Preparing the seedbed
How Shakespeare is a natural fit in te ao Māori
The carving programme boosting mana and engagement
How data is being used to lift achievement at Nayland College
Editor’s note
Nau mai, haere mai, welcome to term 3!
There is already an abundance of inspiring mahi to share this term. In this issue, that inspiring mahi begins with the incredible adaptation of Romeo and Juliet by Te Wharekura o Mauao. The opening scene, performed at this year’s SGCNZ University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival, is set in pre-European Aotearoa, with feuding whānau.
The mahi continues with Nayland College’s drive for literacy and numeracy achievement. The school shares how baseline data collected in 2022 has given them a clear direction for teaching and resulted in a noticeable shift in their students’ learning.
And there’s so much more. From the carving programme boosting engagement and attendance, to a Pacific teacher finding new ways to provide inclusive education, to the early learning service creating a culture of empowerment and connection.
It’s summed up best by one teacher who told us, “It’s about getting the best outcomes. It’s why we do what we do”.
In case you need it, a reminder that the mahi you do every day is inspiring, important and valued.
Ka mutu koe, you are fantastic.
Keri McLean, Ētita | Editor
On the cover
Page 16. Kidsfirst Kindergartens Sunbeam says providing quality, inclusive early childhood education all comes down to ngā hononga – relationships.
Dual-enrolment programme continues to give West Coast ākonga scope to succeed
Preparing the garden of learning with Kōwhiti Whakapae
South Auckland schools collaborate on the future of education
PUBLISHED BY
View the PLD, general notice listings and vacancies at gazette.education.govt.nz This publication is produced using FSC® Certified paper from Responsible Sources.
Education Gazette is published for the Ministry of Education by NZME. Publishing Ltd. PO Box 200, Wellington. ISSN 2815-8415 (Print) ISSN 2815-8423 (Online) All advertising is subject to advertisers agreeing to NZME. Advertising terms and conditions www.nzme.co.nz/ media/1522/nzme-advertisingterms-sept-2020.pdf
STORY IDEAS
We welcome your story ideas. Please email a brief (50-100 words) outline to: gazette@education.govt.nz SUBSCRIPTIONS eleni.hilder@nzme.co.nz VIEW US ONLINE Web: gazette.education.govt.nz Youtube: youtube.com/ edgazettenewzealand
KEY CONTACTS
Reporter gazette@education.govt.nz
Display & paid advertising Jill Parker 027 212 9277 jill.parker@nzme.co.nz
Vacancies & notices listings Eleni Hilder 04 915 9796 vacancies@edgazette.govt.nz notices@edgazette.govt.nz
DEADLINES
The deadline for display advertising to be printed in the 12 August 2024 edition of Education Gazette is 4pm on Friday 26 July 2024.
PERFORMING ARTS
Interpreting Shakespeare through te ao Māori
At this year’s SGCNZ University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival, Tauranga’s Te Wharekura o Mauao performed an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet set in pre-European Aotearoa and performed in parts in te reo Māori. The kura shares their journey to the festival and explains why Shakespeare is a natural fit in te ao Māori.
Te
performed an adaptation
All photos by Memory of Light Photography.
Wharekura o Mauao
of Romeo and Juliet set in pre-European Aotearoa with conflict between two whānau.
If you’ve ever seen Romeo and Juliet, you’ll remember the blood feud between the houses of Montague and Capulet.
In the opening scene, two Capulet servants, joking around on the street, encounter two Montague servants, and a fight starts. Others join in, including the heads of both factions, until Prince Escalus puts a stop to it.
Now imagine that scene is set in pre-European Aotearoa, with traditional Māori clothing and weapons. Two servants of the Kapereira whānau are joking around, but things quickly turn serious when they meet servants of the rival Mōtiku whānau.
This is what was performed by students from Tauranga-based Te Wharekura o Mauao – their group is called Rūrūtao from rūrū (to shake) and tao (spear) – at one of the 24 regional festivals held by the Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ.
From the regional festivals, one five-minute scene and one 15-minute scene are selected for performance in Wellington at the national SGCNZ University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival – with its inclusive ethos, it’s called a festival not a competition.
To the students’ delight, their Romeo and Juliet scene was chosen.
Journey to the festival
Mary Meikle and Jenny Brown have run Rūrūtao as volunteers since 2018. Mary ran the te reo Pākehā (English) department before retiring, and Jenny is a retired English and drama teacher. They willingly put many hours into Rūrūtao.
“We chose the Romeo and Juliet scene this year because of how many Year 10 and 11 boys were keen to join Rūrūtao,” says Jenny. “With their background in mau rākau, a martial art based on traditional Māori weapons, it seemed a natural fit to place this fight scene between two feuding factions in a traditional Māori setting.”
Head girl Hune, 17, played Prince Escalus.
“I loved the power that the prince brings into the scene last minute,” says Hune. “And I loved that we were bringing a play hundreds of years old to Aotearoa and adapting it to a Māori setting, with feuds between Māori whānau.”
For each scene at the festival, students choose their own time period, context, costumes, and usually direct their own scenes. The student director for Romeo and Juliet was Hune’s brother Tohu, 15, who also acted in it.
“I liked how the scene kept the rage and anger between the two factions alive,” says Tohu, who takes full credit for getting his sister involved in Rūrūtao.
“Shakespeare has this highly metaphorical, elevated language, and that’s also part of Māori oratory. Our students pick up on the imagery, rhythms, cadences, ‘vocal’ stresses, and the iambic pentameter easily.”
Mary Meikle
Brother and sister act Tohu, 15, and Hune, 17.
Hune played Prince Escalus in Romeo and Juliet
The performance received awards for Outstanding Student-Directed Ensemble and Outstanding Imagination and Commitment to the
The dramatic first scene of Romeo and Juliet was chosen because many of the members of Rūrūtao have a background in mau rākau, a Maōri martial art.
Text.
“I do more kapa haka, but I told him ‘Sure, I’ll come act with you!’,” says Hune, who started with Rūrūtao in 2023 and has proved a star performer. This year, she acted in four of the group’s seven scenes at the regionals.
Rūrūtao bussed to Wellington for the nationals, the second time performing there for Hune and Tohu. The students perfectly executed their performance, receiving loud applause and awards for Outstanding StudentDirected Ensemble and Outstanding Imagination and Commitment to the Text.
“It was awesome to really connect with Shakespeare’s plays and students from other schools,” says Hune.
Performing Shakespeare in te reo Māori Festival performances are required to use Shakespeare’s words, says Jenny, but translations are allowed.
“Where appropriate, we translate words and phrases into te reo Māori, while making sure the meaning is clear for the audience.”
Over the eight years that Te Wharekura o Mauao has participated in the festival, it has intentionally chosen scenes that can interpret Shakespeare through a te ao Māori lens, Mary says.
“It’s such an integral part of who our students are that it makes sense to work our scenes around that.
“Shakespeare has this highly metaphorical, elevated language, and that’s also part of Māori oratory,” explains Mary. “Our students pick up on the imagery, rhythms, cadences, ‘vocal’ stresses, and the iambic pentameter easily.”
“They also pick up on the themes and emotions of jealousy, love, power, rivalry – all things they see in real life. Their performances come from within them,” adds
Jenny in agreement.
Wiremu Mako, head of performing arts at Te Wharekura o Mauao, chimes in. “Our culture is our superpower on the stage,” he says.
Indeed, Hune says that performing Shakespeare scenes felt “really natural”.
Future opportunities
Hune is one of 48 students recently selected to attend the SGCNZ National Shakespeare Schools Production, a weeklong intensive course held in Dunedin later this year. In past years, 11 Rūrūtao alumni have attended.
“I’m excited to follow in the footsteps of my peers,” Hune says.
Of the 48 students, 24 will be will be chosen to form the SCGNZ Young Shakespeare Company. In July next year, they will spend two weeks at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London for acting, voice and movement workshops, culminating in a performance on the Globe stage. They’ll end the trip with three days in Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon.
Kaitara and Manahi, two more Rūrūtao alumni, are part of the current Young Shakespeare Company. Jenny and Mary are travelling to London together to see them perform. It’s Jenny’s fifth time and Mary’s first.
Will Hune be heading to London next year? Time will tell, but either way, she plans to apply for a place at Toi Whakaari NZ Drama School in Wellington.
“Yes!’ says Hune enthusiastically when asked if Shakespeare has had a role in her future plans. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had the resources to go to Wellington and experience so much.”
She’s excited to see what the future brings.
“I loved that we were bringing a play many hundreds of years old to Aotearoa and adapting it to a Māori setting, with feuds between Māori whānau.”
Te Wharekura o Mauao head girl, Hune
Shakespeare: Relevant for 500 years
When speech and drama and public speaking teacher Rebecca Reed applied for the Deidre Snedden Scholarship, she didn’t think she’d get it.
