Keynote address to Sharing Best Practice Manawatū, 19 October 2024 by Regan Orr. In this address Regan unpacks the importance of culturally responsive teaching and how this is the precursor to ensure a child can succeed as themselves. He outlines and dovetails the necessity to teach from an evidence based approach, underpinned by the Science of Learning, to enable tamariki to succeed. Regan has been the principal of three different schools over a 14-year period. Currently, he is on secondment from his principal position at Central Normal School/Te Kura Tuatahi o Papaioea, as a Leadership Advisor at the Ministry of Education. As a Principal, Regan is incredibly passionate about leading teaching and learning, growing teacher capability and ensuring the best possible outcomes for our tamariki. As a Leadership Advisor, Regan provides strategic and transformational leadership and support to school principals, to lead change across a wider sector. The enduring whakatauki - He aha te mea nui o tea o? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata, drives his passion and decision making. With this whakatauki in mind, Regan has long held the belief that a child can only truly learn and succeed when their wairua and sense of self is fully met.

Writing is such a complex skill and can feel overwhelming for some students. This workshop is designed around effective strategies that reduce cognitive load and support students in achieving writing confidence. Focusing on students aged 7-11, Anita will share some successes from her classroom practice and provide examples of explicit teaching based around sentence-level writing and mentor texts. This workshop is ideal for educators looking for fresh ideas and those keen to boost the capability and motivation of reluctant writers.

Anita has been an educator for 32 years, teaching and leading in New Zealand, England, China and Singapore. She has taught students aged between 4 and 14 years and has a particular passion for the teaching of writing.

A practical, step-by-step guide on how to scaffold your students' reading comprehension within structured literacy instruction. You will learn how to move beyond word-specific and orthographic knowledge and support the development of more complex processes such as activating prior knowledge, building vocabulary, background knowledge and semantic skills to springboard reading comprehension at word-level, sentence-level, and text-level.

Elena Ciobanu is a seasoned teacher and Education Facilitator and Coach at Better Learning Solutions. She brings over 15 years of experience in the education sector, underpinned by a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology and Development, and specialisation in Primary, Montessori, and Special Education. Her tenure at SPELD NZ is marked by leadership in guiding teacher cohorts, creating impactful courses, and conducting critical evaluations of educational programs. Her expertise encompasses a broad spectrum of curricula, from the New Zealand Curriculum to Montessori, International Baccalaureate, and Cambridge frameworks. As a Specialist Teacher, she excels in merging individualised intervention methods with Montessori principles, focusing on coaching, mentoring, personal, and professional development.