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STUDENT VOICE.

c nte o n ts 02-05 LEST WE FORGET 06-08 YOUNG KIWI KIDS MAKING IT HAPPEN 09-18 COMIC FEATURE: COMIC CREATORS 19 KIDS RULE THE PLAYGROUND 20 FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS 22 3WC KEEPS IT HONEST 22 WHEN ENGLISH COMES SECOND 23 THREE HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE 24 KEEPING PARENTS IN THE PICTURE 26-27 THE ART OF FUSH AND CHUPS 28 BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS 30-31 Financial education 32 words speak to the future 33 Book reviews

Learning Auckland, established 2012 Issue 1, March 2014

Publisher Education Today Limited PO Box 22321, Wellington 6441 New Zealand www.educationtoday.co.nz ISSN 1175 9240 Advertising For rate card, media specs and general enquiries phone 04 499 9180 email production@educationtoday.co.nz Subscriptions Email admin@educationtoday.co.nz use subject line SUBSCRIBER or subscribe online at www.educationtoday.co.nz Annual subscriptions to Learning Auckland are $25 inc GST in New Zealand, three editions per year. Overseas rates are available on request. Cover Our cover art is a segment of Trooper Charles Osborne’s Certificate of Service in the Great War 1914-1918. His story is told on page 4 and 5.

Learning Auckland is produced by Education Today to tie in with the Learning Auckland Accord, Whakakotahitanga te Ara Mātauranga, as part of a wide range of collaborators working together for a shared goal. Education Today and Learning Auckland are independently owned and promote creative, stimulating thoughts and ideas for the benefit of students and educators. Contributions to Education Today and Learning Auckland are welcome, and contribution guidelines can be obtained from production@ educationtoday.co.nz. Photographs are also welcome, and where applicable must include appropriate permission sign-off from parents, students, and school principals. Photos need to be sent as minimum 1MB jpeg attachments. Sign-off form and format information is available on the website or by email. The Education Today and Learning Auckland website homepage also publishes student artwork which does not require sign-off. Artwork copyright remains the property of the student and it is accepted that artwork is submitted to be shown on the Education Today website with the permission of the students. To submit artwork, see the website or email production@educationtoday.co.nz Learning Auckland and Education Today content is copyright, but may be published elsewhere after gaining consent from the publishers. All care but no responsibility taken for loss or damage. Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the writers.

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EDUCATION TODAY

Festival of Education

THE EDUCATION MAGAZINE OF THE FUTURE

editorial the country at no cost to Our magazines, ET and schools. LA, are among the few The aim is to hear what independent education students have to say about magazines in the country. their education, and to ET (Education Today) cir- help develop their skills as writers, interviewers and culates by subscription communicators, and in to all levels of schooling layout and design. across the country, while Teachers and educators LA (Learning Auckland) is produced by Education are involved at all levels so Today Limited to tie in with the student efforts can be the Learning Auckland reflected in measured outAccord and goes to inter- comes for them. mediate and secondary We also enjoy the amazschools across Auckland ing comic art students are by request. LA is also avail- gradually building into the centre section of the magable by subscription. Education Today has been azines, and look forward to in schools for almost 25 more contributions. Welcome to 2014.

years, and both are unique in their strength of student writing. Education Today meets with student writers as part of a Student Editorial Group, agreeing writing assignments and arranging interviews for the students with education experts and others, and is available to do this by request across

Thanks to all subscribers, and to all who will become subscribers. We need that support. Our thanks in anticipation to our student writers this year, and educators and stakeholders who also contribute stories and take advertising with us. We look forward to an exciting year.

MARCH

21-23

aising student achievement includes celebrating education, and with this in mind the Festival of Education is to be held in three New Zealand cities: Auckland, over three days from the March 21 to March 23; Wellington March 29 and Christchurch on March 23.

The Auckland festival is being held at the Viaduct Events Centre, Wellington at TSB Bank Arena and Frank Kitts Park, at Christchurch at Wigram Airforce Museum. The festival will celebrate, showcase and share the unsung innovations, successes and achievements that occur in the education sector every day. The inspiring stories of individual students, teachers and leaders of the profession will be showcased at the Festivals, encouraging children, parents, educators and communities to celebrate their success, raise the status and value the contribution of our educators. The Festival has been inspired by the London Festival of Education, New Zealand’s Festival of Education has been developed by Cognition Education, a New Zealand based international education services provider owned by the Cognition Education Trust, with the support of the Ministry of Education, Education New Zealand and a wide range of commercial, central and local government organisations. The festival is a not-for-profit affair. Any funding that might be made will be invested back into the education sector as part of a legacy programme. There are a series of exhibitions, interviews, performances, panel discussions, keynotes, Ted Talks and chatrooms that will be run over the three days. There are a number of overseas speakers as well as a healthy dose of our home grown talent including Michael Fullan, John Hattie and Christian Long. The student voice will be included with a Youth Summit Day on March 23 in Auckland. Festival details are available on: http://www.festivalofeducation.co.nz/

By Hutt International Year 7 student Michael Sanders; profile featured on Page 17. More by Michael on http://otherramblings.yolasite.com/colenel-kernal.php

STUDENT VOICE.

WRITING * ART * PHOTOS * IDEAS

We publish student writing, art, photographs and ideas. Send material to: production@educationtoday.co.nz or call 0277344756 for more details. Education Today can provide a permission form where photos and interviews of students require principal and caregiver signoff. www.educationtoday.co.nz

lest we forget

t e g or f e w t s Le DAVID CRAIG found this story of WWI Trooper Charles Osborne, which like so many has never been told. We share it here, in his memory, and for those who fought.

ike so many men who served in the First Their horses were left in Egypt. World War, Charlie Osborne never talked On May 9 the Wellington Mounted Rifles about his combat experiences. embarked for Gallipoli on two transport ships, At just 20 years of age, he had been in New the Grantully Castle and the Kingstonian. On Zealand only 14 years when he signed up and May 12 Charlie and his companions were subsequently spent four years and 151 days in transferred to destroyers to be taken close frontline combat for what was effectively his to the coast and landed by small craft called lighters. They received their first taste of active adopted country. Charles Henry Osborne was born in Forrest combat in that they were exposed to small Hill, London in 1894. His parents brought him arms fire from the Turkish forces commanding to New Zealand in 1900 and the family settled the heights overlooking Anzac Cove. Charlie in Stevens Grove, Lower Hutt. Charlie went recorded that he and his friend Cherry spent to Hutt Central Primary School and, common the night huddled on the beach under fire. in those days, went to work after finishing primary school.

campaign – the battle of Chunuk Bair. That battle started on August 5. On August 6 Charlie’s 6th (Manawatu) Squadron overran Turkish positions at a place called Destroyer Hill. This attack involved close-quarter action using bayonets and grenades. The Squadron suffered just three casualties.

Chunuk Bair was finally taken after much heavy fighting, mostly involving New Zealand soldiers with the Wellington Mounted Rifles featuring prominently. The position, of major strategic importance, was only held for a short time before the Turks re-took it and held it for the On May 24 after savage fighting and many remainder of the campaign. casualties on both sides a truce was called The Wellington Mounted Rifles fought at at Anzac Cove between 7.30 am and 5 pm to Gallipoli right up until their evacuation in allow both sides to collect and bury their dead. December of 1915. The entire regiment then Men of the Wellington Mounted Rifles helped returned to Egypt. After a short period of leave in London Charlie joined the New Zealand in the recovery and burial of the dead. On May 28 Charlie’s unit, the 6th (Manawatu) Expeditionary Force which served in France Squadron was ordered to support an attack by and took part in most of the major battles the Canterbury Mounted Rifles on a Turkish fought by the New Zealand Expeditionary position. The Turkish position was captured Force, including the most dreadful of them all – by the Canterburies and Charlie’s unit then the Battle of the Somme.

