their team.”

Some student teachers become so much a part of the furniture at their host school that they are asked to stay on when they graduate. Alan Ronberg was thrilled to be one of them. From quite early on, he had harboured secret hopes that he would have the chance to join the teaching team at Saint Kentigern College at some stage.

With an increase in roll numbers and departure or retirement BTI Forward

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feature of staff from various parts of the school, Saint Kentigern College had a gap in staffing come up, of which Christian Education was a part. “The impression Al had made on our team, his natural affinity with the students and his extensive skill-set made him an obvious choice,” says Susan.

“When the staffing gap emerged, Al sprung to mind because of his enthusiasm, his willingness to engage with the kids and be involved with the wider school life and community which is very important to us.”

Alan had already appeared on the radar of the Saint Kentigern College principal, Mr. Steve Cole. “Some people that I trust had said he was a very enthusiastic young man and we should keep an eye on him, so I asked him to come and talk to me,” says Mr. Cole. When the staffing gap emerged, Al sprang to mind because of “his enthusiasm, his willingness to engage with the kids and be involved with the wider school life and community, which is very important to us.”

Mr Cole thinks that time spent in the classroom teaching is the best kind of teacher training a student can have. “It’s a good programme,” he says. “I hope they continue doing it and I hope this model gets extended into other areas of the country.”

When Wendy Pyne, BTI’s Head of Operational Services, reviewed the employment status of BTI secondary graduates for 2014 she found that they are highly sought after, with 88% of the new graduates in teaching jobs just four months after

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completing their course. A staggering 44% of them secured jobs with their respective host schools.

Behind every statistic of course, is a story – like Alan Ronberg’s. And, like Bronwyn Dyer’s - a BTI graduate from the 2012 cohort who also ended up being employed by her host school. After six years of teacher aiding and private tutoring, Bronwyn had been encouraged by her husband and friends to take the next step and become a fully qualified secondary teacher. Bronwyn’s teaching subject speciality was horticulture and it was arranged that she would do her host school practicum placement at Taradale High School, just 5 minutes from her home in Napier.

As it turned out, she couldn’t have arrived at a better time.

The school’s horticulture department had been waning for years and student numbers were dwindling. Linstead Allen, an English teacher and passionate gardener, but with no formal training, had been charged with the task of turning the department around. In doing so, he also became Bronwyn’s Associate Teacher.

From the beginning, Bronwyn felt that she was in good hands. “Linstead is an incredibly experienced and understanding teacher. He gave me a lot of opportunities to teach the way I wanted to teach. He was incredibly creative in his lesson plans, I was able to glean a lot from this.

Since most of the planning for the following year was done together, I also learned how to unit plan.”

feature

“Bronwyn is a unique person and fitted into the school, my classes and the culture of the school without any fuss.”

By the end of the year, Bronwyn had not only flourished as a teacher, but had been able to make a significant contribution to her department in a critical year. “With Linstead’s fabulous teaching skills, and my knowledge and experience in horticulture, we were a great team. By working together, my mentor and I managed to grow horticulture as a subject.”

Linstead says his experience of being Bronwyn’s Associate Teacher was extremely positive. “We gelled together instantly. Bronwyn is a unique person and fitted into the school, my classes and the culture of the school without any fuss. She is a genuine person and all staff who worked with her, raved about her!”

After sowing her time and creative energies into the horticulture department throughout the year, Bronwyn was loathe to just walk away from it. So, when she graduated from BTI, she made an unusual move. “I told my mentor that I would be willing to volunteer my time and teach the combined Year 11/Year 12 horticulture class,” says Bronwyn.

Her offer was gratefully received, and for the first term Bronwyn helped out twice a week at the school. At the end of the term, the school was looking for a junior science teacher to fill in as a long term reliever. Bronwyn says, “The school said that since I had shown commitment and drive during the first term of 2013, they wanted to employ me to teach two junior science classes and carry on teaching the Year 12 horticulture class.”

In 2014, Bronwyn was fortunate to step into the role of a full-time science and horticulture reliever. The horticulture department continues to go from strength to strength. She has introduced agriculture to the school, and is teaching the first ever Year 13 horticulture class at Taradale High School.

She has also started a TeenAg club, which is for students interested in the primary industries. “It is under the umbrella of Young Farmers and we are really growing as a group,” says Bronwyn.

From Linstead’s point of view it was perfect timing. “We needed an experienced Hort teacher and she was one in the making,” he says. “I chatted to my HOD (Science) before the end of 2013, and he also had the view that Bronwyn was a diamond and needed to be kept on our staff.”

It seems fitting to leave the final words of this piece for the final words which Alan Ronberg wrote for his last blogreflection, the words which rounded out his year. “I am excited about my career as a teacher and look forward to being an ambassador for the type of progressive learning we have been engaged in at BTI. The biggest highlight for me has to be the opportunity to sign a contract and take a role here next year. They are as excited about having me here as I am about being here, and without the host school model I don’t think that I would have had this opportunity.”

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Opinion ISSUES

DEBATE

VIEWS

CHOICE

CULTIVATING A LIFE IN COMMON At the start of 2014, BTI staff started to explore what it means to ‘Cultivate A Life In Common’. We set an institutional KPI that seeks to encourage personal and professional growth; we asked the team to take initiative in contributing to this KPI by participating in a range of activities that are designed to promote fellowship, build relationship and encourage professional cross-pollination.

Here, three of the team reflect on what this means to them.

Andrew has been BTI Dean since 2010 and has an amazing ability to unify and connect people.

As I think about the theme of “developing a life in common” I am aware that we are a relatively small staff in number, and we work both as a BTI team, but also as smaller teams within the bigger context. Philosophically I believe that whenever Christians live or work together the whole is greater than “the sum of the parts” - that there is a spiritual reality that joins us together. Practically, we need to work closely with each other as our individual responsibilities overlap significantly, and certainly working together is much easier if we get on with each other!

DR ANDREW SMITH DEAN

However, I am also aware that working at BTI means working hard and at times quite intensely, and that consequently in the busyness of work relationships can be forgotten and tensions develop.

Ensuring that we are developing a life in common seems to me to be a natural way of out working the spiritual reality that exists, and of building strong relationships that can create a positive working environment.

I have been very encouraged by the level of community activity among staff that seems to have grown over recent months without the need to keep reminding people that that is our goal for the year. One example that stands out to me are the soup lunches that different individuals have arranged over recent weeks. Not only do they bring staff together over a shared meal - always a good idea at BTI! - but also they raise money for the refugee group programme, which brings that group into focus as part of the BTI community.

