This page provides an overview of the range of topics presented by the Manako Programme webinars in 2023.  

February |  Digital Literacy Educator Pathway

The Digital Literacy pathway is one of Ako Aotearoa’s educator pathway collections on Pathways Awarua. The resources assist tertiary educators in supporting their learners in their digital literacy development. This webinar provided a brief introduction to Pathways Awarua, show how to access the learning platform, and navigate the educator resources.

Presenter Michael Grawe demonstrated the first two modules that have been developed:

• Module 1 investigates what digital literacy is, presents a range of digital literacy frameworks, and explores the interplay of digital literacy and remixing.
• In Module 2 you will find a wealth of resources, strategies, icebreakers, and activities for teaching digital literacy

Michael Grawe is the Professional Learning Manager at Pathways Awarua and a Resource Developer at Ako Aotearoa. Holding a master’s degree in American Literature, Media Studies, and Teaching, Michael is an educator at heart, passionate about whānau transformation through education and learner success. He has 25 years of experience in the tertiary education sector, both in Aotearoa and overseas, having worked as an ESOL tutor, business and computing Kaiako, as well as Advisor for Literacy, Language and Numeracy.

 

May | Universal Design for Learning – Creating inclusive learning and teaching environments

In this webinar Chrissie Butler and Annette van Lamoen demonstrated the new UDL Educator Pathway on Pathways Awarua and hosted a Q&A session on UDL.

UDL is a framework to support educators in meeting the diverse needs of all learners. UDL is about anticipating and removing barriers to learning when planning your teaching, rather than waiting for obstacles to arise. The Educator Pathway is designed to introduce you to the UDL framework and its three core principles, and help you get started with putting it into practice.

Chrissie Butler is a UDL and inclusive design and practice specialist, passionate about the value inclusive design can bring to education and the workplace. Chrissie primarily works as a Principal Adviser in the Ministry of Education Secondary Tertiary team with a focus on UDL, inclusive design, and accessibility. She also develops both undergraduate and graduate courses in UDL. For the last 13 years Chrissie has been exploring a people-first expression of UDL that is embedded in the cultural context of the South Pacific.

Annette has a background in working with high-needs learners. She was a Teaching Fellow at the University of Waikato, where she lectured and tutored in adult literacy education and dyslexia. She was the Manager of the National Centre of Literacy and Numeracy for Adults and now works for Ako Aotearoa as the Manako Programme Manager, leading the professional development initiatives in adult language, literacy, numeracy, and cultural capability.

 

June | A Digital Skills Framework for educators and learners in Aotearoa New Zealand 

In 2023 Anne Alkema conducted desktop research on digital skills frameworks and approaches internationally and in Aotearoa New Zealand. These frameworks are for use by educators and adults as they teach and learn about digital skills. This work included:

• considering the purpose and rationale for a framework
• looking at examples of frameworks
• proposing four approaches to be considered for the development of a Digital Skills Framework in the Aotearoa New Zealand context.

Anne Alkema is an independent researcher and evaluator, working mainly in the field of adult and vocational education. She has undertaken a number of projects for Ako Aotearoa, the TEC, and the Ministry of Education. Anne has a Doctorate of Professional Practice from Otago Polytechnic.

 

July | Launch of the Learner Agency Educator Pathway

Learner agency is the art of purposefully navigating through your own learning journey. As educators, we can integrate principles of learner agency into our practice and support learners to take greater control of their educational journey, making their learning more enjoyable, engaging, and effective.

In this webinar, Dr Damon Whitten demonstrated the Learner agency Pathway, and discussed how you can support learners in recognising and valuing their personal agency, and becoming more agentic learners.

Damon is a specialist provider of professional development to the tertiary sector, focusing on adult literacy and numeracy. He focuses on generating and connecting research to real-world contexts and using the results to develop effective teaching and learning approaches. Damon is at the forefront of adult education and works toward empowering and reengaging adult learners with their dreams, passions and potentials through numeracy and literacy education.