At age 20 when World War One broke out Charlie was working for the Gear Meat Company. He volunteered for military service and was accepted for duty with The Wellington Mounted Rifles. His friend, local butcher Tommy Slinn, gave Charlie a horse and he started his service in the New Zealand Army on October 12 1914. He trained at Featherston Army Camp and was assigned to the 6th relieved them. On May 29 the 6th (Manawatu) Squadron, the Manawatu Mounted Rifles. In January of 1915 Charlie and his horse Squadron came under heavy fire by the Turks embarked for Egypt where he continued train- attacking on three sides from higher ground, ing at Zeitoun Camp. On April 25 1915 The and at 9 pm that night the Squadron was ANZACs (but not including the Wellington relieved.

In all, Charlie devoted four and a half years of his life, in a front-line combat role, to the service of his country with no breaks to go home and see family and friends. He was finally discharged and allowed to return home in April of Mounted Rifles at this stage) invaded Gallipoli. After various actions stretching through June 1919. In May of 1915 the Wellington Mounted Rifles and July Charlie’s unit was involved in one received orders to deploy to Gallipoli as infantry. of the most famous battles of the Gallipoli

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lest we forget

harlie’s surviving son Peter, a youthful 82-year-old who still works and plays tennis in Wellington remembers that his father, like so many who returned from the First World War, never spoke of his combat experiences and Peter and his late sister Pat understood and respected that position.

Fortunately, there were some light-hearted moments in Charlie’s lengthy war service. Among Charlie’s memorabilia is a bill from a hotel in Paris, the “Hotel du Chariot d’Or” (Chariot of Gold Hotel). They enjoyed a truly splendid feast. The bill stretches for two highly detailed pages with omelettes, entrecote steak and chocolate featuring prominently. It looks like Charlie and a couple of his mates had the time of their lives. Another amusing artefact is a mock ‘Last Will and Testament of the Kaiser’, which gave ‘the Pole to [explorer] Ernest Shackleton because I’ve been up it for so long that I regard it as my own property’; and ‘to [suffragette] Mrs Pankhurst and the wild women I leave my mailed fist’. Also of interest is Charlie’s pay-book. For repeatedly risking his life for his country he was paid the princely daily sum of two shillings. That’s $14 in today’s money. Charlie’s efforts were also recognised with the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal, the Victory Medal, and the Gallipoli Medallion which depicts Simpson and his donkey who together rescued so many wounded from the frontline horrors. Rest in peace Charlie Osborne. Your country will never forget you.

Trooper Charles Osborne, above; and at the far left on page 7 with his fellow soldiers at Gallipoli in 1915; and left, his Certificate of Service.

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lest we forget

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lest we forget Photo page 4, uniformed troopers at home prior to their departure; main photo this page, New Zealand troops landing at Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsular in Turkey on May 12, 1915; and inset, the Gallipoli Medallion awarded to all servicemen who served at Gallipoli.

Students to honour fallen heroes

egistrations are now open for the ANZ Cyril Bassett VC Speech Competition, with year 12 and 13 students competing for the chance to travel to Gallipoli for ANZAC Day 2014.

encourage young people to live the ANZAC spirit and pass down the values of compassion, commitment, camaraderie and courage,” David Moger, RNZRSA chief executive said.

The annual competition is a partnership between ANZ and the RSA to promote among young people a deeper understanding and appreciation of the sacrifices made by those who have served New Zealand in armed conflicts overseas.

Last year’s winner was Rachael Boyd of Whangarei Girls High School who spoke on Victoria Cross winner James Ward.

Launched in 2010, the competition is a tribute to Cyril Bassett, VC (1892-1983) – the only NZ Army soldier at Gallipoli to be awarded the Victoria Cross, and one who worked his entire career at ANZ bank. Students are invited to prepare speeches of six to eight minutes on ‘New Zealanders at War’, with topics ranging from particular wars or operations, profiles of servicemen or women, or aspects of war commemoration.

As well as the trip to Gallipoli for the 2014 Anzac Day events, the national winner receives $1000 travel fund, a trophy, a laptop computer and digital camera. The eight regional winners received $1000 and $1000 for their school.

“We strive to champion the ANZAC spirit across all generations, and this competition is not only an excellent way to pay tribute and respects to those that fought for New Zealand, but also to

Regional competitions have been completed with the national final at Government House on April 4.

LINKS • www.rsa.org.nz/national-speech-competition • ANZAC history • www.rsa.org.nz/history-anzac-day

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working with schools The 2014 Young Blake Expedition saw these twelve young Kiwi leaders voyage to the Subantarctic Auckland Islands, where they helped plan a world-leading climate research station.

Young kiwis make it happen Inspiring and mobilising the next generation of Kiwi leaders is the Sir Peter Blake Trust’s mission and a key part of continuing the legacy of one of New Zealand’s greatest leaders.

fter a successful career as a professional sailor, and leading Team New Zealand to successive America’s Cup victories, Sir Peter Blake dedicated his life to drawing the world’s attention to critical marine environmental issues.

As a high-profile New Zealand leader, Sir Peter was also passionate about encouraging young Kiwis to dare to dream and inspiring them to pursue their goals and make them happen. With a focus on growing young leaders, as well as giving young people opportunities to learn about and care for their environment, the Sir Peter Blake Trust was established. Each year the Trust coordinates a calendar of leadership and environment-focused activities, several of which take place during Sir Peter Blake Leadership Week in late June to early July. In 2014, the Sir Peter Blake Trust celebrates its 10th annual Leadership Week which will be packed with a range of activities that all New Zealanders can be part of, and a theme this year of MAKE IT HAPPEN.

inspire more than 10,000 Kiwi kids to go out often serve as a great role model to those and make their dreams happen too. around them, motivating other students to Led by New Zealand’s Governor General, the set and achieve goals and be positive team Dream Team aims to mobilise the next genera- members.

tion of Kiwi leaders by providing role models of what leadership across a range of different fields looks like. From sport to business, government to the arts, Dream Team leaders share similar traits of having a passion for doing what they do, the drive and determination to set audacious goals and for not giving up when they’ve failed, instead looking for new opportunities to succeed.

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The Sir Peter Blake Trust encourages young Kiwis to demonstrate positive leadership in their schools and communities, to dare to dream and to take action to achieve their goals.”

From the Blake Dream Team to Young Leader Awards and Red Socks Day, to the environmentally focused Young Blake Expeditions, Dream Team leader visits are free, so sign your Blake Ambassadors and Young Enviro-Leaders school or classroom up at www.sirpeterblaketForum, there’s something to inspire Kiwis of rust.org and prepare to be inspired. all ages. Young Leader Awards If you want to get involved in 2014, you can Students aged 9 to 13 find out more information by visiting www.sirOpen to all primary & intermediate schools, peterblaketrust.org. in association Westpac, the Sir Peter Blake Blake Dream Team Young Leader Awards recognise young people Open to all schools who, like Sir Peter Blake, have shown great During Leadership Week, more than 300 lead- teamwork, leadership, commitment or spirit.

One student at each school is selected by their teachers and peers to receive a medal, a pair of Red Socks and a certificate at a special presentation during Leadership Week. Entries for Young Leader Awards open in February and close on May 16, 2014. Youth Enviro-Leaders Forum Students aged 15 to 17 The annual Youth Enviro-Leaders Forum (YELF) brings together 50 environmentally focused 15-17 year olds, from around the country, to look at topical marine environmental issues and work with subject matter experts to learn and develop strategies to address them. Students apply for selection to YELF via the Trust website. Applications open from January to 28 February 2014. The 2014 forum will be held in Wellington with a focus on climate change and ocean health. YELF provides a hands on, student-driven programme and attendees will participate in field trips and workshops, develop leadership skills and meet and engage with like-minded peers, inspiring and informative speakers, experts and leaders. Blake Ambassadors and Young Blake Expeditions

The Sir Peter Blake Trust, in partnership with NZ Navy, NIWA, DoC, NZ Antarctic Research Institute, Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry of Education, provides onceers will visit schools around the country to Students who receive a Young Leader Award in-a-lifetime opportunities to young Kiwis talk about their personal leadership journey to are encouraged to keep on succeeding, and through the Blake Ambassador and Young

working with schools Blake Expeditions environmental leadership programmes. It is the Trust’s aim to tool these young Kiwis with the skills, networks and knowledge to be future leaders for New Zealand and to continue Sir Peter’s legacy and passion for the marine environment. Through Young Blake Expeditions (ages 15-17) and Antarctica and NIWA Blake Ambassador programmes (ages 18-24), young Kiwis with an interest in leadership and the environment are provided with the opportunity to work alongside scientists, engineers, conservators and New Zealand leaders on exciting projects and, on their return, inspire and educate others through their experiences. From the five day Youth Enviro-Leaders Forum in May 2013, to post-quake Christchurch, 12 students were selected for the 2014 Young Blake Expedition to the Auckland Islands. These inspiring young Kiwis helped to draft the proposal for a world-leading climate research base on the Auckland Islands, to be named Blake Station, and leave their mark on a piece of history that will impact all New Zealanders. Another Subantarctic Young Blake Expedition is planned for February 2015.

