Nigel Latta At Waihi College

Nigel Latta

Last night Waihi College had the priviledge of hosting well know New Zealand Nigel Latter for a presentation solely for teachers.  Thanks to the NZEI who where to funder of Nigel's talk.  

I find it hard not to like Nigel Latta - he has quick wit and a cheeky nature.  Teachers in attendance were highly entertained.  But more importantly I believe that Nigel has a good head for the realities of dealing with young adolescents.  His psychologist background and vast experiences with 'troubled' youth means that he looks for ways ahead.  

There were some key messages that have stuck with me since his talk.  They were...

1. Behaviour is Communication.  That is that the way students behave (and misbehave) is a form of communication.  This I thought was very valid for me as a teacher.  I can see that students that are struggling, bored or not engaged are the students most likely to struggle with their behaviour.  
2. Punishment does not equal punitive.  Nigel had a clear message that students need to understand the natural consequences of their actions.  But that teachers/administrators need to be human about their approaches.  
3. That the most important thing with relationships with teachers is to be personable and fair.  

It was an excellent evening out.  Nigel pushed an up and coming TV series on science (which looks excellent).  

Another small thing worth mentioning is his use of 'Keynote' programme instead of PowerPoint - it was excellent (I think that there may be some self directed PD on this product ahead for me).  

This post is related to RTC# 5. show leadership that contributes to effective teaching and learning

 and RTC #8. demonstrate in practice their knowledge and understanding of how ākonga learn