Session 1: Wednesday morning
Presenter: Sarah Perry
School/Organisation: Kāpiti College
With the new NZQA focus on literacy, our neurodiverse (particularly dyslexic) learners are at risk of being left behind in the classroom. This workshop aims to share some tips, tricks (and games!) to help our neurodiverse learners unlock their full potential with the basics of literacy, and open a conversation about how we can make our classroom practices more equitable.
Presenter: Jenny McPherson, Sarah Henricksen-Healey and Renee Boyer
School/Organisation: Fraser High School
Fraser High School is decided 4 predominantly Māori and Pasifika kura in Kirikiriroa. We would like to share our experiences piloting the new Level One standards during 2022 and 2023.
Presenter: Ann Adams
School/Organisation: One School Global
A brief foray into the tools and methods for making classes on zoom and face-to-face accessible to students from all levels. The successes and pitfalls, the could-do’s and should-dos in context of the new curriculum. Also, how to integrate new technologies to collaborate online or face to face using the digital competencies at level 1-4.
Presenter: Jane Dewar
School/Organisation: Hutt International Boys’ School
Oracy is fundamental to subject English and the development of confident and thoughtful learners. It is a focus of several of the new standards and is a powerful tool in any classroom, helping to facilitate the development of other skills and generating engagement. The workshop will look at the background to oracy and ways to include it in programmes, both Junior and Senior in fun and useful ways.
Presenter: Bonnie Etherington
School/Organisation: Victoria University
This workshop focuses on what AI tools, such as ChatGPT, mean for us when we teach English. Speaking from a tertiary teaching perspective, I am interested in discussing AI as a learning tool that our students will have to engage with in their studies and in their future careers. Welcoming teachers of all levels, this workshop confronts narratives about AI that erase or dismiss how we teach critical literary and writing skills. The workshop offers tools for emphasizing process and craft over product in our classrooms, and will also highlight methods for communicating about AI with our students as we navigate its implications in the context of racism, sexism, etc. Rather than being afraid of AI and what it means for the future of reading, writing, and creativity, this workshop engages with AI to show it can fit into students’ developing media and communication literacy.
Presenter: Chris Rayward and Lisa Mackay
School/Organisation: Avonside Girls’ High School
Take your students’ writing to new heights. In this workshop Lisa and Chris will outline the Y10 semester course they ran last year where they collaborated with a published author who shared the tips and tricks of the trade with their students. Not only did ākonga learn how to “power up” their writing, but they also learned how to publish their work by designing and publishing a literary magazine. At the end of the project ākonga celebrated the publication of their magazine with a launch, sharing their success with whānau and friends.
Presenter: Laura Borrowdale
School/Organisation: MoE Learning Area Lead
How does the refreshed Curriculum work with the NCEA Learning Matrix? How can we use these changes to strengthen our programmes? This workshop will include a look at the Common Practice Model and how this supports the literacy required in the refreshed curriculum, the co-requisite standards and the NCEA Change programme. Attendees will explore the Understand|Know|Do strands of the refreshed Curriculum and begin to plan a unit of work based on these. Teachers will leave with greater confidence and knowledge of the refreshed Curriculum and how to integrate it into their programmes.
Presenter: Tracey Greenwood
School/Organisation: National Library of New Zealand
This workshop aims to empower educators to effectively engage teenagers in the joy of reading. By investigating national and international research findings and showcasing practical examples, participants will gain valuable insight and strategies to foster love for reading among teens.\r\nIn today’s digital age, captivating teenagers’ attention and inspiring them to read can be a challenging task. However, research has shown that targeted efforts can yield significant results. By understanding underlying factors that influence their reading choices, educators can tailor their approaches to create meaningful connections between teens and books.\r\nLeave motivated and empowered with actionable knowledge and resources to foster a reading culture among teens.
Presenter: Tracey Millin
School/Organisation: University of Canterbury
The writing standards of New Zealand students appear to be declining. Higher levels of disengagement with writing tasks are increasingly more evident, with growing inequality of literacy performance marked. Furthermore, English language learners appear to be over represented in the tail end of achievers. Bearing in mind that academic writing is not ‘native’ to any student, explicit scaffolding of writing tasks needs to become a core part of any classroom, but more so the English classroom where the burden of teaching writing is placed squarely on English teachers. This workshop will offer an overview of some of the theoretical underpinnings of scaffolded learning (the why), and engage in discussion of evidence-based scaffolded approaches to supporting writing development for all learners to increase equal opportunities for all students to succeed (the how). The expository essay will be used to demonstrate scaffolded learning of writing.
