Education Gazette 98.21

Education Gazette NEW ZEALAND

9 December 2019

Volume 98 Number 21

www.gazette.education.govt.nz

TUKUTUKU KÅŒRERO

Looking towards a more sustainable future Education to employment pathways

Pursuing a passion for teaching

Kia ora koutou katoa T

his is the final edition of Education Gazette | Tukutuku Kōrero for the year and I wanted to reflect on some of the work that has been done this year or is underway.

Many of you have told me directly, or through your representatives, that it feels like there is a lot of change going on.

I know that there is always change at school and kāhui ako level as teachers and others work to strengthen professional practice and pedagogy. This is a strength of our system; self-evaluation and ongoing improvement. Thank you.

In the past couple of years the Ministry has been leading the Education Work Programme and that will have felt like even more change. So far there has been a lot of discussion and policy formulation and we will be working with you to implement key aspects of the work programme, over time, and with regard to the busy environment we all work in. Each part of the work programme is important in its own right, but it is also a connected whole and to help describe this we developed the Education Work Programme wheel diagram. I find this a useful tool for keeping an eye on the big picture and also seeing where individual parts of the work are up to. You can see the latest version of the diagram on page 18 of this edition of the Gazette. Please note, I am deliberately using the term ‘latest’ here, because things do change and the picture is never static!

My thanks to all of you for the work that you do to support effective teaching and learning for your school community and a particular thanks to those of you who have contributed to the long-term system-wide change that the Education Work Programme is defining.

Education Gazette office closure The Education Gazette office will be closed from Monday 23 December. Vacancies and notices will be processed up to 4pm on Friday 20 December. The office will re-open from 9am on Wednesday 8 January 2020 to process all vacancies and notices submitted over the holidays. All article and advertising queries will be answered after this date.

Please enjoy a safe, restful and well-deserved break with friends and whānau this holiday season.

Vacancies and notices will NOT be published online between 21 December and 7 January 2020.

Nāku noa, nā

Ngā mihi,

Iona Holsted Secretary for Education

Keep informed and inspired with Education Gazette | Tukutuku Kōrero Get the Education Gazette in your inbox. Subscribe now for: » Inspiring and informative articles » The latest sector news and policy initiatives » Video content » Curriculum resources

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The Education Gazette team

Contents

Education Gazette NEW ZEALAND

TUKUTUKU KŌRERO

Education Gazette NEW ZEALAND

9 December 2019

Volume 98 Number 21

www.gazette.education.govt.nz

TUKUTUKU KŌRERO

Looking towards a more sustainable future Education to employment pathways

Pursuing a passion for teaching

On the cover

P3: South New Brighton School has piloted a new climate change resource. Remy and Ollie and their classmates have been learning about making a difference.

Deadlines

The deadline for vacancies and notices to be printed in the 3 February 2020 edition of Education Gazette is 4pm on Friday 24 January 2020.

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Enviro-changemakers take action

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You(th) Got Skills

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Learning with digital technologies to support sustainable outcomes

Education Gazette is published for the Ministry of Education by NZME. Educational Media Ltd.

Key contacts Reporter

Joy Stephens 04 915 9784 reporter@edgazette.govt.nz

Display & feature advertising Jill Parker 04 915 9798 jill.parker@nzme.co.nz

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Growing inclusive practice to benefit all learners

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Student-led te reo Māori initiative boosts confidence

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Pacific voices shaping the future of education

Vacancies & notices listings Eleni Hilder 04 915 9796 vacancies@edgazette.govt.nz notices@edgazette.govt.nz Enhanced listings & display vacancies Jill Parker 04 915 9798 jill.parker@nzme.co.nz Subscriptions eleni.hilder@nzme.co.nz We welcome your story ideas. Please send a brief outline – 50-100 words – to: reporter@edgazette.govt.nz

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Education work programme overview and status – November 2019

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Pursuing a passion for teaching

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Partnerships enrich student pathways

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Speedmeeting your way to work

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Principal exchange turns leaders into learners

PO Box 200, Wellington.

ISSN 0111 1582

View us online

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All advertising is subject to advertisers agreeing to NZME. Educational Media’s terms and conditions: www.nzme-ed.co.nz/ about This publication is produced using FSC® Certified paper from Responsible Sources.

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Inspiring the future for young New Zealanders

REGULARS

33 Notices

39 Vacancies TUKUTUKU KŌRERO

9 December 2019

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CLIMATE CHANGE

Nico and Theo tend to one of the trees they helped plant behind South New Brighton School.

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NEW ZEALAND Education Gazette 9 December 2019

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Enviro-changemakers take action When students from a Christchurch school did a section survey of the nearby Avon-Heathcote Estuary, they were shocked to find enough rubbish to fill three 10-litre drums.

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n Term 4, 2018, South New Brighton School piloted a new curriculum resource: Climate Change – prepare today, live well tomorrow, which has given many of the Year 7 and 8 students and their teachers a passion and urgency for protecting the environment – particularly the narrow spit of land surrounded by estuary where their school is located.

Teachers Mel Field and Jo Chalmers teach two classes (as a waka) and say the resource tied in well with prior learning about sustainability, which focused on plastics and pollution.

“The climate change resource was the next level, looking at greenhouse gas emissions which the children here were really interested in because we’re on the coast and some of them had quite a lot of anxiety about climate change,” Mel says.

She says the programme was tailored to the local community and students could see the relevance to their learning and lives as they learned about the potential impact of climate change in their area.

Earthquake caused ongoing flooding, erosion The February 2011 magnitude 6.3 earthquake caused parts of the estuary to tilt, which has resulted in ongoing flooding and erosion. In August, Christchurch City Council announced it plans to build bunds to protect South New Brighton School and surrounding areas from sea level rise and flooding.

Jo says there has been considerable anxiety in the community for the past nine years, which many students will be aware of and have felt.

“There’s been a lot going on in our area with the City Council and what their plans were. Before the pilot, we sent a letter to parents to explain what we were going to cover and asked if they wanted to be involved.

“It was done in a way that the children’s mental health was looked after within the programme as well,” she says.

As well as offering a variety of activities and ways of learning, the climate change programme gave the students hope, Mel says.

“The children really enjoyed the drama and role plays – it made the learning fun. I think it gave them quite a lot of hope that, yes there are these problems, but there are things they can do.”

Many initiatives Students made goals which they revisited throughout the programme – things like choosing to walk, bike or scooter to

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school rather than getting dropped off by car, and reducing the amount of meat they ate each week.

As part of the classroom activities and their raised awareness, Year 7 and 8 students from the school have planted native trees outside the school to mitigate erosion. The school will help to maintain the trees in collaboration with the Council.

“Earlier this year, Jo and I decided to use no plastic liners in rubbish bins. This has meant that all food waste has to go in the compost bin or be taken home. This term [4], we purchased a bigger compost bin as we have now got the staffroom on board with composting food waste,” Mel says.

“The climate change learning programme linked it all together for us and has given us more of a path to follow. We now know where we are heading whereas before we had all these ideas but they weren’t quite linked,” Jo explains.

Plans are also in the pipeline to apply for grant money for solar panels to help reduce the school’s energy consumption.

Integrated learning Learning was integrated across curriculum areas such as writing and science, says Mel. “We had some experts come in and help with science experiments which the children really enjoyed. They looked at how the temperature rises really quickly in a glass jar, as opposed to outside the jar – the greenhouse effect.

“It was awesome to see the creativity the children showed and that little steps can make a big difference if you keep repeating them. It’s very easy to look at this problem and think, ‘there’s nothing I can do’. But I think in the programme we all learnt that every little thing you can do actually adds up to be quite an amount,” says Mel. The climate change programme fits nicely within the school’s local curriculum.

“Material from the programme is still fresh in everybody’s minds,” says Jo. “The students who were with us last year and are still with us this year are always bringing up why we don’t use plastic; why we are choosing to bus, bike or walk; why we are composting. They are always bringing up things that they learnt from the programme and the reality of why we are doing it – it is all about climate change,” she says.

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Rubbish from Christchurch’s rivers ends up in the estuary, where Remy, Ollie and their classmates pick it up.

Students step up Mel Field says students have become very motivated by seeing the positive impact their actions can have on the environment.

“There’s a lot of interest at this school because of our special environment by the sea and estuary,” she says.

The Education Gazette sat down with some of the students to discuss what they had learnt and how they plan to take action to mitigate or adapt to the impact of climate change.

The students liked the hands-on nature of many of the activities. They go to high school next year and hope to continue to find – and act on – opportunities to reduce the impact of climate change in everyday life.

“I liked that it wasn’t all taught in one way and wasn’t all just writing. There were different parts such as skits and experiments. A climate scientist showed us how fresh water and saltwater don’t mix, which is important for the way the ocean affects the climate,” says Ollie Mann (13) who has been involved in the school’s enviro-group for the past four years.