Above, 2013 Antarctic Youth Ambassador, Hamish Laing, realised his dream of visiting Antarctica, along with Elana Hawke pictured previous page. Read their blogs from the Icy Continent at: www.sirpeterblaketrust.org; Below, Sedef Duder-Ozyurt, Hamish Lilley and Mitchell Chandler with Professor of Ecology Mark Orams, about to board a helicopter for a bird’s eye view of the Subantarctic Auckland Islands.

In 2013, four Blake Ambassador Awards were awarded. Two NIWA Science Ambassadors travelled onboard NIWA research vessel, the RV Tangaroa, as part of a fisheries survey voyage to the Chatham Rise, at the same time two Antarctic Youth Ambassadors spent six weeks working on the icy continent with Antarctica New Zealand at Scott Base. The Trust works to develop & implement these audacious programmes each year, in the hope of continuing to provide experiences for many more young Kiwis. For more information on how to apply for these exciting opportunities in 2014, visit www.sirpeterblaketrust.org.

THE SIR PETER BLAKE TRUST DREAM TEAM

•••••••••••••••••••• 300 LEADERS, 300 CLASSROOMS, 10,000 KIWI KIDS. Inspiring 10,000 Kiwi Kids to make their dreams happen

DT Make it happen AD here. We remember how great it felt to be encouraged and inspired when we were young… now it’s our turn to help our kids feel the excitement of future possibilities. New Zealand needs future leaders with big dreams. The Sir Peter Blake Dream Team want to spend one hour in Leadership Week (on June 30th) inspiring a classroom of Kiwi kids to make their dreams happen. If you would like to be involved or have further information please contact the trust on 09 307 8875 or email: matt@sirpeterblaketrust.org www.sirpeterblaketrust.org

by Gabby Westerlund

ď Ż

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STUDENT VOICE.

Comic creator Gabby Westerlund is a Year 13 learner at Alfriston College in Manurewa and has been creating original comics for the last three years as part of the school’s comic creation project, run by deputy principal Steve Saville. Gabby discusses her art, and the panels from her work Fairy Tale are published here (see previous pages).

have been drawing comics since I was eleven years old. I have always liked the idea of telling stories through pictures. My style has been profoundly influenced by Manga artists and techniques. Initially my work was very derivative as I strove to find a particular style that felt right and one that felt original and unique.

Thomas poem The Hunchback in the Park that Mr Saville asked me to consider interpreting in comic form. The brief was not to retell the poem in visual form but to respond to the poem in some way and see where that led me creatively.

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I continue to be influenced by Manga and in particular the work of Tite Kubo and Masashi Kishimoto and the animation of Hayao Miyazaki. While I still find inspiration in these works I also draw from the American comic world of Marvel and DC. As a result I believe my style ” has evolved and changed over the years and with experimentation I feel I am finding a personal style that draws from a variety of sources, I was drawn to the idea of the outsider who but is original and mine. does not seem to belong in their social context I am influenced by the Lemony Snicket novels but still has to live within it. I also wanted to of Daniel Handler, but perhaps the biggest develop the idea of two characters who repel single influence on my comics is Alice in and attract in equal measure. Ultimately, I Wonderland, the character, the novel, the film wanted to focus on the concept of inner beauty and the game. I would say you can see Alice in as something fragile but also potentially danmost of my comics. gerous and transformational. In the end, my Most of my comics are concerned with the comic has little obvious connection to the idea of parallelism. Parallel worlds, parallel per- poem but the idea was firmly based on my spectives and parallel realities. This manifests interpretation of Thomas’ words. itself in a variety of ways, most often as the I love art; I love the act of creating and in comics gap between two characters form different I also find a real sense of creative freedom. I realities. This is the case in my comic Fairy have found in the past that there is an expectaTale but it could be an exploration into differ- tion in art to conform to certain techniques or ent universes or internal parallelism where one approaches and while this has helped me techcharacter has two sides to their personality. It nically as an artist it has, at times, restricted is this conflict that I like to play out, what hap- me creatively. pens when two different worlds meet. No one taught me how to draw comics so I

I love art; I love the art of creating and in comics I also find a real sense of creative freedom.

how they should look so I have felt free to produce what I think looks right. I have always been fascinated by the way comics combine words and picture to tell a story. It is the telling of stories that is particularly appealing. This is ironic as the major point of conflict between Mr Saville and me is over the use of words in my comics. I see my pages as fully formed single images rather than a collection of frames and in my mind when I see a page it rarely contains words. I prefer to tell a story through symbolism, but Mr Saville is constantly referring to the need to ensure that the reader can access the story and that if it is too obscure then the reader can’t identify with the story. I believe that reading a comic should not necessarily be too easy and should demand a sense of commitment from the reader and so we normally debate the issue and arrive at a compromise. The words, however, are always the last thing to be added to the page and I will always prefer to let symbolism carry the reader more than the words. Mr Saville explains this by saying that he sees a comic as a short story, whereas I see it more as a poem. Poems are often ambiguous and open to interpretation and I prefer that anyone who reads my comics brings themselves to them and responds personally and individually rather than in a way that I have told them to respond. Mr Saville sometimes says I create comics that are too vague, but I prefer not to underestimate anyone who reads comics.

Symbolism is a very important part of my comics and I find it really rewarding when The comic ‘Fairy Tale’ was inspired by a Dylan have felt free to experiment, no one told me someone comments on this and understands

done’ and while I would like to incorporate and use digital programmes like Photoshop I am still a little nervous of losing the feel of my comics if I went too far down this path. As it is I will continue to persevere trying to get things like proportions right as well as struggling with how to get across complex ideas within the limits of a page without simplifying things too I still primarily use pencil and pen but I am using much. As a process, I do have the complete water colour now. All of my work is still ‘hand comic visualised before I commit to paper. I

why I have drawn something in a particular place and in a particular way. Most of these comments tend to come from adults, most of my peers seem to be more interested in just the picture and not the story. Over the last year I have started to use more colour in my comics and so the symbolism of colour is now an increasingly important factor.

see each page as a fully formed entity before I begin and while I practice I know what the end product should look like. I start on page one and work through in a systematic manner from start to end, completing one page before starting the next. It would take me a whole day to complete a single page if I had that to spend on it. In reality, with the pressures of other school work I don’t have long periods of uninterrupted time so I draw when I have a spare hour or so.

Medium and message

ichael Sanders, pictured at right, has been creating comics since he was nine. He is a year 8 student at Hutt International Boys’ School, and said he finds comics a fun medium to create characters and tell stories.

His interest started when he discovered Calvin and Hobbes. Now 12, he reads widely, from Hellboy to Pearls Before Swine. You might think that someone who draws a comic strip about corn and broccoli would enjoy gardening. This is not the case. Comics have got Michael into Wellington Armageddon events for free to help on the NZ Comic Creators stall and twice to an International comic festival in South Korea (Korean comic adventure, ET5 2013). “Comics are a good medium for making a story,” Michael said. “Things that are hard to explain with words can be done with pictures, and things hard to explain with pictures can be done with words. “I like reading them because books can be hard to get into, but comics are easy to get sucked into. “I draw my pictures with pen, then scan them into the computer, where I add colour and words digitally.”