Presenter: Robyn Prokop
School/Organisation: Toutouwai Publications
As a teacher who has made the leap from Head of English to award winning author, Robyn Prokop argues that there has never been a better time to write — both for students and for their teachers. This workshop offers an insight into how independent publishing has changed the relationship between readers and writers. By exploring the concept of ‘writing to market’ Prokop outlines what she sees as productive possibilities for English teachers. The session is aimed at teachers who are interested in designing authentic assessment, engaging their students in writing and marketing for the modern world, or exploring possibilities for their own writing.
Session 2: Wednesday afternoon
Presenter: Laura Borrowdale
School/Organisation: MoE Learning Area Lead
How does the refreshed Curriculum work with the NCEA Learning Matrix? How can we use these changes to strengthen our programmes? This workshop will include a look at the Common Practice Model and how this supports the literacy required in the refreshed curriculum, the co-requisite standards and the NCEA Change programme. Attendees will explore the Understand|Know|Do strands of the refreshed Curriculum and begin to plan a unit of work based on these. Teachers will leave with greater confidence and knowledge of the refreshed Curriculum and how to integrate it into their programmes.
Presenter: Justin Paul and Julian Procaccini
School/Organisation: Education Perfect
At EP, we’re continuously improving what we have to offer – simply, how we can support teachers so that your students make progress in their learning. We work closely with schools to ensure what we have to offer supports their curriculum goals and challenges.\r\nMany schools have asked about what we have planned for the new NCEA Literacy and Numeracy standards. In response, we’ve published resources that align to what we know of the new standards. We’ve also been working hard on the NZC Refresh. In line with the exciting expectation of Māori and Pasifika voices, EP has created lessons underpinned by work from some of Aotearoa’s brightest authors – Tusiata Avia, Tayi Tibble, Nicole Titihuia Hawkins, Serie Barford, Nina Mingya Powles, Gina Cole. Our first offering for this includes NZC Level 3 Literacy skills lessons. We will also give a sneak peek of our exciting NCEA L1 package. Come along and see how EP can support your work in the classroom. Mauri ora!
Presenter: Manaia Tuwhare-Hoani
School/Organisation: Action Education
Action Education is the leader in using Spoken Word as a tool to inspire students to engage with poetry in the classroom. After years of development, we are proud to introduce a new spoken word teaching resource created using a Te Ao Maori framework, Ngā Toi O Rongo. Developed in conjunction with renowned spoken word poet Stevie Davis-Tana, and guidance from experts from across the country. This resource is a first of its kind, featuring exclusive exercises, tips, poems, and teaching materials.\r\n\r\nFacilitated by Manaia Tuhware-Hoani, Eric Soakai, & Ken Arkind. This workshop will be experiential. Educators will participate in a workshop from the resource. The session will also feature special performances and tips for using Spoken Word in your classroom. \r\n\r\nEveryone will leave with a poem, a free copy of the resource guide, and a better understanding of teaching spoken word through a Te Ao Maori lens.
Presenter: Robyn Welsh
School/Organisation: Southland Boys’
Classroom writing resources and activities that will generate vocab and enhance student writing. This session will be interactive so expect to get verbose.
Presenter: Catherine Hill
School/Organisation: Victoria University
Artificial Intelligence such as Chat GPT has the potential to radically change how we teach and assess writing. It is easy to see it as a threat to our profession. This workshop will outline the bigger picture of AI and large language models, and offer participants the opportunity to explore how we and our students can use it as a tool for learning.
Presenter: Bronwyn Davies
School/Organisation: Sacred Heart College
This workshop will explore how to promote heritage languages in the English classroom. How can we bring the other languages spoken at home by our students into our English learning experiences? The more a language is used and promoted the longer it lives on. Speak out and speak up.
Presenter: Charlotte Strang and Susy Carryer
School/Organisation: Diocesan School for Girls
I will reflect on my learning about reflexive teaching in an experimental and changing environment. We began teaching prior to the standard being finalised for assessment, which required us to focus more on the essential learning than the manner of assessment. I will share the challenges and enrichment this brought. My presentation will be anchored in specific examples from teaching and assessing the new 1.1 in the 2023 pilot. My HoD, Susy Carryer, will support me in this presentation, and provide background on the NCEA changes as needed.
Presenter: Cath Elliott
School/Organisation: Nelson College
This workshop will look at fun ways to communicate concepts about the genre of Tragedy and activities for applying concepts without Shakespeare. Come on down Humpty Dumpty!
