Professional learning and development
The Virtual Professional Learning and Development (VPLD) programme is based around an online Community of Practice which provides professional learning that is situated in a teacher's or Principal's practice within their own school context. The VPLD provides complementary opportunities for collaboration and a strong base of mentoring and support.
One of the key aims is to raise participants’ professional knowledge and skills and in turn to enhance learning experiences and achievement of outcomes for students.
The Programme is be based on authentic and meaningful learning and teaching contexts, and uses virtual tools and services from the Enabling e-Learning web presence, the Virtual Learning Network, and TKI suite of tools. The VPLD Programme is underpinned by the e-Learning Planning Framework.
Allocation of the PLD provision
Educators will be selected from a diverse range of disciplines, locations, and levels across sectors.
For more in-depth information see: Selection Criteria, Protocols of Participation, Values Statement
The PLD provision is aimed at:
- Practicing educators or Principals
- Educators or Principals who are keen to enhance learning experiences for themselves and students by using the potential offered by ICT
- Those planning to be, involved in learning and teaching online and/or in blended learning environments
- NZ registered teachers currently working within the NZ schooling sector, or the equivalent in tertiary or associated, accredited education organisations.
Tailored in-depth programmes through this PLD provision will support the following needs for schools:
- Professional learning that is contextualized within current teaching practice.
- Collaboration and a strong base of mentoring and support.
- Raising professional knowledge and skills, and accelerating outcomes for students through a quality flexible virtual professional development.
- Flexibility for participants to move at their own pace, in a supportive environment, with access to all that is needed to scaffold their professional learning journey.
Length of programme
- Three years (with the option to withdraw at the end of year one and year two).
- The third year is focussed on developing online mentoring skills.
The PLD is relevant to the following sectors:
- Primary
- Secondary
Timing and availability for in-depth support
- Expressions of Interest (EOI) are requested in late September each year.
- Selections are made by committee by the end of October/early November, and confirmations sent out to all people who submit an EOI.
- Successful applicants are required to complete a Memorandum of Understanding, provide some initial information about themselves and the project they would like to work on, and complete some initial tasks by the end of November/early December.
- A mentor is allocated in January, and the monthly mentoring sessions begin in February/March.
- One face-to-face, 2-day hui is organised every year (usually toward the end of June), and participants are strongly encouraged to attend.
Methods of delivery
- VPLD Community Space
- VPLD Moodle space
- Skype