“I didn’t even tell my husband I was applying. When I heard that I got it, I thought ‘Wow, this is amazing!’”
Late speech and drama teacher Deirdre Snedden left most of her estate to the Speech Communication Association to be granted to speech and drama teachers seeking an overseas opportunity for professional development.
As a speech and drama teacher, Rebecca often works with Shakespeare’s texts.
“With Shakespeare, I’m self-taught – which is great – but I thought ‘How can I get to the next level?’ and I thought this scholarship could help me do that.”
She worked hard on her scholarship application, outlining why she thought she should get it, where she wanted to go, what she wanted to learn, what she’d get out of it, what her students could get out of it, what New Zealand could get out of it.
The result? Rebecca is off to London’s Globe Theatre.
At the Globe – a modern reconstruction of the original Globe Theatre – Rebecca will participate in practical group workshops, enhancing her teaching techniques and strategies.
She’ll see live performances of texts to get insights into their staging and interpretation. She’ll be in the audience for panel discussion ‘Shakespeare’s Many Queer Lives’, exploring diverse interpretations of queer themes in Shakespeare’s works.
She’ll then visit Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon to delve into Shakespeare-related educational resources. Rebecca is particularly interested in learning about digital technologies that might help her teaching.
Her journey ends at the Royal Shakespeare Company, where she’ll participate in its Introduction Certificate in Teaching Shakespeare course.
“Then I’ll bring back all that knowledge to my students,” she says of her rather long to-do list.
Rebecca teaches 80 young wāhine from St Oran’s College and Sacred Heart College in Lower Hutt. Her lessons cover public speaking,
drama, poetry, reading aloud, storytelling, improvisation, mime, voice management, interviewing, and more. Students work towards exams, from grade three to diploma level.
Her teaching around Shakespeare is very different to that of an English teacher.
“In speech and drama, studying Shakespeare teaches you essential skills like voice work, movement, and in-depth text analysis,” explains Rebecca. “It helps form a strong foundation for an actor’s development due to its challenging, diverse nature.”
“When you’re reading a text, such as a Shakespeare play, you need to know what it’s about, to feel it, to get it, to understand the character. Your delivery isn’t just reading the words and memorising like a robot. You use techniques like emphasis, pace, pitch and pause to bring it to life.”
Rebecca notes that some students initially think Shakespeare’s work is stuffy.
“But then they start enjoying the characters during the interpretation process and enjoy learning what was going on historically and socially during the Elizabethan period,” she says.
“They love learning about the modern adaptations of Shakespeare in film and are fascinated that he invented more than 2,000 words in the English language and loads of sayings that we hear today, such as ‘the world is your oyster’.”
Rebecca recently completed a Licentiate of Speech New Zealand in Speech and Drama Teaching – the equivalent to a master’s degree –which included doing a monologue as Katherine from The Taming of the Shrew. She actually started the Licentiate 20 years ago but put it aside to work in broadcast journalism and public relations.
Rebecca switched back to speech and drama four years ago when Sandra Bartlam, her former speech and drama teacher, friend and mentor, retired, asking Rebecca to take over her private speech and drama business teaching at St Oran’s College.
“I thought ‘are you kidding? It’s been 20 years!’ But Sandra said I have the skills and life experience and could learn while I’m teaching,” she says.
So that’s what Rebecca’s been doing, now also teaching at Sacred Heart. One of Rebecca’s students is daughter Connie, 13, who will be studying Shakespeare before long. Her other children, 11 and five, are still learning the basics about Shakespeare. Rebecca looks forward to sharing her experiences at the Globe with them.
“For 500 years, his work has stood the test of time. It’s about the human condition. The themes are so universal: love, jealousy, prejudice, betrayal and so on. Shakespeare’s characters are relatable in many ways and that resonates around the world, including in New Zealand.”
Rebecca Reed
Rail safety in focus for schools
New PowerPoint to teach crossing the tracks safely
Available for Rail Safety Week 5 to 11 August 2024. Includes classroom activities to reinforce learning. Also available:
• rail safety song
• posters and curriculum resources. education.nzta.govt.nzce
Sign up for our education newsletter and get exclusive access to webinars and the latest resources education.nzta.govt.nz/signup
Rebecca Reed has won a prestigious scholarship to London’s Globe Theatre.
Playwright, poet and actor William Shakespeare.
ATTENDANCE & ENGAGEMENT
Carving a path to better attendance
He Puna Karumata Leeston Consolidated School in Waitaha Canterbury is embracing Māori culture through a carving programme led by Wiremu Gray. The initiative is teaching students the art of carving while improving their engagement, attendance, and sense of identity.
Wiremu and students with their finished pieces.
Watching Wiremu Gray work, it’s easy to see the passion he has for the hauora of young people.
An accomplished artist and cultural specialist, Wiremu has been working with He Puna Karumata Leeston Consolidated School in Waitaha Canterbury to continue its journey of making te āo Māori visible across the kura in every way – a feat achieved by immersing the school’s ākonga and their whānau in the rich tradition of Māori carving.
Deeply rooted in tikanga and hauora, it’s an initiative that has significantly impacted ākonga, fostering a sense of pride, identity, and community. It has also proved effective in improving student attendance and engagement.
Wiremu’s involvement with Leeston School initially began through his work on the school’s wellbeing initiatives. His approach, based on his Te Whare Mauri Ora model, emphasises holistic health and cultural safety.
When principal Lynda Taylor expressed her interest in a carving programme to enhance Māori student identity and engagement, Wiremu saw an opportunity to give back to his community.
Recalling his own experience with bone carving under the mentorship of Matua David Paki, Wiremu was inspired to offer a similar experience.
“I remember how he made me feel immensely proud about my carving piece, and this experience was so significant. It gave me a sense of mana in myself and later it led me to taking on a Māori carving apprenticeship at Lincoln University when I finished school. This programme is about giving back,” he says.
“Because students are experiencing carving for the first time, it’s important to create a mindset of giving things a go, being courageous and taking risks.”
Wiremu Gray
Tikanga keeping everyone safe
“In discussion with teachers, a small group of ākonga were selected,” says Lynda about the project’s beginnings.
“Permission from whānau was obtained for ākonga to work with Wiremu for one day a week for five weeks.
“Initially they learned about local Māori legends relating to the Leeston community and its relationship with Taumutu and Te Waihora, and began working on basic kowhaiwhai designs and patterns.
“Ngā ākonga learned how to be comfortable with carving tools and how to use a chisel. Risks were identified and processed and tikanga was taught to keep us all safe.”
Wiremu says his teaching methodology is deeply intertwined with Māori cultural practices.
“I begin teaching the students about tikanga. Māori carving is a spiritual activity, so tikanga informs our culture and keeps us culturally safe.”
He sets the tone of the sessions by beginning and ending with karakia. The group also take time for whanaungatanga and mindfulness before beginning their work, ensuring everyone is aware of their own mauri (energy state) and therefore ready to engage in the mahi.
“Each of us will be at different states of energy, so we need to take time beforehand to achieve a state of mauri tau (calmness) or mauri oho (active), the energy states that assist our ability to focus, learn and to perform.”
This structured learning path allows students to build confidence and competence gradually.
“Because students are experiencing carving for the first time, it’s important to create a mindset of giving things a go, being courageous and taking risks,” says Wiremu. “If students are solely focused on the carving being ‘good enough’, they’re prohibited and restrained from even beginning, or giving up, which can become the safe alternative.”
Integrating hauora
Wiremu integrates hauora and tikanga into the carving process, underscoring the importance of both for learning and wellbeing.
“We have discussions around whānau and how we can strengthen our relationships through manaakitanga, which is their school value. We also pull on the concept of ‘ranginui’ (sky father) to help with setting goals and for them to see that they can accomplish big things and the sky is the limit. It just comes down to belief, perseverance, focus and hard work.”
It’s a holistic approach that not only enhances students’ carving skills but also strengthens their sense of identity and belonging.
For many Māori students, seeing their culture valued and celebrated at school boosts their overall wellbeing and academic engagement.
“Māori students need to know that their culture is important and that is it embraced in their school and community,” says Wiremu. “It’s really important – there are dire consequences for overall mental and spiritual wellness when this doesn’t happen.”
The impact of the carving project on students has been profound. Wiremu has observed that students are able to maintain focus for extended periods, a challenge for some in traditional classroom settings.
His students demonstrate remarkable perseverance and take immense pride in their carvings.
“They show a great ability to persevere through the challenging parts and gain a great sense of satisfaction when completing their works,” says Wiremu. “Many of them say that they can’t believe they can create such amazing pieces. I enjoy seeing them gain confidence in their ability and seeing them stand in their mana.
“I believe the Māori carving experience, with tikanga, hauora and the cultural narratives being interwoven into the experience, assists the students in gaining a greater sense of pride in culture, overall self-worth and belief.”
