Tuia te muka ako
Weaving the muka into learning contexts

  Ngā hua o te mahi tahi | Collective impact          

If the PLD priorities are to make the difference that this kaupapa suggests then they need to impact on the moment-by-moment interactions that tamariki-mokopuna, kaiako, whānau, iwi, mana whenua, and community members have around learning. Our definition of a learning context is broad and takes in all learning environments.

The visual and table below focuses on the outcomes we seek in terms of the educational experiences of tamariki-mokopuna and whānau, and the conscious acts of teaching and leadership performed by educators. It imagines what tamariki-mokopuna and whānau might see, hear, or feel in a learning context and the conscious acts of teaching and school leadership an observer would witness and a kaiako or tumuaki might explain.

The visual and table weaves together the impact of the curriculum capabilities as they are understood through the framework of our kaupapa and ngā mātapono. It illustrates what we mean by effective teaching and learning across diverse learning contexts and foci, regardless of the PLD priority. 

Kaiako, tumuaki, and manutaki can use the table to observe, discover, and pose questions about the teaching and learning happening within particular interactions, regardless of the nature of the PLD support that is being provided. It can be used and adapted in many ways: 

  • to inquire into the impact of PLD on kaiako, ākonga, and whānau 
  • as part of practitioner inquiry, to focus evaluative thinking and tools
  • with ākonga as part of learning talk
  • with whānau, iwi, mana whenua, and community partners as part of their contributions to learning
  • to build a shared understanding across the community of what the capabilities look like in our school.

As you engage with the kaupapa and the joined-up capabilities described in this resource, your understandings about how the curriculum capabilities could play out in practice will evolve. It’s important that as a community of educators you explore examples from your own context to strengthen everyone’s capability to collectively impact on ākonga success as defined by your community.

 

Shared Lens over Learning
                       
 
Ākonga and whānau Conscious acts of teaching

Awhi awhi: How I feel

  • The people in this place respect and affirm my mana.
  • My teachers really know me and my whānau.
  • I belong here. We care about each other and no-one gets left out.
  • Everyone is fairly treated. We help each other to call out any bullying, racism, bias, or discrimination we see or hear.
  • My teachers learn from and with me about the things I know already and what I want to learn about.
  • My teachers really listen to me and my whānau and they respond to our feedback.
  • I am confident that I can have a go at new things. I know the progress I am making.
  • My language, culture, and identity are valued.

I am critically conscious about my teaching, so I ask myself and check with others about:

  • the knowledge I am using in my teaching and assessment practices, whose knowledge it is, and who that benefits
  • what messages I give when I select resources for learning
  • how to use the rich knowledge that ākonga and their whānau can offer to learning.

Titiro: What you will see in our learning community

  • We manage the pace and depth of our learning.
  • We work in mixed groups, learning from and supporting each other.
  • We select and use digital tools that deepen our knowledge and skills.
  • We learn from many people – from our whānau, matua, peers (tuakana–teina), and from people in and beyond our community.

I care about all of my ākonga, their progress and achievement, and their social and emotional success as culturally located learners, so you will see that I:

  • make connections with every ākonga, every day, to get their feedback on their goals, what is important for them, their learning strategies and progress, and what I might do differently
  • co-design the learning – with ākonga choice and voice
  • co-construct definitions of success with ākonga and whānau, using models and worked examples that reflect the lives of my learners, and making goal setting part the learning
  • scaffold learning, deciding with ākonga what might be learned, how we might sequence activities, and how we might use each other, other people, and other resources (including digital) to be successful
  • create multiple opportunities for ākonga to learn that are responsive to their needs and build upon their cultural capital
  • use mixed-ability grouping to practise and strengthen learning and collaboration in tasks that allow everyone to contribute, use, and critique different approaches and strategies
  • promote metacognition by modelling strategies, thinking aloud, and using reflection within learning every day
  • use questioning and classroom talk to generate substantive, deep learning conversations
  • use feedback to direct and focus learning
  • make tikanga Māori visible and use te reo Māori as a natural part of our classroom talk
  • encourage ākonga and whānau to use and grow their heritage languages as part of learning.

Whakarongo: What you will hear in our learning community

  • We use our strengths, cultures, languages, and interests as part of learning.
  • We ensure that no one gets left behind, discussing the places where we are stuck and what to do next.
  • We choose the topics and ways we want to learn.
  • We celebrate all kinds of knowledge, strengths, progress and talents – all the things that make us unique.
  • We talk about our goals and our progress with our classmates, kaiako, whānau, hapū, and iwi.
  • We talk deeply about our learning, going beyond the task to the knowledge and big ideas and the connections we can make to our lives, families, and other learning.
  • We initiate our own questions and seek each other’s feedback.
  • We use te reo Māori and the kawa of this place as a normal part of learning.
  • We call out any racism or discrimination, talking about it, but in a respectful way.

I care about my personal learning, growth, and development and that of my colleagues, so you will see that I:

  • take part in self-monitoring and peer assessment in service of professional inquiry and learning
  • use the language of our professional frameworks to talk with my colleagues about what we are doing, and why
  • critically reflect with others on the deeper purpose of education and on what we are doing in our place.

Download a copy of Shared lens over learning

Good teachers, teachers who are helpful, they make the difference between me achieving and failing.

– Student in alternative education, cited in Education matters to me: Key insights.

There is compelling evidence of pedagogies that are highly effective for diverse (all) learners simultaneously. But such pedagogies have the potential to accelerate improvement only if they become part of teachers’ repertoires – and are informed by deep pedagogical understanding and adaptive expertise across schooling.

– Alton-Lee, A., 2017

A coherent teaching programme is guided by a common set of principles and key ideas. These drive strategies for teaching and assessment and inform policies and procedures (relating, for example, to staff recruitment, evaluation, and professional development) that impinge on the teaching programme. High-quality programmes have high-quality content and a high degree of coherence.

– Robinson, V., Hohepa, M, & Lloyd, C., 2009 

 

« Previous page                                                                                                                        Next page »