Achievement Completed - Master of Education Practice

I've finally done it! After a long journey, I have officially been capped and can proudly say that I now have my Master of Education Practice from the University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau.

On reflection, I initially never thought about what this journey would look like at the end, but I am incredibly satisfied to have reached the finish line, prompting this reflection on the process.

My formal learning adventure began in 2021, coinciding with the implementation of the then-new Digital Technologies | Hangarau Matihiko curriculum. I was seeking ways to enhance my teaching, especially in STEM education, and this presented a wealth of opportunities to explore learning through a cross-curricular lens.

This led me to enrol in the UoA Postgraduate Certificate of Education, with a focus on strengthening my knowledge in Mathematics and Science. This was a deliberate choice to further my personal goal of teaching holistically. My motivation was always the knowledge itself, not the qualification. I recall colleagues at the time commenting that I must truly be in it for the right reasons if the 'piece of paper' wasn't my primary concern.

In 2023, I had the chance to consolidate my STEM learning with further study. I completed the 'STEM Education in Years 0-8' Postgraduate course, a new UoA paper which, fortunately, included a full scholarship for the inaugural cohort. I thoroughly enjoyed this course and the learning it provided. It was instrumental in helping me bring all the elements together for what I planned to integrate into my teaching practice.

By this time, I had been in my current role for nearly five years, making me eligible for the Primary Teachers Study Award which had allowed me to take a year out to pursue a qualification of my choosing. Reviewing the available study options, I discovered that my previous choices had serendipitously positioned me to put my completed postgraduate papers towards the Master of Education Practice. After gaining the necessary approval from my principal and school Board of Trustees, I commenced my sabbatical in 2025.

For this next stage of developing both my personal practice and the pedagogical pathways at school, I decided to focus my studies on researching the implementation of both the DT|HM curriculum and general STEM integration within an intermediate school environment. I wanted to use my personal interests and experience to examine how Primary schools in Aotearoa are teaching aspects of STEM and Digital Technologies within an already busy curriculum. My initial thoughts around this were centred around the perceived lower uptake of DTHM in Primary and Intermediate schools with the hope that this newly acquired knowledge will benefit the students and contribute to raising overall academic achievement at the school. I plan to provide a summary of my research and findings from my studies in future posts.

This study opportunity has definitely provided me with the tools to strengthen my knowledge in curriculum development within a school setting, particularly regarding STEM and cross-curricular learning. With the ongoing changes to the New Zealand curriculum, I now have clarity and a vested interest in continually exploring ways for us all to integrate our pedagogy to enable us to 'work smart and not hard'.

Overall, I would thoroughly recommend the Master of Education Practice. On a personal level, it has been an incredibly worthwhile experience that I never intentionally thought about completing at the start of my study journey.  Any teacher driven to enhance their personal accomplishments and pedagogical practice should seriously consider pursuing this Masters qualification.

To conclude, I would like to finish with a clip of my capping ceremony. If you want to have a little laugh, watch this. I would like to acknowledge that there was a slight faux pas with the reading of my name. I would really like to know who ‘Margaret’ really is… Enjoy!