My hope is that the theme will continue beyond the point of it being an institutional KPI, that it is just a part of who we are and how we do life at BTI. 14

opinion Problem solver Megan, started working for BTI in school holidays and never really left!

Building a life in common is what we strive to do at BTI. It is about working in a community that is collectively moving towards the same goal, at the same time we are at our core, relational. We strive to be transformative and grow each other into the best possible versions of ourselves. Accomplishing this is made much easier when we can regularly stop and have fellowship together in a safe and relaxed setting, and remind ourselves where we have been and where we are headed.

MEGAN O’ROURKE ADMINISTRATOR

I was excited to have the opportunity to proactively build on the idea of ‘a life in common’.

My father started working at BTI in 1998, so I have grown up building relationships with the staff and students here (I did various jobs right through high school to help out in the office (filing, copying, cleaning…etc) and I am now the Programme Administrator for our Teacher Education programmes). To me, this is a very important thing to be committed to. It can be challenging making time for events when we are all so busy, but it is something we need to prioritise. At the end of the day, we are all on this journey together. It says in Ecclesiastes ‘a cord of three strands is not easily broken’. God doesn’t want us to journey alone; we are called to fellowship together.

It has been a lot of fun being involved in the BTI Staff Social Committee this year and helping to arrange various social events. We enjoyed a fantastic Quiz Night led by our valiant Quizmaster/Librarian David Osman in Term 2 and for Term 3 we are excited for Super Friday, where staff dress up as their favourite Superhero character! There have also been shared morning tea, lunchtimes and other staff competitions.

I have observed much more casual talk and interaction among staff, we are all learning more about each other by being proactively involved in various staff events. I have been reminded of the fact that whilst we are work colleagues, each of us has a life outside our work environment and having the opportunity to ‘build a life in common’ means we can see each other as a whole person: who they are, where they come from and what motivates them.

Clement’s laughter is infectious. Joining BTI in January 2014, he quickly cemented himself into the team.

Being relatively new to BTI, I lack historical benchmarking against which to measure changes, but I have witnessed how staff freely share recreational spaces, actively participate and encourage one another in ‘Research Refresher’ times, celebrating success and who we are as individuals through Graduation and our shared weekly devotional times.

When this KPI was first set, I felt (and still feel) highly positive about it as it enjoins me to take an active part in cultivating a life in common with my colleagues here at BTI.

CLEMENT CHIHOTA SOCIAL WORK EDUCATOR

Building/sharing a life in common with colleagues not only promises to fortify the unique values/ethos of the organisation, it also promises to strengthen professional development and, ultimately, create a more vibrant/pleasant working environment for us….

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Feature feature

MAORI MEN MAKING THEIR MARK At BTI, we value our relationship with a number of respected Maori men who have gone on from BTI to do great things in their varied spheres of influence. Kathryn Overall catches up with BTI alumni, Heywood Kuka and Ed Nikora, and discovers some of the hopes and dreams within a group of Maori men doing the BTI secondary teaching programme this year.

Walking through the pristine school grounds of Te Wharekura o Mauao (TWOM) on a bright autumn day, seeing the welldesigned facilities and hearing the happy shouts of students in tidy PE uniforms, you can’t help but feel a sense of newness in the air; a sense of roots and heritage combined with possibility and hope.

The buildings on this beautiful site in Bethlehem may be only several years old, but the school is the fulfillment of a vision that the people of the three iwi of Tauranga Moana have carried in their hearts for a long time. Tame Kuka, who became the first principal of the school before illness forced him to pass the baton on, is a leading voice in this community and helped to galvanise efforts to work with the Ministry of Education to set up a Māori medium school that followed a Kura Kaupapa Māori philosophy.Heywood Kuka, Tame’s eldest son has become a partner in his father’s vision, returning from Australia to complete the secondary teaching programme at BTI in 2010 so that he could be part of the 16

teaching staff at TWOM from its inception. “Our collective hapu/iwi vision was for those students who have come through Kura Kaupapa to actually go on to secondary school teaching in the Māori medium,” says Heywood. “It’s always been in my heart that something like this needs to be here, so I said yes I want to be part of it.”

Reflecting on his early years, Heywood says his upbringing in Te Puna was humble, and yet uniquely rich in many important ways. Both of his parents were teachers, and both were fluent in te reo. In fact, Heywood’s mother, together with her whanau and friends, pioneered one of the first Kohanga Reo centres in the area in the early 1980’s. “There were a whole lot of us that grew up together who were brought up in te reo and looking back now I am really thankful,” says Heywood. “The inspiration came from my father, but the drive came from my mother. I think we were the generation after the ones that missed out. I’ve been blessed with this te reo gift that I can now give back to the kids.”

The majority of classes at TWOM are taught in te reo, and Heywood says that strengthening their te reo gives the students a sense of belonging and identity. “Ensuring the survival of te reo, that’s a real big issue for me. They say once the language goes, the culture goes. One of our driving slogans here is ‘what are you going to do to ensure the retention of your reo’?”

“I think we were the generation after the ones that missed out. I’ve been blessed with this te reo gift that I can now give back to the kids.”

Four busy years on from his year at BTI, Heywood is now the Associate Principal at TWOM and judging by the papers covering his desk he has a lot on his plate. Nevertheless, his eyes are warm and nothing is too much trouble. “Anything

Feature feature for BTI,” says Heywood. “It’s an awesome place.” Despite his full desk and long hours, his passion and belief in what he is doing seem to give him energy. “I’ve always wanted to give back to the community, the community is a big driving force behind what I am doing here,” he says.

Heywood believes teaching is a powerful way to influence the young people in his community. “What other adult has more contact in a child’s life than we do?,” he says.

“As I stepped into formal education, my father said to me, ‘the key to good teaching is making good relationships… you’ve got to make those relationships first before you do anything else’.”

BTI has enjoyed having a group of six Māori men doing the secondary teaching programme in 2014. TWOM has been a

key partner with BTI, investing time and energy into three of these student teachers who are doing their host school practicum at TWOM. “I commend them and I encourage them to follow it through. They’re three good men…they’ll make awesome teachers,” says Heywood. “We’re already shoulder tapping. In our community our Māori boys look up to our males. I want to see more Māori males follow this teaching path because they have a huge influence on Māori.”

