# data[].attributes.headline
Oral language article - NZ Gazette 7 May 2019

# data[].attributes.subject
Oral language article - NZ Gazette 7 May 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Alternative communication in the classroom

Augmentative and alternative communication has offered students at Kowhai Special School new tools for learning, writes special education teacher Angi Pearce. Read more

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Alternative communication in the classroom Augmentative and alternative communication has offered students at Kowhai Special School new tools for learning, writes special education teacher Angi Pearce. Read more

# data[].attributes.body
It does cost but a great investment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Beeby Award Winner 2016

This resource supports teaching children and young people about mental health, wellbeing, resilience, and interpersonal skills. It was written with support from the Beeby Fellowship funded by the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO and NZCER.

Teachers will discover ways to enhance student learning in four broad areas:

personal identity and wellbeing

communication and relationships with others

social issues and social justice (especially against discrimination and exclusion)

health promotion and action.

The lesson plans work for multiple year and curriculum levels, and are particularly useful for Years 7-11 health education. Teachers will find relevant content for the following health education topics:

personal identity and enhancing self-worth

stress management

friendships, relationships, and communication

effects of discrimination and stereotyping on mental health

support of self and others during times of difficulty

equity issues that support the mental health of others and society

help-seeking

drug education and alcohol education (for example, the content on assertive communication, decision making, personal values)

leadership and effective communication.

The activities can be extended for senior secondary students and modified to be accessible for students at lower levels. Notes throughout explain how teachers can adapt, apply, and use the activities and ideas to achieve the intended learning outcomes and develop key competencies.

Each section begins with specific achievement objectives, but teachers are free to develop their own. For this reason, achievement objectives for each activity are not specified. Instead, teachers can use the matrix showing links with the New Zealand Curriculum.

Read the review by the Mental Health Foundation Mauri tū, mauri ora.

About the authors

Dr Katie Fitzpatrick is an Associate Professor in health and physical education in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at The University of Auckland. She has a background teaching health and physical education in high schools and universities, and was the lead writer of the Ministry of Education policy document Sexuality education: A guide for principals, boards of trustees and teachers (2015).

Kat Wells is the head of Faculty of Health and Physical Education at Lynfield College in Auckland. She has led curriculum change in health education at her school, is a member of the national executive of the New Zealand Health Education Association, and teaches health education in Years 9-13.

Dr Melinda Webber is an Associate Professor in Te Puna Wananga in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at The University of Auckland. She is a former Fulbright/Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Scholar and has published widely on the nature of Māori identity.

Dr Gillian Tasker was the principal health education writer for both the 1999 and 2007 New Zealand Health and Physical Education Curriculum. She has been the national director of many teacher professional development projects during her two decades as a teacher educator, and principal lecturer, in both Wellington and Christchurch Colleges of Education. She has led the development of many resources for Health Education, particularly in the areas of relationship education, sexuality education, and a range of mental health areas including change, loss and grief, and alcohol and other drugs.

Dr Rachel Riedel is in the School of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education and Social Work, The University of Auckland. Rachel is a registered teacher and interdisciplinary academic. She specialises in psychology, educational leadership, health education, and health promotion.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mental health education and hauora: Teaching interpersonal skills, resilience, and wellbeing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Beeby Award Winner 2016 This resource supports teaching children and young people about mental health, wellbeing, resilience, and interpersonal skills. It was written with support from the Beeby Fellowship funded by the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO and NZCER.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Changing role of the teacher - Core Education 10 trends 2019

# data[].attributes.subject
The Changing role of the teacher - Core Education 10 trends 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
How flipped learning has changed the role of the teacher

Ten Trend: Changing role of the teacher: As we move into a more learner centred and learner driven paradigm in education, we look at the changing roles and responsibilities of teachers. http://core-ed.org/ten-trends-2019-document/

What's this Trend all about?

A traditional view of the teacher's role is as a giver of knowledge. Teachers share knowledge with students on a particular subject, through lessons that build on their prior knowledge and moves them toward a deeper understanding of the subject.

Today these expectations are being challenged. The fundamental premise of teachers as the 'conduit of knowledge' is no longer valid. This is marked by a move from a "one- size- fits-all" approach of delivering and receiving knowledge, to an approach that honours the individual and their diversity ( Ten Trends 2019 PDF , p. 24)

What's driving the change?

As outlined in the Ten Trends 2019 PDF (p. 24, 25) there are many drivers influencing this change including:

* a shift from the concept of 'delivering learning' to 'enabling learning to happen'

* designing learning experiences to meet the diverse and variable needs of all learners

* pedagogies that focus on engagement, inquiry and active, flexible, deep learning

thinking more of knowledge as a set of cognitive strategies, than as a 'thing' or as the goal of learning.

Rapid advancements in technology and the increased use of automation, including the use of robots and AI, is also changing the way learners interact with a variety of knowledge sources.

What examples can we see?

In the traditional classroom, the teacher delivers new learning to the students face-to-face, students in turn engage in activities to consolidate and build on the learning. In the flipped classroom, students do the basic learning by accessing teacher created or sourced content (usually videos) prior to working with the teacher. They can view and rewatch the content as much as they need to - this then 'frees' up teaching time to focus more on active, deeper, personalised forms of teacher interaction. Enabling e-Learning: Flipped Learning

For over two years, Ashhurst School (Palmerston North) have been examining their pedagogical practice and undertaken training ( as part of the ) to adopt a school-wide approach to sourcing, creating and sharing flipped content, in order to free-up time to better meet the needs of their learners. Flipped Learning Global Initiative Flipped Learning at Ashhurst School Enabling e-Learning (TKI).

Changing role of teacher:

Teachers are no longer bound to delivering whole class or even small group instruction. Having flipped lessons running on videos means teachers spend more time focusing on engaging with students, having rich one-to-one conversations tailoring teaching specifically to the gaps that they have in their understanding of the learning concept. Students are then supported to apply new learning concepts in a deeper more meaningful way. Flipped learning and the changing role of the teacher .

I've started to think less of myself as being the source of the initial knowledge, the only source of support for people who are struggling and now more as something exists beside them within the learning process. I think that's, that's changed the way that I teach. It's changed the way that the kids move throughout the learning process as well.
- Sara Lambert, Year 3-4 teacher Flipped Learning at Ashhurst School Enabling e-Learning (TKI).

More accessibility to learning within and beyond the classroom

Meeting personalised, diverse learner needs

Learners moving through their learning more quickly

Measurable shifts in engagement and achievement in literacy.

Can you see the potential for different languages, cultures, and learning preferences to be catered for and honoured throughout this process?

How can the Ten Trends been introduced/used?

The Ten Trends offers a broader interpretation of the changing role of the teacher, which means schools can dive into any aspect and examine this more deeply against their own pedagogical practices across the school.

Discuss: Facilitate rich discussion in staff meetings

In regards to a shift towards more student ownership and personalised learning, educators can facilitate dialogue around how teachers can change the way they introduce or share new knowledge with their learners.

Do: Teacher inquiry into digital tools for instruction

Through individual or collaborative inquiry, investigate and/or trial how digital tools and resources can be used to flip learning and free-up time, to allow for more responsive, one-to-one interactions between students and teachers - after learners have explored initial content.

There are some generic questions around the changing role of the teacher ( Ten Trends 2019 PDF p. 28) you can use within your school/s. Why not comment below and share one way you could change the way you introduce/share knowledge with your students?

We'd love to hear more school stories that celebrate personalised, inclusive, accessible learning for students. Simply join the CORE Ten Trends group to contribute below.

You might also like...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ten Trend: Changing role of the teacher : edSpace

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How flipped learning has changed the role of the teacher Ten Trend: Changing role of the teacher: As we move into a more learner centred and learner driven paradigm in education, we look at the changing roles and responsibilities of teachers. http://core-ed.org/ten-trends-2019-document/ What's this Trend all about?

# data[].attributes.body
Powerful partnerships with Whanau

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
ERO's 2015 report Educationally powerful connections with parents and whānau found that a whole-school focus on involving parents and whānau was an important factor for building educationally powerful relationships. Some schools had positive relationships with parents and whānau, but few had genuine learning-centred relationships.

Leaders at BELMONT SCHOOL recognised that what they had assumed were learning partnerships in their school were in fact only positive relationships with parents. Previously they had mainly talked to parents, families and whānau and told them what teachers were doing or what the parents should do. They changed the balance of these conversations by listening more and responding to parent and whānau stories, ideas and views.

This narrative shares the process the school used to review their partnerships and the actions they took to build and maintain genuine relational and learning partnerships with parents, families and whānau.

The development of strong positive relationships had always been an important part of the school's culture. 'Succeeding Together' underpinned the way they built relationships with their children's families and whānau. This relationship building started from the time families considered joining the school and was strengthened in the way communication and reporting practices were maintained. The school's mission statement, developed with the community, clearly espoused a desire to work together.

Mā te mahi tahi ka piki kotuku Succeeding Together

In partnership with our community, we will provide a dynamic, safe, learning environment of excellence, which prepares all our students for future challenges and a love of lifelong learning.

Mā te mahi tahi o te kura me te hāpori, ka ako ātātou tamariki i roto i te kura autaia, kura haumaru hoki kia tū tangata ratou i nga ahuatanga katoa ō tō rātou ake ao. Kia whāngaia hoki te hiahia motuhake ki ngā mahi katoa o te ako mo ake tonu atu.

Their recent changes centred around:

> identifying the extent of their partnership with parents

> developing genuine partnerships

> establishing the relationship with parents when children started at the school

> sustaining and building the partnerships.

Identifying the extent of their partnership with parents

Work on building genuine learning partnerships began when the school participated in a Learning and Change Network (LCN) cluster with several other schools. One of the activities the cluster chose to undertake was drawing 'learning maps'. In this activity, children, parents and whānau were asked to draw a map explaining "what learning looks like for you". The school also held a series of meetings with stakeholder groups, with each person drawing what learning looked like for them. They were prompted to think about the place of students and their peers, parents and whānau, teachers and technology in learning, and to position them accordingly in their drawings. Leaders analysed the 'learning maps' to help them fully understand who and what helped children's learning.

The drawings showed considerable variation between the learning maps of the students and their families compared with staff. Students and whānau saw the teacher as the decision maker, while the teachers' learning maps showed decision making as shared and collaborative. Leaders and teachers had thought their positive relationships with parents and 100 percent parent attendance at learning conversations (goal-setting interviews) indicated learning and decision making was a three-way process. They recognised that they certainly had positive relationships but these were not truly learning partnerships.

We were confronted with the fact that while we had secure and positive relationships with our community, the decision making rested fairly and squarely with the school and that 'consultation' was really just about 'telling' our families what had been decided, quite probably in the hope that they would agree with that! The dissonance was certainly uncomfortable but, to everyone's credit, was seen as an opportunity and the mandate to make changes to what and how we were doing things.

Principal

Developing genuine partnerships

Leaders and teachers began a process to promote more listening and less telling or showing. Leaders realised they also needed to take a closer look at the unintended messages their forms of communication, and the language used, may have been giving. They decided to look in detail at what they were doing and how they could make changes to shift the power balance to genuine two-way partnerships. This change in approach was deliberate, planned and school-wide and, at times, challenged the ideas some staff and families had previously held about their roles and responsibilities.

