Teaching Starts with Trust

Wellington-based Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) Amie Roberts is helping reshape how teachers support students with learning and behaviour needs—through a consistent focus on evidence-based practice, explicit teaching, and above all, the strength of teacher-student relationships.

Amie works as part of Ngā Hau e Whā – Cluster 28, which supports 108 schools across west and central Wellington and up to Plimmerton. The role spans a wide range of support, from working with individuals or groups of teachers, to school-wide professional development. Focus areas include but not limited to dyslexia, trauma-informed practice, neurodiversity, and structured literacy and numeracy programs.

“Relationship is the basis of everything,” Amie says. “You can have the best curriculum in the world, but if there’s no connection or trust, it won’t land.”

She collaborates with teachers and school leaders to deepen their understanding of how the brain learns. The focus is on building mastery of core skills—phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling—so students can build confidence and make measurable progress.

“At one school, only 33% of Year 6 students were meeting expectations in spelling. A year after implementing structured literacy, that figure had doubled,” she says. “The data speaks for itself.”

Amie argues that explicit teaching doesn’t just improve academic outcomes—it improves behaviour and wellbeing. When students experience success in the classroom, they’re more likely to be engaged and less likely to become disruptive or withdrawn.

“Disengagement often comes from a lack of confidence,” she says. “When students are taught explicitly and experience success, their engagement improves. And when engagement improves, behaviour usually follows. Success breeds success.”

Amie adds that structured literacy is effective for all students, especially those who have struggled since beginning school. In one case, a group of neurodiverse Year 4 students who had not progressed past emergent reading levels for three years made significant gains in a single year with structured support. “They’re now reading, recognising spelling patterns, and are more motivated to participate.”

Amie also helps schools implement tools for emotional regulation—particularly important for students who have experienced trauma or who are neurodivergent. Techniques include breathing exercises, movement-based regulation, and cognitive tools such as ‘how big is the problem?’ to build perspective.

A key model she uses is Dan Siegel’s hand model of the brain, also called ‘flip your lid’, which helps children and teachers understand what’s happening in the brain during emotional dysregulation. “If a student’s nervous system is overloaded, learning can’t happen. We need strategies in place to calm the system before we expect academic engagement.”

This approach includes teaching emotional literacy and perspective-taking, which are embedded into classroom routines where possible. “It’s not an add-on—it’s part of readiness to learn.”

Amie supports schools to move away from traditional discipline models and toward restorative approaches. “This important for all students, but especially for those with ADHD, autism, or trauma backgrounds,” she says.

“Consequences are part of learning, but they need to be natural, relevant, and used within the context of a trusting relationship,” she says. “All behaviour is communication. If a student is acting up, they’re trying to tell us something. Restorative conversations help students build insight into their actions, rather than simply feeling blamed or removed.”

"Her work often involves coaching teachers to create classroom environments that reduce the likelihood of escalation. “When teachers are supported to use practices that uplift and strengthen students’ mana, they’re usually very open and responsive and it leads to improvement in well-being for both students and the teacher."

Amie acknowledges that schools are under pressure—curriculum expectations, staffing constraints, and growing student needs all contribute to the challenge. But she remains focused on what’s within reach.

“Start with relationships, build strong foundations through explicit teaching, and implement practices that support all learners—not just those who fit the system well. That’s what makes a difference.”

Written by Penny Hartill.