One of those students is Tamahau Tangitu, who at 22 years old already has a degree in Matauranga Māori and has studied electrical engineering up to Level 6. For someone so young, he has also clocked up some impressive experiences including being part of the waka fleet for the Rugby World Cup and paddling a waka down the Thames for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Tamahau has a lot of respect for Matua Heywood. “As a teacher he has grown into a great role model and guidance leader in his school and the community,” he says. “He is down to earth, and does not think he is better than anyone.

He is always open to new ideas and as young as he is, he is nearly at that point sitting alongside his father who is a great academic leader for Tauranga.”

Tamahau wants to positively influence Māori students in technology, encouraging them to “seek out good opportunities in the new changing digital world, but to remember their tikanga Māori and where they come from.”

While he is interested in public secondary schools, he thinks he will probably end up teaching at a Kura Kaupapa Māori because that is the pathway he followed himself as a student.

As passionate as he is about the full immersion model at TWOM, Heywood is quick to point out that Māori teachers are needed in mainstream schools. “There needs to be good, strong Māori teachers in mainstream, because that’s where the majority of Māori students are,” says Heywood.

Cody Wikingi spent several months assisting at the sports academy at TWOM during the last year of his Bachelor of Sport and Recreation, before going on to do the secondary teaching programme at BTI this year.

Alumnus Heywood Kuka graduated in 2011 with a Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) degree.

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feature right, he would spend time after school putting in that extra time to help me get it right.”

Josh is looking forward to being able to build similar relationships with his students, encouraging them to aim high and be successful, whatever that means to them. “Typically it is Māori males that are struggling at school academically and from a behavioural point of view,” he says. “I think that having Māori male role models that think positively of them is definitely beneficial in most schools.”

His friend, Ed Nikora, a BTI alumnus, recommended BTI to Josh. “He’s an amazing fella,” says Joshua. “He’s very bright, very articulate and God definitely has a lot planned for him.”

2009 was the year that Ed Nikora completed the secondary teaching programme at BTI, a year in which Ed not only gained a teaching qualification but also the admiration and respect of those around him. “We loved having Ed,” says Barbara Caygill who heads up the secondary teaching programme at BTI. “He is charismatic and so uniquely gifted and passionate about teaching. He continues to have a lot of influence here, even though he is in Australia now. Directly or indirectly, he has influenced some of the guys we have in the programme this year.”

Tamahau Tangitu is currently studying the Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) degree and expects to graduate in 2015.

“I’m just loving the experience at the moment, the confidence is growing,” says Cody, who is currently on practicum at Rotorua Boys High School. “For myself, I was influenced positively by role models that were doing youth group and stuff like that, so I want to have that same influence on younger kids as well. I do have a desire to influence Māori male students, but I don’t want to just influence Māori, but also Pakeha as well. At the end of the day I want to influence who I can.”

Cody’s friend, Joshua Moore, has a dream of going back to his own high school in Whakatane as a PE teacher when he graduates from BTI at the end of this year. Josh said his decision to follow a teaching path was influenced by a great PE teacher that he himself had at school. “He was so relational and easy to approach, he made that extra effort,” says Josh. “For example with volleyball, if my pass wasn’t 18

Speaking via Skype from his apartment in Mascot, Sydney, with planes roaring overhead, his wife, Mahana, in the background and young sons, Ezra and Caleb, sleeping in the room next door, Ed is warm, thoughtful and generous with his time, even after a long day at the office. “To my friends that have gone to BTI recently I’ve always said to them, “Look, if Bev Norsworthy is there, if Barbara Caygill or Raymond Stripling is there…then you are in a good place,” says Ed. Knowing that Māori male teachers are in demand, Ed tells his friends that they are likely to find work fairly easily, but he believes the secondary teaching is valuable whether you ultimately follow a teaching career or not. “For Māori males, we had a way of teaching and passing on knowledge and, as we’ve got caught up in this Pakeha world, we’ve sort of forgotten how to do that. I think this course is a reminder of who we are…of how we were always meant to be,” says Ed. He speaks from experience. Ed has used his education qualification to springboard into a variety of leadership and training based roles in school, church, public service and

feature most recently, corporate contexts. “If I have learnt anything since I left BTI, it’s that the skill of being able to transfer knowledge is just vitally important. I think the thing that year really taught me was understanding the ‘why’ behind things that’s what’s propelled me into all these different things,” says Ed.

“For Maori males, we had a way of teaching and passing on knowledge and, as we’ve got caught up in this Pakeha world, we’ve sort of forgotten how to do that.”

training on a marae, the next day I’m sitting around a table with a whole bunch of corporates including doctors and lawyers and we’re discussing things like dynamics of sexual abuse and managing complexity in the workplace.”

A huge influence in Ed’s life, apart from his whanau in Gisborne, who he praises highly, is his spiritual family at New Nation church. When Ed was offered the Advisor role, he negotiated to stay based in Tauranga, travelling to Wellington each week, because of his connection and commitment to his household of faith. “I explained to them, I am only as good as I am, because of who I connected with here in Tauranga,” says Ed. “I loved that the word that I was getting in church on a Sunday, I was putting into the packages on a Monday - not with the Christian jargon tacked onto it but so that it made sense to anyone who picked it up. It meant the word of God was getting out there more and more. At the time 53% of Child Youth and Families clients were Māori, so to know that I was having some sort of impact on all those Māori families made sense to me.”

Ed has a performing arts background, and after graduating from BTI, he spent a year teaching English at a decile ten school before changing direction completely and going to teach in a decile one school the year after. “The challenges were the same. Young people are the same regardless of how wealthy or not they are. What I found is that young people desire relationship, like most of us, so that was my bridge for working with young people.”

In 2011, Ed embraced the opportunity to become a trainer for Child, Youth and Family, a role that included travelling around New Zealand to provide social practice training to new and experienced social workers. Within ten months he had a meteoric rise to a position of remarkable influence as Advisor to the National Manager of Learning and Capabilities based in the National office in Wellington.

Ed worked as part of a team of seven designers who wrote workshops and training packages, which were delivered to almost 5000 Child, Youth and Family staff throughout New Zealand. “The role of advisor was great,” says Ed. “The learner in me just loved it because every day there was something new to experience. One day I could be delivering

Alumnus Ed Nikora graduated in 2009 with a Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) degree.

In 2013, Ed and his family moved to the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney as part of a church-planting team alongside New Nation Church Senior Pastors, Howie and Christine Baker.

“Gate Enterprise, as we are known here in the Eastern BTI Forward

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feature Suburbs, has been building for just over a year now and God is definitely having his way. Times are truly exciting,” says Ed who is the music director at Gate Enterprise and part of the church leadership team.