Theo Vincent (13) also enjoyed the hands-on activities such as tree planting and learning about different kinds of rubbish. He thinks humans have been ‘stupid’ to enhance the effect of climate change on the planet.

“We can’t help by sitting around and talking – we need to do something.

If our class can plant 100 trees, think what could be achieved if all the classes in the world did it,” he says.

Act local, achieve global The learning they gained from the climate change resource has continued, with students conducting a Marine Metre Squared survey of the estuary earlier in the year. This involved recording what they found in a square metre, Nico Parkes-Brown (13) explains: “We had to record everything – rock, plant, rubbish. We hope that in 20 years’ time, we will be able to go back and compare the data.

“I was quite shocked – plants had grown through plastic, plastic was embedded in rocks, there was an old buried bottle of bleach and a Cookie Time wrapper with a use by date of 2001.”

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Emma Dufty (13) is a member of the School Strike 4 Climate team and was part of a group who interviewed the Prime Minister. She has spoken on a Local Government New Zealand panel, and recently received the BLAKE Young Leader award for her work on climate change and the environment.

“We don’t have a car to reduce emissions and I bike to school every day. Knowledge is power and now everyone has more understanding and you can talk more openly about the issues. I don’t feel so upset because I see so much action going on with rubbish pickups and things.

As Jane Goodall said – think local, act local, achieve global,” she says.

and included information about using hemp which is 100 per cent biodegradable for clothing and as a replacement for some plastic.

Rosie is keen to continue her efforts when she begins secondary school.

“I want to carry on doing the reporter competition and I hope I can take on more of a leadership role.”

Enviro-reporting from Aotearoa

South New Brighton School has signed an agreement with the Council to be kaitiaki of their part of the estuary edge. The agreement includes native tree planting and maintenance, rubbish audits (done through Enviroschools), rubbish clean-ups around the domain/estuary, and trapping pests.

Rosie Arrillaga and Neve Sparks (both 13) came third in New Zealand in an international competition: Young Reporters for the Environment.

Their entry, ‘Plastic – not so Fantastic!’ directly related to climate change

“We presented in front of the little kids about cleaning up the estuary.

We are the role models – it’s good for them as they are the next generation and have to keep it clean,” says Remy Soloman (12).

“The children really enjoyed the drama and role plays – it made the learning fun. I think it gave them quite a lot of hope that, yes there are these problems, but there are things they can do.”

Mel Field

Enviro-warriors: Remy, Theo, Nico, Emma, Ollie, Rosie and Neve in front of the estuary which they hope to protect for future generations.

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Hayley and Neve were part of the school’s planting team.

Curriculum resource to engage children In 2018, local government agencies in Ōtautahi Christchurch started discussions with one of their coastal communities about climate change. As part of this work, former teacher turned education consultant, Sian Carvell and Christchurch community facilitator, Rachel Puentener, initiated a climate change education programme for Year 7 and 8 students at South New Brighton School.

Due to the challenging nature of climate change, the resource also includes a Wellbeing Guide to support educators to proactively include the wellbeing of participants.

After very positive feedback from students and teachers which included ideas for new activities and videos, the Climate Change – prepare today, live well tomorrow resource has been updated and is now available to be used by schools nationwide.

“The pilot showed us that the call to action needs to be supported by cities and regions. Engaged children and young people are going to go out with their ideas and need support from local bodies and organisations. Christchurch City Council and Environment Canterbury have made a declaration of climate emergency and are really stepping up around climate change education and engagement with children and young people,” says Sian.

“There’s a whole lot of stuff out there and it can become a bit overwhelming especially if the information is conflicting. We wanted to raise awareness and to inform children and young people about climate change. As an interactive science-based programme, it gives them the necessary facts to enable them to not only understand climate change, but act in a way that can make a real difference,” says Sian. The curriculum resource provides a comprehensive introduction to climate change issues, with a focus on reducing the causes of climate change. Most importantly, it offers children and young people opportunities to act on their knowledge and ideas to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

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“Children intuitively connect to the natural environment. If you give them the information in a safe environment, they become motivated and enabled. Our role is to support them with that.

Everyone can be a changemaker Sian says students learned that everyone can be a climate change changemaker.

“Being in front of a camera or speaking at the UN isn’t the only way to make a difference. Some of them thought ‘who am I to do something?’ but by the end of the programme they felt they could actually make a difference.

“I met with them a year after the pilot and asked them if they have hope and they

NEW ZEALAND Education Gazette 9 Gazette XXDecember Xxxxxxx 2019 2019

emphatically said ‘yeah!’ That is what this kind of programme brings, rather than them just having stories from the media of all the horrors of climate change; through the knowledge they have gained, they feel they are contributing to positive change,” Sian says.

Find out more To access the new curriculum resource and supporting wellbeing guide, search ‘Education for Sustainability’ on the New Zealand Curriculum TKI site and look under Tools and Resources.

Marine Metre Squared: mm2.net.nz Young Reporters for the Environment: yre.global South New Brighton School students wrote and performed a rap about climate change: vimeo.com/292269809

Moving towards a greener Gazette Education Gazette Tukutuku Kōrero is also moving towards a more sustainable future. From next year, we will no longer be wrapping our Boards of Trustees copies in degradable plastic. This is one step in investigating environmentally friendly options for packaging as we pursue a greener Gazette.

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EDUCATION TO EMPLOYMENT

Aspiring dancers Lose and Sifila are among the students featured on the You(th) Got Skills video series.

You(th) Got Skills A newly launched video series shows how the skills young people have acquired at school and in their everyday lives are valued by employers.

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ou(th) Got Skills is a five-part video series featuring students aged 15 to 18 from Manurewa High School in South Auckland. The webisodes tell the story of how they acquire and apply vital ‘soft skills’ in and out of school, and how these skills might be just what is needed by future employers.

In each webisode the students are teamed up with mentors and employers, who discuss how the skills acquired by these young people could be applicable in their respective industries.

Among the students featured is Porsha Sagote, who aspires to be a primary school teacher. The webisode highlights how Porsha’s leadership and critical thinking skills have developed during her time as head girl and student voice for the kāhui ako.

MYOB education manager Shailan Patel participated in the series and noted that Porsha’s skills, as well as her confidence and commitment, would be valued in his workplace.

Values and culture “When hiring, we’re looking for those who can add to our values and culture at MYOB. We’re searching for people who are innovative, find new ways of doing things and are passionate about their work,” says Shailan. www.gazette.education.govt.nz

“Employers want to know how students are applying what they are learning in class in a practical manner, like solving problems and finding solutions. How they are applying the skills they are developing.

“Communication is key to help them stand out. Students who can articulate their skills and experience both in person and on paper/ online will be able to confidently demonstrate why they are right for the role they are applying for.”

“There are a lot of young people out there with the right skills, passion, attitude that employers are looking for.”

Andrew Gurr Shailan wants to see Porsha and other young people succeed in the workplace.

“There are a lot of young people out there with the right skills, passion, attitude that employers are looking for. They just need to be heard, seen! The You(th) Got Skills video is

a brilliant initiative to promote them, giving them the platform to be heard and seen.”

Fusion Networks chief executive Andrew Gurr agrees.

Role of the school “I don’t know if kids will go after these skills knowing how useful they are; in my view this is the role of the school to promote activities that promote skills like communication, problem solving and relationship building. Presenting these soft skills could be any way - video, testimonials, or in a CV. The key is someone helping students describe what they learnt, as I don’t think they realise it.”

Andrew is impressed by the level of creativity and focused motivation displayed by students when they are engaged in activities they find interesting. The students he worked with on You(th) Got Skills are aspiring dancers Lose and Sifila Hafoka.

“If schools can help create this level of excitement in learning, more students will excel in my view,” says Andrew.

Watch the You(th) Got Skills webisodes on the Ministry of Education’s Youtube channel.

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DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES LEARNING

Learning with digital technologies to support sustainable outcomes Rolleston College has been using project-based inquiry to support their learning and understanding of the new digital technologies curriculum content, specifically the new technological area: Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes.

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tudents in Year 9 at Rolleston College are experiencing digital technologies learning in authentic contexts and through a cross-curricular approach. Their objective was to work through a design thinking (inquiry) process to design and develop a digital outcome to create awareness around a sustainable development goal of their own choice.

At Rolleston College, ‘Ako learning groups’ help support students with their personalised learning. Through Ako learning students focus on their individualised research topics enabling teaching and learning to be cross-curricular.

At the end of each term, each learner presents their progress to family and whānau. The Ako learning groups also demonstrate the school’s development focus on understanding authentic, needs-based differentiated learning.

The digital technologies curriculum content learning started with having an authentic context. Each student identified their own sustainable development goal, a challenge of local, regional or global significance, such as poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice.

The challenge was then to design and develop some kind of ‘digital outcome’ or ‘artefact’ to inform others about their sustainable development goal and describe why the goal

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was important to them. As students defined their goal, their understanding and what potential digital outcomes could be developed; they also had to refine their ideas, seek feedback from peers, and record their changes and why.