Moving forward

Alfriston College deputy principal Steve Saville, left, has established a comic creators group, and discusses what motivates him.

here will always be two primary drivers motivating my desire to produce comics in secondary school environment. The first is to provide the opportunity for young adults to indulge their creative spirit and to be acknowledged and appreciated for that; and secondly, the personal desire to move good artists to the point where they are also able to be good storytellers. Creators of not only images but worlds. I will always be attempting to encourage a creative voice in learners, and what I would like to move towards is greater ownership on the part of individual creators to the point where they are driving their personal projects.

This year I need to discover and develop the next wave of creators, because as students leave school gaps inevitably appear and there is always the need to ensure a sense of continuity so the concept of producing comics becomes part of the school culture, not just the passion of the occasional student.

Part of this includes trying to move the ‘club’ beyond the boundaries of Alfriston College and extend the community to other colleges and high schools. This has already taken its first steps and I need to now establish the structure within which this can be progressed. Ideally, I will be overseeing the publication of an anthology containing work from around the country before the end of the year. That in itself does pose a problem, I have a very supportive school to operate within and they have been financially supportive, but I will need to look at the administration and financing of projects if we are going to move to the wider base of contributors. In my experience this is where the New Zealand interdependent comic scene has floundered in the past. Anthologies operate very well within a small community but once the horizons are extended things pretty quickly fall down.

All of this however, will have to wait until I also need to find a way of developing the insanity of the start of a new school an audience as currently our readership year has subsided. is relatively small.

news

Kids rule the playground

wanson Primary School made international headlines recently when teachers there picked up on research showing school playgrounds should, more or less, belong to the students.

They have to learn risk on their own terms. safety regulations and the kids thought the It doesn’t develop by watching TV, they have static structures of playgrounds were boring,” Professor Schofield said. to get out there.” Principal Bruce McLachlan has become a firm Instead of a playground , children used their fan: “Letting children test themselves on a imagination to play in a “loose parts pit” which The story started when AUT professor of scooter during playtime could make them more contained junk such as wood, tyres and an old public health Grant Schofield urged schools aware of the dangers when getting behind the fire hose. Mudslides, skateboarding, bullrush and tree climbing kept the children so occupied to embrace risk-taking when it comes to chil- wheel of a car in high school. the school no longer needed a timeout area or dren’s playtime activities. “When you look at our playground it looks cha- as many teachers on patrol. “There are too many rules in modern play- otic. From an adult’s perspective, it looks like grounds,” Mr Schofield said. kids might get hurt, but they don’t. We want “The kids were motivated, busy and engaged. In my experience, the time children get into trou“The great paradox of cotton-woolling children kids to be safe and to look after them, but ble is when they are not any of these things. we can end up wrapping them in cotton wool is it’s more dangerous in the long run.” It’s during that time they bully other kids, grafProfessor Schofield worked on a research pro- when in fact they should be able to fall over.” fiti or wreck things around the school,” Mr ject conducted by AUT and Otago University The research project morphed into something McLachlan said. just over two years ago. He and his colleagues bigger when plans to upgrade playgrounds Professor Schofield said the formal research - inspired by their own risk-taking childhoods were stopped due to over-zealous safety regu- papers were not available yet but he and his - decided it was time to give children the free- lations and costly play equipment. fellow researchers are “amazed and delighted dom to create their own play. “There were just so many ridiculous health and with the results to hand so far”. The initial response from principals was negative, but the researchers persisted and finally four West Auckland and four Dunedin schools decided to take on the challenge. Swanson Primary School principal Bruce McLachlan was one of the bravest of these educational pioneers in that his school chose to abandon the rules completely, much to the horror of some teachers at the time. Ripping up the playground rulebook is having an incredible effect. Chaos may seem to reign at the school with children climbing trees, riding skateboards and playing bulrush (kingasini) during playtime, but surprisingly the pupils do not cause bedlam or come to harm. On the contrary, the school has seen a drop in bullying, serious injuries and vandalism, and concentration levels in the classroom are increasing. “Society’s obsession with protecting children ignores the benefit of risk-taking,” Professor Schofield said. “Children develop the frontal lobe of their brain when taking risks, meaning they work out consequences. You can’t teach them that.

MATHEW DITCHBURN presents the second part of his report on the Rotorua Education Initiative run as a social sector trial by Te Taumata o Ngati Whakaue Iho Ake Trust and government agencies.

STUDENT VOICE.

Foundation for success

communities in establishing locally focused from the various sectors of the community including politicians, police, health officials, education services. Excel Rotorua is about finding local solutions businesses, schools and educationists have for local needs. To succeed, it will require wide been meeting with Excel Rotorua and commusupport from all sectors of the community as nity leaders to finalise project details, identify what is needed and develop concepts for prowell as government agencies. jects and programs to address those needs. “This is for the benefit of all Rotorua children Communication and engagement with the Excel Rotorua is being taken out into the community by Te Taumata o Ngati Whakaue Iho and young people, not just Ngati Whakaue,” community will broaden as the projects are set into action. Ake Trust. They have established a project Leith Comer said. team, headed by former Ministry of Maori “We want to ensure that all children are able As the groundwork and networking completes, Development chief executive Leith Comer. to succeed in education, whatever success in Excel Rotorua will be rolling out some of its Excel Rotorua is unique as it focuses primarily education means for them, by removing any main projects to help children this year. on improving education for children and young barriers and providing the type of support they These include practical health issues such as need, in the way that they need it. And we identifying sight and hearing impediments, and adults in the Rotorua community. social factors around poor attendance, before Education Minister Hekia Parata believes need to take the whole community with us.” xcel Rotorua – the two year social sector trial – is signed up and underway, working toward a framework to take education in Rotorua into the future with systems, programs and services tailored to the needs of the community’s youths, ensuring everyone can excel at all levels of education.

Rotorua could provide the blueprint for other Over the last few months, representatives they become a serious issue.

Government House

open to visit The home of New Zealand’s Governors-General since 1910 is opening its doors for visits by schools. Book a curriculum-aligned educational programme and learn about the history and role of the Governor-General and Government House: explore the Visitor Centre with its fascinating displays and an audio-visual presentation as well as a tour of the House, the residence of the Queen's Representative in New Zealand. Our Education Team is happy to provide further information on our programmes and tailor for your needs. The programme is free of charge and takes approximately 2.5 hours. For further information and to book a tour, visit www.gg.govt.nz/tours

“Local evidence suggests there are still children “One Excel Rotorua project will provide for a in Rotorua schools with undiagnosed sight and social worker to respond during early stages and follow through with students, referring hearing problems,” Mr Comer said. “By June 2015 we aim to have at least 80 per and linking them to other support services if cent of all year 1-8 students (approximately required.”

6400) sight and hearing assessed with follow- One of Excel Rotorua’s five main objectives is to provide successful transitions into further up action in place as required.” education, training and employment. “So far, support to intervene when students start to show early signs of disengagement If the Education Initiative succeeds, children has been limited, with the system often not and young people will be better prepared for responding until a pattern of non-attendance tertiary education or employment as they will appears and intervention is then often of a dis- have excelled in education from years 1-13. ciplinary nature.

signed off, work will begin on project details and finding people, services and sectors to lead and implement them, with support, oversight and in some cases funding provided by the Excel Rotorua initiative. “Improving educational outcomes for our children and young people will provide them with the opportunities to succeed in later life and so, will ultimately benefit all of Rotorua in the long term,” Mr Comer said.

With the right amount of support, the Excel Rotorua initiative could help shape key aspects Now that the scope of projects has been of education in New Zealand.

Social sector trials

literacy and numeracy communities know best what they need. • Increased Control of resources, decision-making and achievement accountability for results is transferred to • Increased success at NCEA Level 2 (or a community lead – in Rotorua’s case Te equivalent) Taumata o Ngati Whakaue Iho Ake Trust – which works with community groups to • Successful transitions into further education, training and employment It is one of the Government’s Social Sector decide how best to use resources to realize Trials, established in a number of communi- the aspirations of the community. • Reduced risky behaviours. ties around the country to test innovative The five main goals of the Rotorua Education ideas for improving the quality of life for Initiative are: For more information on Excel Rotorua or young New Zealanders. • Increased participation in quality early other Social Sector trials in New Zealand, go childhood education (ECE) The Social Sector Trial recognizes that to http://www.excelrotorua.co.nz/ upported by Government agencies, the Excel Rotorua initiative is focused on improving educational outcomes for all Rotorua children and young people, with an emphasis on local solutions for local needs and aspirations.