Career wise, Ed is now working as the Human Resources Manager for EBSCO Information Services, a company that acts as a middleman between libraries and publishers worldwide, and provides a large academic online database used in many universities around the world.

This is actually not the first time Ed has been employed by EBSCO. “After I finished seventh form I took a year off and came to Sydney and I was working for this company literally sticking stickers on magazines,” he says. When Ed moved to Sydney for the second time, he emailed his old boss, the CEO at EBSCO, to see if she wanted to catch up for coffee. “She came back and said “Spooky, I haven’t thought about you for 10 years but I had just finished having a conversation with someone about you...let’s catch up.”

A week after catching up, the CEO called to offer him the position of Human Resources Manager. “What she really wanted from me was for me to help her build her management team and to change the culture in the workplace, which was a lot of what I was doing at CYFS before I left,” says Ed. “You know, managing behaviour at work is no different to managing behaviour in the classroom.

They’re not in uniforms, but they still have all the same insecurities. They still have a measure of knowledge but sometimes they just need an outside voice to ask them the questions and to help them put it all into context.”

For Ed, being Māori in Australia poses no contradictions; he is comfortable in his identify as a Māori man whatever context he finds himself in, in whatever sphere of influence.

“We will always embrace who we are as Māori, but like Sir Apirana Ngata’s whakatauki says we are taking the tools of what we have, and of what Sydney has to offer and we are making it the best we can, and that’s what I want for my sons.

I think Māori are advantaged in that we are all about people and relationships so if we take the practices of who we are as Māori and apply them wherever we are, we are going to succeed.”

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“E tipu e rea, mo nga ra o tou ao, ko to ringa ki nga rakau a te Pakeha hei ara mo to tinana: ko to ngakau ki nga taonga a o tipuna Maori hei tikitiki mo to mahuna: ko to wairua ki te Atua nana nei nga mea katoa.”

“Grow up, little one, in the way of your day and age, your hands grasping the tools of the Pakeha for your physical well-being, remembering in your heart the works of your ancestors which are worthy of being worn as a diadem upon your brow; your soul ever turned toward God, Who is the creator of all things.”

Sir Apirana Ngata (Ed Nikora’s great-uncle)

feature

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photo essay feature

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A NEWLYWED COUPLE TEACHING IN THAILAND Graeme & Kendal Cook, who met whilst studying BTI’s Bachelor of Education (Primary) Teaching degree, educate students on the Thai-Burma border to become teachers.

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Monday

Tuesday

After stocking up with personal food shopping to cover the next two weeks, it’s off to the Heavenly Home orphanage to drop off monthly donations from people in NZ, before embarking on the drive back to Noh Bo in time for tea.

The two-year full-time teacher education programme is delivered in conjunction with Effective Aid International.

Every day starts with a “biblical challenge” before lessons in ‘Teaching & Learning’ commence.

photo essay feature

Wednesday Each morning starts with the feeding programme for the children at the primary school - they enjoy a banana smoothie made with freshly collected bananas, milk, vitamin mix and chocolate sauce! After lunch, the teaching students enjoy participating in the ‘Art’ course with Graeme and Kendal on hand to observe. In early 2014, BTI Senior Teacher Educator, Dr Alaster Gibson, was able to secure some much needed resource funding for the programme which has led to some beautiful art work being created.

Thursday After marking assignments, there are plenty of jobs to do outside of the classroom such as mending fences, leaky roofs and bicycles, as well as planting. Graeme has developed green fingers and is an expert with a hammer and nails!

Thursday After planning the week’s lessons, it’s off to check on some graduates teaching in the primary school before Kendal checks up on the cooking groups to make sure that everyone is being fed properly (as with all students, ensuring that they eat more fruit and less oil is a challenge!)

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photo essay feature

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”

Nelson Mandela

Friday Travelling to town to pick up supplies can be a challenge - the road is bumpy and the journey long. Lots of singing helps to pass the time, and of course there’s the reward of a much needed cold drink at the other end.

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Friday Time to reconnect as newly weds. Every other weekend, Graeme and Kendal treat themselves to some well earned rest and relaxation by leaving Noh Bo after lunch and “blobbing” into a wonderful $10 a night motel room. Bliss!

photo essay feature

The Weekend When Kendal and Graeme stay at the school for the weekend, they take the time to connect with students by getting involved in the cooking, playing music, having fun and organising movie nights. There is even the odd baptism that takes place! Once alone, they find time to email friends and family back home in New Zealand before organising the classroom for Monday morning.

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photo essay feature

Donate & Educate a Nation Much of the schooling and education in Thailand is delivered by a teacher standing at the front of the class talking and the pupil sitting and listening - the ‘download’ method. What BTI teaches these students is that you teach out of who you are and that education can be fun, hands on and relational.

We hope to inspire the next generation of learners and teachers, so that they will make a difference in the lives of others and educate a nation.

The first group of teachers graduated in 2014, and have now settled back into the refugee camp in Mae La, to begin the task of delivering relational education.

The BTI programme in Thailand is, in the large part, funded by donations and funds raised by BTI staff, students and those involved in Graeme’s family church.

If it is on your heart to help educate a nation through BTI’s Teacher Education programme with Effective Aid International, please DONATE NOW. 26

www.bti.ac.nz/donate-thailand

key dates feature

S D EPEC

M A AY UG -

A

JA N PR -

2015 KEY DATES

26 Jan Auckland Anniversary Day

9 Mar 9 Mar

Counselling Year s1, 2, & 3 Flexi ‘Intensive’ begins SW Years 1, 2, 3 & 4 Flexi ‘Intensive’ begins

06 Apr 02 Apr 03 Apr 06 Apr 20 Apr 27 Apr

Term Break begins Tauranga-based National Jazz Festival begins Good Friday Easter Monday Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) ‘Intensive’ begins ANZAC Day

09 May 01 Jun 22 Jun 22 Jun

Graduation Queen’s Birthday Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) ‘Intensive’ begins Diploma in Teaching (ECE) Years 2 & 3 ‘Intensive’ begins

28 Sep Term Break begins 12 Oct Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) ‘Intensive’ begins 26 Oct Labour Day 16 Nov Teacher Education Professional Learning Conference begins & Poroporoaki