Information gathering To explore the complexities of their sustainable development issue, students heard from a variety of speakers from their community. They were also able to gather information from a number of existing digital sources.

To support this learning, students were given a defined design process to use, as well as evidence templates to help them gather information and support them to form their ideas. Students were also given a rubric to follow, helping them to identify what stage they were at in the process. Their Ako learning group teachers supported students to understand and explore design principles as they developed their digital outcome.

Rolleston College Ako learning group coach Dan Hunter was impressed with the student learning in this process.

“What surprised me was their ability to develop something out of nothing, and develop their understanding from very little – and be engaged to design and develop a digital outcome from that.”

NEW ZEALAND Education Gazette 9 December 2019

Examples of digital outcomes the students created included scratch games, comic books, Instagram accounts showing the action and student interviews expressing their opinions on YouTube. Some students also developed Google sites incorporating a range of their digital outcomes.

“The majority of the students could bring the digital outcomes together in different ways, which meant there were a range of ways to show the different projects,” says Dan.

Sharing the work At the end, students were required to present their digital outcome to their whānau group – and make sure that people could easily access it through their own device. This then led their learning development to be around understanding how to share their work and create a QR code.

“There were a lot of challenges – learning flip-grid, and learning different skills within tools. However, these new problem solving and technical skills can be transferred to other projects within the school and their connected option classes,” notes Dan. “I didn’t feel like I had to teach them everything they had to know; they were able to go down a path they wanted to go down and discover,” he says. www.gazette.education.govt.nz

What did the students think?

“I enjoyed this project because I got to come up with my own ideas and then learn how to edit the video clips. I think it was really good that the project was around the sustainable development goals because I didn’t know there was such a big problem and now I have a much better understanding.” – Yana

“I like that you had to be creative and that we couldn’t do just slides.

I like how I can go up to other people’s artefacts and scan the QR code to see what they did and learn about their project. It was good to raise awareness about the issues in our environment that I feel I can make a difference.” – Ezra

How to do this at your school

Ako learning in action

» Be open to new ideas » Students may struggle to see success at the start of this; working in pairs or groups and offering differentiated learning may support them to see success through this » Have a range of teachers available to offer different perspectives and understandings of the authentic context » Involve the community where appropriate to offer perspectives about what is happening at a local or regional level » Investigate what Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes are through the National Digital Readiness Programme, Kia Takatū ā-Matihiko » While this may be new territory, teachers can guide students to show what they know and what they can do » Use a defined design process. If you don’t have one already, investigate a range of design processes and work out which one will work for your students. » Visit the online version of this article at gazette.education.govt.nz for more information on Digital Technologies: Designing and Development Digital Outcomes; Leading Local Curriculum guides; and Sustainable Development Goals.

In Ako learning groups, students and their learning coach meet each day for 100 minutes for a check-in, to connect and receive coaching and pastoral care. The learning coach will monitor their progress in literacy and numeracy, and help develop the students’ personalised inquiry programmes.

The Ako learning groups contain mixed year levels, enabling role-modelling for the younger students under the principle of tuakana-teina. Ako learning provides a great vehicle for cross-curricular learning.

Rolleston College has developed this teaching and learning experience with Professional Learning Development support. Other schools are welcome to take any helpful ideas and use them at their own schools.

This story has been provided by Gerard MacManus, president of the NZ Digital Technologies Teachers Aotearoa

“What surprised me was [the students’] ability to develop something out of nothing, and develop their understanding from very little – and be engaged to design and develop a digital outcome from that.”

Dan Hunter

Is your school 2020 ready?

Have you employed teachers who are new to the profession?

Our 2020 Provisionally Certificated Teacher workshop series is designed by educational professionals for beginning educators as they transition from study to classroom practice.

These workshops are also suitable for teachers returning to teaching or arriving from overseas.

Our 2020 series of workshops for both primary and secondary teachers will support educators with: • Strategies for building relationships with all stakeholders • Effective pedagogy across the curriculum • Practical ideas that can be implemented in the classroom • Information about registering and becoming a certificated teacher • Mentor support

Let us know how else we can help you and your staff be 2020 ready! Find out more – waikato.ac.nz/go/2020ready or call us on 07 838 4458

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Millie enjoys a kōrero with Lynne Hazeldine.

“It’s really been about building on that philosophy of inclusion and making sure that every child who comes in our door, whether they come with additional needs, challenging behaviour, a smile on their face or not, is made to feel equally welcome.”

Sandy Hastings 10

NEW ZEALAND Education Gazette 9 December 2019

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INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

Growing inclusive practice to benefit all learners A Christchurch school has found that an initiative to grow inclusive practice has not only benefited diverse learners, but also resulted in improved teacher confidence and fewer referrals to RTLB services.

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ince the beginning of 2019, Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto (a name gifted by Ngāi Tahu to Beckenham School) has been developing a pilot project in partnership with the Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) to enhance inclusive practice. They wanted to ensure that schoolwide practices and classroom programmes respond to students’ different needs, skills, interests and cultures.

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto has a history of being inclusive, with two satellite classes of Ferndale School on site. The seeds of the inclusion project were sown when teachers and management noticed an increase in the number and variety of diverse learners. The school needed access to expert support to help teachers analyse behaviour and identify learner needs and patterns across the school to support appropriate PLD (professional learning and development), says principal Sandy Hastings.

“We had a number of referrals to the RTLB service and recognised that we were struggling to meet the needs of children who think differently and behave differently. We recognised a long time ago that it’s not the kids who need fixing, it’s the way we are teaching that needs to change – that’s fundamental.

“We recognise that a lot of these children are quite able and they are disengaging; struggling or overwhelmed by the way school operates and learning happens. It’s not working for them, so we thought – how can we do it differently so that we’re not putting in referral after referral

to RTLB? We said: ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing if we had an RTLB here?’ We could just pick their brains in the moment to help’,” says Sandy.

Engaging every student Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto set out to support teachers and increase their knowledge and skills. The first step was to submit an individual school referral to the RTLB for an RTLB (Lynne Hazeldine) to be at the school for half a day a week. Then a diverse learners’ team with representatives from senior leadership and each teaching team was set up.

Jo Smith is the leader of the diverse learners’ team and says the application was made to the RTLB service to help the school become more responsive and proactive.

“Traditionally when you use the service, you put in a referral for a child or group of children and go through that whole process. The project means we have the benefit of an RTLB at school for half a day a week which best meets the needs of Beckenham staff and tamariki,” she says.

“We have now shown that you can make a difference for a child through a half hour observation followed by a facilitated conversation. Lynne would talk through her observations and suggest strategies with teachers in the team. They would implement something the next day and find things working. What was working for one often had a spin-off effect for other children as well,” Jo adds.

Continued on next page >>

Embedding inclusive practices Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto wants to embed their inclusive practices, make them sustainable and ensure information is widely shared and passed on. They have taken a number of steps: » Developed more depth to their inclusion and support register, which now contains all the information about students’ learning support needs. » Used New Zealand Council of Educational Research’s (NZCER) Inclusive Practices Toolkit and Wellbeing Survey to get a snapshot of student voice. The two sets of data were cross-checked, providing a powerful picture that identified trends and informed the initiatives that are being implemented. » Used the Inclusive Practices Toolkit. This focuses on practices, systems and structures, rather than disabilities, and has enabled Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto to promote the idea that inclusion applies to all students and that diversity is a resource for learning. » Engaged NZCER to unpack the Wellbeing Survey results and advise them on how to use the Toolkit to help identify trends. » Used school-provided staff release to plan schoolwide actions and respond to the data analysis. » Used social stories across the school to ensure all children and whānau are well-informed and able to be included.

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RTLB supports and mentors staff RTLB Lynne now spends half a day a week observing children, mentoring and coaching teachers and facilitating workshops and PLD for teachers and teacher assistants.

“We kept putting our heads together and saying: ‘what are we missing?’,” says Sandy.

“Because we know things aren’t right, but it’s really difficult for a teacher when you have 25 kids in front of you and one isn’t engaging. Whereas someone sitting on the side can observe or do a running record with a child and say something like: ‘what I noticed was that they are listening but not looking at you’.

“Lynne brings a toolkit of ideas which she has seen tried and successful in many places. Often our teachers know 50 per cent of them already but they forget because they aren’t using them regularly enough.

Sometimes it’s just about jogging people’s memories and having those conversations,” Sandy says.

Seeking best outcomes While the referral rate has decreased, Lynne says it is the outcomes that give the best indication of the project’s success.

She credits the senior leadership team’s commitment and belief in inclusive practice and its outcomes for diverse learners.

“If you increase outcomes for students, you are going to decrease things like referrals and stand-downs; and attendance will improve. If a child is succeeding and feeling happy at school, they want to be here!”

Lynne says.

