The Mind Lab postgrad programme for more teachers nationwide

Media release

The Mind Lab by Unitec bringing its innovative postgrad programme to more teachers nationwide

Auckland, 27 September 2017 – The Mind Lab by Unitec is coming to a town near you, with 12 new locations announced for the November intake of its Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Practice (Digital & Collaborative Learning) and free workshops over the next month.

The Postgraduate Certificate is designed for educators at all levels from early childhood through to tertiary. It is a 32-week part-time NZQA-accredited qualification that builds capabilities as a 21st-century educator.

Dr David Parsons, National Postgraduate Director of The Mind Lab, says this is a fantastic opportunity for teachers around New Zealand to learn practical strategies for bringing innovative approaches to teaching and learning into the classroom.

“In today's fast-paced, digitally-enabled world, professional learning and development for educators is more vital than ever,” he says.

“Through The Mind Lab’s Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Practice, educators learn how digital and collaborative tools and strategies can enrich their interaction with students, and provide new ways to assist students at all levels and abilities.

“We have seen more than 3,000 teachers learn how to integrate digital technologies into their teaching practices and build competencies that will be essential in the future - including creativity, innovation, collaboration, and agility.”

The Mind Lab will be holding pop-up labs throughout the country over the next month. These will be free evening workshops which give educators a chance to hear The Mind Lab’s story, find out about the Postgraduate courses, gain hands-on experience and answer burning questions about the programme.

“We encourage everyone to come along and try a collaborative, hands-on activity that you can take straight back into the classroom, and learn about the course content, workload, fees and scholarships,” says David.

“Now is the time for teachers to prepare for digital technologies to be integrated into the New Zealand Curriculum & Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. With momentous changes just around the corner, we know Kiwi educators are under more pressure than ever to successfully integrate digital fluency into their practice. Luckily, developing confidence in leadership, collaboration and digital tools is exactly what we do.”

“We are excited to be coming to 12 new locations in November, but it’s up to the teachers now – we need at least 30 applications in each location to make this possible.”

With its national coverage and focus on postgraduate teacher education The Mind Lab by Unitec has become the largest education facility of its kind in New Zealand in three years of operation. Over the next five years The Mind Lab has the goal of teaching over 10,000 teachers and 180,000 school students.

For more information, visit www.themindlab.com/postgrad-studies and to find out when the free workshops will be held go to http://themindlab.com/postgrad-studies/pop-up-labs/

Proposed new locations

• Auckland East

• Ashburton

• Balclutha

• Bombay

• Gore

• Hataitai, Wellington City

• Opotiki

• Te Awamutu

• Levin

• Catholic COL, Christchurch

• Turangi

• Oamaru

ENDS

About the programme

The Mind Lab by Unitec’s Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Practice (Digital & Collaborative Learning) is a part-time 32-week programme that is redefining professional development for teachers through the offering of a hands-on, progressive and blended qualification. Intakes are in March, July and November.

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