Leaders and teachers began the changes by looking at their practice through a different lens. They had begun to inquire into how involved their priority or target students were in their own learning, and what effect this was having on their achievement and rate of progress. Leaders and teachers extended their focus to think about how involved these children's families and wider community were in decisions about the curriculum and subsequent learning. Leaders recognised that many learners who were not making the expected progress were not actively contributing to or understanding their learning, at home or at school.

The board of trustees and the wider school community worked together to consider everyone's involvement in decisions about learning. They began by attempting to define what being 'active in learning' looked like and what dispositions should be taught to children to achieve this. This working together was a considerable change from their previous practice of consulting or informing families and whānau of the outcomes. The process gave leaders a purposeful context for them to trial and practise inviting, establishing and developing a partnership. This was a chance for staff and parents to learn alongside each other.

Parents', students', teachers' and leaders' perspectives and initial thinking were shared, clarified, valued and built upon during the development of ideas about active learning.

Progress with this work was communicated frequently and in different forms so ideas could be gathered from more widely than just those who were able to attend the meetings and activities.

The diagram above shows the definition of the active role of learners they decided on together.

Children told ERO they wanted ways to show their families how teachers taught things at school, so there wouldn't be so many arguments when they did work at home.

During 2016, this collaborative work continued to bring together ideas about the dispositions of active learners. The community was working to fully explain how learners would connect to, question and reflect on their own learning. Children, families and staff were also:

> involved in the school's teacher only day

> able to vote on how the definition of 'active learners' would be visually represented

> working together to describe the dispositions related to being resilient, resourceful and responsive.

Leaders changed the reports to parents to include these dispositions. Leaders felt the contribution of the school community had not only given themselves and teachers great insights into parent and whānau aspirations, but also helped everyone to have a deeper understanding of the expectations they were setting.

As this work progressed, leaders and teachers applied what worked to other aspects of school life. When teachers attended professional learning and development (PLD) designed to respond to the needs and strengths of specific children, then their whānau were invited to attend. Learning alongside each other meant resources were shared and children had consistent strategies and goals to focus on when learning at school or at home.

Establishing the relationship with parents when children started at the school

When leaders and teachers met with parents and whānau during a child's transition to school, the focus also changed to encourage learning partnerships. The principal met with every family to show how they valued each child. They changed the timing for sharing assessment data and other information with parents from five weeks after a child started school to around three weeks after their start. This sharing of information during transition applied to all children starting at the school, not just new entrant children. The earlier the relational trust began to build, the more secure both the teachers and whānau felt about sharing information. As a result, more responsive and personalised teaching programmes were developed that built on each child's strengths, interests and family values.

We changed to focus more on 'hearing the story'. At the four-week transition meeting we share what we have found from assessments and other information, and ask parents and whānau if that sounds right, or is it what they would expect. We usually say something like "I have noticed...., what do you think, does this match up with what you see at home or do you see something else?"

We also ask about anything else that was happening at their previous school, or at their child's preschool. We find that sometimes there are things they don't tell us when they enrol the child that they are able to share at this assessment sharing meeting. Parents and whānau will usually only share this type of information if we have shown that we are really keen to listen and learn about the child.

Principal

A key expectation of leaders was that there would be no surprises for parents when they received written reports or if their child began any targeted intervention. Children, parents, whānau and teachers worked together to identify the children's strengths and learning needs, set goals, and plan responsive strategies and actions. Teachers sent home information that was differentiated to respond to the strengths and needs of the parents and whānau. Before sending extra work home, teachers would usually talk with the parent first and offer activities like a game the child could play at home to help with an aspect of their learning. Teachers carefully designed home learning to be completed either independently or with the guidance of whānau. Both approaches were encouraged and valued.

When a child had additional help to accelerate their progress, parents who already knew their child's strengths, needs and goals were in a better position to offer effective support with home-based tasks.

Building the partnerships

Working in partnership to gather evidence and share information around learning became more flexible. The initial hesitancy and even defensiveness around roles and responsibilities diminished as the confidence of staff and families grew. Staff commented on the increased initiation of conversations around learning by families as they were 'dropping in' more often to make suggestions. Issues and concerns seemed to have a problem-solving approach rather than appearing as an occasion to complain about the child or the teacher.

Questioning from parents was no longer perceived as a challenge to the teacher's capability, but rather as an opportunity to achieve better outcomes for our children. Collaboration was a cause for celebration.

Partnerships in learning were not solely reliant on a physical presence in the school. With the increased use of technology, families were able to give 'real-time' feedback to their children as well as to follow progress and comment on blogs or Facebook, using emails, phone calls and the school website. Children sent a weekly email home about their learning, and regularly took their Chromebooks home to share their work. The school newsletter, which had traditionally gone out to families weekly, became redundant. Parents indicated that the more frequent and less 'wordy' communication from children and teachers was more effective. While they continued to have face-to-face learning conversations led by the child, these no longer needed to take place at the school.

Valuing diversity means looking at the way we have meetings, the way we write reports, having different meeting times so we hit a different audience. We will sometimes have meetings at 2pm because that is a time parents can come that coincides with their collecting children from school.

We have meetings at 7pm so working parents can come. We have dinner meetings.

With our maths meetings we had the same meetings at three different times for half an hour each, so that parents could go across the school teams.

We ask families what will suit them best and provide childcare.

We use Hutt City Church for assemblies, so we asked our Muslim families if that was okay for them. They were really appreciative that we asked.

Leaders

The tone, intent and variety of forms of communication had shifted. Team newsletters to parents moved from providing information about the intended curriculum focus and upcoming events, to seeking input and direction from whānau before planning the curriculum focus. Parents, whānau and the extended community were encouraged to share their perspectives, skills and expertise. Teachers saw this gave children a much wider range of learning experiences in response to their specific interests. School was no longer perceived as the only site of learning.

One subtle change to reporting learning to parents

The children were already making choices about the artefacts that illustrated their learning during conversations, and when reporting achievement in relation to the National Standards. The simple action of leaving the 'How you can help at home' section blank in the conversations template and report meant it was up to the children, parents and whānau to make the decisions and not the teacher.

This change acknowledged and affirmed the important role and skills families brought to learning, and signalled the expectation that 'we are all in this together' and are all committed to achieving accelerated outcomes for children.

Sustaining improvements

As the changes to their approach were agreed by teachers, parents and whānau, it was important they were consistently applied. The fact that both parents and teachers knew what was expected made it easier for leaders to introduce a consistent application of the agreed approaches across all classrooms.

Additionally, leaders were keen to maintain the gains they had made in building whānau partnerships, and included the following expectations in job descriptions that were sent out to prospective staff:

Parents as partners in learning

> Whānau feel valued, welcomed and respectfully acknowledged by the way we collaborate and build relationships.

> There is regular communication with home, informing families about programmes and events.

> Deliberate actions are taken to communicate positive news.

> The teacher is available in the room for informal chats before and immediately after school.

> Whānau are kept fully informed of their child's progress. Nothing should ever be a surprise in any formal reporting situation.

> Reporting is honest and professional. Success is celebrated and strategies for achieving next steps are identified and agreed in collaboration with parents.

> Issues are dealt with quickly and follow school procedures.

> Community skill and assistance is used where appropriate.

> Help is timetabled and roles are clear and supported.

> Confidentiality of each student and their family is mutually respected.

The person specification for new teachers stated that the successful applicant will (among other things) "have an open mind about the role of the teacher and be active in sharing decision making with students and their whānau".

This will always be a 'work in progress' as the aspirations of the students and their families, the demands of the curriculum and the direction of educational thinking, and the makeup of the staff are dynamic and constantly changing. We have learnt that strong partnerships in learning are even more important in the tough times, and this is when we all have to work hardest at building and maintaining them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
01 Moving to genuine relational and learning partnerships with parents, families and whānau

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ERO's 2015 report Educationally powerful connections with parents and whānau found that a whole-school focus on involving parents and whānau was an important factor for building educationally powerful relationships. Some schools had positive relationships with parents and whānau, but few had genuine learning-centred relationships.

# data[].attributes.body
Misunderstanding around play

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Leslee Allen, principal of Kaurihohore School, is an advocate and practitioner of play based learning. In this blog, Leslee responds to three common misunderstandings about play.

This is the third blog in a three part series about learning through play.

I regularly come across online discussions about play based learning that are echoes of the old me, the discussions are robust and the opinions are based on personal viewpoints and some research into learning. What has dismayed me is that there seems to be a very real misunderstanding around what it means to be operating a play based or developmentally appropriate environment. Play and the simple nature of this powerful practice is being viewed as if it is frivolous and inconvenient once children are at primary school.

I want to spend some time talking to the misunderstandings I have read, as they were also misunderstandings that I probably would have expressed six or seven years ago. I also acknowledge that quite ironically the teacher I was prior to 2015 would have stood on the other side of the argument I am about to present. Something I am always very open and honest about.

I hope that in sharing the journey I have had, I can help others see the powerful role that play and developmentally appropriate teaching has in our profession and why I hope that others choose to take the journey with me. If someone like me, who had been teaching for 17 years, can completely transform her pedagogy based on research and personal inquiry, surely there must be something in it.

Was I wrong before? No! A lot of what I was doing then was quality stuff, our children did very well, we were having fun, we were having great success with Mantle of the Expert. There was no real reason academically for me to make the change to how I did things.

That is because the reason was not academic. It was developmental, social, and emotional, and the transformation has been ground breaking for me and absolutely transformational for my classroom.

Misunderstanding one
If we let them play, if we give them time, if we "waste" those first two or three years on developmental goals related to brain development and we don't formally teach them to read and write, children with learning needs will not be picked up until too late, they will then trail through their schooling experience always behind and never helped. The system will let them down.
Wow, reading this one the other day blew my mind, because it could have been me speaking years ago. Old me was in a race to pick up children that needed intervention, I had all my data in a row, highlighted and double checked. If a child didn't have all their 30 words after six months this was really worrying to me. I would leap in and give them teacher aide time. Hmmm...did this really help? Maybe in a limited way, but it wasn't the help they really needed. In fact, it was probably more likely that it was me that needed the help.

Firstly let me say that it is much easier to pick up children and their needs in a quality environment based on play and developmentally appropriate approaches. In fact because we are using developmental approaches that are based on how the learning brain actually develops, we are in fact ensuring some classic difficulties like mixed dominance and processing issues do not even occur at all. We are also establishing strong relationships and working with the knowledge that this is the most important thing we can do, eliminating deficit thinking and working from a place of competence.

We know each child so well in our environment, we know them on an individual level and we can provide for them as such. These children are all on their own individual path, we can monitor them in these first few years and ensure that developmentally they are making progress. If not, we can provide support that actually helps, and is not based on memorisation, but is based on how the brain actually learns.

My point is this. If the environment is ticking along right, if developmentally appropriate practices are being used so that each child is progressing right where they need to be, and if everyone in the first few years is on the same page, children will not be lost through the cracks, they will be supported through quality practice and time. In this environment the word acceleration is not one we use, it is far more important to slow down and build strong foundations from which they can grow from.

Children only fall through the cracks if the system you have in your school allows them to do so, and sets targets for learning that are not even appropriate for where their brain development is up to. The truly beautiful thing is I am not just talking about academics here. I am talking about social and emotional needs and how children see themselves as learners. To me, those areas are more important to begin with anyway and exactly what we need to be focusing on if children are going to be successful in an unknown future.

Our children are well supported in their journey, right up to year 6. Just because we love and embrace play, does not mean we are not accountable for their progress. To think so, or imply so, would be incredibly insulting.