The newfound confidence and sense of accomplishment were evident in the smiles of ākonga and their eagerness to share creations with their whānau. Students also said they felt more motivated and engaged in school.
“I worked really hard on it, and I’ve always wanted to do some carving and I got this opportunity to have this gift of doing it,” says Year 6 student Oliver. “My highlight was Matua Wiremu helping me with everything, and I really appreciate he had the time to help me.
“From this project I have learned new skills like carving and helping others. I’m really excited to share my carving piece with my family and friends. If anyone else has the
Students work alongside their whānau, strengthening family bonds and deepening their connection to their whakapapa.
Ākonga learn how to use a chisel and be comfortable with carving tools.
Wiremu integrates hauora and tikanga into the carving process.
opportunity to carve they should do it; whoever else does this I bet your piece will be very good.”
Ngā ākonga were asked if the programme had changed the way they felt about school and learning. They replied in a chorus of agreement.
“I’m more motivated because carving excites me. I have to go to school faster to do it! Now, I come to school feeling proud of myself, because I have been working on my mind and my classes such as maths and reading,” says Oliver.
“I like going to school more now because it’s fun and enjoyable. I now know I can do more things than I think,” agrees Harry, Year 5.
“I’m more motivated and happier to come to school,” nods Phoenix, Year 5.
“Carving helped me with building more friendships. I do more fun things now with others,” adds Jackson, Year 6.
Increasing mana
Wiremu hopes that the skills and values learned through the carving project will inspire students to explore their Māori heritage further.
“I hope they see the carving as a platform to explore more about their Māori heritage. That could be exploring their whakapapa, learning te reo as a whānau, kapa haka, or continuing Māori art.
“I hope that it ignites something inside of them, so they continue to feel proud of who they are. I want them to continue to adopt tikanga and express these principles in their daily lives and continue to back themselves through challenges or difficulties in life.
“I want them to continue to hold a strong belief that they are good enough and they can achieve hard and challenging things.”
For educators, Wiremu emphasises the importance of creating culturally rich environments that honour Māori students’ heritage.
“Actioning principles of tikanga, such as whanaungatanga, understanding ākonga at a deeper level and by setting high expectations and applying pedagogy that works well for Māori, will create a greater chance for them to succeed in your classroom.
“Through seeing Māori students’ potential as a kaiako, you are helping them to create more belief in themselves and their abilities. This can only enhance school engagement, attendance, hauora and overall performance for students.”
Lynda also encourages kaiako to implement similar cultural engagement programmes.
“Go for it!” she says. “There is so much value in providing te ao Māori initiatives in kura.
“This has been amazing for our community, and this has helped to increase the mana, a sense of self-worth for our ākonga and whānau involved. It has also helped with the cultural pride for our school.
“Other students can see the success the Māori ākonga are having and are amazed by the beautiful artworks they have been producing and sharing in assemblies. This helps to build on goals for ākonga and whānau by strengthening Māori cultural identity, a sense of purpose, achievement and self-worth.”
Strengthening relationships with whānau
Many students shared how the project impacted the relationships with their whānau, sharing stories of their parents’ pride and anticipation to see the finished carvings. Working alongside their whānau not only strengthened family bonds but also deepened their connection to their whakapapa.
“My whānau are really proud and can’t wait to see my finished piece. I’m very excited to show them. I feel proud of myself that I’ve accomplished my carving. I really thought I wouldn’t get it finished, but in the end, I did!” says Oliver.
“My mum really wants to see the finished piece. Mum has helped guide me by being proud of me,” says Harry.
“My dad has been waiting for my finished piece. Dad is even more proud of me,” adds Phoenix.
“I’m gifting my first piece to my mum. She is proud of me,” declares Jackson.
“Now, I come to school feeling proud of myself because I have been working on my mind and my classes such as maths and reading.”
Oliver, Year 6
What their whānau say
“It’s really exciting to see so many kids interested and respectful about what they are doing. They are really enjoying it, and so engaged.”
“To see him exercise his creativity has been wonderful. Being able to explore this avenue has opened up something for him and exercised his creative bone, which he didn’t know he had.”
“It’s been good – very interesting to see a different learning programme. They are so engaged and creative.”
“It’s good to see what has been taught and he can show his skills to me. Just to be able to come into class and do it with him and he can teach me what he’s learned has been great.”
“Doing this with my son and others in the class and learning off each other has been amazing. I want to thank Matua for taking us through this experience and learning from each other.”
Summer is a young ākonga with a rare neurological condition, CDKL5. Education Gazette had the privilege to sit down with Summer’s mum, Anna Brooker, to talk about her education journey and how Summer has found her place in a supportive and inclusive educational environment. INCLUSIVE
Thriving with CDKL5: Summer’s education journey
Summer is one of only 10 tamariki in Aotearoa New Zealand living with CDKL5.
Summer is one of 10 tamariki in Aotearoa New Zealand living with CDKL5, a rare neurological condition she was born with. Despite this, she radiates a brightness that perfectly matches her name.
Her condition means she started having seizures as an infant and has developmental and motor delays. Because of this, Summer’s mum, Anna Brooker, thought she would never go to school.
But despite the odds, Summer joined the Champion Centre, an early intervention service for young children with disabilities, in Ōtautahi Christchurch at eight months old. After six months she moved to Conductive Education, a programme specifically developed to enhance quality of life for people with motor disorders. When Summer turned five, she transitioned to primary school, a Conductive Education satellite class at Addington Te Kura Taumatua.
“The Champion Centre was amazing and a really good support for me. I met a lot of other amazing mums and children there. We moved Summer to Conductive Education where it’s more focused on the physical aspects and getting the child to move their own body to achieve things in daily life.”
Comprehensive care
Conductive Education is based on the theory that, in spite of significant damage, the brain has a vast capacity capable of modifying its connections or re-wiring itself. It teaches people with motor disorders to coordinate their movements and have more independence and selfconfidence in their everyday lives.
Through Conductive Education, Summer has a team of highly trained ‘conductors’, as well as specialists in speech and language therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.
“Summer’s speech and language therapist works on feeding and communication,” says Anna.
“She emails me and asks me things about what I’m doing with Summer. They work really hard with Summer on her feeding, which is great, because I spend a lot of time working on this at home and it gets really upsetting when you’re not seeing any results. They do that at school and it’s that repetition of doing it every day that really helps.”
Summer first attended the Conductive Education early childhood centre in Addington, which is on the same grounds as Addington Te Kura Taumatua.
“A lot of the staff already knew Summer, so it was the most seamless transition ever,” explains Anna. “Because I knew the staff, I was comfortable with them, and Summer did visits.
“She just went straight from the preschool to school full time with no problem. I think we’re incredibly lucky that we got the opportunity for her to go to the Conductive Education unit, because they can only take a limited number of children.
“I talked to the other mums about it, and we agree we’re so lucky that we drop them off, we can leave, and we don’t have to worry about them. Everything is taken care of, for example, they take care of students if they have a seizure. If they vomit, they change and bath them – they do everything.”
Anna continues to sing the school’s praises.
“The school is all set up,” she says. “They’ve got the sensory room, if students are getting overwhelmed, they can go in there. Summer loves the sensory room with its shiny lights.”
“The bathroom facilities are amazing with baths and showers as well. Then they have all the equipment to do her Conductive Education work. They adapt the curriculum and translate it into a way that their students can enjoy it.
“A lot of it is sensory; what they do with the kids blows me away. Summer loves going to school. She gets there and gets excited. She knows she’s at school and she’s going to have a great day.”
“They adapt the curriculum and translate it into a way that their students can enjoy it. A lot of it is sensory; what they do with the kids blows me away.”
Anna Brooker
When talking about how Conductive Education helps Summer with her learning, Anna describes how the kaiako split ākonga into two groups after they’ve had their morning welcome.
“And then they do sensory learning. There’s music, dancing, and lots of light and colours. They really do make it a fun experience for the students.”
Encouraging inclusivity
Anna has plenty of ideas to encourage other schools to be more inclusive, such as educating students and teachers that it is perfectly acceptable and normal to have children like Summer around.
“I’ve had to do this with our youngest,” she explains. “Growing up he couldn’t figure out Summer and it’s just been educating him that Summer is a little bit different to us. She can’t verbally tell us what she wants and how she feels.
“So we have to anticipate, we have to think ‘what would Summer like?’ We have to offer her things and include her. He’s gotten really good at it. Now, he’ll go and take her things. He’ll tell me if Summer’s not happy or Summer doesn’t want to do that.
“We find a lot of times when we go somewhere that children are genuinely interested in Summer and watch her. Parents say, ‘don’t stare’, but instead of saying that, why not tell your children to go and say hello?
“It makes sense that they’re interested because she’s in a wheelchair and she’s loud.”
“I can’t wait to see what she can do, to see her potential, because it really is about giving her the opportunity to do things.”