Lynne first became involved at Beckenham in 2017 with a cohort of boys with diverse needs and says she is seeing a huge change for that group of students.

“It’s just a matter of checking in. A teacher might say: ‘I tried something and it was great, or that didn’t work so well’ and then it’s a matter of saying ‘OK what can we do? Can we change it a little bit? Do we need to give it a bit more time?’ We’re all problem solving – I’m not telling them what to do,” says Lynne.

Collaborative hubs Following a redesign and rebuild of the school, teachers now work in collaborative hubs with between two and five classes in each.

This means that all teachers in the hub share responsibility for students with diverse needs and can share their collective wisdom and expertise, as well as having team meetings with Lynne on a regular basis.

Jo says the collaborative approach results in increased awareness and many strategies and solutions. “In one group there was a lot of sensory stuff going on, so it was introducing things like using a weighted blanket to calm the child; using headphones to eliminate background noise; finding a space within the setting they felt comfortable being in; removing objects that might flitter and float around the classroom – so, identifying triggers. There was lots of learning around sensory needs,” she says.

Improving practice All of the management team and staff at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto are committed to building flexibility and responsiveness to

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto’s Inclusive Practices Team meet regularly to discuss next steps. They are pictured in a multi-class hub.

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the needs of all students, which has resulted in them improving their practice on a daily basis.

Deputy Principal Sue Leadbetter is also the school’s SENCO and says there are no ‘naughty children’ at Beckenham.

“They are trying to communicate something by their behaviour and it’s our job to find out what they are communicating and why, and what we can put in place to help.”

Jo says growing inclusive practice means supporting students to identify what they need and how they can access it.

“Such as, for a student to be able to coconstruct their timetable with the teacher, including set times during the day where they can work independently on a passion or special interest project.”

Sandy adds they have seen a cohort of kids who were previously prone to “meltdowns” become calmer over time.

“We have kids who are calmer and more engaged because we get there together. It’s not us telling them how they have to fit in because the teacher has got 25 kids and so has to organise it in a ‘way that works for me’. It’s about ‘what do you need and how can we meet somewhere collaboratively so you engage in the task that I would really like you to engage with and be able to do it in a way that works for you?’” says Sandy.

Support for teachers The collaborative approach to inclusive practice means that trends can be identified and acted on, with staff meetings, workshops and ‘in the moment’ mentoring and PLD. A resource bank

RTLB Lynne Hazeldine observes a class at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto.

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is being compiled which contains strategies already identified and implemented, which every teacher can access for children who show similar behaviours.

“There’s the specific PLD – our staff-run sessions – and I think it’s about ongoing development. Our staff feel safe to chat with Lynne over a coffee – or she might offer a resource or suggest a video clip. You’re not attending a course in isolation and bringing back what you learnt, but learning from the day-to-day moments,” Jo says.

Empowering teaching assistants Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto has also invested in the school’s teaching assistants who support students with challenges to overcome.

“We had a teacher-only day recently and Lynne and an RTLB colleague, Cath Barrie, ran a workshop for our teaching assistants, based on commonalities that Lynne had observed, to equip them with strategies,” says Jo. “Teaching assistants are now more confident in how to approach a situation or the learning and feel empowered and upskilled.

Relationships are now much stronger because they aren’t going into battle and are working alongside the child,” adds Sandy.

Supporting relievers Without adequate preparation, some diverse learners can be thrown into a spin by a relieving teacher.

“For some children, their reaction to a relief teacher might be: ‘I wasn’t expecting this and you don’t know me and my experience of new

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people is they don’t get me’. Within three seconds of seeing the reliever, the whole day has turned to custard for some of these kids.

We do a lot of front loading – if a teacher knows they are going to be away they will set all the kids up – it’s keeping things as predictable as possible,” Sandy explains.

The school also has folders for relievers which include information about specific children. “It’s all strengths-based, for example, a strategy that might help one child is having a desk to work at (not every child has a desk) but we have learned that works for him. With this information, everyone’s day will go much better,” Sandy explains.

Challenges and successes The team at Beckenham agree they are already seeing benefits from growing inclusive practices.

“Our big challenge is to ensure the sustainability of this and how do we keep this wonderful practice going, flourishing and embedded?

With new people coming on, what does induction look like in relation to that?” Sue says.

“It’s really been about building on that philosophy of inclusion and making sure that every child who comes in our door, whether they come with additional needs, challenging behaviour, a smile on their face or not, is made to feel equally welcome,” says Sandy.

Social stories Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto was aware there were students who were not fully engaging in activities such as school trips because there were too many unknowns, so they developed ‘social stories’. Prior to a trip, teachers will compile a slideshow of photographs and text – an information story which shows what to expect.

“The slideshow shows ‘this is what it’s going to look like, sound like and feel like’. We are giving them some reassurance about what to expect and it’s amazing,” says Sue Leadbetter.

“The teachers noticed there was one boy not going on trips and if he did, he wasn’t participating at all. After the team had used the social story about the trip, he was fully engaged with the group, which had never happened before and he was asking questions and really getting involved.

“Once these strategies are embedded in your practice, it becomes automatic. With the social stories, we can reuse some of the stories and just tweak them a bit,” Sue says.

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TE REO MĀORI

Student-led te reo Māori initiative boosts confidence An Auckland primary school has found that a student-led te reo Māori initiative is helping students and teachers to become confident in their use of the language.

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orbay School in Auckland started a pilot in 2018 which sees children and teachers learning te reo Māori from their peers.

Two days a week Year 4–6 students lead Year 3 classes in waiata and a basic te reo Māori lesson.

They show the class how they can incorporate what they have learned into their daily class routine.

Lessons use the online Wai Ako resource which has waiata and lessons that are easy for children to lead. Wai Ako (learning songs) is based around a series of short music videos that introduce phrases and vocabulary covering a basic introduction, and provide pronunciation basics through catchy and fun songs.

The resource was launched two years ago by Auckland lawyer and musician Roimata Smail, who began writing songs to help her husband, Torbay School teacher Sam Boriboun. He is now leading the pilot scheme at the school to develop teachers’ fluency in te reo Māori.

the language – it’s who we are now. When I first tried to learn Māori, Roimata and I realised that you can’t learn a language intellectually – you have to use it all the time. The songs take away that fear of pronunciation,” he says.

and will introduce this next year, along with wellbeing concepts so that children can express their emotions in te reo Māori. The scheme will also be rolled out for Years 0–2 at the school in 2020.

Sam noticed that students seemed to learn te reo Māori better child to child and thought this could be a good strategy for incorporating Wai Ako into lessons. The concept of Torbay School’s Wai Ako pilot is that students and teachers all learn together, with students as teachers.

“It’s such a different school now, with a big shift in confidence and teachers using it.

The students love seeing teachers learning alongside them. The student teachers are now saying, ‘we’re the teachers now, we’ve got the knowledge’. They are really proud of themselves and are seen as role models.

“It only took the student leaders one lesson to get the hang of teaching te reo,” Sam says. “I taught the kids how to teach using one of the Wai Ako songs and we went through how to play the song, pause the second time around and get them to say the phrase five times to themselves, five times to their buddy. It only took about one lesson and they didn’t need me to help them again!

“Schools should just give student-led te reo a go – the kids will surprise you,” says Sam.

Interestingly, Sam’s first language is Lao, and English is his second language.

“The challenges are fear of pronunciation and lack of confidence, but having the student teachers just took that away – the children just give it a go,” he says.

“I thought I needed to up my game as a teacher and be able to use te reo and normalise

The school has trained a few children to do sign language alongside the Wai Ako lessons

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More than 3,000 children around New Zealand are using Wai Ako, which is linked to The New Zealand Curriculum and includes planning and resources which progress from Year 0 to Year 6.

“It’s a great starting point. When students are leading the learning it’s not so much like hard work, but fun,” says Sam. For more information about Wai Ako and to subscribe to the programme, go to www.waiako.com

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Year 6 students Levi and Reeve are teaching a class the phrase ko wai tō ingoa - what’s your name?

Kōrero about Wai Ako Year 6 students Levi and Naava kōrero about being student-leaders Q. What was it like the first time you took a class? » It was fun being the teacher because you got to tell the kids what to do and how to say it. Levi » I felt confident because I knew what to teach the students. I liked being the teacher. We all get to be the teacher. Naava Q. What do you like about teaching Wai Ako? » It was cool seeing the children learn and improve and I learnt with them as well. Levi » It is fun because you get to learn Māori yourself with the class. Naava Year 3 students Lydia and Ollie kōrero about being taught te reo Māori by student leaders Q. What is it like to be taught te reo Māori by fellow students? » It is really interesting because you learn different languages. Because if you don’t know how to speak a language, you learn with them because they’re a kid as well. You get to learn new songs. It is the same as having a teacher and they are younger and it’s more fun. Lydia Q. What do you like best about learning te reo Māori this way? » I think they are brave to be a teacher. I want to be like them and they are confident. Lydia

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» I can teach my family at home. Every time I learn something, I tell my mum. I know I can do it because I see it done and can be a teacher as well. Ollie

Teacher kōrero What is it like to learn te reo Māori alongside your students? What are the benefits of student-led learning for learning te reo Māori; and what are the benefits to the culture of the school?