Misunderstanding two
If we do not deliberately teach them to read and write as soon as they walk through the door we are letting them down. Developmental readiness has nothing to do with it. If they are not taught to read and write straight away we are putting them behind and holding them back.
Yes several years ago, I may have agreed with this misunderstanding. We would leap straight into reading, because that is how children learn to read isn't it? We would drill the phonics, we would teach each sound, we would brainstorm words with common sounds, listen to sounds, have fun with sounds...brilliant! Our classroom was print rich, the teaching of literacy was my thing, it was something I was really good at.

But as a result we had many reluctant readers. Of course this was the child's fault wasn't it? They were the ones that were reluctant. They didn't want to learn to read so we just kept plugging away. The very definition of madness.

What we did not realise was that it was us putting the barriers up. We were shoving down their throat learning that they were not ready for developmentally, they were not interested in, or the least bit curious about, they couldn't see the point, their interests were elsewhere. Generally that elsewhere was outside, jumping, kicking, rolling, balancing, climbing - exactly what their brain needed them to be doing.

Yes we can teach children that are not ready. There are many children in classrooms all around New Zealand that are learning to read quite well, they will get to dark blue, green, maybe even orange and then there may be a stall noticed. Others will catch up and are likely to pass them, those that have progressed as they have needed to developmentally are now curious, engaged and driven to learn, right where they need to be. Children who are allowed to see learning as authentic and purposeful will be lifelong learners, is this not what our curriculum sets a mandate for?

We can force early learning on children, and we do, and they will learn in many cases, but should we?

There is a huge collection of information out there that tells us that early progress is no indicator of later greatness. In fact in my experience it is those children that progress slowly in the first few years that go on to do best. I have many years of practical experiences observing just this fact, over and over again. It is those that make slow and steady progress in their first three years that go on to be our most independent, resilient, engaged, and motivated learners.

You will of course always be able to find research to suit your own position but let me say this, an environment that takes into account first and foremost where a child is at developmentally, is not going to miss seeing any learning difficulties just because they do not engage with early reading. In fact I would say that we are much more likely now to pick them up. I feel that now by doing less, I am getting much, much more. I am aware of each child's interests, urges, strengths, their uniqueness. Children are the curriculum and our learning is rich and purposeful.

In answer to the misunderstanding. Children in a quality play-based environment are not being held back with their literacy development.

They are in vocab rich environments - they hear and engage in rich discussion, which they take a full part in

They explore and talk and learn at their own pace

They feel safe and happy, not anxious about not being able to learn

They revisit learning as many times as they need to

They imagine, create, and innovate

They are exposed to wonderful print

They see reading, maths, and writing in beautifully authentic contexts

They drive their own learning

... and yes, we engage with them at their point of developmental readiness.

We lay a solid ground, to support development of a beautifully happy brain that when it is ready, will devour reading and writing and everything else in its path, because this is what it is built to do....learn!

I welcome anyone to come in and just listen to our discussions, to the elevation of language, the awareness of vocab, the depth of questioning and noticing, you may be pleasantly surprised.

We are not holding them back, we are not putting up barriers, we are breaking them down, children learn more in my play based environment than they ever did in my traditional room. Are some children learning to read and write already, are we "teaching them?"....yes of course, because they are ready to be doing this, they are doing well and making good progress, and many are not up to this yet, and that is OK.

Misunderstanding three
All they do is play wildly, it is noisey, unruly, and it is lazy teaching. This environment belongs in ECE.
This is a pretty common misunderstanding and so far off base.

However I understand it, because it is something I would have uttered before I realised. I have actually come to realise that I have a huge amount to learn from my colleagues in ECE, they know so much more than I do still. They actually understand the learning process a whole heap better than I ever did. Te Whāriki is a quality document and one we should be using right up to year 3. It is a document focused on growing the individual and truly captures childhood.

Now don't get me wrong, some of the play in our class is pretty wild, we have cowgirls, cowboys, witches, fairies, masked crusaders, and other weird and wonderful characters flying around, interacting, or not, with each other.

We also have builders, artists, scientists, investigators, readers, writers, shop keepers, teachers, fishing experts, hut creators, adventurers and a range of other busy characters, who spread out in their inside and outside environment and are thoroughly invested in their play.

Rather than being lazy, I have never been so busy, from beautiful moments of observing the play, to those special moments of engagement and working alongside without directing, to the times when I spend time working with children individually on their personal developmental goal, or one that may be now more focused on traditional academic learning. I am observing interests and urges, planning on the go, truly seeing the curriculum evolve right in front of me and generating ways I can build and expand on this for those that want to.

I am taking photos for later, making notes in my head for class learning stories and Seesaw so that parents can get a view into our day, busy noticing the dispositions being displayed so that we can use them when we reflect on our play as a class. I am observing social and emotional needs and formulating quick sessions that will be great 'just in time learning.'

We spend time together learning, we learn in groups, we learn individually, learning is shaped around the needs of the children, not the needs of the teacher to get things done.

I believe we all have a lot to learn from the levels of learning that would have previously been seen as below us. New entrant teachers, need to understand brain development, and what early learning looks like. So do teachers working at higher levels of the school. Rather than saying that should be taught before, we need to accept that we need to understand that a child will come to us, wherever they are developmentally up to, and it is our job to know how to provide for them best.

We have developed a very simplistic question at our place, but it is helping the other teachers in the junior school really see social, emotional, and developmental progress for what it is.They ask us "how old was the child when they came in?" What they mean here, is roughly what would be the developmental age. This is not a slight on the child, but a very basic means of insight. If we reply "2 or 3" then they know that if that child is now presenting as they would expect to see a five year old in year 2 or even 3, that they have indeed made progress. It just doesn't look like it used to and that is ok.

These are the three dominant misunderstandings around play that I have experienced over the last few years on this journey, and read about many times when I am brave enough to read the comments of others.

If you are considering embarking on a play-based environment, please take time to ensure you understand the why and how, take time to read about the brain and how it develops. Take it slowly and get it right, so that we can keep clearing up these little misunderstandings and assumptions about learning for the good of our children and for the good of our future.

We need children who will grow up to be kind, independent, creative, resilient, motivated problem solvers with initiative. Why then would we force them into a daily routine of structure and learning defined by us? It's time to turn our system on its head before it's too late. The best thing is this, our curriculum gives us permission to do so and always has.
Have you seen ...
Number Agents blog
Leslee Allen regularly writes about play based learning through her Number Agents blog.

Learning through play - What's it all about?
This NZC Online blog explores what learning through play is all about and shares how some schools are designing a play based curriculum. It is the first of a three part series.

Beginning a journey into play
In this blog, Leslee shares key considerations for teachers who are interested in beginning a journey into play.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Leslee Allen, principal of Kaurihohore School, is an advocate and practitioner of play based learning. In this blog, Leslee responds to three common misunderstandings about play. This is the third blog in a three part series about learning through play.

# data[].attributes.body
Challenging Early learning for ECE

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Challenging Early Learning UK Ed (2019) - The Learning Challenge

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By James Nottingham and Jill Nottingham (2017)

# data[].attributes.body
Link to Chatterbox Wairarapa

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Chatterbox, Masterton, New Zealand. 150 likes · 7 talking about this. We want people to talk with their children to increase their language development and improve their life outcomes. We're based in...

# data[].attributes.body
https://vimeo.com/156196697

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
By Andreas Schleicher
Director, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills

Education today is about more than simply teaching students something. It's also about helping them develop the tools they need to navigate an increasingly complex, volatile and uncertain world.

The new OECD Learning Compass 2030 framework points the way forward. Developed as part of our Future of Education and Skills 2030 project, the Learning Compass puts forth a shared vision of what students should learn to be ready for tomorrow, and a shared language with which to discuss it.

As the Learning Compass reveals, success in education is about identity, agency and purpose. It's about curiosity, compassion and the courage to put our cognitive, social and emotional resources into action. This will also be our best weapon against the biggest threats of our times: ignorance, hate, and fear.

We live in a world where the things that are easy to teach and test have also become easy to digitize and automate. The future is about pairing the artificial intelligence of computers with the cognitive, social and emotional skills and values of humans. It's going to be our imagination, our awareness and our sense of responsibility that will allow us to harness technology to shape our world for the better.

Social media algorithms today sort us into groups of like-minded individuals. They create virtual bubbles that often amplify our views and insulate us from divergent perspectives; they homogenise opinions and polarise our societies. Tomorrow's schools must therefore help students think for themselves and join others, with empathy, in work and citizenship. They will need to help students develop a strong sense of right and wrong, a sensitivity to the opinions of others, and an understanding of the limits of individual and collective action. At work, at home and in the community, people will need a deep understanding of how others live in different cultures and traditions, and of how people think, whether as scientists or artists. And as machines continue to take over tasks at work, the demands on our knowledge and skills to contribute meaningfully to social and civic life will keep rising.

The growing complexity of modern living - for individuals, communities and societies - means that the solutions to our problems will be complex, as well. In a structurally imbalanced world, we need to be adept at handling tensions and dilemmas in order to reconcile diverse perspectives and interests - in local settings, but often with global implications. Striking a balance between competing demands - equity and freedom, autonomy and community, innovation and continuity, efficiency and democratic process - will rarely lead to a single solution, or even a binary choice. In today's world, our capacity to navigate ambiguity has become key.

Creative problem solving requires us to consider the consequences of our actions, with a sense of moral and intellectual maturity. This allows us to reflect on our actions in light of experiences and personal or societal goals. The perception and assessment of what is right or wrong in a specific situation is about ethics. It involves questions related to norms, values, meanings and limits: What should I do? Was I right to do that, in light of the consequences? Where are the limits?

That brings us to the toughest challenge in modern education: incorporating values. Values have always been central to education, but it is time to move beyond implicit aspirations to explicit education goals and practices. This will help communities shift from situational values - under which an individual's actions are guided by circumstance - to sustainable values that generate trust, social bonds and hope. If education fails to build foundations for communities, many people will try to build walls.

If we want to stay ahead of technological developments, we have to identify and refine the qualities that are unique to our humanity, and that complement, rather than compete with, the capacities of computers. Schools need to develop first-class humans, not second-class robots. Education has improved our understanding of the world around us, and has even allowed us to explore distant planets. It must now help us understand our own minds and experiences - before an algorithm makes up our minds for us.

The Learning Compass shows us the way forward, but a compass is only a tool, and the road of education reform is littered with good ideas that were poorly implemented. As stakeholders and students meet in Vancouver this week to unveil the Learning Compass and discuss the next phase of our Future of Education and Skills 2030 project, it is important for us to think about how we can build learning environments that empower students; and about how we can support educators in their efforts to help every young person realise their potential.

None of this is easy, and it will not be done overnight. But the good news is that we are not alone. The power of the Learning Compass lies in the people who co-created it - the people who, together, are the future of education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A new tool for navigating through a complex world - OECD Education and Skills Today

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By Andreas Schleicher Director, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills Education today is about more than simply teaching students something. It's also about helping them develop the tools they need to navigate an increasingly complex, volatile and uncertain world. The new OECD Learning Compass 2030 framework points the way forward.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There is a lot to be learned from our 7 weeks of 'learning from home', and the ether is alive with speculation on what education might look like as we come out of our home learning time. There are lots of ideas and opinions out there, but the trend I think I see (one which fits with my own thinking about 'undergraduate and postgraduate' models) is that our desirable next state might be a blended environment in which students mix face to face/synchronous/relational time with online/distance/asynchronous time.