Anna Brooker
A bright future
Anna has great hopes for Summer going forward.
“I want her to keep enjoying school and learning,” she says. “She can stay at Conductive Education a little bit longer. I hope she continues to stay at school full time, and that her health allows that. I hope she just keeps thriving.
“The school is great at giving students the opportunity to try new things. Sometimes you can get very stuck in your routine, but the fact that they’re there sharing all these things with her makes me happy.
“I can’t wait to see what she can do, to see her potential, because it really is about giving her the opportunity to do things.”
Above: Summer loves going to school, says mum Anna.
Below: Conductive Education teaches people with motor disorders to coordinate their movements and have more independence.
Learn more about Conductive Education on the website.
Teacher Bridget Howe says the kaiako know that everyone has something to share, and everyone can learn from one another.
A relationship-based approach to learning
Kidsfirst Kindergartens Sunbeam in Ōtautahi Christchurch has a deep understanding of intrinsic value. In making sure every interaction – between staff, tamariki and whānau –is mana enhancing, kaiako are creating an inclusive and empowering culture.
Tucked away on a quiet street, surrounded by leafy trees, Ōtautahi Christchurch’s Kidsfirst Kindergartens Sunbeam says providing quality, inclusive early childhood education all comes down to ngā hononga – relationships.
“Relationships are at the heart of everything,” says teacher Rachael Tini Waugh. “We want all the interactions we have to be mana enhancing. Not only for the children but for each other and our families.”
The centre is holistic by nature, which informs both its teaching practice and the interpersonal relationships among the team.
“We have respect for each other as individuals and as professionals, and we understand that everyone has something to share and everyone can learn from one another,” adds teacher Bridget Howe.
With respect being so integral to kaiako relationships at Sunbeam, it is no surprise to see the flow-on effects on tamariki.
Whānau connections
As one of the key pillars in Sunbeam’s practice, having mana enhancing relationships means creating a culture where tamariki can see themselves reflected in their environment.
“We want to create an environment where our tamariki feel valued. We’re creating connections between beliefs and traditions of their whānau and what they learn here,” says teacher Patrick Browne.
The team enthusiastically describes how they embrace diversity, integrating cultural celebrations such as Hindu and Muslim festivals into their teaching and learning.
“We recently celebrated Eid-al-Fitr, which is the official holiday that marks the end of Ramadan,” recalls head teacher Deana Wood. “It’s a special time for our Muslim families, so we invited our whole community to join us
for the morning. The smiles and laughter from our time together spoke a thousand words.”
The centre’s practice of upholding whānau beliefs and traditions is evident throughout the centre.
“Parents and whānau are our children’s first teachers, and we really value that,” shares Bridget.
The kaiako nod in agreement. “We genuinely care. We work hard to make sure that we have good relationships with our families on a caring manaakitanga level,” adds Rachael.
Whānau also describes how Sunbeam chooses to function as a team. All kaiako are certificated teachers, and they work intuitively and harmoniously, embracing flexibility by doing away with traditional rosters, allowing them to support the children and each other in a truly authentic way.
If a teacher needs to settle a child or step in or out, they simply check in with their team. It’s an approach that reflects a genuine care for one another and creates a nurturing and cohesive environment for everyone.
Empowering spaces
Sunbeam’s kaiako believe that whakamana empowerment is another key element in mana enhancing relationships. Each day, tamariki are empowered to choose what their day will look like, including the resources they want to create with and the length of time they play for.
They’re able to access both inside and outside spaces throughout the day that are designed to spark creativity and learning. Inside, there is a large mat area, and items such as furniture, rugs and plants are used to separate different areas.
“Tamariki must be able to explore in their own way and in their own time. We call this ‘ā tōna wā’,” explains Deana. “Some tamariki can engage for long periods of time, so we don’t want our routines to hinder their creativity.
“Every child teaches us something different. They have something to share, and we learn from them and they learn from each other which is pretty amazing.”
Bridget Howe
Top left: Tamariki have access to different spaces throughout the day that spark creativity and learning.
Bottom left: Kaiako Rachael Tini Waugh and Patrick Browne (top) and Deana Wood, Emma Haig and Bridget Howe (bottom).
Right: At Sunbeam, tamariki have the freedom to explore and learn in their own way and in their own time.
“That means the way we structure our day is flexible, open-ended, unrushed, unhurried. It’s really important for our children to have agency in their environment.”
Bridget agrees, adding that children are actively encouraged to make decisions and take ownership of their learning.
“Children quickly learn that this place is for them to explore their interests and ideas – they very much lead what happens here.
“Every child teaches us something different. They have something to share, and we learn from them, and they learn from each other which is pretty amazing,” she says.
Lifelong learners
As committed lifelong learners, Sunbeam kaiako actively seek to learn more about ways of being for their tamariki. They look out for tamariki who are demonstrating a play schema and find ways to support their learning.
“For instance, one schema is ‘transporting’, where children move or transport objects around. To nurture this schema, we provide baskets so they can carry resources,” explains teacher Emma Haig. “Having knowledge and understanding of different schemas allows our kaiako to plan for our tamariki accordingly.”
“It’s important to us to keep researching, learning and growing – to learn this is where this child is at, this is why they’re doing it,” adds Deana.
Sunbeam also prioritises professional learning and development (PLD). In keeping with their relationshipbased practice, PLD is based on a collaborative approach, meaning that as kaiako develop their own specialised knowledge, they share their new knowledge with the wider team.
“We want each kaiako to have their own specialised knowledge base so there is a wide range of skills,” says Deana. “We believe that having a well-rounded approach is what creates a very special space for children and whānau.
“Having a shared vision is important,” she notes. “We’re always working to make sure that our new people are on that waka with us.”
Part of Sunbeam’s shared vision can be found in its rich history. Having been in operation for over 100 years, the centre’s history adds another element to its relationshipbased approach to learning.
“We are lucky here because we have an amazing history, and we understand what has gone before us,” says Bridget. “For us it’s really important to know where we sit in our community and it’s important to understand the connections and links we have. We don’t take that for granted.”
Part of understanding what has gone before them means kaiako are always working to challenge their individual biases and values, adds Deana in summary.
“It’s about getting the best outcomes for children. It’s why we do what we do.”
Behind the data lifting literacy and numeracy achievement at Nayland College
Gaining valuable data and insights from the NCEA co-requisite pilot has given Nelson’s Nayland College a new drive for literacy and numeracy achievement. Education Gazette delves into the data and how it’s being used with junior achievement lead and kāhui ako across schools teacher Corrin Vedder.
Nestled into Stoke in sunny Nelson, Nayland College refuses to settle when it comes to its students’ potential.
“We place a high value on developing independent learners who have control of their own futures,” says acting principal Hannah Banks. “It’s really important that our students leave us as confident, adaptable young adults.”
Part of this journey for the school has been overhauling literacy and numeracy practices, stemming from its decision to participate in the NCEA co-requisite pilot in 2022.
Keen to get some baseline data, Nayland got its entire cohort of Year 10 students to participate in the pilots to get a better picture of where students were at and what to build on.
Nayland College is in Stoke, Nelson.
“Our key findings were not really surprising,” says Corrin Vedder, junior achievement lead at Nayland College and across schools teacher for Stoke Tāhunanui Kāhui Ako. “We knew that writing would be low, and it was. It was much lower than reading and numeracy.”
The results gave the school a clear direction. “This cohort of students were champs,” she says. “They did a tough thing, many of them knowing they might not pass. But it showed us that we needed to make sure ākonga could pass these assessments.”
And so began a new drive for achievement at Nayland College.
A whole-school approach
“The results gave us a place to start and provided information we could also share with our kāhui ako,” says Corrin. “As a first step, we did a comprehensive stocktake of where literacy practice sat in our kura.”
Part of this stocktake was doing a learning area literacy readiness check using the literacy and numeracy support in schools guide provided by the Ministry of Education. The readiness check asked a series of questions broken down into broader themes and then gave ratings based on a series of descriptors.
“This gave us information on how each department and our school leadership team viewed themselves and literacy readiness in the wider school,” says Corrin. “We found that most learning areas were still in the early stages of their confidence and understanding of how they were specifically supporting literacy.
“It was clear we needed to develop a shared understanding of what being literate and having literacy skills meant first.”
The school initiated a whole-school approach to developing these key skills.
The approach, which blends insights from The Writing Revolution and The Syntax Project, centres around viewing writing as a process, says Corrin.
As well as building vocabulary and a knowledge of sentences and paragraph construction in professional learning and development (PLD) sessions, the school introduced writing mats into every classroom.
“The writing mats have our process (think, plan, write, edit) on them, as well as grammar, action words, punctuation, sentence structure and PEEL (point, evidence, explanation, link) paragraph prompting,” says Corrin.