Learning te reo Māori alongside my students adds purpose and makes it fun! It means we all share the same knowledge and can practise this with each other. I think it’s great that the older students have the opportunity to take a leadership role and share their knowledge with both the teachers and other students. It gives them a sense of pride and responsibility and the younger students really respect and look up to them. Lorelle, Year 3 teacher I am not from New Zealand originally so when I first started teaching here the prospect of teaching a language that I didn’t know was daunting.

Having the senior students come in to teach te reo Māori to my class has helped my own confidence in using it in the classroom because it gives me an opportunity to practise the pronunciation alongside my students.

I have seen within my own class and within the wider school culture a shift in the eagerness to use te reo Māori since we started this programme. My students love to learn from their older peers and it shows them that te reo Māori is important and applicable for them throughout their schooling. Aubrey, Year 3 teacher

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KŌRERO MĀTAURANGA | EDUCATION CONVERSATION

Pacific voices shaping the future of education Kōrero Mātauranga | Education Conversation is a series of conversations held across the country to help build the world’s best education system for our children and young people.

These conversations have formed a series of ‘Voices’ reports, which Tukutuku Kōrero | Education Gazette has featured. In this issue we profile The voices of Pacific people.

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he need for Pacific cultures, identities and languages to be acknowledged and valued in our education system, was one of the main messages to come from a series of fono conversations held between the Pacific community and the Ministry of Education.

To get people thinking about the future of education, we asked four questions:

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If you were the boss of education in New Zealand, what would you do first?

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For Pacific fono participation we also asked what we needed to focus on to make sure Pacific learners and their families are safe, valued and able to reach their aspirations.

In total, around 48,000 New Zealanders participated in the consultations – around 3,500 participants were of Pacific heritage and included educators, parents, children and young people, people with disabilities and the Pacific MVPFAFF 1| LGBTQIA+ community.

Over 13,000 comments were received from Pacific communities.

What we heard echoed the messages we had from other New Zealand communities – everyone wants their children to be successful and to contribute positively to New Zealand’s society.

Pacific communities said that the education system needs to acknowledge and value Pacific cultures, identities and languages, and learner and family wellbeing. They made it clear that, for Pacific people, success is about the collective and that a child’s success is the success of the family.

Pacific communities were upfront about racism and bullying being prevalent in our education system and that, as a priority, this issue needed to be addressed by the whole system. Examples of racism included incorrect pronunciation of names, surprise when Pacific

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3

What does a successful student of the future look like to you?

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What will they need to know and be able to do?

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What things need to be in place to make sure every learner is successful?

students are smart, and the criticism of scholarships for our Pacific students. Pacific young people wanted to know how to deal with this when faced with it and want to see a more inclusive system.

We will use this information to shape our future education system.

It has already added Pacific voices and perspectives to the NCEA Review, Tomorrow’s Schools programme, and Reform of Vocational Education (ROVE) as well as the Government’s Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy, the Early Learning Strategic Plan and to other parts of the Education Work Programme.

In addition, and importantly, it is informing and reshaping a new plan for all Pacific families in the education system, the Action Plan for Pacific Education. Pacific communities also shared that the way the Ministry of Education works with Pacific communities doesn’t always work, and we need to create more positive, reciprocal relationships.

That’s why the Ministry went back out to Pacific communities in August to October this year to design the Action Plan together.

M – Mahu (Hawaii/Tahiti); V – Vakasalewalewa (Fiji); P – Palopa (PNG); F – Fa’afafine (Samoan); A – ’Akava’ine (Cook Island); F – Fakaleiti (Tongan); F – Fakafifine (Niue) 1

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“As Pacific students we acknowledge our culture as an important theme in our life … it is who we are, so if our learning had something to do with our culture, our learning would become important to us all.”

Youth, Oamaru fono, 2018

“The education system shouldn’t throw away our culture for academic success.”

“[We need] to encourage the Pacific child to value their way of thinking… The Pacific child has a lot to offer, a lot to bring to the table that will make this country richer, abundant and vibrant with life.”

Adult, Dunedin fono, 2018

Youth, West Auckland fono, 2019

Fono feedback “The education system shouldn’t throw away our culture for academic success.” Youth, West Auckland fono, 2019 “[Success is] when I cannot only look after my needs but contribute to meeting the needs of others.” Youth, Dunedin fono, 2018 “Racism is rife in the education system in New Zealand. Let’s call it what it is.” Adult, Hamilton fono, 2018 “We all have different strengths; if education looked for those strengths, there would be fewer dropouts.” Youth, West Auckland fono, 2018 “[Pacific] children and young people have many worlds that they have to walk in, e.g. Pasifika world, the world at school, the world of a New Zealander.” Adult, Porirua fono, 2018 “It’s about my parents and family being included in my education.

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It must be a safe place otherwise I won’t bring my parents or family in. The system prevents them from coming in.” Youth, Lower Hutt fono, 2018 “I think the system is failing our Pacific children, not our children failing in their education.” Adult, Auckland Niue fono, 2018 “Stop institutional racism and bias! We as Pacific are successful; value us and our children.” Adult, West Auckland fono, 2018 “Please listen to me, allow me to use my language, allow me to use my culture so I can grow up and prosper.” Youth, Porirua fono, 2018 “Streaming – most Pacific students are in the bottom classes and it ruins their mindsets.” Youth, West Auckland fono, 2018 “My sexuality is not what casts me out but makes me stand out.”

Youth, Auckland LGBTQIA+ fono, 2018 “Support all teachers. All teachers need to be LGBTQIA friendly and support.” Youth, Auckland LGBTQIA+ fono, 2018

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Education work programme overview and status –

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– November 2019

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Pursuing a passion for teaching

Education Gazette asks two TeachNZ Kupe Scholarship recipients about the impact the scholarships have had on their teaching journey.

Meet Fiana Q: How did you find out about the scholarships and what made you decide to apply?

Fiana: I found out about the scholarship online and decided to apply because I already had a large amount owing on my student loan from my previous degree and thought this would be great to alleviate financial stress.

Q: What did it mean for you, when you found out you’d received a scholarship?

Fiana: It was the greatest blessing – not just for myself but for my family who have supported me throughout my learning journey. Receiving the scholarship not only made me a proud Tongan recipient but it boosted my motivation and confidence to finish the graduate diploma on a high. It relieved some of the financial pressure on me and my family.

Fiana Tuli received a TeachNZ Kupe Pacific High Achiever Scholarship. She is a third-year teacher at Holy Cross Catholic School in Papatoetoe, Auckland.

themselves up socially, mentally and emotionally to face life’s issues appropriately. This is why I am a teacher because I love having the power to make a difference in these kids’ lives!

“Teaching isn’t a profession where you have to know everything before you start. It is an ongoing and neverending learning process where you only get better and better.”

Q: Who or what most inspired you to become a teacher?

Fiana Tuli

Fiana: I truly believe that a child’s upbringing plays a crucial part in what they do later in life.

We as teachers spend 41 weeks – 205 days a year – with these little human beings. This goes to show that teachers have a GREAT impact in a child’s life.

Q: What special abilities have you been able to bring to your teaching practice because of your identity, language or culture?

If a teacher teaches faka’apa’apa (respect), a child will learn what this looks like, sounds like and feels like. If a teacher teaches mamahi’i me’a (passion), a child will understand how to appreciate the love of learning. If a teacher teaches resilience, a child will learn to build

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Fiana: The love I have for my Tongan identity, language and culture have shone through my teaching practice. I was given the arts unit in my second year of teaching which allowed me to take care of celebrating and acknowledging all the language weeks at my school. My experience in tutoring traditional Tongan dance for many years helped with this.

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Q: In your opinion, what is the role of teaching in today’s world?

Fiana: As a teacher, we get the pleasure of playing many roles in a child’s life. You get to play the teacher, the nurse, the clown, the counsellor, the mum, the dad, the guardian, the mediator, the fitness coach, the dancer, the actor – all in one day.

Q: What would you say to someone who is thinking of becoming a teacher today?

Fiana: I would say, if you want the power to make a difference in the lives of 26 little human beings – DO IT! Teaching isn’t a profession where you have to know everything before you start. It is an ongoing and never-ending learning process where you only get better and better. No two days are ever going to be the same and there will be some little bumps on your journey so embrace it, breathe in and keep going.

Q: What do you most hope your students remember about being taught by you?

Fiana: I hope my students remember me as being the firm, fair and fun teacher. The teacher who pushed each student to reach their full potential even if it meant staying in during their lunch breaks to complete the one maths problem she knew they could solve. The teacher who loved her culture and loved her family because she had so many stories to tell.