STUDENT VOICE.

3WC keeps it honest

Otahuhu College’s HELEN TA’ALO says three-way conferences help keep students accountable.

he introduction of three-way confer- have made on parents and students. ences (3WC) at Otahuhu College “Three-way conferences are a strong way for has helped build the relationship teachers to be in contact with the families. between parents/caregivers of the There has been a thirty to eighty per cent instudents and their whanau teacher. crease in students attending the conference with a parent or caregiver,” Mr Thompson The conferences are basically an appointment said. “This is a huge improvement throughout made for parents/caregivers to meet up with the years of having parents come into school. the student’s teacher. This is an opportunity Secondly, having parents fill in forms for a for the parents to discuss and orientate where set time for an appointment is a good idea their child is at with the school and how they are coping with their learning; which is ei- because parents are more obliged to attend.” ther keeping up with given assessments and maintaining the stability to be persistent with their learning or they are slacking off and/or getting distracted somehow.

This is a good technique for parents to use to distinguish the differences in their child’s learning and how they have been managing through school. The academic deans Mr Thompson, Mr Faavae, Ms Tuitupou and Ms Maoate said they have identified a huge improvement and impact 3WC have made in the past two years. The numbers of academic results have increased and more students have become more serious with their learning and the outcome shows higher numbers of successful students. I talked with Mr Thompson and Mr Faavae to discover if the conference system worked. Mr Thompson gave me his perspective as an academic dean on the impression conferences

Mr Thompson said the appointments are a more enhanced way for the teacher, student and parent to communicate effectively because its more in depth, compared to the old system where parents just attended the parents evening but did not get much of an understanding of what stage their child’s learning was at.

The 3WC is mostly targeted to the seniors, so they can focus more on NCEA and their credits. Basically, teachers are educating parents on the requirements of NCEA and where their child should be, ensuring parents have an understanding of what their child is actually doing in school.

a relationship where parents and teachers are more able to trust each other but most importantly determining if the student was progressing or not. The second aspect was that the conferences were a great way for the students to inform their parents on the progress they are making with their learning. He said parents, teachers and students benefited as the student could “build a bridge” in their academic area as it evolved. Mr Faavae said setting targets for students was essential to their NCEA achievements as they require more credits and improved grades. He said there was “more room for improvement” in the conferences.

Mr Faavae said there were four main aspects to the conference approach.

I strongly recommend the conferences because students should be concerned about their parents knowing what stage they are at in school. Acknowledging the fact teachers are now in contact with their parents pushes them to keep going forward.

The first was developing a relationship between the parents teachers and the student,

They can’t muck around and have to take school more seriously.

Mr Thompson said it was “more work but better outcome”.

When English comes second VAHAFOLAU VAIVELA attends Otahuhu College, and says language barriers are a challenge for parents who want to be more involved in the children’s learning.

feel the main problem between families and education in South Auckland is language barriers, especially for Pasifika people who do not speak English as their first language.

When they aren’t able to understand what is required for their child’s learning, parents may be less involved in their child’s education. As teenagers, we often won’t tell our parents about our problems with learning at school because we wouldn’t want to add to the stress they already have in putting put food on the table.

Teenagers without English as a first language are often put into a programme called ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) when they come into college, which is a great help for them. This programme breaks down

“

To ensure they know when it’s nearly time for [NCEA] internal and external assessments, letters and reports should be written in the family’s own language. This way they would be able to help their children learn better at home and they would also be able to help thier children to use better time management.”

barriers between English and their own language. That is one of the solutions for dealing with the language barrier problem for students, and from there they try to get a better understanding of the education system. But when do the parents come in? During the year they should get involved when its time for their child to do NCEA Internals, and near the end of the year they should start arranging study time for their child so they can focus on their NCEA Externals. To ensure they know when it’s nearly time for internal and external assessments, letters and reports should be written in the family’s own language. This way they would be able to help their children learn better at home and they would also be able to help their children to use better time management.

When I interviewed other Pasifika students, they recommended having people who can speak our language talk our parents: “Don’t give the reports to the kids – they won’t bother to give them to their parents, so they should send it straight home. They should give reports and notices in their own language,” they generally said. This showed they wanted parents more involved in their education.

• They would get involved more often by being updated with their child’s behavior and learning status. • They would be able to help out their child during study times. • They would be aware of what the child is lacking. • They would understand why having them involved is important.

Addressing the language barrier would get the parents more involved in their children’s learning. Having them involved would make it easier for them to understand the require• That parent would understand what is need- ments needed for their child to succeed in ed for their child and school. school, especially for the next generation. Getting the parents involved by having the education system explained to them in their language can make a difference. The beneficial points would be:

Parents in + Partnership

STUDENT VOICE.

Three heads are better than one ANA TUITA from Otahuhu College discusses the conference approach designed to help students focus on their work, and familiarise their family with their studies and challenges they face.

they don’t have to worry about seeing different teachers at different times because the relevant tutors are aware of the student’s work and classroom activity and can share comments and feedback with them from the student’s subject teachers to give an accuWe use these 3WC – three-way-conferences rate picture of how the student is coping with – at Otahuhu College, whereas at other second- their learning. ary schools they may have parent interviews I believe this approach helps students and with teachers where the student may or may their families deal with things that need attennot choose to be present. All of our lecturers, tion and provides feedback and comments or teachers, contribute to the conferences from subject teachers that the student, and so all the subjects in the student’s learn- parents, can apply as the student proing, such as maths and English, are covered. gresses in their learning. Problems can be The main reason for having a 3WC is to not recognised and dealt with early on. only involve a teacher and parent relationship It also helps the student focus their studies but also to involve the learner themselves in the conference, creating a pathway between and life on the occupation or job they are each individual, the teacher, the student and interested in. parent. The aim is to get comments and The simple sentence and question style used feedback from each individual, including the in the 3WC helps students and parents alike. student, on ways to build their learning at The students enjoy the conferences, usually, and feel as though they are being helped, and school and at home. These conferences contrast, for example, with that everyone is part of their learning. onferences between the educator, or teacher, the student and the parents or caregivers help students in areas where they may be lacking, and provide feedback they can use to prevent repeating mistakes the student may be making.

the traditional report card, which is more like a relationship between the educator and the caregiver or parent. Parents value the report card record of their child’s learning.

The experience of a 3WC makes everything to do with the student’s learning and co-operation much easier, as everything in a 3WC has what a parent needs and requires for their own involvement with the tutor in the student’s education. Parents and students can see the encouragement teachers give to students which increases confidence and the initiative to strive for common goals.

Studies show that receiving a record of learning for a child is much more valuable than a ‘meet and greet’ and is different to the idea of a parent interview. At Otahuhu College the students and parents meet each subject teacher, with tutor teachers sometimes seen as the The 3WC helps students and demonstrates main teacher to the student. to them how committed their teachers and The 3WC has been a success within the past parents are to their education, their home few years. It is popular with parents, because and school life, and their future.

STUDENT VOICE.

Keeping parents in the picture

Plain language reporting makes it easier for parents to recognise success and challenge in their children’s school work. MATHEW DITCHBURN tells us how students feel about it.

n 2009, Newmarket Primary Shool principal Wendy Kofoed wanted to know why students’ results weren’t improving as much as they should’ve been, and she wanted to do something about it.

Wendy discovered many parents didn’t have a very good idea about how their children were doing, because school reports sent to parents had lots of teacher jargon and letters and numbers that only made sense to teachers. This really isn’t what reports are aimed at they are meant to give everyone involved in a child’s learning an idea about how it is going. Plain language reporting is a method of reporting that removes any teacher jargon and focusses on delivering information parents really need to know.