Of course what perhaps matters more than anything right now to to gather the voices of the key stakeholders or participants in this whole education thing. In common with (probably) every other kura in th country e are planning on gathering that voice, to hear what our whānau, our students, and our teachers all think. I think tis will be a largely qualitative data gathering exercise, one in hich we need to be quite deliberate and intentional in our work.

It was fantastic to receive, entirely unsolicited, this email from a Mum of one of our junior boys. It is copied here with permission, with anonymity preserved.

I am writing in regard to my concerns of XXXX returning to school.
While being home & doing the online work, I have been able to see firsthand how he works & I must say I was & wasn't shocked.
XXXX as we know is not a fan of school (never has been) due to struggling, being overwhelmed by the work and he just doesn't enjoy it. Hands on work however is a difference matter entirely as we know!
I noticed with the online work he was more engaged and interested in the work. He also got the work done. Not completely (math's) but he did it.
I asked XXXX how he enjoyed this work. He replied with its more interesting for me and I also don't have the feeling of having to get it all done in one period.
With this is mind I was wondering if there was a way that we could incorporate something similar for XXXX while at school. Meaning he doesn't feel the overwhelming feeling. When he gets that he shuts down, becomes uninterested and the work & lesson is wasted on him.
..... as you know he has been like this all the way thru school and we only want him to do his best.
I will be the first to admit he could try harder at school & we have told him that.
We are concerned considering he only has a few years left at school before he can leave & it terrifies us that he will leave with not education or qualifications.
I would love to be able to discuss this with you asap as XXXX is really not interested in returning on Monday (which he will be) and already that is a wall going up.

Now, don't get me wrong. At the moment I don't think there is one single answer to how we might want our kura to evolve, but I do think there is a pretty strong mandate for some of our students at least to have greater agency in their learning. This Mum's email brought me straight back to the writing of Young Zhao, an educator of whom I hold the highest opinion, a theorist and a pragmatist (I don't think that's a contradiction in terms?), a voice of moral and educational commonsense.

In a great lecture/slide show titled " Redefining Excellence" he described our current system in this way:

He then went on to say that especially now in the 21st century we need to do the opposite, that we need to do this:

Huh? That is, we need to stop constricting students' thinking and creativity, we need to celebrate and support growing divergence. We don't need more people who think the same, we need more people who think differently. This doesn't happen when we push students into boxes, it doesn't happen when we try to force students into the SAME box. It happens when we allow students to be themselves - culturally, intellectually, emotionally.

Our job is to allow students to be themselves more than ever before. The question in most peoples' minds I suspect is not should we, but HOW do we? What does this look like on the ground within our kura on a daily basis? I think it will look different from kura to kura, but what do we think will be the general trends? Here's my speculation:

1. More flexibility in time, with kura timetabled in a different way to what we have been used to

2. A blend of face to face and online learning, requiring a redefinition from the Ministry on what constitutes attendance

3. More time spent allowing students to pursue their passions, meaning that at senior level in particular our key task is to attach assessment to work and learning, not the other way around

4. Less didactic 'lecturing from the front', but acknowledging that the power of direct teaching, of deliberate acts of teaching, should never be lost

5. An imperative for schools to ensure that they have a clear pedagogy around how we cause learning, both face to face and distance. My suspicion is that when you ask educators what their underlying pedagogy is, they will give you a blank stare. Last year I challenged a class of teaching grads with that very question, and saw far too many of those blank stares for my own liking. In this regard our work with Manaiakalani leaves us well placed with our 'Learn Create Share' pedagogy, leveraging the affordances of digital technology. The underlying factors of distance learning have been through our work with Manaiakalani

If we accept Yong Zhao's view (clearly I do), then the need to promote a focus on creativity is vital. Our Hornby High School vision 'A centre of creative excellence' captures the essence of Yong Zhao's philosophy of developing human diversity, not constraining it. It is more important, and more urgent, than ever that we drive ahead with this work.
I want to hear at least some of the many voices on this. What is your view? To our community, to our students, to our staff, what do you think? Does this truly sound like, look like, feel like, the sort of educational future that you want for your tamariki, for your whānau, for our communities, for our nation of Aotearoa New Zealand? And are you with me on this?

Robin Sutton
Tumuaki

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The answer lies in pushing diversity and creativity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There is a lot to be learned from our 7 weeks of 'learning from home', and the ether is alive with speculation on what education might look like as we come out of our home learning time.

# data[].attributes.body
Prioritisation

A matrix like this can be useful to frame your thinking and discussions around prioritising your strategic initiatives.  In this particular version, the value and effort associated with undertaking and delivering an initiative is focused on.  You determine the value and effort parameters.

The high effort, high value elephants are the the initiatives that you will need to break into smaller, bite-sized pieces.

Organising the initiative into 'natural' stages is one approach.  For instance you might bundle together your research, consultation and drafting of a sizable curriculum change into one stage and then test the update in select classes (and evaluate the results) in the next stage.  Amending and incorporating the new curriculum content across the whole school might then take place over the following year or two.

This sort of approach makes your big, ambitious programmes of change more manageable and less overwhelming.  It also lends itself to decision points which allow you to reflect on your effort to date and decide if as well as how to proceed.

How you retain oversight and accountability will also need to be considered within your annual planning.

Any sort of win is energising and validating.  Quick wins will help you get some early runs on the board to show your stakeholders.  They can also provide momentum for your team to keep supporting the change.

Thankless tasks are time-consuming and absorb resources you may decide to deploy elsewhere.  Fill ins often tick by in the background and can be completed when there is capacity to do so.

The conversation you have with your team around the value and effort of achieving each strategic initiative can yield rich discoveries.

At a minimum, it will provide you with an opportunity to re-emphasise your strategic direction with the people who are critical to its success.  Any chance to develop a common understanding of why you are doing what you are doing is gold.

# data[].attributes.body
3 critical contexts for our change

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Durie (2016) uses the term to help us understand how identity, language and culture are essential for student's wellbeing and sense of belonging in schools. He describes mauri as the particular vitality, integrity, uniqueness and energy that exists within every person, ora refers to one's holistic wellbeing.

Therefore Mauri ora, or wellbeing, is demonstrated by a spirit that is enlightened, a mind that is alert and inquiring, a body that is fit-for-purpose and free of pain, and with relationships that are nurturing and mutually beneficial.

Durie refers to situations where relationships are disempowering and humiliating, leaving the individual's mauri in a weakened state, one that is constrained by a loss of hope and an apprehensive mind - a state he describes as mauri noho (Durie, 2015; 2016). Durie explains that the physical representation of mauri can often be seen in one's eyes and one's ahua (physical demeanor).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Durie (2016) uses the term to help us understand how identity, language and culture are essential for student's wellbeing and sense of belonging in schools. He describes mauri as the particular vitality, integrity, uniqueness and energy that exists within every person, ora refers to one's holistic wellbeing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Teaching as Inquiry is one of the most powerful forms of teacher learning and is a vital strategy to improve student learning. It involves a continuous cycle of investigating student learning, identifying and focusing on one or two specific areas to improve, thinking critically about the link between teacher action and student learning, coming up with a 'hunch' or a theory about what teacher action could best support that identified change in student outcomes, learning more from research and colleagues, then trying out a new or modified practice and checking its effect, leading to framing a new inquiry. Teaching as Inquiry is no quick fix: requiring sustained investigation and action over 1-3 years, but it can be transformative and greatly satisfying for teachers. It is characterised by deep reflection and questioning of the links between your actions as a teacher and student learning, being honest in your self-reflection, openness to new ideas and colleagues' input, and being prepared to learn from failures as well as success. Here, we outline how to do it step by step, expanding on the NZ Curriculum model by providing guidelines for a six-stage 'spiral of inquiry'.
What is Teaching as Inquiry?

Teaching as Inquiry is an approach to teaching in which teachers continuously inquire into the impact of their teaching actions on student learning, and make informed changes to improve their teaching practice so as to enhance student learning.

Inquiry occurs when teachers:

turn intuitive judgements about teaching and learning into more structured investigations

systematically and consistently examine the relationship between their actions and what learning is happening for the students

make good use of evidence and research in order to stimulate new ways of thinking about teaching and learning

try out new ideas and evaluate the impact of these changes to practice.

Teaching as Inquiry is:

locally-situated: developed in teachers' actual teaching context

deliberate: has clear purposes

problem-defining: teachers identify a question, challenge or area to investigate and improve

action-oriented: focused on making and evaluating specific changes to practice

reflective: characterised by deep thought and careful consideration of the relationship between teaching and student outcomes

iterative: involves several repetitions of key inquiry tasks, in a cycle from collecting evidence, to interpreting evidence, through to taking action, and returning to collecting evidence of its impact

self-regulated: all actions are determined by the teacher

collective or individual: involving a team of teachers within a school or personal to an individual teacher

formal or informal: carefully planned and documented

focused on knowledge generation and the advancement of the teacher's learning and practice.

Why Teaching as Inquiry?

Teaching as Inquiry is about powerful learning for you as teacher in order to improve classroom practice. Inquiry encourages questioning, exploration and experimentation in your practice. It helps you to make revisions to your teaching that lead to new insights into your practice and your students, and results in specific gains for students.

Research shows that classroom practice is the most significant school-based influence on student achievement. In turn, teacher learning and professional development have the greatest effect on classroom practice. Effective teaching will vary with context - including the students, subject taught, time of day, teaching environment and resources. This means that there cannot be a 'one size fits all' package of professional development for teachers. To learn how to improve their teaching, each teacher needs to investigate the impact of teaching practices on student learning in his or her context - the core of Teaching as Inquiry.

While Teaching as Inquiry is about teachers' learning, it is important to emphasise that the key aim is to better meet the needs of students. It is not focused on teachers' interests or a predetermined personal or school-wide professional development plan.

Teachers involved in inquiry report that it is a highly satisfying and energising form of professional development which supports their self-reflection and critical examination of practice, and encourages them to try new challenges and explore different ways of teaching.

A spiral model for inquiry

In the New Zealand Curriculum, the teaching as inquiry process is divided into three related investigations:

focusing inquiry

teaching inquiry

learning inquiry.

Timperley, Kaser and Halbert (2014) outline a useful expanded model, the spiral of inquiry, which extends the focusing, teaching and learning phases to include six phases:

scanning

focusing

developing a hunch

professional learning

taking action

checking

Spiral of Inquiry developed by Timperley, Kaser and Halbert (2014)
Scanning is about getting an overview of the whole group of students - their areas of strength and need. This should be broad, not just focused on easily measured academic outcomes. It should also include student behaviour, engagement, learning dispositions and teacher practice. Evidence collection also involves getting the perspectives of learners, families and communities.
Why do it
Scanning establishes a foundation for your future learning and teaching. It helps you become aware of a range of impressions, opportunities, and challenges relevant to your teaching. It should enable you to 'unpack' curriculum requirements and come to understand where there are differences between students' expected and actual learning, so that you can identify gaps in your teaching repertoire and plan appropriate action towards improvement.
How to do it Question Investigate

Seek evidence. Don't just rely on evidence already available.

Aim to understand where students are in their learning, alongside the desirable outcomes at their level in national and school-level curricula. (It is best to use curriculum-related assessment information rather than normative achievement.) Try to describe student learning as accurately as possible.

Include diverse areas of learning such as the arts, physical activity, and socio-emotional learning.

Look at students' learning processes (what a student is saying or demonstrating about his/her thinking during a task) as well as outcomes.