Visit this article online to see Fiana talk about her journey.

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TEACHER WORKFORCE

Meet Ivan Ivan Kana received a TeachNZ Kupe Māori High Achiever Scholarship.

He is a teacher at Aotea College, Porirua where he teaches health and physical education, dance and te reo Māori.

Q: How did you find out about the scholarships and what made you decide to apply?

Ivan: The Māori Liaison officer at Waikato University encouraged me to apply.

Q: What did it mean for you, when you found out you’d received a scholarship?

Ivan: I was super stoked – not only for myself but for my whānau.

Q: Who or what most inspired you to become a teacher?

Ivan: A mixture of myself, whānau and good friends.

Q: What special abilities have you been able to bring to your teaching practice because of your identity, language or culture?

Ivan: I think empathy would be a big one. And I enjoy building relationships with anyone and everyone.

Every bit of contact is an opportunity to learn or offer something. Culture and identity is something else I offer. Although te reo Māori isn’t my first language, I’m on the path to strengthening that every day. My reo isn’t currently where I want it to be at the moment but I’m learning.

Q: In your opinion, what is the role of teaching in today’s world?

Ivan: There are many I can think of but I feel that a lot of students just want to feel like they ‘belong’ and that they are a part of something. So I really think we as teachers have the ability to support this.

Q: What would you say to someone who is thinking of becoming a teacher today?

Ivan: You’ll never regret it.

Q: What do you most hope your students remember about being taught by you?

Ivan: That I was fair, inclusive and funny.

Q: Aside from schools you’ve taught in, are there any places of special significance to your teaching journey?

Ivan: The marae, community centres and sports clubs, past workplaces, specific whānau members and my wife have all contributed to who and where I am today. I have had a number of jobs in the past such as a courier driver, holiday programme worker, community health worker, gym instructor, personal trainer and many more and I have picked up many skills from these positions.

In terms of te ao Māori, I have to credit my dad and aunties for teaching me tikanga and kawa and also trying their best with me when it comes to speaking in te reo Māori.

TeachNZ Scholarship Programme The TeachNZ scholarship programme aims to enable equitable access to teaching by reducing significant barriers that some individuals have in entering initial teacher education. The programme aims to get the right teachers in the right place at the right time. Scholarship criteria is weighted to address areas that are experiencing teacher supply pressure, such as sectors or subjects.

The Kupe Scholarship is part of the TeachNZ scholarship programme. Teachers of Māori or Pacific descent who, like Ivan and Fiana, see themselves becoming outstanding role models in early childhood, primary or secondary education should consider applying to become a Kupe Scholar.

In addition to the Kupe Scholarships, there are also a range of general and Māori medium scholarships available. Visit the scholarships page on the TeachNZ website for more information and to apply (Round 2 is between 6 December 2019 and 24 January 2020).

Visit this article online to see Ivan talk about his journey. www.gazette.education.govt.nz

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The Ministry of Education talked to teachers about career opportunities and pathways in the public sector.

Partnerships enrich student pathways Research shows that young people who have four or more quality engagements with employers while at school, are five times less likely to be NEET (Not in Employment Education or Training). With teachers being one of the most important influencers to young people when it comes to their career choices, events such as education to employment workshops or career expos help initiate partnerships with employers. Education Gazette looked at a series of events held in the Wellington region as examples of local engagements designed to build connections between students, teachers and employers.

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Education to Employment Workshop Wellington teachers heard from industry speakers and met with employers to learn more about the future of work and what this will mean for students entering employment.

The Education to Employment workshop, which was hosted by Victoria University of Wellington and the Ministry of Education, was designed to link secondary teachers of STEAM subjects (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) with relevant employers and industry bodies. Employers that participated included Piki Studios, Spark NZ, Westpac, MYOB, Master Plumbers NZ, PaperKite and Accenture.

Taita College teacher Shakuntla Awmee says she was excited to be able to meet employers and industry representatives, and use this opportunity to support students in the classroom.

“I think that the more we expose students to industries/employers, the more they will learn. And if that exposure happens at an earlier age, before they leave school, they will be better prepared for the future,” says Shakuntla.

Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (The Correspondence School) teacher Amanda O’Connell says that she found the event inspiring, and hopes for more opportunities where students can take part alongside teachers in linking with employers. www.gazette.education.govt.nz

EDUCATION TO EMPLOYMENT

Joanne Caine, Master Plumbers NZ communications and marketing advisor

“I think the less we isolate the teaching profession from other types of jobs, the more we make connections and integrate, the better it’s going to be for students.”

Amanda O’Connell Secondary STEAM teachers hear about the future of work at the Education to Employment workshop.

“I think the less the teaching profession is isolated from other types of jobs, the more we make connections and integrate, the better it’s going to be for students. I also think that we need to step back and let the students take the lead with some things so teachers can discover together with them. We often make assumptions and try to put ourselves in students’ shoes but we can be wrong,” says Amanda.

Supporting learners to prepare for the unknown The world of work continues to change and young people need to adapt to get ahead in their chosen career. The Foundation for Young Australians identified four accelerators that could help young people move more quickly from education to full-time employment. These include enterprise skills (soft skills/work-ready skills), relevant paid work experience/employment, work in future-focused clusters and an optimistic mindset.

Caine says they participated in this event to reach influencers, such as teachers, to get the message across to young people that there are other pathways to consider besides university.

Joanne says things have changed since ‘the old days’ when entering the trades was considered an inferior option to tertiary education.

“That is such a fallacy,” says Joanne. “You have to be smart to be a good tradesperson.” She points to Masterlink – the mentored apprenticeship programme owned by Master Plumbers, which requires candidates to bring the right skills, attitude and commitment. Plumbing, drainlaying and gasfitting apprenticeships involve coursework and hands-on training, followed by the opportunity for apprentices to put it all into practice on site with their host company.

A curriculum that supports local contexts

MYOB education manager Shailan Patel says their company has shifted the way they look for talent.

Joanne believes it’s important to relate learning in the classroom to work and life skills.

“Traditionally, we’ve been experience- and skills-based, now we’re moving towards attitude and aptitude as well. We can always teach technical skills but it’s harder to teach the ‘soft skills’ or that willingness to learn, to share, to add to the values and vision of our company,” says Shailan.

“For example, if you’re learning about sine, cosine and tangent, the reason is if you became an engineer or a builder, then learning these could be incredibly useful in the future,” says Joanne. “Plumbers need to accurately calculate measurements, volumes and pressure levels.

That awareness can make learning more relevant to students.”

“We’re not just looking for grades and length of experience, we’re also looking at the potential as well.”

Shailan says relationships between teachers and the industry help shape thinking on how the subjects can connect to the different career pathways for students.

Shailan says it’s important that employers, teachers and students are linked with each other to be in tune with these changes.

Challenging stereotypes “What’s worked before for years, isn’t working anymore. It’s all about lifelong learning. Things are changing so quickly now, that both teachers and students need to be learning at such pace to keep up. Events like this are very important because it enables teachers to link directly with and be more informed about the skills the industry needs.”

Master Plumbers NZ communications and marketing advisor Joanne www.gazette.education.govt.nz

“Instead of thinking linear in terms of ‘if you study this subject, you will have that career’, what are the vast opportunities out there?” he says.

“It’s about transferable skills and how you can use those skills within a subject.

“It’s also thinking about how you apply the learning in a practical sense.

What’s important to employers is for the person to be able to articulate how they applied that learning to produce an outcome or solve a problem,” says Shailan.

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Jack, a Year 8 student from St Brendan’s School, enjoyed meeting employers and exploring prospective industries at the It's Your World Skills and Career Expo.

Forming bridges between young people and employers in the Hutt Valley Two Education to Employment events were held in the Hutt Valley to connect students and teachers with local employers.

Among the many participating employers were NZ Rock Lobster, NZ Police, BCITO, Connexis, Yoobee, Young Enterprise Scheme, Downer Group, Upper Hutt City Council and the Ministry of Education.

Year 8 Skills and Career Expo

The From Education to Employment event held at Naenae College linked secondary teachers in Lower Hutt with local employers and the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Year 8 students in the Hutt Valley attended the It’s Your World Skills and Career Expo hosted by the Upper Hutt City Councilowned Expressions Arts and Entertainment Centre.

“It’s important for young people to start thinking about their career options as early as possible,” says Roy Sye, the Ministry of Education’s Director of Education for the Wellington region.

The experience enabled teachers to create relationships with business and industry in their local area, and provided them with relevant information that can inform the development of local curriculum and support for students as they study towards a career. The relationships that have formed will mean more opportunities for students to have quality engagements with employers and potentially get a foot in the door towards their chosen career. It is also hoped that this will mark the beginning of long-term partnerships where teachers are working with local employers to strengthen links between in-classroom learning and workplace needs.

“Events like this enable students to explore a range of career pathways they might not have previously considered.”

The event was a collaboration between the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Education.