Presenter: Emma White
School/Organisation: Nayland College
How did, do and will primary schools in Aotearoa teach literacy? Which approaches work and for whom? What’s this Structured LiteracyTM thing? The aim of this session is to explore the theories and practices of literacy education so that we can converse confidently with our primary colleagues and build on these in our secondary schools and COLs.
Session 3: Thursday morning
Presenter: Alison Wong
School/Organisation: Keynote Speaker
An introduction to writing poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction/personal essays. The workshop will outline principles for good writing, include writing prompts, and provide tips for how to get started, keep going and edit to produce crafted, compelling work. This should be a helpful guide for inspiring and teaching senior students as they produce their writing portfolios, but also for those of all ages who ultimately seek publication.
Presenter: Philippa Wintle
School/Organisation: Albany Senior High
Learn about how a couple of over-excited English teachers partnered with an equally eccentric Associate Professor from Massey University’s School of Management, roped in Glenn Colquhoun and created a new semester course for both Massey University and Year 11 students. Learn how a vague idea morphed into an examination of poetry and how Year 11 and adult international students from Massey’s post-graduate Current Issues in Business class shared stories from their cultures and upbringing. At the end of this course, secondary students could articulate how poetry and storytelling are universal tools to share identities and connect with people from different walks of life. This course prepares students for the new 1.1 standard, using the existing 1.5 standard as practice. This workshop is relevant to teachers with big ideas who want to explore how to get them off the ground.
Presenter: Annabelle Laird
School/Organisation: Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu
This panel discussion will focus on the experiences of those participating in the NCEA Co-Requisite Literacy Pilot over the past few years. The panel will discuss practical, ‘real life’ approaches that we have tested in our unique contexts; in face to face and online distance education. Don’t miss the opportunity to find out about different approaches for identifying ‘readiness’, tips on setting up systems and logistics for assessment, and thoughts on making Literacy visible across the curriculum, not just English.
Presenter: Amanda Robinson
School/Organisation: NZQA
This is a Best Practice Workshop exploring the writing portfolio standards at Level 2 and 3. Examples of best practice assessment will be provided. These include samples of both creative and non-fiction writing.
Presenter: Shae McLean Brunetti
School/Organisation: Whakatane High School
We are currently in our third year of teaching the NCEA Level One English Pilot. In this workshop, we take a critical approach to how we developed our programme to embrace the required changes for greater success at Level One. We will share how decisions were made to change our practice to encompass the intentions of the new standards as a department. In addition to this, we will also discuss our experiences of improving student outcomes through student agency and Mana Ōrite mo te Mātauraga Māori concepts.
Presenter: Laura Borrowdale
School/Organisation: MoE Learning Area Lead
A close examination of each achievement standard, its assessment conditions and implications for course planning. Workshop will include descriptions and discussion of how pilot contexts have provided different opportunities to assess each achievement standard. This will provide a view of what has happened in a wide range of schools. Attendees will be asked to consider the creative opportunities and constraints of their educational setting, and to discuss what this means for their planning on both a programme and unit level. Teachers will leave with a significant understanding of each standard, its technicalities, and will have a chance to begin to imagine how they can implement these in their own contexts.
Presenter: Annabel Harris
School/Organisation: Queen Margaret’s College
We aim to present our initial approach to how, as an international school, we will reconcile the changes of Te Mataiaho to Level 1 with our Year 5 MYP Year 10 students moving into Year 11, and how these two courses can ready our students for the Diploma Program in Year 12 and 13. We hope to show how to triangulate these three quite distinct courses and highlight the meeting points between these which will allow for the incoming changes to transition smoothly within our IB school setting.
Presenter: Anna Zhigareva
School/Organisation: Stylefit
Stylefit®: Join the writing revolution\r\nStylefit® improves students’ writing skills using interactive, leading edge, online technology. It challenges learners to independently experiment with writing without fear of failure while receiving immediate, valuable feedback which keeps them engaged, collaborating and self-directing.\r\nThe workshop includes an introductory one-minute video, a demonstration by founder and author, Suraya Dewing, and linguist Anna Zhigareva. An audience member will also have an opportunity to see how Stylefit analyses their writing in real time. We will close with a Q&A session.
Presenter: Bronwyn Davies
School/Organisation: Sacred Heart College
This workshop will explore how to promote heritage languages in the English classroom. How can we bring the other languages spoken at home by our students into our English learning experiences? The more a language is used and promoted the longer it lives on. Speak out and speak up.
Presenter: Melissa Flett
School/Organisation: Mount Maunganui College
Building a unit around a genre is a great way for students to be able to see the purpose a genre and the ways texts can connect through that. It is also a friendly way of getting into unit creation without having to develop (or find) a lot of resources. In this workshop, we will look at some example units across a couple of genres and how students can lead the learning themselves.