I read over my year 8 report, from early 2009 - just before the plain language reporting became part of our curriculum. There were terms such as “avid reader”, “sound comprehension” and “intonation, enunciation”. These terms are hard enough for me - a year 12 student getting consistent merits and excellences - to understand, let alone a foreign family or a parent that doesn’t have very good literacy skills. This is why plain language reporting was introduced; to allow the teacher to communicate with families. Wendy Kofoed visited our Learning Auckland student editorial meeting, and explained most of the students at her school were Asian, which meant English is their family’s second language. Wendy said in 2009 she surveyed 1000 parents about what forms of communication with the school were the most important in parents’ minds. Astoundingly, written reports were the top answer, followed closely by Parent-Teacher Interviews. She thinks one reason for this might be because the written report is a Taonga; a treasure parents keep

“

Parents were surveyed about what forms of communication with the school were the most important in parents’ minds. Astoundingly, written reports were the top answer, followed closely by Parent-Teacher Interviews. One reason for this might be because the written report is a Taonga; a treasure parents keep and show other family members.”

and show other family members.

throughout the report as a measurement of how a child is achieving, the report will now state the child is reading above their expected level and can improve by doing this, this and this. The report will say the child is reading these sorts of books and needs to read more advanced books, which will inevitably get the parents involved and engaged in the reading process. This is the beauty of the plain language suggestions Wendy has created. From a student’s perspective, in my latest report I can see that I am achieving at a merit-excellence level, and to improve I can talk less in class and pay more attention. I can also see the teacher believes I am a great positive contributor to the class when on task. This gives me the knowledge I need to improve my learning. Teachers and parents can only do so much though - at the end of the day it is up to the student to improve his/her learning. As opposed to the plain language suggestions, in 2009 I saw I was reading at level 4P and spelling at level 5A. This was pointless, and didn’t enable me to improve at all. So the plain language reporting might also benefit students, allowing them to improve their learning. My peers agree with me. “I am able to see where I went wrong. This tells me specifically what I need to improve in order to get better results,” my friend Joe said.

Wendy drafted some sample reports, in which she tried to use no teacher jargon and keep the reports completely plain language. She gave them to a panel of experts - a panel of parents and community members - and got them to highlight any words/phrases they didn’t fully understand. “When the highlighters came out, there was colour everywhere,” Wendy said. Her draft report was still too complex. The feedback from parents told Wendy the three key things that needed to “It doesn’t tell me anything in a negative manbe incorporated in the reports were where ner, it always puts it in a positive light.” This their child is at, what problems their child is is the sort of feedback the students I talked encountering and how their child can improve to gave about the plain language reporting in the future, worded constructively. approach. The new plain language suggestions are use- Plain language reporting is compulsory from ful to help parents gain a feel for how their years 1-13 throughout New Zealand, and child is performing, and the reports now enables the bond between parents and their give input on how their children can improve, child’s learning to be strengthened further. which will help to strengthen the home- It also helps the student to improve themselves, school bond. and take responsibility for their academic Rather than having 4Ps and 5As scattered

success.

Reporting in plain language

“

Plain language reports can help build strong partnerships between schools and parents, families, whanau, and communities. When parents have good information about their child’s achievement and progress, it can encourage them to play a greater role their children’s learning.” From: http://nzcurriculum.tki.org. nz/National-Standards/Key-information/Fact-sheets/Reporting-inplain-language Reports should be concise and easily understood, outline a child’s progress and achievement, and be free from educational jargon. Benefits of plain language reporting include: help-

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ing understand where the student is at and where they need to be giving parents, families, whānau, and communities confidence when talking to the school about progress and achievement building more effective home-school relationships that help students reach their learning goals. Wendy’s ‘work in progress’ written reporting plain language comment examples can be found on the newly updated Assessment Online website: http://assessment.tki.org.nz/ Reporting-to-parents-families-andwhanau The challenges for teachers on reporting in plain language were also described in the National Standards School Sample Monitoring and Evaluation Project 2010-2012: www.educationcounts.govt.nz/ publications/series/National_Standards/123230 NZ Education Gazette article on Wendy’s work: www.edgazette.govt.nz/Articles/Article. aspx?ArticleId=8855

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STUDENT VOICE.

The art of fush and chups

HILARY DUTTON has an arts degree framed on her wall. It represents several years of hard work and despite such qualifications being denigrated, she believes the pressures, demands and changes in the world around her make an arts degree as much a viable source of paid employment as any other.

or the record, I have never had to ask or by their direct correlation to careers recog“would you like fries with that?” nized as valuable to our society, such as health There are many tired clichés about the professionals, lawyers, engineers, or scientists. value of an Arts degree. Certainly the For many with an Arts degree, this relationship joke about working in fast food never between study and work can be blurred or seems to grow old, and, as an Arts student even non-existent. As a student who majored myself, I believe the degree I worked hard in Philosophy, I have lost count of the number for is worth more than the piece of paper (or, of times people have asked “what are you more accurately, vellum) that proudly resides going to do with a Philosophy degree?”

on my wall. Arts degrees have received their fair-share of inaccurate and lazy jokes for many years now. However, new changes to the funding and promotion of tertiary study in New Zealand have raised serious questions about the public and governmental perception of the value of Arts degrees in the 21st century.

“

I have lost count of the number of times people have asked me what I am going to do with a philosophy degree.”

Late in 2013, the New Zealand government announced they were following the worldwide trend of pushing funding towards STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects at tertiary levels. This trend has been promoted by a perception of our world as an increasingly technological one; the political pursuit of a ‘knowledge economy’ grounded in STEM subjects has received wide support worldwide, including New Zealand.

As a result, funding for non-STEM subjects, including those in Arts degrees, has received little to no increase in funding. A number of universities across New Zealand have spoken out with their concerns about the direction of these funding policies. The common thread of many of the arguments appears to be that Arts disciplines – such as Sociology, Political Science, English, Philosophy, History, or Anthropology – are undervalued.

invaluable. The debate between disciplines is often framed as “what to think versus how to think”. This common summation of the argument asks us to think about the value of two kinds of knowledge: content knowledge (the “what”) and critical thinking (the “how”). Content knowledge is the meat and potatoes of learning; the actual details, facts, and ideas that are presented and expected to be learned. Critical thinking is, to extend the metaphor, about how you cook your meal. What are the pros and cons of cooking your meat and potatoes in a particular way? What problems or issues present themselves while cooking? Or, to go deeper, why are some potatoes better for some methods of cooking than others?

My answer to this question is multi-faceted, but fundamentally draws on what I believe are the tremendous benefits of an Arts degree. Once upon a time, my Philosophy degree would have been heralded as a valuable intellectual pursuit; one that explores and tries to understand a myriad of complex ideas about our lives, responsibilities, and identities as human beings. A pure, unadulterated love Essentially, it is about continuing to ask quesand curiosity about our lives and its enduring tions about the content that is presented. This questions was a major factor in my pursuit of a means skilled thinking, developing advanced Philosophy degree. ideas and theories, and engaging in reasoned But does this have any real “usefulness” in argument. It is about teasing out and trying to the “real world”, I still get asked. My answer is, make sense of the grey areas which dominate unequivocally, yes. Every day, our newspapers, our social, political, and economic lives. There talkback radio shows, family gatherings, and are many influential jobs in society in which we conversations in work lunchrooms, discuss would demand the powerful people who hold issues which ask about what we think our soci- such positions think in this sophisticated and ety should be. Issues such as privacy, benefit thoughtful way. Development of critical thinkcuts, equality and human rights, international ing is a craft which takes years to learn to do disaster relief, gender discrimination, deep- well. sea drilling off our coast, rights for Maori and acknowledgement of the Treaty of Waitangi are up for discussion and debate every single day. As citizens, I believe we have a responIf you want to work in highly sibility to take our thoughts about these complex areas which must seriously. They affect us as individuals and as strangers to one another in a common political, consider all sides of the sosocial, and economic community.

