Teaching courses first to kick off Massey year

The first Massey students for semester one will be welcomed at the Manawatu campus Hokowhitu site on Tuesday.

About 415 new College of Education students will be starting their initial teacher education classes at Manawatu and Albany, three weeks ahead of semester one commencing for the rest of the University, on February 27.

The college has an earlier start to the semester to more closely match the school year and enable students to get practical experience in classrooms as part of their study from next month. In addition to the Manawatu students the college welcomes it’s 400 distance learning students.

College Pro Vice-Chancellor of Education Professor James Chapman says the students underwent a comprehensive process to be accepted into Massey's various initial teaching programmes. “We do not simply select on grades, we look for that significant factor of passion and enthusiasm for changing lives," Professor Chapman says.

Catherine Irving (Nga Puhi) began her Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Primary) two weeks ago using the University's online learning system, Stream. She and students in her cohort will meet up with those enrolled in the other initial teacher education programmes for graduates, which are for those planning to teach early years, primary and secondary, as well those starting the four-year Bachelor of Education degree.

Ms Irving is excited to be on campus with her cohort. “Teaching has been a long term goal of mine,” she says. As a New Zealand salsa champion, she has taught dancing to children. “I love the age, I discovered it’s not so much about teaching them the content, it’s about teaching them to learn." She has completed a Bachelor of Communication at Massey over the past three years and during that time represented New Zealand in the Miss Earth World environmental beauty pageant in the Philippines, where she visited schools and orphanages.

“Through the visits and talking with the pageant entrants from other countries I realised how lucky we are with our education system in New Zealand. It cemented my belief that I can make a difference." She is also employed by the University as a student accommodation events coordinator and will be involved in running the Let's Get Going programme for new students at the start of Orientation.