Session 4: Thursday afternoon
Presenter: Claudia Rozas
School/Organisation: University of Auckland
Part talk, part story, and part wandering discussion, this workshop will contemplate reading and its possibilities in secondary English classrooms. I will outline some compelling constructions of reading as well as reflect on my recent experiences of reading with Year 9 students. The second part of the workshop will invite you to consider and discuss the versions of readings enacted in your classrooms. The point is to examine reading from a broad vantage point and to recommit to reading in all its guises.
Presenter: Nich Campbell
School/Organisation: Motueka High School
With a focus on critical thinking, this workshop will look at how personal values can be used to aid students interacting with texts and how reflective practices, such as Gibb’s Reflective Cycle, can support critical thinking.
Presenter: Charlotte Strang and Susy Carryer
School/Organisation: Diocesan School for Girls
I will reflect on my learning about reflexive teaching in an experimental and changing environment. We began teaching prior to the standard being finalised for assessment, which required us to focus more on the essential learning than the manner of assessment. I will share the challenges and enrichment this brought. My presentation will be anchored in specific examples from teaching and assessing the new 1.1 in the 2023 pilot. My HoD, Susy Carryer, will support me in this presentation, and provide background on the NCEA changes as needed.
Presenter: Louise Hyland
School/Organisation: NZQA NAF
A discussion on the major points brought up through the external assessment reports. Where to find material on the NZQA site.
Presenter: Justin Paul and Julian Procaccini
School/Organisation: Education Perfect
At EP, we’re continuously improving what we have to offer – simply, how we can support teachers so that your students make progress in their learning. We work closely with schools to ensure what we have to offer supports their curriculum goals and challenges.\r\nMany schools have asked about what we have planned for the new NCEA Literacy and Numeracy standards. In response, we’ve published resources that align to what we know of the new standards. We’ve also been working hard on the NZC Refresh. In line with the exciting expectation of Māori and Pasifika voices, EP has created lessons underpinned by work from some of Aotearoa’s brightest authors – Tusiata Avia, Tayi Tibble, Nicole Titihuia Hawkins, Serie Barford, Nina Mingya Powles, Gina Cole. Our first offering for this includes NZC Level 3 Literacy skills lessons. We will also give a sneak peek of our exciting NCEA L1 package. Come along and see how EP can support your work in the classroom. Mauri ora!
Presenter: Manaia Tuwhare-Hoani
School/Organisation: Action Education
Action Education is the leader in using Spoken Word as a tool to inspire students to engage with poetry in the classroom. After years of development, we are proud to introduce a new spoken word teaching resource created using a Te Ao Maori framework, Ngā Toi O Rongo. Developed in conjunction with renowned spoken word poet Stevie Davis-Tana, and guidance from experts from across the country. This resource is a first of its kind, featuring exclusive exercises, tips, poems, and teaching materials.\r\n\r\nFacilitated by Manaia Tuhware-Hoani, Eric Soakai, & Ken Arkind. This workshop will be experiential. Educators will participate in a workshop from the resource. The session will also feature special performances and tips for using Spoken Word in your classroom. \r\n\r\nEveryone will leave with a poem, a free copy of the resource guide, and a better understanding of teaching spoken word through a Te Ao Maori lens.
Presenter: Laura Borrowdale
School/Organisation: MoE Learning Area Lead
A close examination of each achievement standard, its assessment conditions and implications for course planning. Workshop will include descriptions and discussion of how pilot contexts have provided different opportunities to assess each achievement standard. This will provide a view of what has happened in a wide range of schools. Attendees will be asked to consider the creative opportunities and constraints of their educational setting, and to discuss what this means for their planning on both a programme and unit level. Teachers will leave with a significant understanding of each standard, its technicalities, and will have a chance to begin to imagine how they can implement these in their own contexts.
Presenter: Catherine Hill
School/Organisation: Victoria University
Artificial Intelligence such as Chat GPT has the potential to radically change how we teach and assess writing. It is easy to see it as a threat to our profession. This workshop will outline the bigger picture of AI and large language models, and offer participants the opportunity to explore how we and our students can use it as a tool for learning.
Presenter: Robyn Prokop
School/Organisation: Toutouwai Publications
As a teacher who has made the leap from Head of English to award winning author, Robyn Prokop argues that there has never been a better time to write — both for students and for their teachers. This workshop offers an insight into how independent publishing has changed the relationship between readers and writers. By exploring the concept of ‘writing to market’ Prokop outlines what she sees as productive possibilities for English teachers. The session is aimed at teachers who are interested in designing authentic assessment, engaging their students in writing and marketing for the modern world, or exploring possibilities for their own writing.