The mats have been adapted by different learning areas, to make them specific to each subject.
“For example, our technology classes have adapted the mats to include writing for design processes,” explains head of technology Cushla Laufkotter. “That means sentence starters linked to the SOLO (structure of observed learning outcomes) progressions, and common technology vocabulary. Both juniors and seniors are using the mats when they are planning and writing their design briefs.
“Students are starting to make connections between the vocabulary and their definitions across subjects, and the scaffolded writing process is taking away the barrier to starting writing that we experienced in the past.”
Gerd Banke, assistant head of science, highlights how her department has benefitted from the mats as well.
“The students are using starter sentences and our PEEL map to structure their paragraphs for assessments. They then use our punctuation checklist and science-specific vocabulary checklist to proofread their work before handing it in for feedback and editing.
“We are really impressed at how well the students are writing,” she says. “We are finding that with the scaffolding, our students are able to write quite complex sentences and paragraphs. They are articulating and explaining their points really well.”
Corrin agrees.
“We are seeing a noticeable shift in students’ understanding of the mechanics of writing – basic punctuation is becoming a habit and there is an improvement in sentence construction. Students are starting to see literacy as happening across subjects, and not just associate it with English,” she says.
All three agree that support from senior leadership is important to taking a whole-school approach.
“Senior leadership support for any school initiative is important, but when we are asking teachers to step out of their comfort zone and take on new challenges it is vital,” nods Hannah.
“We are united behind this kaupapa because we understand it is key to students experiencing success across the curriculum,” adds deputy principal Rowan Taigel.
“A huge amount of work has been done in the teaching community across New Zealand to develop educators’ understanding that we’re all teachers of literacy and numeracy.”
Sharing data to create pathways
Corrin transitioned into the across schools teacher role at the start of 2023, and was quick to share the outcomes of the NCEA co-requisite pilot cohort to principals of feeder schools.
Though initially concerned about the data, the kāhui ako quickly realised there was an opportunity to collaborate to lift achievement rates.
“Seeing the pilot results brought a sense of common responsibility for our learners,” adds Nayland Primary Schools’ across schools teacher Belinda Mackean in support. “We could feel the threads connecting us to their future success and the importance of this.”
They initiated a collaborative project to establish coherent ‘pathways’ for ākonga to make sure there is consistency in literacy learning throughout a student’s education.
“We discovered that many teachers often didn’t know what was being taught to their students both before and after [having them in their class]. So writing the pathways was a way to make sure that the most important learning was not left to chance for any learner in our kāhui ako,” says Belinda.
“These pathways were derived from our data, the
Corrin Vedder is junior achievement lead at Nayland College and across schools teacher for Te Kāhui Ako o Ōmaio ki Tahunanui.
Nayland’s mission is to develop independent learners who have control of their own futures, says acting principal Hannah Banks.
curriculum refresh, the Common Practice Model, and the requirements of the NCEA co-requisite,” adds Corrin. “For example, the results we got from the NCEA literacy and numeracy common assessment activities (CAA) influenced our decision not to do a combined literacy pathway and create separate writing and reading pathways.”
“We decided that our challenge was to improve teaching and learning practices to lift student readiness, not throw them all in and see how it washes out.”
Corrin Vedder
Lifting student readiness
At the same time, Nayland College continued to refine its approach, entering only students who felt ready to sit the literacy CAAs.
“In the first pilot round we had some students very far away from passing, while others did pass. We found there was a clear correlation between some of our internal testing data and those pass rates,” says Corrin.
“We decided that our challenge was to improve teaching and learning practices to lift student readiness, not throw them all in and see how it washes out.
“By entering students when they are ready (which is the Ministry’s recommendation), it became about all subjects working to raise literacy and numeracy skills,” says Corrin, emphasising the importance of targeted teaching and learning practice.
To better assess readiness for the CAAs, the school did PLD on e-asTTle testing.
“The PLD allowed us to design our e-asTTle testing in the way that would give us data that helped us check if the students are ready to sit the assessments,” says Corrin.
“We chose to do the PLD because we knew that we didn’t want assessment to drive our learning. By using our students’ e-asTTle data differently, we’re able to have better learning conversations with them and set goals around their literacy skills.”
New focuses for numeracy
While the school has had an initial focus on literacy, there have been clear insights for numeracy too.
Courtney Gravett, assistant head of learning for mathematics, says the NCEA co-requisite pilot allowed the school to identify some key areas for improvement.
and paragraphs.
Assistant head of science Gerd Banke is finding that the writing mats are helping students write more complex sentences
Junior students using the writing mats to check the grammar of their writing in science.
Tips for taking a data-driven approach to enhancing literacy and
numeracy outcomes
» Do a stocktake of what data you collect, why you collect it, and who can access it. Build consistency across data collection and use –for example, by using e-asTTle for both literacy and numeracy.
» Work with feeder schools to continue building consistency. As a kāhui ako, discuss what you assess, how you collect data, when you collect it and what you need for transitions.
» Don’t collect data for data’s sake. There must be a point to assessments, and reflection and action needs to be taken from it. Plan this reflection and action time into the assessment so that you and the students have next steps.
“We discovered we needed to put bigger emphasis on students being able to explain their answers, and on making sure students have a better understanding of how concepts link together,” she says.
“Students can’t just learn the algorithm for converting a decimal to a fraction, they need to see how they relate. This has required a consistent focus on vocabulary. In mathematics, understanding the language is a step towards understanding concepts –for example, understanding that minus and subtract are synonyms. We’ve begun teaching root words and prefixes for maths concepts to help them work out unfamiliar terms and more deeply understand concepts.”
The changes have meant ākonga are more aware of the specific skills they need to develop to be ready, says Corrin.
“We want our students to go into assessments certain that they can achieve because they have the skills to do so.”
Ultimately, says Corrin, Nayland’s approach is about “students feeling empowered by having literacy and numeracy skills to help them succeed in all subjects –and all their mahi – and leave kura as literate adults”.
While acknowledging ongoing challenges, she remains optimistic about the progress made and the future of literacy and numeracy outcomes at Nayland College.
“The shared focus is starting to pay off. It’s a process, but the results are encouraging.”
» Approach your data with the belief that students can learn. Data should be unpacked with a lens and language of student agency.
» Give staff time to look at data and plan learning around it. Don’t just share data, give teachers time to analyse it and plan actions. Support them to analyse and interpret literacy and numeracy data, especially if they are not subject specialists.
» Use student and teacher voice alongside the data. Work with your students to monitor their personal learning data together.
» Don’t be afraid to call a gap a gap. You can’t fix it if you can’t acknowledge it.
» Allocate resources appropriately – give a staff member the time to make this their mahi and to organise, collate and share information.
“Having a staff member with the expertise to analyse our ‘big picture’, do an audit of our current provision and capability, develop a road map of the specific actions needed to improve that provision and capability and then to develop the resources and the professional development support needed for this has undoubtedly been the biggest factor in our success so far,” says Hannah.
» There’s no right time to start. Begin with imperfect approaches and improve them as you go.
Nayland College initiated a whole-school approach to developing literacy.
Students using the writing mats in science.
Bringing Pacific legends to life
Amy Faapoi is a dedicated and innovative Pacific speech and language therapist at Mt Richmond School in Ōtāhuhu. During Samoan Language Week, Amy transformed a traditional legend into a sensory story, creating a unique and immersive learning experience that resonated deeply with her students.
Amy Faapoi is doing her dream job.
A speech and language therapist of eight years, Amy – who is of English and Samoan (Saleapaga) descent – first started out with the Ministry of Education and is now a speech and language therapist at Mt Richmond School in Ōtāhuhu.
When planning her approach to Samoan Language Week this year for her students, Amy chose to take the path that many Samoans will be familiar with –storytelling.
Particularly close to Amy’s heart is a Samoan legend told to her by her father when she was young, Losi the Fisherman and the Food of the Gods. It’s a legend rich in cultural significance and vivid imagery. Losi, a skilled fisherman, brings back a prized catch from the ocean depths, believed to be a gift from the gods. It is an integral part of Samoan heritage, filled with lessons about respect, gratitude, and the interconnectedness of life.
Amy used materials such as sand, water, and textured fabrics to represent different parts of the ocean and the fisherman’s journey.
“Samoan people, from generation to generation, have passed down our histories orally, so I wanted to pass down our ancient stories to our students but in a way that is accessible to them considering where they are at in terms of their language ability,” says Amy.
Recognising the potential of this legend to captivate and educate, Amy set out to adapt it into a sensory story. Sensory stories are designed to include elements that engage multiple senses, such as touch, smell, and sound, making them particularly effective for students with diverse learning needs.
By incorporating sensory elements, Amy’s goal was to allow her students to engage meaningfully with the legend, making the experience both educational and enjoyable.