Local schools Hutt International Boys School, St Joseph’s School Upper Hutt, Fergusson Intermediate, Maidstone Intermediate, and St Brendan’s School took part in the event. Students met with employers, which gave them a chance to ask questions about the nature of the work and the skills needed in their respective industries.

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From Education to Employment

NEW ZEALAND Education Gazette 9 December 2019

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EDUCATION TO EMPLOYMENT

Inspiring the future for young New Zealanders The Tertiary Education Commission’s Inspiring the Future programme includes Drawing the Future, an activity designed to help shape the career aspirations of young New Zealanders.

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hink back to your career dreams when you were at primary school. Did you have a clear idea of what you wanted to be when you grew older? Were you keen to follow in the footsteps of your parents, older siblings or favourite action hero? Or did your career aspirations change as often as your socks?

shaped to meet the needs of New Zealand tamariki,” explains Tim Fowler, Chief Executive of the TEC. “It’s about helping children to see the range of possibilities they could achieve, and what they will need to study to get to where they want to be.”

The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) has launched a new programme to explore the ways that unconscious bias, gender stereotypes and a range of other factors influence the way Kiwi kids think about their future jobs.

Once the Drawing the Future packs are returned, the TEC will analyse the data to identify patterns of bias that often limit young people’s career choices. This will help to address stereotypes and focus attention on targeted areas.

The Inspiring the Future programme includes Drawing the Future, which is a research campaign into the career aspirations of New Zealanders aged seven to 12.

The Drawing the Future activity was recently launched by Education Minister Chris Hipkins at Porirua East School, Wellington. Packs have been sent to primary and intermediate schools throughout the country so students can draw what they want to be when they grow up and answer a set of simple questions about their chosen job. By late November, TEC had received more than 7,500 drawings from students at 185 schools.

“The programme, developed by UK-based charity Education and Employers, has been www.gazette.education.govt.nz

You can’t be what you can’t see

Engaging volunteers from local communities, Inspiring the Future will include sessions where people from a range of backgrounds come into schools and talk with children about the work they do, the training they did to get there and the skills they’ve learned along the way.

The exercise is designed to open young minds to the vast range of career opportunities beyond their daily experience, and broaden their aspirations about job options and education pathways. It’s an easy and accessible way for the world of school and the world of work to connect.

“We’re running this programme in primary and intermediate schools to introduce the aspirational thinking that can support career

decisions and goals when these students enter secondary school,” says Tim. “Research from British organisation Education and Employers has shown that children’s career aspirations are shaped at a young age and are largely influenced by their gender and who they know. We want to discover whether the same is reflected in New Zealand.”

The research has demonstrated that, for primary school children especially, they can’t be what they can’t see, so this a great way to raise aspirations and awareness. This programme supports children in building some of the steps they will need to help them at different times in their journey through education and work.

Broadening horizons Closer to home, the TEC has been working with several Kiwi schools piloting Inspiring the Future events. Feedback has been positive, and the TEC will continue engaging with the wider community including business and Iwi representatives, and career and education professionals.

“The TEC is working to introduce Inspiring the Future in New Zealand schools next year. The programme is part of the organisation’s broader career focus that supports lifelong learning and provides readily available career information for all New Zealanders,” says Tim. TUKUTUKU KŌRERO 9 December 2019

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EDUCATION TO EMPLOYMENT

Speedmeeting your way to work

Apprenticeships offer students many avenues for future careers.

Throughout August and September, more than 500 students took advantage of the opportunity to find out more about trades and services careers at 14 Speedmeet events throughout the North Island and Christchurch.

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ot a Trade? Got it Made! Speedmeet events are one way of connecting young people to the world of work. The events are a collaboration between the Ministry of Education and industry training organisations (ITOs), local councils, chambers of commerce and businesses.

“Nearly 1,700 matches were made between young people and employers. These matches resulted in further conversations between employers and young people about possible careers or pathways, as well as employment opportunities – this is a huge achievement!” says Rose Jamieson, Acting Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Education.

“For students who did not match with an employer on the day, they were able to see and connect to a range of different pathways through their conversations with employers. The young people get important experience in the first steps to employment, learn new skills, and gain valuable interview experiences through practice.

Rose says there were inspiring moments at every Speedmeet. For example in Christchurch, one Year 12 student who had her heart set on becoming a mechanic, arrived on her own – despite the fact all her classmates had pulled out.

“A Year 12 student from Te Puke was initially scared and shy about coming to the Speedmeet.

After he was interviewed by the Navy, he came over and gave his teacher a huge hug and said: ‘Miss, I am going to put in an application tonight!’

His teacher burst into tears. She had worked so hard with him and he pulled it off!” says Rose.

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Success for Kamo students Six senior students from Kamo High School attended a Speedmeet at Whangarei Boys’ High School, with one student already gaining a pathway full-time employment.

The students were keen to find out about trade opportunities, as well as career and work opportunities and said the event gave them a good perspective of industry/work requirements. Two students from the school’s Tourism Management Academy – Izaiah Te Waiti (Year 13) and Zoe Palmer (Year 12) – interviewed particularly well, says teacher Ira Seitzer.

“The day following Speedmeets, Izaiah was offered a 30-day trial position on Fulton Hogan’s road management team. He has been given time to attend school between workdays so he can finish NCEA Level 3 and is on-track to complete his secondary qualification,” she says.

“Izaiah has acknowledged that this is not necessarily his ‘life-time job’, but right now he is extremely happy to be ending his secondary schooling knowing he has safely secured an

employment opportunity. He wasn’t particularly confident about his future, but this year has been a turning point for him, having attained Level 2 and very shortly reaching Level 3. His positive personality, excellent grooming and punctuality – to name a few of his attributes – shone through for him at Speedmeets. I haven’t seen him so happy and proud as that Monday when he came into class after having spent his first day with Fulton Hogan. The sense of achievement and relief was enormous,” says Ira. Natasha McDonald is operations manager for Trafix Manpower Ltd who provides work experience for students like Izaiah, who are contracted to work for Fulton Hogan; an opportunity which may lead to full-time employment.

“The Speedmeet is an opportunity for employers like Fulton Hogan to identify potential employees who are motivated and interested. When they recognise something in a young person, they come to us and we provide the training they need for the job. We employ a lot of school leavers and students in school holidays,” she says.

Watch this space You can expect to see more of these types of events over the next 18 months. The Government recently committed additional funding so that schools, community partners, employers, industry groups, industry training organisations, vocational education providers, and other organisations can develop events that bring together young people and their whānau with industries and trades.

NEW ZEALAND Education Gazette 9 December 2019

www.gazette.education.govt.nz

EDUCATION TO EMPLOYMENT

Got a Trade?

Got it Made!

According to the Industry Training Federation, there are currently 145,000 trainees and apprentices in formal on-the-job training at 25,000 workplaces. With more than 50,000 workers needed in the construction trade alone, the Speedmeet initiative aims to reposition trades as a lucrative ‘earn while you learn’ pathway with excellent prospects.

This sector provides jobs for 155,000 New Zealanders, or seven per cent of the workforce. Options include apprenticeships with businesses in the automotive, transport, logistics, industrial textile fabrication and extractive industries.

Speedmeets offer local industries the opportunity to promote themselves to potential young employees – and also to check them out for future staff requirements.

Year 12 student Zoe Palmer attended the Northland Speedmeets event with the intention of seeking an after-school job. She was short-listed for an interview at a large supermarket, and also had a request for her CV from a local not-for-profit organisation.

“Zoe has increased her network of potential employers and is currently in a position of having to choose where she wants to be,” Ira explains.

Speedmeet opens doors Employers at the Northland event included representatives from supermarkets, the Armed Forces, IDEA Services, and major infrastructure companies. Ira says that while she had not attended a Speedmeet before and didn’t know what to expect, the event delivered on many fronts for her students.

Students liked the interview/discussion timeframes which allowed them to introduce themselves, discuss opportunities and ask questions.

“Students are encouraged and supported to prepare or update their CVs to a professional standard. The learning involved in this alone is enormous! Building confidence and going into the meet with a positive learning attitude were all attributes discussed prior to our attending. Gaining exposure to such a wide range of vocational opportunities is wonderful,” Ira says. www.gazette.education.govt.nz

The armed forces offer students a range of training and career opportunities.

What are Speedmeets?

Speedmeets are specific events which provide an opportunity for employers and young people (potential employees) to find out more about each other.

Students meet employers from a range of trade and service industries and have ‘speed dates’ with them – a ‘speedmeet’. Each speedmeet is six minutes long. While short, it provides enough time for both the student and the employer to work out if they would like to know more. If they both do, it’s a ‘match’ and a follow-up meeting is arranged for them to continue the conversation about potential pathways and employment opportunities.

Businesses participate from a range of industries and the numbers are growing.

Industries include construction, automotive, tourism and hospitality, engineering, manufacturing, marine, fisheries, primary, and retail.