02 Feb Year 1 & 4 Bachelor of Education (Teaching) Primary & Early Childhood Education begin 02 Feb Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) programme begins 06 Feb Waitangi Day 09 Feb Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) ‘Intensive’ begins 09 Feb Year 1 Bachelor of Education (Teaching) Primary & Early Childhood Education begins 09 Feb Te Wiki Whakawaia - ‘Familiarisation Week’ begins (Teacher Education programmes) 09 Feb Masters & Graduate Diploma of Professional Practice programmes begin 16 Feb Counselling year 1, 2 & 3 begin 16 Feb Social Work year 1, 3 & 4 begin 16 Feb Counselling & Social Work ‘Onsiters Orientation’ begins 16 Feb Diploma in Teaching (ECE) Year 2 ‘Intensive’ begins 23 Feb Diploma in Teaching (ECE) Year 3 ‘Intensive’ begins 23 Feb Social Work Year 2 begins

Some dates may be subject to change. A full list of programme specific dates for 2015, including practica and study weeks, is available in the General Information Booklet & Student Handbook: www.bti.ac.nz/general-information-student-handbook

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Life CULTURE

LEARNING

FAITH

BTI unique in tertiary education. When we at BTI refer to GEMS it means:

Guided by the Word

When we are at our best we allow God’s word to cultivate eternal values and priorities, provide guidance for decision making, assist us in dealing with difficulties, and enhance our knowledge of God and of ourselves.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Empowered by the Spirit

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Motivated by Love

FEEDING THE SOUL Raymond Stripling, Pastoral Care Coordinator and Educator at BTI, reflects on community.

Recently, my wife, Peggy, and I were having a conversation about what our marriage is like “when it is at its best.” I guarantee that topic will quickly open the door for “meaningful” conversation for any couple!

I wonder what we would uncover if we, who are reading this article, were to have that same conversation about BTI. After 17 years of observation, I think, when BTI is at its best, the GEMS acronym beautifully summarises a few of the things that make

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Luke 10:27 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.

Saturated in Prayer

Ephesians 4:6 In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. So when it has all been said and done I trust it can be said of BTI that they were real GEMS.

RESEARCH IN ACTION AT BTI

In 2004, the BTI Research Committee titled the yearly research report “The Year of Advancing Research”. The aim was to develop an ongoing culture of research, increase research capability, and conduct research which contributed to improved professional practice and public policy. Now, a decade on, our plan has not changed but our outcomes certainly have.

Within this period, six staff have completed doctoral study

Life and many more have finished postgraduate diploma or masters programmes. The expansion of BTI’s programmes and services in recent years has also provided the opportunity for new people to join BTI and contribute their particular areas of teaching expertise and research interests. Notably, Clement Chihota, who joined the social work team this year, has just submitted his PhD thesis with the University of Cape Town, South Africa. In addition, Dr Simon Webb, with a background in research and psychology, has been part of the team who have been evolving the student learning support centre, and has been providing additional support with the counselling research paper.

NZQA Panel visit to BTI, as part of the approval process for the new Masters and Postgraduate Diploma programmes in Professional Practice (beginning 2015). The Panel Chair commended BTI on: The level of staff qualification and research experience, the integration of research throughout the proposed programme, and the envisioned successful integration of the faith-based special character of BTI with the academic rigour required at post-graduate level without compromising either. Indeed, we now have a strong research culture and capability by which we will offer postgraduate study at BTI, including the option of a 60 or 90 credit research thesis or exegesis.

Such commitment to scholarship and research within the institute has layed the platform for a broad spread of research projects undertaken yearly at BTI, furthering our knowledge about critical areas of development within Christian education, social work, counselling and allied professional fields. Dr Bev Norsworthy is collaborating in an exciting project with Professor Belcher, Redeemer University College, Ontario, Canada, exploring student teachers’ understanding of Imago Dei, the nature, character, purposes and priorities of God, as shaping of curriculum development and teaching practice. Peter Maslin has completed and presented his research regarding the use of iPads as practicum tools, discovering the importance of pre service teacher institutions taking the lead in supporting the digital empowerment rather than contributing to the potential digital disengagement of their graduating students. Ruth Smith explored the experiences of students at BTI who did not identify as Christ-followers, thereby advancing our understanding of what students appreciate about the Christian ethos of BTI and how we can further support and provide an inclusive learning environment. Dr Alaster Gibson has recently returned from the International Christian Community for Teacher Education Biennial Conference in Canada, where he presented his findings on the meanings, challenges and practices of compassionate teaching within four New Zealand Christian school contexts. Dr Andrew Smith contributed a chapter regarding his research findings on the experience and reflections of parents whose teenagers are excluded from school in Gerrard and Soriano’s 2013 edited text Schoolbased Family Counselling.

Collectively, we look forward to the ushering in of a new season next year as we shift to being a provider of both undergraduate and postgraduate study programmes at BTI; these are exciting times.

Given these and other projects concurrently happening, it has been affirming to hear the feedback from the recent

For more about BTI research, visit www.bti.ac.nz/staff-research

Dr James Arkwright, Chair of BTI’s Research Committee

CULTURE AT BTI

Because BTI is a smaller campus, there is opportunity for students to develop genuine relationships not only between students but between students and staff as well. This means that there is outstanding support for us students, and enables quality and frequent one on one time with staff, who are approachable and often available. Study for me does not come easy and it is good to know that you are not doing it on your own.

As part of the community at BTI, the Bethlehem Institute Student Association (BISA) try to do our bit to help by facilitating activities like on site barbecues/shared lunches, teams in local sport competitions, and other social events throughout the year. These are a brilliant way to make connections, develop community, and are sometimes just what you need to come back to reality during those unavoidable assignments.

As a student it is so encouraging to know that the focus at BTI is not on making money by churning out lots of graduates, but rather focused on nurturing us as individuals and making sure we can thrive in our profession.

Steven Polglase, BISA President BTI Forward

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interview feature

Interview

The first cohort of BTI social work students is going out into the community on practicum placement this month, marking a significant milestone on what has already been a significant journey so far.

Two and a half years ago BTI launched a social work degree with a difference. Leaders within faith-based social work agencies, working at the cliff face of social concern in New Zealand, had told BTI that there was a real need for Christian social workers who knew how to integrate their faith with their practice in meaningful ways.

SOCIAL CHANGE: A WORK IN PROGRESS 30

BTI responded to the call by developing a uniquely faithbased four-year Bachelor of Social Work and opened the doors to its first cohort of students in 2012. BTI Social Work Programme Coordinator, Heidi Crawford says that Christian social workers need to build a framework of practice that enables them to outwork God’s calling on their life in a way that is appropriate and safe as a professional social worker.

“Building this framework is much easier when your study allows the opportunities to focus and develop what that would look like through study, practice and guidance from educators who have the same Christ-following values,” says Heidi.