“

Thoughtful discussion, argument, and expression of the key ideas which influence these kinds of issues are a hallmark of Arts degrees. Arts students research, write, and reason, about a wide variety of topics. An Arts degree is diverse, broad, and flexible. This allows each student to gain multiple perspectives on key ideas, across a range of disciplines. If you want to work in highly complex areas which Degrees are becoming more valued on the must consider all sides of the social, political, basis of their economic contribution to society, and economic spectrums, this kind of study is

cial, political and economic spectrums, this kind of study is invaluable.”

I do not want to suggest those who study STEM subjects are unable to think like this, because I am sure that is not the case. The point is rather, that Arts degrees specialize in this kind of thinking. Arts graduates spend three years honing these skills. Whether they have done so in the field of Ancient History,

with the thinking they are taught to do today. Some of these pioneers will have Arts degrees, and they will be influencing our world in important ways, not just handing you a burger over Another important point was raised by the the counter. Vice Chancellor of the University of Otago, Professor Harlene Hayne in late 2012. She writes: “With respect to STEM subjects … it Every day our newspapers, is no longer sufficient for students to simply talkback radio shows, family acquire deep knowledge about science and technology. They must also understand the gatherings, and conversation moral, financial and ecological impacts of new in work lunchrooms discuss developments in these areas … they will need to know enough about history, ethics and phiissues which ask about what losophy that they can contribute effectively to we think our society should on-going debates about important social issues be.” ranging from same-sex marriage to euthanasia … In short, it is not sufficient for a university graduate in any discipline, whether it involves I continue to develop these skills in postgradua STEM subject or not, to simply master their ate study, as I work towards my Masters in Education. My grounding in Philosophy, as core area of expertise.” Arts degrees matter. We do not live or work well as other Arts disciplines like Sociology in vacuums, where only knowing the relevant and Political Science, influences my approach facts and details are sufficient to being a good to education, where I have an interest in youth citizen and successful worker. In fact, if we mentoring and education for social justice. step just briefly into our imaginations and think My hope is this will lead me to a job where I about what the world might be like in 20, 30, can help those young people who face social, 40 years, it is not outrageous to say some of political, and economic obstacles to fully bentoday’s university students will be working efitting from education in this country. My Arts in jobs which do not exist yet. These careers degree will be a significant asset to underwill be created by those who are thoughtful, standing these complex spaces, processes, critical, and innovative, and will enjoy success and relationships which impact the positive when these yet-to-be-imagined ideas combine development of our youth. Criminology, Linguistics, or Gender Studies, is irrelevant. An Arts graduate should be able to apply these skills to any field they may be employed in, and this is highly useful indeed.

“

The Joyce Choice – STEM subjects Hon Steven Joyce is Minister for Economic and translate it to the tertiary sector.’ Development, Minister of Science and ‘Today I’m going to talk about… Skills and Innovation, Minister of Tertiary Education, innovation, and where they intersect which Skills and Employment, Minister for Small is in our tertiary system and in particular our Business, and Associate Minister of University system.’ Finance. He’s also the Mr Fixit for the Key ‘We are seen internationally as having one of Government - for example the problems with the Novopay system for paying teach- the top half-dozen education systems and many people aspire to learn here.’ ers ended up on his desk. ‘We also want to see investment better In a speech at the National Party conference in April 2012 Mr Joyce made the following matched to skill and labour market needs. We will be looking carefully at the Government’s comments: ‘…where I thought I’d start this morn- investment in STEM subjects … as critical ing is on the fundamental underlying areas to New Zealand’s growth industries.’

number of bachelor level engineers currently, 6.6 per cent of all graduates compared to the OECD average of 13.2 per cent, and we want to see this change.’ Importantly the Minister does not anywhere in his speech belittle or denigrate the Arts Sector or arts degrees. His signal that there should be more emphasis on STEM subjects has carried through into government policy but he also notes in his speech that government funding for the entire education sector remains robust.

STEM subjects have got a leg up but the Arts economic basis of what we’re doing ‘New Zealand comparatively produces a low have not been abandoned.

news

Building partnerships T

he family is the most important support McLachlan of Massey University. Preliminary group for children. evaluation results look good. The Early Partnering with Parents (PWP) is led by the Childhood Council provides updates about PWP Early Childhood Council with the Ministry of to Social Development and Education ministers, Paula Bennett and Hekia Parata, and has Social Development’s Strategies with Kids further funding from MSD’s SKIP team, to Information for Parents’ (SKIP) team, and allow for 10 PWP places this year. Plunket are Plunket. providing facilitators and training as part of its In edition 6 of Education Today last year (Teach own baseline. It is now fully subscribed. our parents well, page 20-22), Laree Taula of The main goals are to improve teacher-parent; the Early Childhood Council, reviewed the teacher-health provider and parent-health proplace of PWP in the early childhood sector and vider relationships. in the context of current parenting initiatives. A key to this is linking parents to the plethora It has now been trialled in 13 ECE centres in of social services available to them from the different parts of the country, with a full evalu- earliest age possible, with the early childation about to start led by Professor Claire hood network engaging with parents and ECE

centres, either individually or as part of a community hub, and becoming known as places of commonality and support. This approach has huge potential to contribute to the Government’s Better Public Services (BPS) targets to raise immunisation rates, and reduce rheumatic fever incidences, and more broadly towards the Government’s focus on vulnerable children. Research is increasingly showing health and education are inextricably linked, making the ECE network a powerful vehicle to connect with parental practices impacting on health such as unsafe practices and poor dietary habits.

Power down

A group of 84 Canterbury schools have cut their electricity bills by bulk buying after the Canterbury Primary Principals’ Association (CPPA) approached a retailer, suspecting that en masse, they could negotiate a better deal. Their suspicions proved correct. Of the 89 school electricity loads taken to market, a lower electricity tariff was obtained for 84. The average monthly saving for each of the 84 primary schools is $400 (a 17% reduction); the average annualized saving is $4,800; the largest annualized saving for a single school is $18,348; and the combined annualized saving for all 84 is a staggering $402,912.

news

Full tummies on the menu forsuccess P

ractical new guides for schools wishing to introduce food programmes were released by Children’s Commissioner Dr Russell Wills late last month.

“We wanted to remove the hesitation some • A positive food programme that does not schools might feel about embarking on a pro- stigmatise: tips on how to make sure your programme does not stigmatise children and ject to introduce food at their school and feel whānau confident about what steps to take,” he said.

The guidelines provide clear advice to schools, whether they are thinking about where to start or wanting to improve an existing food programme. They can be used by primary, intermediate and secondary schools of all deciles and in all communities.

The guidelines help schools from the early • Healthy nutrition in schools: resources for providing nutritious food and promoting stages of identifying need, to finding sponsors healthy eating and partners, to implementing the programme without stigmatising the children. There are • Connecting school food programmes to the also useful tips for schools that have a pro- New Zealand Curriculum: how school food gramme and want to improve nutrition. programmes and the curriculum can be mutually reinforcing and make learning about The Guidelines for School Food Programmes: Best Practice Guidance for Your School is for food and nutrition real. all school principals, school management and Boards of Trustees. The topics in the five There are also inspiring case studies of schools with successful programmes and sample guides are: survey templates for assessing needs of • Assessing your need and deciding the best students. response: understanding the needs of your children, engaging the school community, LINKS and the different models your programme can take • You can view and download the • Getting started and resourcing the proguidelines at http://healthylifestyles. gramme: practical ways to set up your tki.org.nz/ programme and partner with the right people

“School food programmes can be much more than feeding hungry kids. There are flow-on effects that are just as valuable,” Dr Wills said. “A well-designed programme can bring the local community together, see more families and whānau engaged in their kids’ development and teach children about better nutrition.” He said there had been little guidance for schools on how to get started or operate a food programme well, and while there were many schools doing a good job of providing food to their students, the programmes had often formed “organically” and were successful after much trial and error.

working with schools

Financial Education:

Financial Education is a popular topic among educators and parents, but the question remains – how and where should it fit into an already crowded curriculum? Young Enterprise Trust has come up with a possible solution.

he Young Enterprise Trust charity has developed two new resource packs which help teachers to blend financial education into existing school subjects and events. These resources are available free to all New Zealand teachers.