Informal assessment can be just as important as formal assessment.

Invite student, family and community perspectives (for example, through questionnaires), especially for evidence about areas other than achievement. Students will often willingly talk about what does and doesn't work for them if listened to with respect.

Reflect

Analyse the evidence with colleagues. Reflect on what the data might be telling you.

Stay open to new information and insights: scanning doesn't mean finding evidence to support the status quo.

Maintain high expectations for students. Ask yourself whether the experiences of students reflect best practice for learning.

Take time. Don't rush, but don't get bogged down in this phase either. Get an overview, not perfect coverage. Expect the process of scanning in the first cycle of inquiry to take about two months.

What is happening for students in your classroom?

Possible questions include:

Current student progress and achievement

What do your students already know?

What do they need to learn and do?

What should your students achieve?

Where are they in relation to school goals and priorities?

Which key competencies do your students tend to be most / least motivated to use?

What contexts do they demonstrate key competencies in? What other contexts could be important?

Can students comprehend the connections across content areas in their learning? How much time is spent making connections across learning areas?

Students' understanding of their learning journey

Can your students tell you where they are going with their learning?

Can they describe what they are learning, and why it is important?

Can they explain what quality work would look like, and evaluate their own learning in relation to that?

Are your students confident and comfortable in giving and receiving peer feedback?

Do your students have opportunities to teach someone else and to make contributions to the community?

Non-cognitive outcomes

Do your students have the social and collaborative skills needed for teamwork and citizenship?

Can your students monitor and manage their emotions?

How emotionally supported do your students feel? Can they name two teachers/adults who believe they can succeed?

Best practices for learning

Do your students use a range of ways to demonstrate their learning?

Do your students receive good quality feedback offering clear directions for improvement?

To what extent are your students independent? How well can they self-organise their learning?

What is your students' involvement in setting and managing their own learning goals?

What is your students' involvement in other decisions about teaching and learning?

What evidence might indicate students' current competencies?

How engaged are your students? How would they categorise their engagement?

Do your students feel their teachers know their individual interests and strengths, and what they find challenging or difficult?

Do your students feel that their prior knowledge and cultural backgrounds are valued and utilised?

Are all your students doing engaging and challenging work that is achievable and not overwhelming?

Do students receive enough direct instruction?

Questions adapted from Centre for Education, Statistics and Evaluation (2016), Halbert & Kaser (2013), Ministry of Education (2011), Sinnema & Aitken (2016), Te kete ipurangi (n.d.), and Timperley, Kaser & Halbert (2014).

Focusing is about establishing the priority for improvement. In this phase you use information from your scan about areas of students' strengths and needs so that you can determine where your time and energy need to be invested.
Why do it
The broad scan will have led you to many new perspectives on your students' experiences. The focusing phase narrows and hones the area of investigation. It involves breaking down larger issues into something more workable, and explores close-up questions that offer additional insights.
How to do it Interrogate your evidence

Review the evidence and question your findings from the scanning process. Ask yourself "How do I know?" and "Why does this matter?" Don't assume you've got it all figured out.
Select an area of focus

Focus on areas of student learning that are most important and which you have the greatest ability to influence. (Be careful not to choose according to your own interests.)

Ensure that your area of inquiry focuses on investigating teaching practice (rather than, for example, creating a unit of work).

Focus on what your scan shows is happening. Don't introduce completely new areas unrelated to the scanning process.

Consider whether there are common areas that you might collaborate with other teachers on.

Ensure the selected focus is manageable. Select no more than one or two small and specific areas. Think deep and focused inquiry rather than shallow and scattered. However, don't constrain your area of focus too tightly. Sometimes areas are related or reinforce one another (for example, attitudes to mathematics and achievement in mathematics) and so can be tackled at the same time.

Think about how to build on strengths and positives as well as gain clarity on challenges.

Try to decide what changes you would like to see, so that in the checking phase you can assess whether your actions have made a difference.

Collect further evidence FOCUSING QUESTIONS

What popped out at you during the scanning process?

What are the strengths that your students show? How might you build on these strengths? Are there things you can strengthen or do more of?

What's not working well?

Are some issues recurring, year after year, or pervasive across multiple classes or groups?

Which issues consume the highest levels of energy, time and resources?

In which learning areas have students had the least opportunity to apply their learning?

What really matters most for students?

What is going to make the biggest difference to learning for your students?

What could you tackle effectively over the next few months?

What is important (and therefore worth spending time on) given where your students are at?

What do your students need to learn next?

Questions adapted from Centre for Education, Statistics and Evaluation (2016), Halbert & Kaser (2013), Ministry of Education (2011), Sinnema & Aitken (2016), Te kete ipurangi (n.d.), and Timperley, Kaser & Halbert (2014).

An outcome of the focusing phase might be a working map of the elements that comprise the area that needs improving, and identifying pathways toward potential approaches to trial. You should now have a good idea of what you want to focus your ongoing inquiry on and what it might involve.

DEVELOPING (and testing) A HUNCH

In this phase you reflect upon how your teaching practices have contributed to student learning in the area you have identified as a potential focus for improving. The evidence you have uncovered will not provide absolute answers about what is going on for students, and you will have to make guesses or develop 'hunches'. Framing your theories and beliefs as hunches enables you to subject them to scrutiny.
Example hunches

Is our lack of confidence in teaching the process of inferencing contributing to students' difficulties in this area?

If I ask students to articulate their understanding orally before writing, then their work improves.

If we provided choice in assignments, such as how many or which examples to complete, then students would be more likely to complete their homework.

Why do it
Hunches are an opportunity for you to put your teaching intuition into play, based on your observations and experiences with this group of students. The aim of this phase of the inquiry is to generate a plausible theory about how particular teaching practices (current or desired) influence learning and outcomes, with which you can structure the rest of the inquiry. You need to test your hunches by seeking evidence and determining which hunches are most accurate. You should be reasonably confident about what's causing particular outcomes before you start experimenting with teaching practice in the next phase.
How to do it Express hunches

Find a way to question your teaching beliefs and behaviours, which enables you to be honest.

Remain positive and constructive. (This is not an opportunity to complain about things you have little control over, to blame others or to vent your feelings about issues.)

Think about, and make conscious, your hunches about how you have contributed to existing student outcomes, particularly reflecting on practices you can do something about.

Interrogate your thinking

Pose questions to critically examine the key part of your hunch about the relationship between teaching and learning outcomes.

Consider all possible interpretations of the evidence, and develop multiple explanations which may turn into new hunches.

Develop a collective set of hunches by collaborating with others.

Be cautious about coming to conclusions: for example, there might be a correlation between factors and outcomes, rather than causality.

Create hypotheses

Construct "If....then..." statements, for example, "If I take this action ... then the following outcome will result...", and list evidence that supports and does not support this statement.

Be courageous and confident about putting your hunches on the table to discuss with others, and challenging well-established routines and structures.

Consider how you might (fairly quickly) test out these hunches.

Test hypotheses

Seek out evidence to support or dispel your hunches. Consider all data, not just the data that confirms your hunches. Use evidence to confirm or modify a hunch, or reject it and develop a new one.

Don't worry if none of your hunches have any evidence base. Move on to the next phase, professional learning, which may help you to devise and test new hunches.

Five areas for developing hunches
The hunches you develop usually fall into one of five categories. Use this list to develop hunches to explain what you have found out.

1. Curriculum

2. Instruction (including materials)

3. Teachers

4. Students

5. Infrastructure (for example, timetables, classroom set-up)

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

In this phase, you plan how you can deepen your professional learning in order to bring about the changes in student learning you identified earlier, and how to translate what you learn into practice.

Your professional learning will involve drawing on research evidence, as well as your own and other teachers' experience. You may revisit your hunches as your growing knowledge enables you to construct more hunches and theories to test during the course of your inquiry.
Why do it
The aim of this phase is to increase your knowledge about how to bring about the desired changes in your students' learning.
How to do it Create a plan

Plan with 'the end in mind'. Plan your desired outcome for students (including what the evidence would show this was happening). From there, work out the skills, knowledge and dispositions students need. Then you can determine a desired outcome for your teaching, and the skills, knowledge and dispositions that you as a teacher need.

Decide what you need to learn, and how to learn it: Create SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented and time-bound) goals.

Find relevant resources

Consider what you already know that might be useful.

Identify resources to inform your thinking, and plan strategies for your learning (for example, creating a study group, participating in an online community).

Access current knowledge and expertise in your area of focus to evaluate strategies you are considering.

Ensure teaching strategies are evidence-informed and fit with your context.

Link opportunities for professional learning to your inquiry (Don't just select professional learning activities that are convenient and readily available, or recommended or imposed by someone else.)

Consider who you can link with for support, and what resources are available. Think about what research evidence you can gain from professional discussions.

Engage critically with ideas

Think beyond obvious solutions - draw on colleagues, reading, research, resources and experts to expand your thinking.

Be open-minded. Gather ideas from all sources and guard against being drawn to familiar ideas that fit with your existing beliefs about the right way to teach.

Aim to understand new ways of doing things in a deeper way, including their purposes and underpinning theory.

Be aware of the fallibility of research - research findings are always conjectural, and not necessarily transferable to your context.

Consider what connections there are between your context and that in which the research was undertaken. Think about how you might adapt new knowledge to make it relevant to your particular teaching environment.

Identify what implications the knowledge has for your teaching; consider strategies or actions which will implement it.

Revisit Potential sources for professional learning

the accumulated knowledge of teacher colleagues within your school, association or online community (for example, engaging in professional discussions or observing them teach)

practical knowledge gained through workshops and courses

academic research - found in books, educational journals and in summaries on portals like the Education Hub; presented at conferences

school records and data

Consider also looking at:

other schools with a similar focus

forming study groups and collaborative work

partnerships with university researchers

school libraries.

Taking action involves learning more deeply about new ways of teaching by exploring different teaching strategies in action, informed by a thorough understanding of why they might be effective in your teaching context.

Taking action is a much more informed and critical process than simply implementing new strategies or trying out innovative or exciting ideas suggested by research or teaching colleagues. It also takes account of contextual knowledge, and complex relationships between teaching and learning, as well as student voices in decision making.
Why do it
No matter strong the support or evidence is in another context, every idea and strategy needs to be tried out and evaluated for your students.

Deep learning occurs when we try something out in action, reflect on how it went, discuss it with others and get their perspectives, and then try it out again. In this inquiry model, taking action occurs after much reflection on your students and your own teaching actions and beliefs, and after carefully considered learning, so it prevents you jumping in too quickly with ill-considered ideas, which are usually followed by disillusion and desire to give up further attempts.
How to do it Select

Select from the knowledge and ideas you have learned and put them into focused, informed action to test out. Ensure your inquiry is tight, focused and manageable.

Focus on outcomes, rather than activities.

Avoid pre-packaged programmes which rarely are able to address the specific dimensions of a local problem.

Be systematic, targeted and explicit about what actions you are taking and how you are going to monitor and modify them.

Be aware of the assumptions and beliefs underpinning your plan for action and carefully consider the validity of these.

Have a planned timeframe which includes monitoring strategies.

Set goals for your teaching practice as well as for student outcomes.

Ensure there is alignment between the needs the inquiry is responding to, the resources available, the actions to be undertaken with those resources, and how these actions will deliver outcomes.

Plan

Think about how you will communicate to parents and students that you are going to try something new and why. Find out what they think.

Build trust. Be aware that taking action and implementing change engenders feelings of vulnerability.