Embarking on the degree in strategic partnership with three faith-based social work organisations - Open Home Foundation, Salvation Army and Te Aroha Noa - has been a vital part of BTI’s journey so far. Now, after two and a half years of preparation, the first cohort of students are heading out into a variety of social work contexts around New Zealand for their first block practicum placement.

We speak to key people in our three partner organisations, students Jenny Kyle and Clare Harness, and Programme Coordinator Heidi Crawford to get the inside story.

interview feature Jenny, where are you doing your placement?

I’m going to be going on placement with the Open Home Foundation in Hamilton. They are a care and protection agency that works with children and families. I think I’ll be doing a lot of observation and beginning level engagement with families and possibly children. It will be interesting to see a Christian social service agency in practice and get an understanding of how they integrate their personal faith into their practice. Although I am not sure if care and protection is going to be for me, so many different areas of social work touch on families and children, so I wanted to get that exposure.

How does it feel to be going on your first significant placement?

I’m feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. It’s a bit like starting a new job. What’s been cool is that we have been thoroughly prayed over the last couple of days, and our lecturer, Sarah, brought a reminder that God has actually gone before us and is paving the way. I really needed to remember that this is a journey that has been set before me, so I do actually have what it takes to be able to do it.

At this stage of your degree what area of social work interests you?

My experiences of living and working overseas have influenced my desire to work in the area of refugee and migrant services. That will probably need to be further down the track once I have had a bit of experience and have built up my cross-cultural competence. Having moved to the Waikato, I am in a good place for that because Hamilton is one of the refugee resettlement centres. The refugees are really vulnerable people once they get out into the community and there’s a lot of good work that can be done.

Jenny is currently a year 3 Bachelor of Social Work student.

Lee Roberts, from partner organisation, Open Home Foundation, shares her view on the social needs in NZ and what BTI Social Work graduates can expect: Lee, what do you see as the pressing social needs in New Zealand at the moment?

From my perspective one of the biggest social issues facing New Zealand is the care and support provided to our vulnerable infants and children. As a nation our children are our greatest treasure and the numbers of children who are neglected and harmed each year is absolutely unacceptable.

What particular needs is Open Home Foundation focused on currently?

Open Home Foundation provides home based social work, parenting education, foster care, and care and support for families who have a child with a disability. We work closely with Child, Youth and Family providing foster care as well as social work services for them.

Children need unconditional love, safety, security and a sense of belonging. This happens best when they belong to a family/whanau that is committed to them, no matter what.

Our vision is to see every child and young person growing up in a secure, loving family, and receiving a depth of care, which will bless them throughout their life.

How do you see BTI social work graduates being part of that picture?

Open Home Foundation is excited about, and looking forward to, the graduation of the first BTI graduates next year. We would be keen to support graduating social workers who wanted to work at Open Home Foundation to work in the area of early intervention, care and protection, or children with disabilities. We are looking forward to having several BTI students doing their practicum placement in our centres. No doubt, they will be the first of many.

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feature Heidi, how do you feel about sending the Y3 students out on their first significant placement?

This is a culmination of 2 ½ years of preparation and we are extremely excited that they are finally getting a chance to put their 'kete' to work. This kete is a mix of what they brought with them to study, the knowledge and skills they have gained at BTI and God's calling on their lives.

What motivates you in your role?

I get to challenge, encourage, stretch and grow social workers who will go out with justice, mercy and humility to work with the needy, vulnerable and unloved. This is my way of using the gifts and talents God has given me to ensure that the social workers of New Zealand, and possibly the world, go out with a vision of hope to walk alongside people to support them to create long lasting change that betters their lives.

What do you see as current pressing social concerns in New Zealand?

Inequity, isolation, loneliness, and emptiness are the cause of so many of New Zealand's social concerns and show up in so many different ways. Also poverty and all the difficulties that go with it are not just a third world problem – it is happening right in our back yard and most people do not know (or don't want to know) about it.

What sort of graduate roles do you envisage the first cohort entering into?

Anything that they put their minds to! Our first cohort are an extremely gifted, conscientious and compassionate bunch and in walking this journey with them I can see them being involved in varied fields of practice; care and protection; mental health; refugee services; and social policy research, to name a few.

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Major Pamela Waugh works as the Head of Community Ministries at partner organisation, Salvation Army.

Pamela, what do you see as the pressing social needs in New Zealand at the moment?

We see inequality as one of the pressing needs today and the ongoing effects of that - child poverty, lack of educational opportunities, health issues, social harm, social exclusion, lack of opportunity for good stable employment, social housing needs are all examples where inequality is affecting thousands of our people. Inequality, poverty and the gap between rich and poor is one of the most named issues identified by average New Zealanders.

What particular needs is the Salvation Army focused on currently?

We are continuing to look at the services we provide and how they fit into the community needs - are we providing the right services at the right time? We have a focus on inequality and child poverty - we aim to address all issues by highlighting social justice issues, providing advocacy and services that create a change for good in the well being of those who need our assistance. We are working on staff development in training and capacity to increase our response to the community and provide timely services.

How do you see BTI social work graduates being part of that picture?

We welcome new social workers as we have the employment opportunities, and see them fitting into roles within our welfare services as a starting position. As the social worker grows and develops in their practice, we see them moving into more in depth roles, for example, within our transitional housing programmes.

It is an exciting opportunity for us to all work together in what is demanding but fulfilling work. The BTI students predominantly bring a Christian background and teaching to their work and this is incredibly cherished within our social services as we endeavour to do God's work in our world.

feature Clare, where are you doing your placement?

I am going to be doing my placement through REAL, which is a mental health respite home for young people between the ages of 14 – 22 years old. When they are referred to REAL it is a chance for them to remove themselves from stressful situations and rest. I will be spending time with the young people and doing regular daily activities with them such as cooking dinner and doing dishes and vacuuming but also going on outings to relaxing places such as beaches and local parks. The key part of working with the young people is doing activities with them that relate back to the goals they have set for their stay.

How does it feel to be going on your first significant placement?

It is both really scary and really exciting. I have never done full time work before, only studied since coming out of high school. I am ready for the experience but I know it is going to be a big adjustment and test of everything that I have learned so far.

At this stage of your degree what area of social work interests you?

When I graduate I hope to work in some capacity with young people and gain experience of how social work functions on the ground. The need of the young people in New Zealand always strikes me as important and is something that drives me to finish my degree so that I am able to help in some way.

Then, I hope to follow my political interest and potentially go into social policy work or I would like to get involved in the trafficking initiatives that are starting up in New Zealand to combat national and international trafficking of young people.