“As the only Samoan within our Mt Richmond School therapy team, it’s very important to me that I deliver the stories and pass them down. These are all stories that I know from my father, so it’s been very special to me to be able to share them with our tamariki,” she explains.
A multi-sensory approach
Mt Richmond School is a special school that supports students who have significant disabilities, from the time they turn five through to 21 years old.
“All of the students within the school have some form of language delay,” says Amy. “This means they’re completely nonverbal and communicate with sign language, gesture visuals or they are verbal but require support to understand things fully and to socialise with their peers.”
In her adaptation, Amy incorporated sensory elements – touch, smell and sound – to bring the story of Losi to life.
For touch, she used materials such as sand, water, and textured fabrics to represent different parts of the ocean
“As the only Samoan within our therapy team, it’s very important to me that I deliver the stories and pass them down. These are all stories that I know from my father, so it’s been very special to me to be able to share them with our tamariki.”
Amy Faapoi
and the fisherman’s journey. These tactile elements helped the students physically connect with the story, enhancing their understanding and retention.
For smell, Amy included scents like coconut, saltwater, and tropical flowers – all deeply evocative of the Samoan environment. These smells helped transport the students to the world of the legend, creating a more immersive and authentic experience.
For sound, she used recordings of ocean waves, seagulls, and traditional Samoan music to create an auditory backdrop for the story. These sounds enriched the narrative, making it more engaging and dynamic for the students.
“A lot of our students struggle to pay attention,” says Amy about the sensory elements. “If I was to read a story, I might get two seconds of attention or 10 minutes if I’m lucky. Having interactive components makes it much easier for the students to pay attention and engage with the story.”
Losi the Fisherman and the Food of the Gods is a traditional Samoan legend about a skilled fisherman who brings back a prized catch from the ocean depths, believed to be a gift from the gods.
A lasting impact
Adapting the legend of Losi into a sensory story is just the beginning for Amy and her fellow therapy team at Mt Richmond School.
Amy says that she is looking into other Pacific stories to adapt by working with other Pacific staff at school, to highlight their indigenous knowledge alongside her own. One of her goals is to help make this opportunity accessible to all Pacific children in special school environments.
“I’m aware that we’ve got many Pacific children elsewhere in New Zealand who don’t have the same access to the same opportunity. I would really love for this to be something that helps other practitioners think about when they are planning for their Pacific language week celebrations,” she says.
Amy’s innovative approaches and collaborative efforts are paving the way for a more inclusive and culturally sensitive future in speech and language therapy. Through her work, she is enriching the lives of her students at Mt Richmond School and contributing to the broader goal of equitable and effective therapeutic practices for all.
“I hope the success that Mt Richmond has found with this is inspiring to other practitioners to give it a go!”
Leo Moana: A vision for Pacific speech and language therapy
Amy’s innovative work extends beyond her classroom at Mt Richmond School. She is also a founding member of Leo Moana, a collective of eight Pacific speech and language therapists from across Aotearoa.
“Leo Moana covers a broad range of work environments, from the Ministry of Education and special school environment to the health sector and youth courts, which I think is great,” says Amy.
“I can only speak to my experience with working in education –I don’t know what it’s like to be a Pacific speech therapist in the health sector, for example. It’s great to have all our different perspectives and opinions around the table.”
Leo Moana was established with the mission of increasing the representation of Pacific individuals in the field of speech and language therapy and enhancing the cultural responsiveness of the current workforce. It’s philosophy is rooted in the belief that more Pacific-trained therapists are needed to address the unique needs of Pacific communities effectively.
It has been instrumental in providing training within universities across Aotearoa, emphasising the importance of culturally appropriate practices in speech and language therapy.
“It’s not acceptable to us that there are eight Pacific speech and language therapists for the entire country. When you think about the population of our Pacific people in Aotearoa that is simply not enough,” she says.
By offering training and professional development opportunities, Leo Moana aims to upskill the current workforce and ensure that therapists can work with Pacific people in a way that respects and honours their cultural backgrounds.
The group’s efforts have had a significant impact on the field, fostering a more inclusive and culturally sensitive approach to speech and language therapy.
If you would like to contact the Leo Moana team, email admin@leomoana.org.
Leo Moana is a collective of Pacific speech and language therapists from across Aotearoa whose mission is to increase the representation of Pacific individuals in the field.
Sensory elements provide a way for students with diverse learning needs to engage meaningfully with stories and legends.
“A lot of our students struggle to pay attention. Having interactive components makes it much easier for the students to pay attention and engage with the story.”
Amy Faapoi
ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY
Waitaha Positive Action for the Environment Youth Conference
In term 2 Education Gazette was invited to attend the Waitaha Positive Action for the Environment Youth Conference. The event saw 30 schools from Canterbury come together for workshops on environmental issues and demonstrate the power of teamwork and teaching ākonga about sustainability and guardianship of the environment.
Waitaha Positive Action for the Environment Youth Conference was hosted by Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, who were joined by 30 schools from across Canterbury to attend workshops hosted by a range of people aimed at the high school rangatahi.
The event was a resounding success, and brought together passionate ākonga, kaiako, and community leaders to explore and address environmental issues.
Organised by a dedicated team led by Tim Kelly (Hurunui College), Alicia Poroa (Aotearoa Social Studies Educators’ Network), and Kate Rivers (Rangi Ruru Girls’ School), the event showcased the power of collective action and the importance of educating rangatahi about sustainability and kaitiakitanga (guardianship).
Inspiration behind the event
Tim Kelly, a seasoned event organiser, has a history of initiating projects that spark enthusiasm and drive in young minds.
“I like organising events and projects that could inspire young people,” he says.
He quickly points out that his vision would not have come to life without the collaborative efforts of his team.
“I approached my friend Alicia Poroa to join the organising committee. For quite a while it was just Alicia and me, with a few others coming in and out,” he says about how the team came together.
“Then I approached Kate Rivers. Kate offered Rangi Ruru as the venue to host, which turned out to be a great option, especially as they had a central venue with a working horticulture unit and beehives.”
Workshops and presentations
The conference featured 32 workshops and presentations by around 40 experts, with 30 schools and several homeschooled ākonga attending.
Prior to the event, Tim provided ākonga a survey to gauge their preferences for the workshops.
“I matched students with their preferred sessions, while also endeavouring to make sure each session had a good number of participants. This worked really well, with students getting their top preferences in most cases.”
The workshops included:
» Pacific solutions for environmental issues
» new technology in pest management
» managing eco-anxiety
» understanding recycling and recycling initiatives
» mātauranga Māori solutions for environmental issues
» sourcing and preparing native plant seeds and growing native plants
» bee keeping
» kaitiakitanga ki te awa Ōtakaro: Ōtākaro river kōrero and clean-up.
There were many more opportunities for ākonga, including multiple question-and-answer sessions on various topics with a range of panellists to answer questions.
Engaged ākonga
After being welcomed with karakia and waiata by Rangi Ruru ākonga, Tim and Rangi Ruru deputy principal Juliet Collins gave an overview of the event and its importance.
The first two sessions of the day were for all students to set the tone of the day and get them engaged and asking questions.
“I think the pairing of two thought-provoking compulsory sessions at the beginning provided practical thought and skills to administer in how we make change, made me engaged and helped with the rest of the day’s proceedings,” said one student. “The presenters were all great and the subjects were very interesting.”
“I really enjoyed the conference and would definitely come back next year! It really inspired me to think about my actions and things I can do to help the environment.”
Conference feedback
Every workshop was full of captivated students eager to learn from the workshops they had chosen to participate in.
One workshop, run by Year 6 ākonga from Tuia Burnside Primary School, taught the secondary school students about native butterflies in Aotearoa and how to create a habitat for the Canterbury-native Pepe Para Riki Boulder Copper butterfly.
The workshop highlighted how ākonga from different schools could collaboratively engage in teaching and learning across year levels, with some students saying it was their highlight of the conference, including Year 12 student Sarah.
“I love the concept of involving younger students who are so environmentally concerned that they want to share the knowledge they have,” she says. “They started with an engaging quiz, followed by a great session. Younger students doing that was amazing and so informative.”
“The Boulder Copper butterfly presentation was amazing,” noted another student in feedback from a survey sent out after the event. “The tamariki from Burnside Primary were so great at running the session.
“It was very interactive, and I enjoyed planting my own plant. Our school will definitely be creating a butterfly garden after hearing from the Year 6 students from Tuia Burnside Primary School and their awesome teacher.”
Organising the event
Tim says key to organising events such as this starts with assembling a team of dedicated volunteers, noting that it’s also essential to find a suitable venue.
“The first step is to find a committee of people who
want to do it for the love of it,” Tim explains. “Assign jobs and meet regularly. When there’s a shared passion for environmental education, finding engaging presenters is straightforward.
“Organisations were keen to fund the event,” he adds. “Similarly, we found that teachers in schools were keen to support us.”