TUKUTUKU KŌRERO 9 December 2019

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OUR TIMELINE

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

The Plan on a Page

Using the National Curriculum to introduce new digital technologies content into schools and kura

+

Realising the vision

Being responsive

Supporting our young people

Our education system provides the future skills that students need

so they can participate + create + thrive in a fast moving digital world

It’s expected that the new content will be taught in schools and kura

New curriculum content released

Public 2017 consultation

July–Sept 2017

8 Dec 2017

2018

2019

Six supporting initiatives – $38m package OUR APPROACH

+

1

2 Curriculum supports:

NCEA supports

• Digital Fluency

• English Medium – Digital Technologies (Years 1–10)

• Both mediums (Years 11–13)

• Nationwide Digital Readiness programme – ‘Kia takatū’

• Māori Medium – Hangarau Matihiko (Years 1–10)

Education leaders, teachers & kaiako

4

Professional support: • Targeted DT&HM PLD

2020

Relates to:

3

• ‘DT&HM Online for NCEA’

Students

5

6

National Digital Championship

Digital Technologies for All Equity Fund

Youth Digital Enterprise Scholarships

• ‘Tahi, Rua, Toru, Tech’

• ‘Digital Ignition/ Māpura Matihiko’

(Ministry of Youth Development)

• ‘Te Papa – Raranga Matihiko’

Different parts of the NZ Education System work together WHO’S INVOLVED

Ongoing professional support for digital technologies learning becomes the norm

Business as usual Over $700m invested in schools and kura to support infrastructure:

Iwi

• Network for Learning Kura Kāhui Ako

NZQA

Parents

Students

Ministry of Education

• Fibre to the school gate • Upgraded school network

Schools

Early Learning

BYOD (Bring your own devices) optional – school/kura decision

OUR OUTCOMES

30 year vision

$

Building a Digital Nation All government initiative

Diverse and skilled NZ workforce Internationally competitive in digital technologies innovation & knowledge

Economy We’re enabling growth & success for NZ

Want to know what the new content is about? Go to: education.govt.nz/digitech

#FutureThinking_Today

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

Paul Armitage and Linda Ritchie took part in the South Australia New Zealand Principal Exchange.

Principal exchange turns leaders into learners Principals from New Zealand and South Australia are reaping the benefits from a principal exchange programme.

“

There are not many opportunities like this for experienced principals,” says Paul Armitage, Elmwood Normal School principal.

That opportunity is the South Australia New Zealand Principal Exchange, which enables two school principals to switch places over a term.

Paul spent four weeks at Willsden Primary School in Port Augusta, South Australia, shadowing principal Linda Ritchie before Linda’s four weeks shadowing Paul in Christchurch.

“It’s challenging, but as leaders we should demonstrate how to step outside our comfort zones and practise what we’re telling our tamariki.”

Focus on similarities, not differences Paul and Linda welcomed the loose nature of the shadowing programme.

Paul agrees, and says what ultimately unites them is their vision for their schools.

“Because our education systems are different, the first few days were about understanding how everything works. After that, we wanted to get into classes with children and teachers,” says Paul.

“Linda and I narrowed it down to one question: what do you want your children to have as they leave your school on their last day? Those things are the same: for our children to be numerate and literate, to stand tall, be resilient and be able to face challenges in the world,” says Paul.

Together, they agreed to leave the home principal to work in the mornings (“because you’ve still got a school to run!”) while the visiting principal explored the school. They then used the afternoon to have professional dialogue and ask questions about their work – but plans sometimes changed.

Paul’s colleagues said the exchange was the best professional learning opportunity they’d had, so after two decades of principalship and professional learning, he decided to apply.

“Because it’s only four weeks, you need to be flexible,” says Linda. “I felt like I needed to know all the children but Paul’s school has 520 students compared to my roll of 150.

Eventually I had to admit it’s not possible in four weeks and that’s okay.”

Linda, in her third year, sees herself as “an early years principal” having previously worked 13 years in an Aboriginal school, eight of these years in leadership.

Size was one of many differences, including different approaches to curriculum, teacher training and reporting. Paul and Linda tried to focus on similarities instead.

“Whether you’re a new principal or not, we should always be learning and finding out new things. Ultimately, that’s how you get effective outcomes for students.”

“We didn’t want to debate things that are out of our control. Our role is to be the best leaders in our schools and improve outcomes for kids. The systems are different but as

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principals we’re not so different,” says Linda.

NEW ZEALAND Education Gazette 9 December 2019

Connecting with the school community Shadowing one another was a full-time job and demonstrated the responsibilities they have in their wider school communities.

Paul took Linda around Christchurch to see schools going through rebuilds and to learn about the impact earthquakes have had on families and children. She also attended a Normal School Conference to see what other New Zealand schools are doing.

“When you come to a school you become part of a community,” says Linda.

“I have been so well looked after and made new friends. I’m already planning to come back to see everyone.”

In Port Augusta, Linda chairs a ‘partnership’ (similar to New Zealand’s kāhui ako) and www.gazette.education.govt.nz

“Sometimes we can be blinkered as to what we think is happening in our schools, so it’s great to have someone come in who sees things a different way. ” Paul Armitage

invited Paul to a meeting to see how the school principals work together. As sport plays an important part in her community, Linda also sent him to an Aussie Rules game.

On Paul’s first day, he was invited to Willsden School’s fire pit for a traditional Aboriginal meal of kangaroo tail and was entertained by a group of local Aboriginal dancers.

“I felt very lucky to experience that. The warmth from Linda’s community made me feel so welcome. Parents would go out of their way to meet me, shake my hand and tell me about themselves. I felt privileged they would want to do that.”

Linda says those new experiences offer some of the biggest learning opportunities.

“If you stay in the same place you risk just doing the same thing, but seeing Paul’s school made me realise I could try new approaches such as the focus on student voice, the way students are involved in their learning and the responsiveness to culture.”

Culturally responsive schools New Zealand’s cultural responsiveness left a lasting impression on Linda, who wants to incorporate it when she returns to Port Augusta.

She was welcomed to Elmwood with a pōwhiri, visited a marae with Paul’s staff and even prepared a mihi.

“It’s been an amazing experience and has left me breathless every time. I felt so special to be a part of it,” says Linda.

Cultural identity was also important for Paul across the ditch.

“I used my reo in Port Augusta but it was a bit unusual for the students. At my first assembly I greeted the school in Māori when I heard some boys whisper ‘what’s he saying? Doesn’t he know English?’”

Having worked extensively with Aboriginal children, Linda brought some Aboriginal books to read to the Kiwi kids at Elmwood.

responding in a way that means something to all children. Coming here has made me reflect on how we can do that better and it will start with me in my school. When I get back, I’m going to work with my Aboriginal education team to build greater community connections and make them visible in my school for all children,” says Linda.

“In New Zealand schools, I’d hear staff speaking Māori with children, it was an embedded practice done from the heart.

I thought ‘this feels great’ and that’s the feeling I want to have in my school every day.”

Learning for staff and students Paul’s focus now is to reflect on his leadership practices and revisit some past work he wants to bring to the fore.

“In principalship, you’re often racing on to the next thing but it’s important to pause and take stock,” says Paul.

“Sometimes we can be blinkered as to what we think is happening in our schools, so it’s great to have someone come in who sees things a different way. It’s invaluable.”

Linda says that reflection couldn’t have happened without relational trust.

“We were pretty open and honest straight away. I always felt comfortable telling him when I didn’t understand because there’s no point wondering if it’s okay to ask certain questions,” says Linda.

“While we have different years of experience, we both agreed to be vulnerable. You can’t just say ‘this is my leadership style, this is what I hang my hat on.’ You need to be able to question your practice.”

The experience is something they want to see more principals do – for the benefit of other teachers too.

“It’s been one of the most enriching, rewarding professional opportunities for me but it also allowed my staff to step into different leadership roles while I was away,” says Paul.

Linda and Paul have begun to report back to their boards, teachers, students and PTAs about their experiences and learnings.

“That’s what principalship is about – planting seeds and watching them grow, for teachers, for the school community and for each other. The more learning we do, the more we can plant those seeds in others.” says Linda.

Five key takeaways from Paul and Linda » Don’t get too bogged down by differences. Instead, focus on identifying new leadership approaches/opportunities. » It can be just as valuable for leaders to revisit past work and bring it to the fore rather than always trying to reinvent the wheel. » It’s important to connect with parents, whānau and the wider school community as it helps leaders understand the context students live and learn in. » Cultural responsiveness starts from the top down; principals can introduce small activities to educate themselves and their teachers such as visiting a marae, preparing a mihi or practising pronunciation. » Be open-minded and willing to question your practice – don’t rest on your laurels.

Leaders should always be learning new things.

“In Australia, there are many Aboriginal language groups so our challenge is www.gazette.education.govt.nz

TUKUTUKU KŌRERO 9 December 2019

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