Clare is currently a year 3 student studying BTI’s 4-year Bachelor of Social Work degree.

Bruce Maden of Te Aroha Noa: Bruce, what do you see as the pressing social needs in New Zealand at the moment?

A pressing concern is the growing inequality gap between rich and poor in New Zealand. The greater the resource networks we have, the more resilient we are, but increasingly the poor are getting divided from those with the resources to provide opportunities to assist them or from the resources themselves. The increasing inequality means that the rich have little understanding of poverty-based issues and so it is easier for them to believe deficit-based stories about the poor.

Affordable housing remains a key issue. There is a lack of innovative and thoughtful responses to the large number of youth who are disengaged and marginalised from educational and other support services.

What particular needs is Te Aroha Noa focused on currently?

Te Aroha Noa is developing innovative ways of engaging marginalised youth in holistic wrap-around approaches. This includes both educational responses and supported housing initiatives for teen parents and for youth transitioning out of state care to independence. We are also particularly focusing on developing our He Ngakau Matua – Teen Parent Learning Hub. We are developing our Practice and Professional Development Hub so that we are influencing thinking about transformative change with diverse social services practitioners and managers of government services throughout New Zealand.

How do you see BTI social work graduates being part of that picture?

We certainly hope that we will be able to employ BTI social work graduates in the fields of youth, family/whanau community development and practice research. BTI’s emphasis on creating practitioners who have had to not only develop their theoretical and practice knowledge but also integrate this with their self and spiritual development makes us very interested in the emerging graduates from this course.

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spotlight feature

WORTHY RECIPIENTS

“This scholarship has helped me achieve a crucial step toward realising my dream of making a difference in the lives of Pacific Islanders.”

In 2013 I completed your Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) programme. That I was able to do so is thanks in large part to receiving the $5,000 BTI Scholarship toward the cost of my course fees.

My view, albeit a biased one, is that the funds were well directed toward the betterment of Pacific Island education in its broadest sense.

Ilati Vukona being presented with his Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) degree by Dr Bev Norsworthy.

By offering BTI scholarships, it is our hope that we will provide a small group of students, for whom tertiary study may have been financially challenging, with an opportunity to study in their chosen field and transform lives.

Here, 2014 Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Secondary) graduate, Ilati Vukona, reflects on how his scholarship helped him step closer to his dream.

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Culturally I am a mix of Fijian and Kiwi European descent.

Ethnically, the blood on my father’s side is a mixture of Tongan and the Solomon Islands. This is thanks in large part to the prominence of the sugar plantations in Fiji under British Colonialism and consequent intra-pacific migration - but that is another story.

I spent time living in Fiji as a child and maintain close ties with many of my family that remain in the village as well as those who have subsequently sought to establish new lives in other countries.

It is a long held dream of mine to return to Fiji and other islands in the Pacific for the purpose of assisting a new generation of islanders to reclaim their cultural treasures while also equipping themselves with the tools to be aspirational in a first world context. I consider better, more available and more resourced education a key to any significant progress that may be made in this regard.

This scholarship helped me achieve a crucial step toward realising my dream of making a difference in the lives of Pacific Islanders. Not only am I now a qualified secondary teacher; I also have the beginnings of a firmly bedded understanding of what it means to be a reflective and responsive Christian

spotlight feature teacher in a modern multi-cultural education context.

In the meantime, I am further grounding my training at Bethlehem College as TIC of Classical Studies and a Year 9 home room teacher.

BTI also partners with local iwi to offer student scholarships to iwi members who wish to complete a teaching, counselling or social work qualification.

We asked second-year Bachelor of Education (Primary) student, Brady Kerewaro, to share with us why his scholarship is important and what plans he has for the future.

I had no idea where I was going when I left school; I thought to myself, “I’ve done 13 years of study and I’m not interested in tertiary education.”

really encouraged me to do well in my study, even when I don’t feel like it! This has made a big difference for me.

I didn’t grow up on a Marae, so I am more of a Pakeha Maori.

Growing up in Whangarei, I was a bit disconnected from my Whanau in Bethlehem but the BTI culture and environment here has helped me to claim who I am as Maori, and to be really comfortable with myself.

I’m only half way through my study, and at the moment I feel I would like to serve somewhere overseas, but another part of me would also like to teach in both my home town of Whangarei and Bethlehem where my Marae is situated. I feel that I have a lot to give back and can’t wait to graduate!

In reality, this scholarship isn’t about me at all... it’s for those who have gone before me and made it all possible, and for those in the future that I will be able to serve because of the education I have received.

If I do decide to teach overseas, perhaps in Thailand one day, having this scholarship means that I can focus on my teaching without having the added complication of a huge debt to repay - I feel I can give back more of me, much sooner and I am really grateful to both BTI and to God for that opportunity.

The reason I decided to train as a teacher was because, during my gap year, I joined a group called Headspace and we went to Thailand to teach English to the primary aged children. Whilst there, teaching, I discovered I was naturally relaxed and relational in the way I engaged with others, which I felt suited the role of being a teacher. When I returned to New Zealand, a wise friend of mine, himself a teacher, influenced me to consider teaching as a profession.

At school I was a pretty average student in most subject areas, but my study at BTI has helped me to discover a real love of words and literacy - I have learned a much wider vocabulary and I think that passion for English will influence my teaching in the classroom hugely.

I’ve loved my time at BTI so far; it’s really challenging, but in a good way. When I first started, I was buddied with Tony Campbell, himself an Iwi Scholarship recipient, and he has

Four of the 2014 Iwi Scholarship recipients L-R: Tony Campbell, Nikola Patrick, Moana Candy, Brady Kerewaro

BTI Forward

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programme Info feature Bachelor of Education (Teaching) Primary This Degree qualification prepares students to teach primary and intermediate school children in a wide range of educational settings and with the New Zealand curriculum. Graduates are eligible to gain provisional registration with the New Zealand Teachers Council.

3 Years full time. Onsite. NZQA Accredited. Level 7

Bachelor of Education (Teaching) Early Childhood Education This Degree qualification prepares students to teach infants, toddlers and young children in a wide range of early childhood contexts and with Te Whariki, the New Zealand Early Childhood curriculum.

Graduates are eligible to gain provisional registration with the New Zealand Teachers Council.

3 Years full time. Onsite. NZQA Accredited. Level 7

Postgraduate Diploma of Professional Practice This qualification is specifically designed for those Christian professionals who wish to enrich and improve their practice through exploring the implications of their Christian faith at an advanced level. A creative approach to research is integrated throughout as a tool for reflective inquiry and improvement.