Event growth
When asked about future plans, Tim was cautiously optimistic.
“It’s very rewarding, but it takes quite a bit of time to organise,” he says, not making any promises. “One of our major sponsors, Grow Waitaha, is trying to continue the mahi post-conference by facilitating meetings for the teachers that were involved. Something may grow from this.
“We may look at doing it again, we have a template now and can use the students’ session preferences from 2024 to focus on what is most important to them.”
Tim urges teachers to motivate their students to engage in activities beyond the classroom.
“School is about more than studying and exams. Encourage your students to get out and do stuff,” he advises.
“It was a pretty special day and has certainly had impact,” adds organiser Kate Rivers. “Momentum has continued since the event, with new initiatives happening in schools following the conference and new connections between students and teachers formed.
“We will soon have a catch up of kaiako to help support and sustain these actions.”
The first sessions of the day were designed to get everyone engaged and asking questions.
Event feedback
Following the event, kaiako and ākonga were sent a feedback survey, which provided overwhelmingly positive post-event feedback.
Feedback from students
“I really enjoyed the conference and would definitely come back next year! It really inspired me to think about my actions and things I can do to help the environment. Also, ways in which I could help others do the same.”
“I thought the conference was really well done. Really enjoyable and informative.”
“My favourite session was the Pacific solutions one, it was incredibly interesting, and it made me think about climate change in another light. I think it’s also quite important that we look at climate change in a cultural perspective.”
“The eco-sourcing really stood out to me. I would 100 percent recommend this to other people as it was a great learning experience.”
“I believe the conference has inspired many to make long term sustainable plans in our society.”
Feedback from teachers
“Thanks for a great conference. Tomorrow we are having a follow-up with the students from our school so that they can make some decisions about what they want to do next. Starting with the keynotes was excellent and it was good to see such a variety of topics covered in the workshops.”
“Great range of workshops and guest speakers. A very worthwhile outing and we look forward to strengthening our networks and look forward to more opportunities in the future.”
“The students were so excited in our follow-up meeting. Thank you and the team so much.”
If you would like to get in touch with Tim Kelly about any further information, you can email him at tk@hurunuicollege.school.nz.
Teach
Free PLD for teachers on renewable energy, presented by Nanogirl.
• STEM teaching resources including full lesson plans available online.
• E-Books available in te reo Māori and English. Find out more at: schoolgen.co.nz/teachers @schoolgennz or use the QR code
Dual-enrolment programme continues to give West Coast ākonga scope to succeed
Each year, Greymouth High School students spend four days a week at Tai Poutini Polytechnic in a pioneering dual-enrolment programme. The programme, which has ākonga learning foundational skills in a variety of fields such as cooking, mechanics, carpentry and outdoor recreation, is designed to smooth the transition from school to workforce.
Home to some of New Zealand’s most isolated households, the West Coast has a long and rich history of pioneering.
In one of its latest pioneering efforts, ākonga learn foundational skills in a variety of fields such as cooking, mechanics, carpentry, and outdoor recreation as part of a dual-enrolment programme between Greymouth High School and Tai Poutini Polytechnic.
Initiated in 2021, the programme has remarkable attendance, employability and learning progress results.
“Last year we had an 89 percent course completion rate, which is very, very good,” says Tai Poutini Polytechnic manager of teacher and learning, Annabell Dey.
Annabell oversaw the programme’s creation three years ago and says it’s gone from strength to strength since. Starting with just nine students, 2023’s cohort ballooned to 23. Of that number, 16 students are currently either enrolled in tertiary study, have entered the workforce, or returned to school to complete NCEA Level 3.
Flexibility and student agency drives this success, says Greymouth High School principal Samantha Mortimer.
“A lot of our rangatahi struggle with school and attendance. The school environment is not for everyone, but students will make the effort to attend school when they feel like classes enrich their lives in clear, immediate ways.
Annabell Dey (far right) celebrating the programme's success with students and tutors from Tai Poutini Polytechnic.
“I think the more we can offer opportunities for our rangatahi to find success, whatever that looks like to them and their whānau, the better it is for everyone,” she says.
“It is a good pathway for our students to really make sure we keep them in school.”
And the pathway is working – the programme’s attendance data sits around 90 percent, says Annabell.
Motivation through accountability
It’s a result that seems to require few tricks. The data simply reflects a sense of accountability among students – less to a system or an institution, but to themselves, says Annabell, highlighting that the programme’s real success begins with how students are treated.
“The first four weeks are the hardest,” she says, explaining that some students initially take advantage of the programme’s freedom. She makes it clear to students that violating the polytechnic’s code of conduct will end in unenrolment.
“After that, there’s usually a really big change in all the students. They realise they’re being treated as adults, and they begin to act a little bit more mature.”
Seventeen-year-old Neveah, part of the programme in 2023, says being treated as an adult kept her motivated.
“I like that,” she says. “If you want to do the work, then you will do it, but if you don’t, that’s up to you. They don’t treat us like babies.”
This approach motivated certain students, says Samantha, noting that a number of students went from never going to school to going to school.
Both Samantha and Annabell agree that the key to sustaining the programme’s impressive attendance record comes down to flexibility.
“This means encouraging the students to take up part-time work or sports commitments and ensuring the programme can work around these,” explains Samantha.
“They still go to Grey High and they can come and do courses with us if they want to. If we’re running a driver’s licence course, they can come and do that. If the polytech is doing a health and safety course, they can do that as well.”
“We encourage them to get a part-time job when they’re here and we work around it as much as we can,” adds Annabell. “So, for example, if they have to work every Thursday morning, we’ll say, right, that’s fine. We’ll put a plan in place for them to catch up.”
A new learning environment
Beginning mid-year, another cohort of Greymouth High students are taking up the opportunities offered by this partnership. While both Samantha and Annabell are looking forward to another year, they acknowledge it still has challenges.
“NCEA is going to be tough,” says Samantha, explaining that new standards in NCEA make the flexibility of dual enrolment more difficult, because assessments now need to be done in one go.
“Finding people who can teach maths and English can be really difficult,” she adds. “That’s a massive concern in
both our school and in programmes like this.
“Students come to school when they see a purpose to it. Like all of us as human beings, we do things because we know they’re going to be purposeful. And if we can’t put great teachers in front of our kids, they’re not going to find school purposeful.”
But challenges aside, feedback from students and parents about dual enrolment is positive. Students such as Neveah say they really enjoy the new learning environment.
“I did like going to school but I found it very difficult to learn there,” explains Neveah. “Tai Poutini has more one-on-one learning and it’s showed me there are different ways of understanding things.”
Top, centre and bottom: Ākonga in the programme learn skills in a variety of fields.
EARLY LEARNING
Preparing the garden of learning with Kōwhiti Whakapae
Kōwhiti Whakapae, a new online curriculum resource for early learning, supports kaiako to expand the capabilities of tamariki and foster their growing identity as learners.
Education Gazette explores the resource with curriculum lead Hilarie Nicoll.
Notice, recognise and respond is a familiar concept for many early learning teachers. Now, it’s being used in a new resource that supports kaiako to strengthen their planning, formative assessment and teaching practice.
Launched in late 2023, Kōwhiti Whakapae is a resource that empowers kaiako to weave Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa into their day-to-day teaching and learning.
“Kōwhiti Whakapae offers tools that help kaiako support all mokopuna to know their own cultures, languages and identities are valued in their early childhood context,” says Sue Cherrington, an associate professor at Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka.
Kōwhiti Whakapae is designed to support kaiako to strengthen their teaching in three areas of learning across the strands of Te Whāriki to support children’s expanding capabilities and foster their growing identity as learners.
These three areas of learning are social and emotional, oral language and literacy, and maths.
With Te Tiriti o Waitangi being one pillar of the framework, te ao Māori is evident throughout Kōwhiti Whakapae. It guides kaiako to focus on affirming the identities, languages, and cultures of all children, whānau, kaiako and communities, and celebrates diversity.
Each area of learning provides information about both teaching practice and children’s progress, and each area is housed in a framework kaiako will be familiar with: create an environment for learning, notice, recognise, respond and re-visit.
Progress in phases
Progress in Kōwhiti Whakapae refers to the way a child’s learning changes in complexity and capability over time, and how it is shaped by identity, language and culture. Kōwhiti Whakapae acknowledges that while individual progress will vary in direction and pace, there are typical characteristics and patterns that are observable over time.
Kōwhiti Whakapae helps kaiako focus on affirming the identities, languages, and cultures of all children.
Whakaritea te pārekereke
Preparing the seedbed to strengthen learning for children
These characteristics and patterns of progress can be simplified into four phases, says Hilarie Nicoll, whose role as curriculum lead for the Ministry of Education in Taranaki/Whanganui supports early learning services with implementing Kōwhiti Whakapae.