‘Pick Up & Go’ series focused on school events

resource includes teacher’s notes, curriculum overview, lessons, exemplars, blank templates for teachers, and a glossary of terms. There will be five modules to choose from:

The resources have been drafted and tested by a small group of teachers at schools across the country, before being introduced nationwide in 2014.

• School Gala (best suited to Year 5-8 Katrina Day from Rangikura School was one of the teachers to trial the resources. “Never students) having taught financial literacy, I found this unit • School Overnight Camp (Year 1-4) a great support as my class prepared for our school gala. It turned what had seemed like • School Production (Year 3-8) busy work (getting pot plants ready) into a fan• School Gardens (Year 1-8) tastic learning experience for my students.”

The ‘Pick Up & Go’ resource series is the first new offering and is perfect for Year 1-8 students. The resources are designed to complement regular activities on primary school • School/Community Project (Year 1-8) calendars, such as the school Gala Day or an Overnight Camp. “We know that many primary and intermediate schools have annual events on their school calendar that students love to take part in,” says Sharron Buer, Head of Young Enterprise Trust’s primary programmes. “We saw an opportunity to include some simple financial education tools into those types of events, which can further strengthen the learning experience for students.”

Anita Stokes from Te Kowhai School has also enjoyed testing the Pick Up & Go resources. “They are flexible enough for me to tweak to suit my own classroom situation and objectives. The attached resources to support the lessons as well as example templates really do make the resource true to its name of ‘pick up and go’ as everything you need is right at your fingertips.” Sharron Buer says the first two resources in the series will be ready at the end of Term 1, with the other three available during Terms 3 and 4.

Photo: Natasha Laree Photography

Each ‘Pick Up and Go’

working with schools

Where does it fit in? Learn about finance using the ‘Hot Topics’ range for secondary students Applying for a student loan, going flatting and getting a credit card are just some of the items on the to-do list of many students once they finish secondary school. Now teachers can help them prepare by using Young Enterprise Trust’s second new series for 2014, ‘Hot Topics’. The series features short units on 11 topics that young people might find helpful. Each Hot Topic can be completed in just 2-4 weeks, and supporting materials include teaching notes, powerpoint presentations, student worksheets and spreadsheet templates. “The Hot Topics are ideal for Year 10’s and can be easily introduced into existing classes,” says Yolande Rosario, Head of Junior Secondary for Young Enterprise Trust. “Teachers can pick and choose which topics to use in their classroom, or use a simulation exercise to integrate the topics.” Tina Rose from Cambridge High School was one of the teachers to test the resources out. “It was great seeing the student’s satisfaction – especially seeing the penny drop when they realised the costs of some of their lifestyle choices.” Photo: Natasha Laree Photography

Yolande Rosario says some of the topics may be used as a platform to introduce Unit Standards in Personal Financial Management, which can give students some credits at Levels 1, 2 and 3.

LINKS Young Enterprise Trust offers a wide range of enterprise and financial education resources, which are available to New Zealand teachers free of charge. Sign up on their website - www.youngenterprise.org.nz.

We help you to make learning about money fun To access free resources visit www.youngenterprise.org.nz e: support@youngenterprise.org.nz t: 04 570 0452

news

Words speak to the future

he playwright Arnold Wesker, in the 1970s, talked about teaching concept-building words to students, so each student would have a “survival kit” of language skills by which they could describe to themselves how they felt about the world around them, and to others.

younger age than once thought. Wesker’s “language survival kit” was for school-age children, but the idea is to connect words and meaning for babies and toddlers so the brain becomes primed to learn through context.

help disadvantaged youngsters catch up, and also stresses a “let’s talk” approach for parents stressing talking, singing and reading with tots even before they can respond.

By some measures, five-year-olds from lowRather than flashcards for tots, or merely income families can lag two years behind their pointing at objects: “Here’s an apple, here’s a peers in language development. Columbia Recent research shows he wasn’t far off the bowl”, it’s “let’s put the apple in the big green University researchers said brain scans show mark. How much and how well parents talk bowl with the banana, the oranges and the 18-month-old babies from higher socioecowith babies and toddlers helps tune their brains grapes”. nomic backgrounds already devoting more in ways that build crucial language and vocabu“neural real estate” to language development. lary skills – Wesker’s “ability to conceptualise” Dumbed-down baby talk is out. Longer, more A simple example shows why language proas an essential survival skill, or at least a skill complex sentences are better. Have conversacessing is important. Consider the sentence he described as being useful in “deciding how tions with babies. They can have lots of talk “the kitty is on the bench”. If the youngster they cannot understand and still benefit from it. big my slice of cake will be, rather than having knows the word “kitty” and his brain recogsomeone else tell me how big it will be”. The research, from Stanford and Florida nises it quickly enough, then he can figure out Researchers note the infamous word gap that Atlantic University researchers, and others, what “bench” means by context. If he’s slow puts poor children at a disadvantage at an even comes amid a push for universal preschool to to recognise “kitty” then “bench” has gone before he can learn it.

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Stanford’s Anne Fernald tucked recorders into T-shirts of low-income toddlers, and discovered huge differences in what’s called child-directed speech – that’s children spoken to directly rather than television or conversations they overhear. One child heard more than 12,000 words of child-directed speech in a day, while another heard less than 700. Those receiving more child-directed speech processed language more efficiently and learned words more quickly. But quality is important, not quantity. Studies of bilingual families shows children learn better from a native speaker. So, if mum and dad live in an English-speaking nation and aren’t fluent in English, it is better for babies and toddlers to have a solid grounding in their parent’s language at home and then learn English later at school.

LINKS http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/february/fernald-AAAS-children-021414.html

book review

Politics of youth Title: Ringleaders & sidekicks: How to help your son cope with classroom politics, bullying, girls and growing up Author: Rosalind Wiseman Publisher: Piatkus ISBN: 9780749958251 RRP: $39.99 From www.abacusbooks.co.nz Phone 09 4150630

Responses came from 160 boys from various backgrounds, who volunteered to take part in the author’s research and their responses are reproduced throughout the book. Responses were not just from confident, assertive boys but also from boys who just felt like doing it for different and personal reasons.

The result is this book does indeed provide some good insight on boys and their interosalind Wiseman tackles bullying, class- esting group dynamics and hierarchies. It room politics and some other major issues is a useful resource for parents, educators that boys regularly face on a daily basis while and anyone who wants to understand “Boy growing up. World”. As a mother of sons and usually a There is a bibliography included and an index, bit sceptical about parenting advice, which is always an added bonus. I found this an interesting book to read and Rosalind Wiseman works extensively with was pleasantly surprised. boys and is a mother of two sons. The information is comprehensively laid out She is also the author of Queen Bees and under different headings, so you can delve in and out of it and consider her advice and tips. Wannabes, a popular book about girls and And of course use your own judgement. their issues.

Spotlight on sport Title: The sports book: the sports, the rules, the tactics, the techniques. 4th Edition. Editorial consultant: Ray Stubbs Publisher: Dorling Kindersley ISBN: 9781409335085 RRP: $50.00 From www.abacusbooks.co.nz Phone 09 4150630

s to be expected from DK, this sports encyclopedia is very visual. There is good use of colour, clear diagrams and the typography throughout the book are great.

has gained in popularity, possibly due to The Hunger Games?), sports on wheels (like skateboarding), motorsports (includes karting), Each chapter starts with an overview of that animalsports, (horse racing) and extremesports. particular sport, with its basic history, rules, and what sports gear is required to play it. For students doing research on the Olympic Icons have been used to represent different Games, there are several chapters on these. sports categories in the book. These feature There is also information on the pre-war games, at the start of each chapter, so this is a good post-war games and the Paralympic Games. quick indicator to the type of sport(s) it covers. Fortunately there is an index to all these difAll the main sports are covered. These are: ferent sports. The updated list of sports athletics, gymnastics, teamsports, racket- organisations with their details, such as their sports, combatsports (such as boxing, karate), website addresses, is also very useful. This is watersports (such as kayaking), wintersports an extremely accessible book on every major (such as snowboarding), targetsports (archery sport there is, essential to any library.

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