2 Years part-time. NZQA accredited. Level 8

NEW FOR 2015

Master of Professional Practice This qualification is for Christians who wish to embark on critical consideration of the implications of their Christian faith for their professional practice at an advanced level. Creative research projects build confidence and capability before you embark on a minor or major thesis.

3 Years part-time. NZQA accredited. Level 9

NEW FOR 2015

Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) This Graduate Diploma qualification prepares graduates to teach in New Zealand’s diverse secondary school sector and with the New Zealand curriculum. It may be studied from anywhere in New Zealand. Graduates are eligible to gain provisional registration with the New Zealand Teachers Council.

1 Year full time. Part time options available. Study from anywhere in NZ. NZQA Accredited. Level 7 36

programme Info feature Graduate Diploma of Christian Education This Graduate Diploma programme provides qualified teachers and educators in Christian schools (or who are seeking to teach in a Christian context) with on-going professional development. It is based on, and further develops, biblical foundations and critical reflexivity so that graduates are more able to participate in faith-informed and evidence-based practice.

1 Year full time. Part time options available. Study from where you live or work. NZQA Accredited.

Level 7

Professional Development BTI is passionate about enabling teachers to bring together their professional practice with their Christian worldview in life-changing ways. Our tailored workshops provide teachers and educators with accessible and relevant biblically-based professional development opportunities to help with the challenges they face.

Onsite or at your school/centre, supporting schools, staff and principals in areas such as: curriculum, educational technology, working with integrated curriculum, inquiry learning.

Bachelor of Social Work This Degree qualification prepares students to participate in faith-informed and evidence-based practice through development in three key areas: knowledge and understanding (head), character (heart) and skills (hands). Graduates are eligible to gain registration with the Social Work Registration Board.

4 Years full time. Part time options available. Onsite and distance learning. NZQA Accredited.

Level 7

Bachelor of Counselling This Degree qualification prepares students for future work in counselling, individual and family care roles. Graduates will be equipped to take up professional counselling and therapy roles in churches, community agencies, and eventually in private practice. This qualification is highly regarded by counselling profession associations.

3 Years full time. Part time options available. Onsite & distance learning. NZQA Accredited. Level 7

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top five

TOP FIVE WAYS TO WELLBEING CONNECT WITH PEOPLE Sociality is at the very heart of being human; connecting with others is in our DNA. Over the past 10 years, as social media and our dependence on technology has grown rapidly, we have started to see a decline in traditional face-to-face interaction. Set aside some time each week to re-connect with the people around you, whether that’s sharing a meal with family, laughing with friends or checking in with a work colleague.

Short for time? Smile at a stranger or wish them, “Good morning.” This will brighten their day and yours!

GIVE TO OTHERS Often when we hear the term ‘giving to others’ we see this as requiring a monetary value; think about the value of volunteering your time to others instead. Help elderly neighbours with their shopping, hold the door open for someone carrying heavy bags or a child, participate in community, school or church projects, donate old toys or books to Women’s Refuge or a fund-raising event. There are opportunities to carry out random acts of kindness all around you - all it costs is a small amount of your time to make a difference.

TAKE NOTICE

We all lead busy lives and in our busyness we can forget to be curious; be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Notice the beautiful, savour the moment and be thankful for the little things.

Reflecting on your experiences will help you to appreciate what matters to you. Take the opportunity to notice interactions between people next time you’re in a cafe, at an airport or a shopping mall. Try to take a break from work or study at lunchtime; go for a walk, eat your lunch outside, use that time whilst your computer is starting up to breathe, settle and prepare yourself for the day ahead.

BE ACTIVE

Many of us live a relatively sedentary life. We sit in cars, at work, in front of the TV or on our computers for many hours each day. Make some small changes - take the stairs instead of a lift, walk to a colleagues office instead of calling them on the phone, get off the bus a stop earlier and walk the rest of the way, or volunteer to walk a neighbour’s dog. The simple act of going for a 20-30 minute walk at lunchtime can make a huge difference to how you feel for the rest of the day. It’s good for your heart too!

KEEP LEARNING

Seek out new experiences and challenge yourself. Join a book club or visit the library; if you love technology, invest in an e-reader or tablet app - many of the books are free or have just a small charge, and some local libraries have apps that allow free book rental. Stretch your mind by playing games such as Scrabble or turn family trips into fun learning opportunities - they’re great for geography and cultural questions. If you‘re creative, take up a new hobby or search for some online DIY projects and have fun!

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closing Six years ago I endured a storm of such intensity and duration that ultimately I left the organisation that I loved. I was shattered and much bruised. Yet the storm and its aftermath proved to be one of the richest and most sustaining experiences of my life. As the storm grew in intensity I slowly began to realise that while I had been waiting for God to step up and do something, it was God who had been doing the waiting - waiting for me to become more of the person he could use for His next big mission.

I also learned: The last place to prepare for a storm is in the midst of it – The disciplines of study, prayer and journaling, established when I was much younger, sustained and enabled perspective;

THE FINAL WORD: CAPTAIN OF MY SOUL? “Most people have, at some time or other, to stand alone and to suffer and their final shape is determined by their response to their probation.

They emerge either as slaves of circumstances or in some senses captains of their soul” Charles Raven (Professor of Divinity, Cambridge University 1932)

I was OK – My life was so busy I had starved myself of my own company. Forced to reflect on the experience of the storm, I recognised I was not what I hoped to be or could be, but I was not what I had once been – that I was OK with being me; Guarding your strengths – I went to great lengths to guard my weaknesses from public view. It was my unguarded strengths (loyalty, easy going, optimistic), however, that were my greatest points of vulnerability in a storm; Lament – Wrestling with God, grieving injustice and crying “how long Lord?” was a normal part of the Christian life; I did not walk alone – No matter what, I was deeply loved by God and by those around me.

My final shape is still forming but the storm and its aftermath gave me hope that by God’s grace I was no longer a slave of circumstance but slowly becoming in some sense the captain of my soul.

I challenge BTI graduates to weather the storms of life with grace; be faithful to God, practice self-reflection and stay motivated by love.

Chris Clarke CEO World Vision BTI Forward

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feature

PLACE, GREATGREAT PLACE, GREAT PEOPLE,

GREAT PEOPLE,

GREAT HEARTS MINDS

* 40 Discover Discovera acareer careerininTeaching, Teaching,Counselling CounsellingororSocial SocialWork Work today todayatatwww.bti.ac.nz www.bti.ac.nz Programme under development. Subject to approval processes late 2011.