Cooperation was a major theme that emerged from the findings as being
associated with the impact of the PDP as experienced by the head teachers. It was categorised into two areas, namely team work and improved community
relationships.
4.3.1 Team work
The findings highlighted that one significant area which most head teachers now practise at their schools as a result of participating in the PDP is team work. According to the PDP, team work is referred to as teachers working together in mutual understanding as they are guided by the fundamental goal of the school, to provide effective teaching and learning for the students. However, the head teachers interpreted the term according to the needs of their school.
Keni reported that she encouraged team work in her school by distributing the different roles and responsibilities in the school amongst her teachers. She then supervised them to ensure that they carry out the responsibilities assigned to them:
Team work was one of the areas that we were encouraged to practise in our schools, during the New Zealand Aid PDP that I participated in. We practised team work in the school and now I can see positive effects of working together with my teachers…. For example, I can see that my teachers are more committed to perform whatever responsibilities they are given because we plan and make decisions together... so I think team work is a good strategy to apply in a school. (Keni, 4/5/12)
Nelson revealed that he involved his teachers in team teaching and had delegated leadership supervisory responsibilities to his senior teachers:
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As the result of this NZ Aid PDP, I have been able to plan for my teachers so that we work or teach together as a team. We do team teaching. With this concept of team teaching I divided the different classes in my school into three groups …that is...Kindergarten, year 1 and year 2 are in one group...Year 3 and 4 are in the second group and years 5 and 6 form the third group ….Teachers of these different groups are required to plan and work together…. I appointed my deputy to look after one group, my senior teacher is responsible for the second group and myself the third group…. I share the responsibility of supervising and supporting the teachers in the three groups amongst my leadership team…. My deputy and senior teacher are required to supervise, monitor, appraise and provide other professional support as may be needed from time to time for the teachers in their group. (Nelson, 18/5/12)
Antonio commented that she led the learning in the school by working in collaboration with her teachers:
I must lead the learning in the school through working together with my teachers and we plan together to improve students’ learning. This was new for me and my teachers and we are really happy with it. (Antonio, 11/5/12)
This was further highlighted by Harry:
I learnt how to work together with my teachers as a team and how to supervise them, especially in implementing our action plan. (Harry, 9/5/12)
4.3.2 Improved community relationships
The head teachers also revealed that they had improved their relationships with their school communities and parents. Timo, the head teacher of Masi Primary for two and half years, commented that the PDP had impacted on his personal
character and on his relationships with school community and parents:
The knowledge and the skills that I learnt from the PDP, I think they help me to improve my personality and my role as a head teacher to perform my duties, that is why if you look at my school there are changes taking place in the school and how I ... for example, I visit my community, talk with them regarding their support for the school and their children. I have improved my working relationship with the community and I started to notice that when I communicated regularly with parents and school community their support for the school started to improve. I also improved in controlling my temper ....Maybe leaders should show such an attitude. (Timo, 3/5/12)
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Antonio reported that one of her challenges was limited parental and community support, but after attending the PDP she had improved her relationship with her school community and this resulted in improved community support for the school:
Yes,... one of the challenges that I face is poor community and parent support.... During my first two years as a head teacher I found it difficult with poor community and parent support ... but with New Zealand Aid PDP that I attended when I was in my third year as a head teacher... I raised this issue with the training facilitator and together we designed ways to address this problem…. So in this third year I applied the strategies … .and that is as a school leader, firstly, I must be transparent in everything I do in the school in order to gain community trust and support,… that is, I must be transparent with the school finance …. As a head teacher I must let the community members and parents know how the school uses the school money…. Also I must let the community members and parents know how I run the administration of the school…. My contact and relationship with the community has improved and also I notice that community and parent support have improved a lot from the past years. (Antonio, 11/5/12)
The same situation was further highlighted by Harry:
You know with the training that I involved in, I mean the New Zealand Aid Professional and Learning Programme ... the facilitator told me that I needed to improve my relationship with the school community and we worked on certain ways to go about it. So now I am doing it. Like I hold regular meetings with parents and explain certain things with them. I also invite them to come to school if they want any information or are concerned about any issues…. I also provide them with reports on how the school uses the school grant…. My relationship with parents and my school community have improved very much and now I start to notice that community support has started to improve. Ma be it will improve further if I continue to work closely with them. (Harry, 9/5/12)