“Kōwhiti Whakapae uses the term ‘phases’ to describe children’s capabilities as typical characteristics along a continuum of learning. We’ve defined these phases in the framework within a te ao Māori lens,” she explains.
“This framework places tamariki in the centre with their kaiako and whānau alongside. Expanding awareness and growth are acknowledged as occurring holistically, in varied ways, and as ever-changing over time.
“The first phase, te korekore, is the realm of potential. Māori Marsden, Te Tai Tokerau elder and Anglican minister, described te korekore as being the realm where, in the right environment, everything can reach its fullness.
“Te pō is the realm of exploration, the realm of giving a seed everything it needs to grow.
“Te ao mārama is realisation, or a space for understanding to grow.
“The last phase is te ao hoū, which is the growth that spirals outward and always connects back, to make sense of new learning and create new innovative ideas,” says Hilarie.
“While these phases look different for each child, we want kaiako to understand that capabilities across phases are cumulative and overlapping.”
Laying the groundwork
Within each area of learning, a four-step process guides kaiako through both their teaching practice and children’s
Lay the groundwork: Practices to ‘whakaritea te pārekereke‘, or ‘prepare the seedbed’ for all children.
Notice and recognise: Descriptions of children’s capabilities across four phases of learning.
Respond: Practices to help you respond at different
Related assessments: How you can document and communicate learning in ways that use evidence that has been collected over time.
Kaiako are also encouraged to revisit and review their practices, and to recognise tamariki who may need additional support.
What is social and emotional learning?
Social and emotional is the first area of learning released in the Kōwhiti Whakapae framework, with oral language and literacy and maths planned to be out later this year.
“Social and emotional learning refers to the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that children use in socially and culturally appropriate ways to form relationships, solve conflicts, express and regulate emotions, adapt in new situations, and overcome challenges,” says Hilarie.
Why is social and emotional learning important?
“Children with effective social and emotional competence are more likely to experience positive life outcomes and wellbeing in adulthood,” Hilarie explains.
How is social and emotional learning approached in Kōwhiti Whakapae?
Broadly, social and emotional learning seeks to build on how tamariki:
» connect with familiar and unfamiliar people in responsive and respectful ways
» notice, understand and express emotions
» direct their own learning, make choices, set goals for themselves and their learning, and follow through with their plans
Kaiako can start exploring Kōwhiti Whakapae by visiting the website.
» recognise and celebrate diversity, and how they foster unity and respect for each other.
CURRICULUM
South Auckland schools collaborate on the future of education
Principals from Ōtara share how this year’s Ministry of Education-facilitated teacher-only days are enhancing the professional development of their teaching workforce and fostering connections between schools to address shared challenges and celebrate successes.
In South Auckland, where over 60 percent of the learning community is Māori or Pacific, local schools have embraced a tailored approach to meeting national education priorities.
Key focuses for schools include:
» implementing structured literacy approaches for reading by term 1 2025
» improving attendance and engagement
» supporting mental health and wellbeing, including combatting bullying
» kaiako connections and relationships (whanaungatanga)
» kaiako professional learning and development capabilities to drive a refreshed New Zealand Curriculum.
Wellbeing and structured literacy
In keeping with the theme for Samoan Language Week, ‘serve in love for a blessed future,’ Ferguson Intermediate School, Flat Bush School and Rongomai School’s teacher-only days focused on essential professional development and integrating the new curriculum refresh into classroom learning, including the science of learning, structured literacy, and student mental health and wellbeing.
These sessions were facilitated by Renu Sikka, a Ministry of Education curriculum lead, who presented an online prerecorded webinar by Doctor Nina Hood, founder of the Education Hub.
Nina’s webinar introduced the Science of Learning, delving into the research on cognitive processes that shape learning and its implications for pedagogy and curriculum development.
In a workshop on skilled reading, kaiako looked at Scarborough’s reading rope and used craft paper to visually demonstrate the connections.
Drawing upon teachers’ prior knowledge on the Science of Learning, Renu emphasised its core biological and cognitive foundations. She encouraged teachers to build a shared understanding of how structured literacy approaches can be aligned with the Science of Learning.
Renu discussed skilled reading, metaphorically linking to the strands of Scarborough’s reading rope. She facilitated a session where kaiako used craft paper to visually depict and illustrate how all the components of being a skilled reader are interconnected and interdependent.
Ferguson Intermediate School
Ferguson Intermediate’s teacher-only day focused on building essential literacy skills, ranging from phonemic awareness to understanding text structures.
“Using Scarborough’s reading rope to document our teachers’ progress along a literacy continuum was an excellent way for us to self-reflect and identify gaps in our current teaching practices,” shares principal Ronnie Govender. “This came at the perfect time as we gear up to deliver structured literacy in the new year.”
To aid the psychological wellbeing of students, Amanda Bond from the National Library ran a session on ‘reading for joy’.
“By making reading more enjoyable for students, they naturally do more of it outside the classroom, drawing valuable lessons from literature,” explains Amanda. “This enhances their academic achievement, cognitive function, empathy, and cultural knowledge – helping them become more active and engaged citizens.”
Amanda’s insights about the benefits of reading for joy were perfectly aligned with Ferguson’s focus on student wellbeing and inclusion, says Ronnie.
“It’s important to us that we support our rangatahi as they learn to navigate their emotions and social interactions,” he adds. “Our on-site social worker has been effectively driving this, but we also want our students to feel confident in managing their mental health and wellbeing on their own as they prepare for secondary school.
“The session with Amanda highlighted the importance of constant reading for broadening students’ horizons and understanding of the world. It may seem like common sense, but the robust research about its benefits has influenced us to ensure it is always top of mind.”
Flat Bush and Rongomai schools
Flat Bush School and Rongomai School took a collaborative approach to their teacher-only day, holding a combined day to address the needs of their students.
“A form of prayer before an important engagement or meal is the norm for our Māori and Pacific students and teachers,” says Flat Bush principal Banapa Avatea, describing the day.
“So, we started the day with a karakia, encouraging teachers to bring their whole selves to the professional development sessions.”
In addition to the Science of Learning and reading for joy sessions, Emily Fernando, Flat Bush School’s associate principal, presented innovative methods for utilising AI tools such as ChatGPT, Diffit, and Gemini to enhance curriculum planning and design.
“We’re excited to exercise our learnings from the professional development sessions as a starting point for implementing structured literacy across all year levels by term 1 2025,” says Banapa.
School attendance and bullying
During their shared teacher-only day, Flat Bush and Rongomai schools, both part of Te Puke ō Taramainuku Kāhui Ako, discovered their shared values, visions for education and common challenges.
“Student attendance has been impacted by the pandemic and weather-related interruptions. To combat this, we have an on-site social worker to help learners and their whānau get back into school,” explains Banapa.
“For many families, financial struggles and challenging circumstances affect attendance. Our social workers ensure these students don’t fall through the cracks and follow up on cases of unexplained truancy,” he adds.
To address bullying, Banapa emphasised the importance of open communication and strong pastoral care.
“We believe in open lines of communication and ensure a school counsellor is onsite at least three days a week to support students. We also use resources from the MITEY schoolwide mental health programme to educate learners and whānau on the difference between one-off unkind moments and bullying, helping them work through issues constructively.”
Left to right: Flat Bush assistant principal Emily Fernando, Flat Bush deputy principal Janetta Mayerhofler, National Library facilitator
Amanda Bond, Rongomai deputy principal Carol Fauolo, Ministry of Education curriculum lead Renu Sikka, Rongomai acting principal
Sarah Faifua and Flat Bush principal Banapa Avatea.
To view the PLD, general notice listings and vacancies at gazette.education.govt.nz
Scan the QR codes with the camera on your device.
Education Gazette Publication dates 2024
Leadership Advisory Service Opportunities 2025
We are now recruiting experienced Principals for the following positions in the 2025 cohort. Expressions of Interest are open until 9am, 29 July for the several positions within the advisory service:
› Supporting Pacific Principals: Tāmaki Makaurau based.
› Regional Advisors serving: Tāmaki Herenga Tangata (North and West region), Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Greater Wellington and Nelson/ Malborough/ West Coast.
We welcome Expressions of Interest from experienced and recently retired Principals from across the sector, school sizes and types. Secondments are for 12, 18 or 24 months. Applicants’ most current renumeration will apply.
Join the Leadership Advisory Team to help enable system-wide and transformational change by supporting and building leadership capability and designing a sustainable Leadership Advisory model.
Leadership Advisor roles
Your expertise, mana, passion and experience will enable you to contribute to building leadership capability in the sector. The Leadership Advisors will focus on supporting Principals/ Tumuaki in English and Māori medium schools/kura.
How to apply
For Information about the roles available go to the Education Gazette — online vacancies, and search under leadership section in your region: https://gazette.education.govt.nz/vacancies/ Applications close 9am, 29th July 2024. All positions commence 28th January 2025.
