Job Details

Early Childhood Teacher

Requirements

Diploma/Degree in Teaching (ECE)

Provisional/Full registration with Education Council

First aid certificate

Salary $62,400 – 66,560 full time – determined by experience

Strong understanding of Te Whāriki

Knowledge of Reggio Emilia principles

Job summary

The Teacher plays a vital role at Childsteps Early Learning Centre as the first point of contact with the children in our care and their family/whanau. This role requires the demonstration of sound interpersonal and relationship building capability. The primary role of the Teacher is to provide quality learning outcomes for children and work with other Teachers to form a collaborative teaching environment.

Job competencies

Adaptability - adapts to changing work environments, work priorities and organisational needs. Able to effectively deal with change and diverse people

Teamwork - interacts with people effectively. Able and willing to share and receive information. Co-operates within the group and across groups. Supports group decisions and puts group goals ahead of own goals.

Work standards - sets and maintains high performance standards. Pays close attention to detail, accuracy and completeness. Shows concern for all aspects of the job and follows up on work outputs.

Motivation - displays energy and enthusiasm in approaching the job. Commits to putting in additional effort. Maintains high level of productivity and self-direction.

Stress tolerance - displays emotional resilience and the ability to withstand pressure on an on-going basis. Deals with difficult situations while maintaining performance. Seeks support from others when necessary and uses appropriate coping techniques.

Communication - expresses ideas effectively. Organises and delivers information appropriately. Listens actively.

Job details

Adhering to the Code of Professional Responsibility and the Standards for the Teaching Profession. The Code sets out the high standards for ethical behaviour that are expected of every teacher. The Standards describe the expectations of effective teaching practice and are set out below:

Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership

Demonstrate commitment to tangata whenuatanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Understand and recognise the unique status of tangata whenua in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Understand and acknowledge the histories, heritages, languages and cultures of partners to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Practice and develop the use of te reo and tikanga Maori

Professional learning

Use inquiry, collaborative problem-solving and professional learning to improve professional capability to impact on the learning and achievement of all learners.

Inquire into and reflect on the effectiveness of practice in an ongoing way, using evidence from a range of sources.
Critically examine how personal assumptions and beliefs, including cultural beliefs, impact on practice and the achievement of learners with different abilities and needs, backgrounds, genders, identities, languages and cultures.
Engage in professional learning and adaptively apply and share this learning in practice.
Be informed by research and innovations related to: content disciplines; pedagogy; teaching for diverse learners, including learners with disabilities and learning support needs; and wider education matters.
Seek and respond to feedback from learners, colleagues and other education professionals, and engage in collaborative problem solving and learning focused collegial discussions.
Understand and practice the Centre’s philosophy.
Promote the Centre within the community.
Attend and actively participate in team and Centre meetings.

Professional relationships

Establish and maintain professional relationships and behaviours focused on the learning and wellbeing of each learner.

Maintain a professional image by consistently upholding uniform standards as set out in staff handbook.
Articulate ideas and opinions professionally both written and verbal.
Role model consistent standards, building and maintaining relationships of co-operation.
Engage in reciprocal, collaborative learning-focused relationships with: learners, families and whanau; teaching colleagues, support staff and other professionals; agencies, groups and individuals in the community.

Participate with your team in Centre fundraising and celebration events within the community.
Ensure all parents’ comments and concerns are dealt with or handed on to the Head Teacher.
Provide meaningful feedback to parents on the development and events of the child’s day.
Contribute to formal methods of communication such as parent newsletters and attend parent evenings.
Accommodate parent instructions for daily routines and communicate these to other team members.
Notice, recognise and respond to children’s learning ensuring documentation is of a professional standard.

Learning focused culture

Develop a culture that is focused on learning, and is characterised by respect, inclusion, empathy, collaboration and safety.

Maintain full compliance with Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 for Early Childhood Education in New Zealand and Licensing Criteria for Centre Based ECE services.
Ensure that Centre policies are implemented into daily practice.
Uphold the Code of Professional Responsibility as set down by the Education Council.
Understand and apply the Supervision Plan.
Ensure OSH checks are completed daily.
Practice safe work methods, utilising and making proper use of safety equipment and eliminating workplace hazards.
Understand and actively undertake fire and earthquake drills.
Check that all accidents involving children are reported to the parents and that management is informed should any serious or significant accidents occur.
Maintain resources to a high standard, reporting maintenance issues within the room when they occur.
Understand health and safety responsibility in accordance with health and safety legislation and Centre policy and procedures.
Take responsibility for personal health and safety and ensure no personal action or inaction harms others in the workplace.
Ensure that a good standard of hygiene is practised and in accordance with procedures.
Ensure the cleaning is completed regularly as per the cleaning schedule.
Ensure the room is left tidy at the end of the day so the cleaners can carry out his/her duties.
Contribute to programme planning that is responsive to emerging interests/learning dispositions and implemented and managed effectively to ensure outcomes for children are identified and evaluated and fully documented.
Use a variety of teaching techniques including modelling, observing, questioning, demonstrating, and reinforcing.
Encourage and assist children to practice self-help daily.
Demonstrate a respect for diversity. Assist with the provision of inclusive and diverse language, images and experiences.
Practice the Behaviour Guidance Strategies as outlined in the booklet given at induction which aligns with the Social Competence and Guidance Policy.

Design for learning

Design learning based on curriculum and pedagogical knowledge, assessment information and an understanding of each learner's strengths, interests, needs, identities, languages and cultures.

Design and plan culturally responsive, evidence-based approaches that reflect the local community and Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership in New Zealand.
Help ensure the language and culture of families is promoted.
Be familiar with Te Whāriki’s principles, strands, learning outcomes and contribution of adults to child learning.
Promote the physical, cognitive, emotional and social learning of young children.
Ensure children’s learning is enhanced with language, equipment and activities.
Provide stimulating resources which are accessible and open-ended, so they can be used, moved and combined in a variety of ways.
Ensure the environment is presented appropriately and responsive to children’s’ individual learning, including their physical and emotional needs.
Select, adapt, source or design relevant learning materials and resources.
Ensure daily programme and core activities are offered.

Teaching

Teach and respond to learners in a knowledgeable and adaptive way to progress their learning at an appropriate depth and pace.

Teach in ways that ensure all learners are making sufficient progress, and monitor the extent and pace of learning, focusing on equity and excellence for all.
Specifically support the educational aspirations for Maori learners, taking shared responsibility for these learners to achieve educational success as Maori.
Use an increasing repertoire of teaching strategies, approaches, learning activities, technologies and assessment for learning strategies and modify these in response to the needs of individuals and groups of learners.
Provide opportunities and support for learners to engage with, practise and apply learning to different contexts and make connections with prior learning.
Teach in ways that enable learners to learn from one another, to collaborate, to self-regulate and to develop agency over their learning.

Other duties

Provide support and expertise to other teachers, team members and the management team as required.