Encourage students to be involved in the inquiry and to take responsibility for goals they have identified with you.

Anticipate potential barriers and consider strategies to overcome them.

Trial new actions

Try out your informed strategies and actions.

Expect dips and plateaus. When progress dips, clarify and refocus your efforts with the intended outcomes. See plateaus as opportunities to consolidate gains.

Take risks, make mistakes and try again. Have courage and experiment.

Support teaching colleagues in their inquiries, and be there to support each other when the going gets tough.

Celebrate successes and expect some failures.

Monitor your impact

Engage in ongoing monitoring and evaluation. Check what is going on for learners as a result of your actions. Keep a diary to note the progress of an intervention, and use it as a tool for reflection.

Ask students, review their work, or observe them to see if they are responding differently.

Create opportunities for observation (peer observation or video recording: these are less intimidating when you take charge and determine what will be observed) to aid your reflection. Observations will enable you to develop a sense of what new practices are like from the students' perspectives.

Review the use of the strategy or action with others. Ensure you have a schedule for reporting to others which helps maintain momentum. Create opportunities for dialogue to get ideas from other people.

Evaluate actual outcomes rather than your intentions. Ask yourself "How do I know?"

Adjust A tool for successful peer observation
Create an evidence-gathering tool by listing the elements important to your inquiry. Then use peer or video observation to measure the extent each element is present in every lesson. This provides a foundation for readily sharable experiences, grounded in evidence, as the focus for teacher discussion. It might also be used as a self-checking tool while observing a video recording of your practice.

This phase involves you checking the effectiveness of the actions you took in the taking action phase, by assessing the impact on students and their learning. You need to collect and evaluate information on the impact of your actions on your students' learning: the learning environment and student outcomes. This will inform where your inquiry might go next.
Why do it
This is a crucial phase. In the scanning and focusing phases you will have already made decisions about the methods and evidence you will need in order to check the impact of your inquiry. The checking phase enables you to determine what inquiry comes next. It is not the last phase of your inquiry, but a bridge between this part of the inquiry and the next part of the learning cycle.

It also brings intellectual discipline to your inquiry as you systematically analyse data and other information to discover which strategies have been successful and how they might be improved.
How to do it Clarify what counts as success Determine methods and timeframes

Adopt the data and methods of evaluation that best suit your evaluation question. Consider data of all kinds: formal test results, accounts of learning from work samples, images, observations, ongoing assessment information, and student reflections or surveys.

Consider creating your own inquiry tool, such as a questionnaire.

Involve students and their families in the checking process. As well as finding out about student achievement or progress, investigate students' experiences; for example, the impact on engagement, motivation, enjoyment or their perception of themselves as learners.

Try to search not for evidence that proves your actions to be effective but instead search for evidence that suggests the approach might not be working (for example, for particular groups of students or specific subjects).

Consider different levels of impact - the impact on groups, classes, and individual students as well as particular gender or cultural groupings.

Set up a baseline or comparison group or both to assess impact. Examine the same sources of evidence that you used in the scanning and focusing phases to see what gains the changes have made for your students. (Bear in mind that while taking before and after measures is useful, outcomes will change over time without intervention, just through the course of normal classroom instruction.)

Perform checking regularly so that adjustments can be made in a timely fashion. Don't leave checking for the end of the year as there is then no opportunity to improve on issues that are identified. Make informal checking integral to all phases of the spiral process.

Give your innovation and change time to have an impact, but don't leave it too long in case the strategies you are exploring are ineffective. Generally, a school term is a sufficient period of time to trial a new practice before beginning to check its impact.

Investigate findings

Pay attention to evidence that indicates the impact may not have been as positive as anticipated.

Ask critical questions, and don't use checking to justify your actions.

Be open to what the evidence says about the effects on your students' learning.

Celebrate learning gain

Adjust practice General checking questions

What happened as a result of the teaching?

How effective has what you learned and put into action been in promoting your students' learning and well-being?

What learning happened for your students?

What did you learn about your students?

Did the changes made achieve the intended outcomes? If not, why not? If so, how will you sustain the effective practices and what are your next steps?

Did the change impact all students? In what ways? Or why not?

Why is it that your teaching was less successful for this group of learners compared to another?

Who did the changes work for? Under what circumstances?

Why is it that your teaching was successful in one aspect, but not in another?

Did the changes have any unintended (positive or negative) outcomes?

Is this the most efficient way to use limited resources?

What different approaches could you try? Should you ask the students?

What are the implications for future teaching?

What can you adapt, refine or revise in your understanding of your students' learning?

What will you do next to ensure that your students continue to achieve?

What new goals do you want to set? (Return to scanning)

Questions adapted from Centre for Education, Statistics and Evaluation (2016), Halbert & Kaser (2013), Ministry of Education (2011), Sinnema & Aitken (2016), Te kete ipurangi (n.d.), and Timperley, Kaser & Halbert (2014).

Centre for Education, Statistics and Evaluation. (2016). 5 essentials for effective evaluation. Sydney, Australia: NSW Department for Education

Halbert, J., & Kaser, L. (2013). Spirals of Inquiry.

Ministry of Education (2011). Understanding teaching as inquiry. New Zealand Curriculum Update (12) 1-4. Wellington, NZ: Learning Media.

Sinnema, C. & Aitken, G. (2016). Teaching as inquiry. In Fraser, D. & Hill, M. (Eds.) The professional practice of teaching in New Zealand (pp. 79-97). Melbourne, Australia: Cengage Learning.

Te kete ipurangi. (n.d.). Inquiry and the key competencies. Retrieved from http://assessment.tki.org.nz/Assessment-in-the-classroom/Teaching-as-inquiry/Teaching-as-inquiry-practical-tools-for-teachers/Inquiry-and-the-key-competencies

Timperley, H., Kaser, L., & Halbert, J. (2014). A framework for transforming learning in schools: Innovation and the spiral of inquiry (Seminar Series Paper 234). Melbourne, Australia: Centre for Strategic Education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teaching as Inquiry is one of the most powerful forms of teacher learning and is a vital strategy to improve student learning.

# data[].attributes.body
From kahui ako

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Puketeraki Kāhui Ako: Culturally responsive practice

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Are our schools catering for the super heroes of the future?

We all have an idea in our heads about WHAT we currently get out of school and basically what we can expect to experience when we arrive be it as a learner, teacher, or parent. Some of us know HOW school works - the intricacies of the curriculum, timetable structures, year levels, etc.

But what about the 'WHY' of school?

Is this still the same as it's always been? As a teacher, principal, or parent, is your understanding around the purpose of school and education (possibly two separate considerations, by the way) clear?

This is my boy Dānte.

He's almost three. He currently goes to our local pre-school. It won't be long until he's off to primary school. Then secondary school ... and possible tertiary (school). What is the purpose of each of these schools? To prepare him for the next one? Or something more? What is the real purpose for each individual involved, and for society? Depending on whom you ask, you'll hear very different responses.

If teachers are no longer the holders of all the content knowledge (you can watch a Youtube video on anything from 'How to tie a tie', to 'How to do quadratic equations'), and learners can access knowledge via instructional videos online from international experts in their fields (e.g., Khan Academy, TED Talks), then, is there still a place for teachers and physical schools?

Of course!

"School is no longer where we learn. It is where we meet." (Lichtman, 2014). While essentially agreeing with what Grant Lichtman is saying, I would like to offer an alternative to that statement:
School is no longer where we learn what we previously have. It is where we meet to grow.
In his book #EdJourney, Lichtman asked some high school students what they needed to be successful and happy in their futures. They quickly came up with the following list:

Now, while 'Googling' a definition of these concepts may be possible, you'll have to agree that learning how to be or have any of the above skills and traits is not something you can develop solely from watching a YouTube video. These are qualities, skills, and traits that take time to nurture, cultivate, and practise. And they also, by no coincidence, all feature highly in any list of the most desirable qualities that employers are looking for in future employees ( 13 essential skills for today's students).

As referenced in many reports and frameworks developed by employers and schools regarding the acquisition and development of "21st century skills", these four areas are considered to be the most important or significant:

So why do we still need schools?

Because, they provide a place to come together to grow those collaboration and teamwork skills. They give face-to-face access to experienced mentors and coaches who can observe, facilitate, and provide critical feedback on how these skills are developing.

Schools are important because we know that human beings are social creatures. We are learning more every day about the social nature of learning and its importance in our cognitive and emotional development. Findings from the Dunedin Study also support the fact that people who are able to get along and work well with others have more successful, healthy, and happy lives. It is often in, or inspired by, the company of like-minded people or people of opposing opinions, that we access most of our creativity and imagination while practising skills like empathy and self-control.

We need schools because it is in these places that young people come together to challenge and grow each others' minds, as well as their own. By testing out new knowledge, and practising and honing new skills, the other learning coaches (students and teachers alike) will provoke them to critically evaluate the knowledge sources they are accessing, as well as their own opinions of them.

It is one thing to know; it is another to be known.
Young people still need to come to school because it is a place where they and their whānau can be known by others, and grow to know themselves and their own abilities and potential. Harvesting knowledge alone, whether from books or multiple sources on the Internet, is all well and good, but, I feel, that it is in the act of sharing knowledge with others in meaningful contexts, building upon their ideas, challenging each other, and pushing at the boundaries of our own comfort zones where the most powerful learning happens.

This is why we still need schools.

All over New Zealand, schools are reimagining and redesigning their approach to learning experiences. Along with this, it is vital that the measures of success are also redesigned to align with these. This will generally involve re-examining the purpose for the learning, to ensure not only achievement outcomes are designed for, but also engagement and wellbeing. These days, kids don't just come to school to take the test, they come to make it, or even break it!

I know that when I'm in my old age, in a rest home, or back packing around exotic locations (it's important to be optimistic), I want to have confidence in the young people I worked with in schools who will by now be leaders, movers and shakers, in our country and the world. I will want to be confident that, when faced with a challenge, they have the grit and resilience to push on and through it, have the creativity and ingenuity to seek solutions in unexpected places, and effectively work with people outside their fields of expertise in order to reach the most robust and creative solution possible to the problems that may face us. No pressure!

I am very fortunate at the moment to be working alongside teachers in secondary schools who are looking to reimagine how schools and learning might look right now and in the future. These leaders in their fields understand that every aspect of every learning experience must start and stay with the learners in front of them; and what they need to thrive in this day and age, and into the future.

The educators I work with in the FFI (Future Focused Inquiry) programme are using change frameworks such as the Spiral of Inquiry and Design Thinking, underpinned by the 7 Principles of Learning, to ensure their practice, systems, environment and resources are all highly effective in supporting learners to reach high levels of engagement and wellbeing, as well as strong academic outcomes. They return regularly to two anchor questions: "what's going on for our learners", and "how do we know?".

Image: Timperley, Kaser & Halbert, 2014
School is a place where we meet to grow.
We've moved beyond a time and educational system founded in orderliness, obedience, and compliance. We know we're going to need innovators, creators, critical thinkers, team players.

Life doesn't fall neatly into discrete subject areas.
Many secondary schools are responding to this by consciously breaking down the walls, or 'silos', between their subject areas, and are modelling the collaborative practice that we know is going to be so vital to the success of our current learners. Partnerships between subjects are resulting in high levels of originality, innovation, creativity as well as problem solving, skill transference, and deeper subject knowledge due to being able to work in more authentic contexts on 'real-life learning' rather than in contrived test situations.