Session 5: Friday morning
Presenter: Melanie Eade
Is your school opting out of doing NCEA Level 1 in 2024? What are the opportunities? How will you assess progress? How will you ensure students are ready for L2? This workshop will be a facilitated sharing opportunity across departments. We might be able to establish a network of departments that are bypassing L1 altogether. We hope we can inspire each other with ideas for new units of work, new topics to learn, creative ways for students to demonstrate their progress, and how the new curriculum can be reflected in our plans.
Presenter: Jessica Lane and Melanie van Ansem
Are you interested in ways of weaving the teaching of language into a Year 11 programme? Do you want to hear about extended text studies that allow students to go beyond just theme and character? We will share our different approaches to embedding the study of language in Year 11 courses and how we develop reading and language analysis skills with engaging extended texts that centre the teenage experience and explore the complexity of social issues. Our deep dive into two language inquiries and three extended texts (The 57 Bus, Hollow Fires and The Grace Year) will cover content, skills and how this learning can lead into different assessment activities, including the new L1 achievement standards (based on existing information) and options for school-based assessments. The texts and skills in this workshop are also suitable for Level 2.
Presenter: Abbie Wright
School/Organisation: Garin College
This workshop aims to be more of a discussion about the different approaches to teaching Scholarship English and advice for those who wish to start a Scholarship English programme at their school. Experienced Scholarship teachers and complete beginners welcome.
Presenter: Shilo Kino
School/Organisation: Keynote Speaker
Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie said, ‘ The single story creates stereotypes. And the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.’ \r\n\r\nIn this workshop we will discuss the power of story-telling, how stories can both harm and heal children and how to share your story without perpetrating stereotypes.
Presenter: Jana Roos
School/Organisation: Greymouth High School
Gaming is a massive industry that makes use of rich, immersive story-telling with a powerful impact on the player as agent, meaning the audience becomes an active participant and co-creator in the text. Most students have some experience in gaming, and for many it is the main text type with which they have contact, and they are already experts in the content and techniques. Incorporating these texts can have a massive impact on engagement (especially for boys) and student achievement.
Presenter: Dylan Nicol and Danielle Nicol
School/Organisation: Motueka High School
Being a beginning teacher isn’t easy. This workshop will direct you on what you should focus on as a beginner teacher so that you focus on and prioritise wellbeing; yours and your student’s. This workshop is run by two teachers; one doing his registration, the other the PPTA NETs rep for Motueka High School.
Presenter: Neema Singh
School/Organisation: Te Aratai College
A practical look at the ways in which works from the anthology A Clear Dawn: New Asian Voices from Aotearoa New Zealand can be used in the English classroom. Focus will be on specific pieces with teaching and learning resources and a culturally responsive approach.
Presenter: Pia Titus
School/Organisation: Plains FM (Community Access Media)
Attention teachers! Are you looking for an innovative and engaging way to develop your students’ writing and oral presentation skills? Look no further than podcasts! Podcasts are more than just an alternative to speeches – they require a unique writing style and strategic planning to keep the listener engaged.\r\nWith audio being a cheaper, faster and resource-friendly medium, podcasting is an excellent choice for student projects. And with our new curriculum-linked resource, developed specifically with busy teachers and limited school resources in mind, creating professional podcasts and radio shows has never been easier! Join Pia from Plains FM, as she shares her expertise on creating content for the ear and partnering with your local access radio station to broadcast student-created content. Access Media is a vibrant corner of New Zealand’s media landscape, and we are thrilled to offer this exciting opportunity to teachers and students alike.
Presenter: Shae McLean Brunetti
School/Organisation: Whakatane High School
We are currently in our third year of teaching the NCEA Level One English Pilot. In this workshop, we take a critical approach to how we developed our programme to embrace the required changes for greater success at Level One. We will share how decisions were made to change our practice to encompass the intentions of the new standards as a department. In addition to this, we will also discuss our experiences of improving student outcomes through student agency and Mana Ōrite mo te Mātauraga Māori concepts.
Presenter: Alastair Crawford
School/Organisation: Wellington College
I will outline the ‘Grammar Olympiad’ an interclass competition that Wellington College runs at the end of Term Two. In this workshop we will set up and run through around six tactile games together, to see how they work with students. I will then present in Google Slides the classroom based learning activities\/instructional content that we do with our classes leading up to the event, and other effective writing activities to increase speed, confidence and writing miles.