 

August |  Basic assistive technology tools to support learning

Ako Aotearoa in partnership with Open Polytechnic – Kuratini Tuwhera has developed an assistive technology resource collection 

In this webinar Erin Fitzgerald from The Open Polytechnic provided a brief walk-through of this collection, discussing how the tools can be used to support a variety of learners and learning styles, and help to break down accessibility barriers.

Erin Fitzgerald is the Disability and Access Lead at Open Polytechnic. She has worked within the disability sector for 10+ years in Aotearoa New Zealand and has lived experience with neurodiversity. Her work with online, distance learners built an awareness of the benefits and barriers for disabled learners, and an interest in how simple tools can be used to support all learners in their study, to achieve success in ways that suit them. 

 

September | Supporting disabled students to reach their full potential

Disabled students are one of the most educationally disadvantaged groups within Aotearoa New Zealand. Barriers to their academic achievement at tertiary level are often disabling and must be identified and removed. 

In this session guest presenters Melissa Lethaby and Sean Prenter discussed the importance of working in partnership with students to determine appropriate learning support strategies and provide an overview of what those strategies may look like.

Melissa Lethaby is Manager of Disability Information and Support at the University of Otago and has worked for the service since 2002. She is proud to lead one of the best disability support services in the country. In addition, Melissa is the National President of ACHIEVE – the National Post-Secondary Disability Education Network. 

Sean Prenter is Co-President for the National Disabled Students’ Association and 2022 Co President of the Otago Disabled Students’ Association. Sean has presented research on Crippling Sustainability at Tertiary Institutes at the Global Disability Summit and Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability Conference and researchers' accessible urban forum. Sean represented New Zealand in the CAMP2030 New York innovation lab and is on the youth advisory group for Inspiring Stories. Across these channels Sean engages his pūmanawa of ensuring disabled peoples access, inclusion and dignity.

 

October | ESOL digital read-along stories collection

This webinar launched a set of digital read-along stories for adult ESOL learners and beginning readers which Ako Aotearoa has developed in partnership with Celia Hope. 

Celia has been teaching (ECE, adult ESOL and LLN) for more than 40 years. As well as teaching in Aotearoa New Zealand, she taught for 2 years in Thailand and part-time while living in Canada. When she returned to New Zealand, she started teaching ESOL literacy to women, mostly from refugee backgrounds in a course informally called ‘Migrant Mothers’ – which was held at Hamilton East School. The ‘mothers’ could also bring their pre-school children along to the class. The course was started by Wintec, then later became an English Language Partners ESOL literacy course. Celia taught this course for 14 years. 

 

November | Unpacking Wellbeing and Safety within the Code of Practice

The Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice outlines the requirements education providers must meet to ensure the wellbeing and safety of their learners.

In this webinar, Maria Hayes explained what wellbeing and safety is from a diverse range of learner perspectives. She also shared some key strategies for supporting learner wellbeing and safety, and discussed how the Code is being implemented in her organisation, how it has led to sustainable change within the organisation, and how it has made a positive impact on educators and learners.

Maria is deeply passionate about learning, about the learner within the journey, creating and holding a supportive space for success and developing strategies and utilising tools that empower staff rather than add more burdens, freeing everyone to learn and create. Coming from a health sciences and wellbeing background, most of Maria’s career has been dual, clinic practice combined with 33 years in education and training from roles in quality assurance, staff PD, learning design, teaching and training, digitising learning, to developing learner support programmes. All have been driven by learner success and what that means to the learner and staff who surround that process. In almost every role Maria has gravitated to the learner support or pastoral care lead, as in her current role.

Maria’s career and learning journey have taken her from the UK to Australia and New Zealand, working in a diverse range of training providers, with diverse learners who require unique and specific needs. 

"Learning changes lives if we understand the life we are supporting to grow and change".

 

About the Manako Programme Webinar series

Each month the Ako Aotearoa Manako programme offers a free webinar featuring subject matter experts around topics that support educators working with adult learners.

Further information can be found on the Manako Communities of Practice Facebook groups. If you're not already a member, you're invited to join.