(3D printed poetry - Cambridge High School Writers' Master Class)

Undertaking inquiry (both individual and collaborative) with a firm focus on the future for learners, as an ongoing means of building evaluative capability and adaptive expertise, is where it's at. There are educators out there right now who are ensuring school is still a very worthwhile, important, and exciting place to be!

I am excited to see what school will be like for Dānte in the coming years. As with all children, he has a natural inquiry mind frame, a hunger for knowledge, and a drive for discovery. I am confident that these will not diminish, but be developed as he travels through school.

I believe we will always need schools because we will always need superheroes. We are only going to have more wicked problems to solve in the future. Where else will other kids like Dānte be able to nurture, grow, take risks, and test their superpowers before the world calls on them? This is why I believe in school. What about you?

Reference:

Timperley, H., Kaser, L., and Halbert, J. (2014, April). A framework for transforming learning in schools: Innovation and the spiral of inquiry. Centre for Strategic Education, Seminar Series Paper No. 234.

The following two tabs change content below.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Are our schools catering for the super heroes of the future? We all have an idea in our heads about WHAT we currently get out of school and basically what we can expect to experience when we arrive be it as a learner, teacher, or parent.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Tara O'Neill was attracted to work at Haeata Community Campus because she could see the new Haeata Curriculum design mirrored the curriculum success she had initiated at her previous school. Haeata's curriculum is designed around students' personal needs and interests with teachers supporting ākonga to achieve learning outcomes through learning opportunities that reflect their own passions.

"When I was teaching in Te Karaka Area School I had an 'aha' moment where I realised (my students) were just writing to please me. That's when the idea of play-based learning came to mind."

Tara, along with the support of Karyn Gray, who was principal at the time (at Te Karaka Area School) and is now in the senior leadership team at Haeata, started a play-based classroom in 2014, similar to the learning model currently in place at Haeata.

"We saw accelerated learning, and we're just starting to get to this place now at Haeata," says Tara. Haeata has a self-directed learning model, which for Year 1 to 13 focuses on child-directed learning and inquiry based on their interests and passions, focusing equally on academics and well-being, and works hand-in-hand with achieving New Zealand curriculum standards.

After speaking at 'Educational Unconference' in 2015 about the success in developing foundational skills through play before academic learning, the Facebook group 'Learning Through Play' was conceived. Since then, researchers, teachers and academics from around the world have connected to discuss this pedagogy and their learning to improve their practice. The page now boasts over 9000 members.

The idea of learning through play to improve writing outcomes came out of extensive research and professional development, and has continued to develop over her years of teaching.

"Play is really inquiry learning for younger kids," Tara explains.

This type of learning sets students up for success in many ways. It provides a context for child initiated learning, which is shown to be the most effective type of learning according to years of international research. Play opportunities also allow children to develop their foundational skills to prepare them better for explicit learning instruction and it provides authentic opportunities for selfmanagement and building great relationships with ākonga and teachers.

How the teachers set up the environment for learning through play is crucial, says Tara.

"It's set up on purpose to support learning, and the way the teachers are involved with it is really important. It takes skill to know when to get involved and when not to get involved".

However, making significant changes in the curriculum and gaining support of the local community hasn't come without challenges. Although the teaching pedagogy is not a new practice, many of the community have been unsure about Haeata's curriculum model.

"After a lot of extensive learning and development of children and adults alike they are starting to see that progress at Haeata," says Tara.

"Now that children have the basis of these foundation skills that they have learnt through play, we can see in the literacy lab that kids are wanting to learn"

The Haeata teachers use the literacy lab to teach traditional reading and writing skills, with the aim for them to then bring these skills back in to the child initiated play.

"We are starting to see an increase of culture of wanting to read and write...We're just starting to get to this place now at Haeata, it is such a fertile school for learning."

Tara wants to inform the community about the different developmental stages, and to support our children to develop their own learning identity.

"Through Learning Through Play, our ākonga lead the learning, and studies show that this type of learning is the most effective.

"If we always do what we have always done, we will always get what we have always got," says Tara.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Tara O'Neill was attracted to work at Haeata Community Campus because she could see the new Haeata Curriculum design mirrored the curriculum success she had initiated at her previous school. Haeata's curriculum is designed around students' personal needs and interests with teachers supporting ākonga to achieve learning outcomes through learning opportunities that reflect their own passions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The issue of behaviour is always a hot topic in schools. Behaviour - whether for better or worse - has a huge impact on pupils, teachers and school leaders' daily lives. The EEF Behaviour Guidance Report has collated a great deal of research which will chime with many people's experiences; both in terms of findings and proposed actions.

Please note: All quotes and graphics are from the Education Endowment Foundation "Improving Behaviour in Schools Guidance Report"

There are six key recommendations: strategies 1-4 are proactive; strategy 5 is reactive and strategy 6 is all about implementation.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

My summary would be that appropriate rules, effective routines and good relationships - all consistently applied across a school - will maintain high standards of behaviour for the overwhelming majority of pupils, for the overwhelming majority of time, in mainstream schools. Some children will require bespoke care, much compassion and more time to get things right; they are often the most vulnerable and disadvantaged within our society.

Know and understand your pupils and their influences - Good Relationships Matter

Knowing pupils well can have a positive impact on their classroom behaviour; every pupil needs to have a supportive relationship with a member of school staff. Class teachers in primary schools and form tutors in secondary schools alongside support staff all have a key role to play. Finding small amounts of time, on a regular basis, to find out about a child or young person's interests can help here.

Being informed about significant changes to a pupil's life or well-being allows for early intervention and a more effective response. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and bullying can both adversely affect a child or young person's behaviour.

Teach learning behaviours alongside managing misbehaviour

"A learning behaviour can be thought of as a behaviour that is necessary in order for a person to learn effectively in the group setting of the classroom." (p.16)

Whilst managing behaviour is a good start; helping pupils change their behaviours - increasing their ability to self-regulate and use of coping strategies - has greater long term efficacy improving both academic achievement and cognitive ability

Three interacting sets of learning behaviours - see below (p.17 in the report) - can be developed through ensuring pupils can access the curriculum, engage with lesson content and participate in their learning.

Emotional learning behaviours: inner voice; mental well-being; dealing with setbacks; and self-esteem, self-worth, and self-competence.

Social learning behaviours: pupil relationship with teacher; pupil relationship with peers; collaborative learning; and bullying.

Cognitive learning behaviours: motivation; growth mindset; working memory/cognitive load; and communication-improving through effective teacher/pupil dialogue, modelling.
EEF Behaviour Guidance Report - 6 Key Recommendations - PDF

Use classroom management strategies to support good classroom behaviour

"Classroom management is a major concern for teachers, often leading to stress, burnout, and exit from the profession as well as being a deterrent for those considering teaching as a career. It is cited as a challenge for headteachers across all school phases. Effective classroom management can reduce challenging behaviour, pupil disengagement, bullying, and aggression, leading to improved classroom climate, attendance, and attainment. While attendance at school and bullying are not wholly the preserve of schools, schools have a role to play. This is of particular concern as in 2019, '... both authorised and unauthorised absence rates have increased since last year, the rate of the latter now being the highest since records began.' Increasing school absence or being bullied are linked to lower attainment outcomes." (p.20)

Classroom management is the greatest challenge for teachers early in their career; creating a culture, in which early career teachers can be open about issues, receive support, coaching & training is key to improving behaviour management. Intensive training with teachers reflecting on their classroom management, trying a new approach and reviewing their progress over time will have the greatest impact. Reinforce positive pupil behaviour, including reward systems (note most research is US based and at a primary level), as part of broader teacher classroom management strategy.

Use simple approaches as part of your regular routine

School leaders should ensure the school behaviour policy is clear and consistently applied. Breakfast clubs, use of specific behaviour-related praise and working with parents can all support good behaviour. Teachers, meet and greet! It's a low cost strategy with positive impact on classroom behaviour. Don't forget the simple things; praise students in the ratio of 5:1 of positive-to-negative interactions.

"The 5:1 ratio theory is that for every criticism or complaint the teacher issues, they should aim to give five specific compliments, approval statements and positive comments or non-verbal gestures." (p. 25)

Might be worth noting this ratio has also been shown to be key in long-lasting marriages.

Use targeted approaches to meet the needs of individuals in your school
"However, universal systems are unlikely to meet the needs of all students. For those pupils who need more intensive support with their behaviour, a personalised approach is recommended. This may involve targeted interventions implemented by trained teachers; teachers reflecting on their classroom management techniques for the whole class may also be particularly beneficial for the individuals with greater needs. For pupils who are disruptive, targeted interventions are often most effective when tailored to the needs of the individuals involved rather than attempting to implement the same strategies for all."
Universal behaviour systems are unlikely to meet the needs of all your pupils; there will be a need to consider implementing approaches to meet individual needs. This will require teachers to undertake significant specialist training or employing specialist support staff.

Consistency and coherence at a whole-school level are paramount. This will take more time than individually tailored or single-classroom approaches but is more likely to have an impact on attainment outcomes.

If you're thinking of reviewing behaviour management strategies in your school the logic model below may be useful. My advice would be start slowly, plan well in advance of implementation and engage staff, pupils and parents at each stage. There will be a need to ensure fidelity to any approaches implemented and embed each new approach.
Behaviour Logic Model - PDF Behaviour Logic Model - PDF Behaviour Logic Model - PDF"One approach subject to much debate is the 'zero tolerance' policy: a strict, punitive whole-school approach to discipline ... In reality, there is not strong evidence in favour or against 'zero tolerance' - which it is a loose term applied to a range of punitive approaches. The evidence for how to improve behaviour in schools suggests that understanding individual pupils, training teachers in classroom management, and having a consistent approach across the school which can be adapted for those with specific needs will support better behaviour. This combination of approaches is present in some schools using the language of zero tolerance, as it is in some schools where this language would be resolutely avoided."
Final thought, on the zero tolerance approach from the report (p. 36):

A full copy of the report if available here.

The infographic below gives you a neat summary of some of the main points.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
6 Key Recommendations from the #EEFBehaviour Guidance Report

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The issue of behaviour is always a hot topic in schools. Behaviour - whether for better or worse - has a huge impact on pupils, teachers and school leaders' daily lives. The EEF Behaviour Guidance Report has collated a great deal of research which will chime with many people's experiences; both in terms of findings...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Progress tools help to uncover Kāhui Ako direction

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
New report functions available in the Progress and Consistency Tool will mean the Kāhui Ako will soon have access to consistent and reliable information on focus groups of students, in relation to identifying achievement challenges in foundation learning areas. This will give the Kāhui Ako the ability to track groups, while having reliable information to help with planning and resourcing decisions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Education Council of NZ Member Claire Victoria Amos : #robettLIVE

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We often start the New Year with resolutions, some more ambitious than others, so when you hear Keith Richards is to give up the booze, you know the world is certainly changing! However nowadays it's also become more common to end the year with titles such as Time's Person of the Year, the Oxford Dictionary's Word of the Year and now, just what you have been waiting for.... the Modern Learners 2018 Provocation of the Year.

2018 has indeed been a very different year, in so many ways. Economically volatile, politically unpredictable, while in education it's also fair to say the conversation is changing quite dramatically. While we'd all like to think we are a small part of making that happen, there are now many more diverse voices calling for us to rethink what school could and should be.

At long last we are starting to become comfortable at being uncomfortable.

So here at Modern Learners, our humble place in all of this has been to seek to create a space where people freely share ideals, ideas, and insights about what school can be. Where educators can share their thoughts openly and where diverse opinion is respected, all of which helps remove the isolation of thought leadership.

But you can only get those vibrant, thoughtful, deep conversations when listening is preferred above speaking, when questions are prioritized above answers, and when provocation presents a platform for new ideas, for a different perspective that might otherwise never have been heard.

In this context, provocation is therefore about deconstructing meanings and hidden agendas, challenging assumptions and seeking new ways of thinking not just about what we do, or how we do it, but most importantly, why we do what we do.

It is in this context that the choice for our 2018 Provocation of the Year came down to a single word... assessment.

It was a standout. Through our 2018, there were few conversations, online discussions, community posts, labs, workshops, webinars or articles where assessment didn't raise its ugly sweet head...and does that really surprise you?

It's a word that has been manipulated and bastardized beyond any real meaning, and has come to be detested by students, commodified by corporations, leveraged by textbook and tutoring companies, and exploited by politicians, all the while being used to reign in the professional autonomy of educators...until now!

The very fact that some twisted logic has allowed student high-stakes assessment to determine which teachers retain tenure or gain promotion, which schools should be closed while at the same time causing extreme student stress, undermines any pretense about learning, and completely belies any common sense.

When we released our Assessment Ebook (now available in audio too) in March this year, we were overwhelmed by the number of people who downloaded it, shared it and then used it to provoke critical conversations across their school community. Many told us that it served as a call to action, a chance to stop and reflect on the assessment practices that they had taken for granted for so long, and look at what they might do differently. It was a catalyst for reflection and review.

It's why we had a record 645 people sign up for our Assessment webinar in June, and why the Modern Learners Labs we ran in Auckland and Christchurch in New Zealand in August were so well received. It's also why, when we came to launching our first Modern Learners Course, Reimagining Assessment was an obvious first choice.

But in no way is this just about the work we are doing at Modern Learners. This is a word that in 2018 has provoked many of the most highly respected writers to release books, including Deborah Meier and Matthew Knoester's Beyond Testing, Anya Kamenetz's The Test, and Daniel Koretz's The Testing Charade, plus hundreds of articles and posts in the public and via social media, all challenging the assumptions we make about assessment, and calling out for a reimagination of what it should mean for our young people today.

Indeed as one of the most prolific writers on the topic, Alfie Kohn suggested, "assessment should be an unobtrusive servant of teaching and learning."

Now there's a provocation to really start a vibrant conversation.

It's also why the movement that is rethinking transcripts, Mastery Consortium, is getting so much publicity and momentum, and why more and more people are talking about what "gradeless " might offer their students as they test legacy assessment practices in their school.

Indeed there are a lot more prominent conversations that are challenging the core rationale that has driven our previous unquestioning acceptance of traditional assessments. Adam Grant's recent opinion piece in the New York Times was an excellent example of this...
"Academic excellence is not a strong predictor of career excellence. Across industries, research shows that the correlation between grades and job performance is modest in the first year after college and trivial within a handful of years."
And parents?...well dare I say it, but in many places, they're more puzzled than ever, because while we're all busy firing up the education community, we aren't spending near enough time sharing our ideas and insights about what reimagined assessment should and could look like to those beyond the school gates.

So that sets an agenda for all of us in 2019. I think we have to think about how we can take this provocation to the wider community: our parents, our students, and importantly to those in the public media. We can't repeat the mistakes of previous iterations and assume the community understands why we think this is so important and what they can do about it.

It takes us back to where we started the year, to our beliefs around learning. If we can't anchor our conversations around a topic as provocative as assessment in our beliefs around learning, then frankly, all is lost.

So maybe that even sets up a possible resolution for 2019. Stand by what you believe. It's surely the foundation for the most productive conversations you can have with peers and your school community, and it gives you a strong foundation to lead deeper conversations around a provocative topic like assessment.

So from Will, Missy, Lyn, Hazel, Wendy, Sadie, myself and the whole Modern Learners team...all of our very best thoughts are with you for the season. We hope you have some exceptional family time and great merriment, and that you can look forward to a rewarding 2019.

This resource provides:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Modern Learners 2018 Provocation of the Year - Modern Learners

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We often start the New Year with resolutions, some more ambitious than others, so when you hear Keith Richards is to give up the booze, you know the world is certainly changing! However nowadays it's also become more common to end the year with titles such as Time's Person of the Year, the Oxford Dictionary's Word of the Year and now, just what you have been waiting for....

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ten Trend: Real-time reporting : edSpace

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There is plenty of evidence and research to show that regular connections between parents and whānau and school and kura can have a positive impact on learners. With technological advancements, anyone can receive 'on demand', real time, personalise feedback (how am I doing) on pretty much anything - from health records to bank records.

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
What if you had a senior secondary programme that wasn't assessed with NCEA? Here's what some Tauranga educators are currently thinking - https://t.co/wErOnJqHKh Looking for words of wisdom @GeoMouldey @ClaireAmosNZ @andykaifong @mosborne01 @maurieabraham @EduWells #googleEI

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
What if you had a senior secondary programme that wasn't assessed with NCEA? Here's what some Tauranga educators are currently thinking - https://t.co/wErOnJqHKh Looking for words of wisdom @GeoMouldey @ClaireAmosNZ @andykaifong @mosborne01 @maurieabraham @EduWells #googleEI

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
What if you had a senior secondary programme that wasn't assessed with NCEA? Here's what some Tauranga educators are currently thinking - https://t.co/wErOnJqHKh Looking for words of wisdom @GeoMouldey @ClaireAmosNZ @andykaifong @mosborne01 @maurieabraham @EduWells #googleEI
— Andrew Corney (@corneynz) July 2, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
What if you had a senior secondary programme that wasn't assessed with NCEA? Here's what some Tauranga educators are currently thinking - https://t.co/wErOnJqHKh Looking for words of wisdom @GeoMouldey @ClaireAmosNZ @andykaifong @mosborne01 @maurieabraham @EduWells #googleEI

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
What if you had a senior secondary programme that wasn't assessed with NCEA? Here's what some Tauranga educators are currently thinking - https://t.co/wErOnJqHKh Looking for words of wisdom @GeoMouldey @ClaireAmosNZ @andykaifong @mosborne01 @maurieabraham @EduWells #googleEI

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
What if you had a senior secondary programme that wasn't assessed with NCEA? Here's what some Tauranga educators are currently thinking - https://t.co/wErOnJqHKh Looking for words of wisdom @GeoMouldey @ClaireAmosNZ @andykaifong @mosborne01 @maurieabraham @EduWells #googleEI

# data[].attributes.body
Inquiry - Much harm done in its name?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Digital knowledge - be curious, aim high, keep learning

As part of a rich local curriculum, three schools in Otara, South Auckland, are empowering students to create local curriculum Read more

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Domino effect from Kāhui Ako collaboration

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Digital knowledge - be curious, aim high, keep learning As part of a rich local curriculum, three schools in Otara, South Auckland, are empowering students to create local curriculum Read more

# data[].attributes.body
http://blog.core-ed.org/blog/2019/07/becoming-culturally-courageous.html

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Five years ago, we switched countries.

Pasi Sahlberg came to the U.S. as a visiting professor at Harvard University, and William Doyle moved to Finland to study its world-renowned school system as a Fulbright scholar. We brought our families with us. And we were stunned by what we experienced.

In Cambridge, Mass., Pasi took his young son...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
To Really Learn, Our Children Need the Power of Play

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Five years ago, we switched countries. Pasi Sahlberg came to the U.S. as a visiting professor at Harvard University, and William Doyle moved to Finland to study its world-renowned school system as a Fulbright scholar. We brought our families with us. And we were stunned by what we experienced.

# data[].attributes.body
Love your work!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Love Your Work is an interactive workbook

aimed at young people from Year 11 through

to early/mid 20's.

Created in Christchurch by Kirsten Nicholl, Career Coach from Clearchange, and featuring the funky illustrations and bold graphics of Kyla K the workbook is a fresh and engaging way for young people to find out more about who they are and what makes them tick to help them join the dots between who they are and a career that fits.

Too many adults are unhappy and disengaged in their jobs. According to a recent global Gallup poll, this could be up to 87% of all workers! Yet most kids are still making their early career decisions without an in-depth consideration of what would suit THEM.

Packed full of questions, guided exercises, illustrations, quotes, stories and thought-provoking ideas, the book combines a self-awareness

journey with a life skills toolbox and a career coaching programme.

Not only will it help young people get to know themselves a whole lot better so they can make informed early career decisions, it will assist their ability to think effectively, boost their wellbeing and develop their emotional intelligence - all of which are essential elements in creating an enjoyable and successful career and life.

Research shows that when people use their strengths they feel more resilient, satisfied, energised and engaged - which is why it's so important to consider your strengths as you're making your career or study decisions.The Strengths Profile assessment gives you a clear picture of your unique blend of strengths.
To find out more...

We are certainly living in interesting times, with change and disruption occurring across many industries. The future of work is far from predictable. What we do know is that fewer and fewer people are taking linear career pathways.

For all of these reasons, it can be helpful to look to those who've taken the career road less travelled and see what we can learn from them. Check out our interviews with people who share lessons from their unconventional career paths.

Browse our Workbook and other resources.

Other individual career coaching programmes available on request - Call us on 021 186 9717 or email us to enquire about options hi@loveyourworknz.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Love Your Work is an interactive workbook aimed at young people from Year 11 through to early/mid 20's. Created in Christchurch by Kirsten Nicholl, Career Coach from Clearchange, and featuring the funky illustrations and bold graphics of Kyla K the workbook is a fresh and engaging way for young people to find out more about who they are and what makes them tick to help them join the dots between who they are and a career that fits.

# data[].attributes.body
Some prompts to use when talking about learning with students

# data[].attributes.body
Great mix of videos, inforgraphics and articles

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
ARTICLE: How Blended Learning Can Support Student Agency | NGLC

(5:00)
Blended learning puts students in the driver's seat of learning by increasing their voice, choice, and motivation.

ARTICLE: What student choice and agency actually looks like

(5:00)
Snapshots of six schools that use blended learning to put students in control.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ARTICLE: How Blended Learning Can Support Student Agency | NGLC (5:00)Blended learning puts students in the driver's seat of learning by increasing their voice, choice, and motivation. ARTICLE: What student choice and agency actually looks like (5:00) Snapshots of six schools that use blended learning to put students in control.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Explore

Over the past two years, St Thomas of Canterbury College has been implementing an AGILE learning sprint approach to improve teacher practice. Teachers engage in short, focused cycles of inquiry with the aim of improving outcomes for learners. Working collaboratively, they notice what's going on for learners, then plan and implement initiatives. Together they gather evidence, monitor the impact of their initiatives and collectively decide on next steps. In this video series, they outline their approach and how they are making a difference to the lives of learners.
Agile processes and the learning sprint approach
"Using the learning sprint approach allows me to be adaptable, but also develops my reflective practice. So I'm constantly getting that feedback around what is working and then making changes to better suit the needs of the boys. I'm harnessing my strengths as a teacher as well to bring the best outcomes."

Andrew Auimatagi, Leader of learning - physical education
Learning sprints in action
"For us agile means flexibility, or being able to adapt to what's in front of us, to what we're seeing. Even day to day things might change, so we've got to change our approach, our planning and adapt."

Robbie Lange, Specialist classroom teacher
Students at the centre of change
"A big part of our transformation is the fact that the students are at the centre of what we do. It's not what is easiest for the teacher or the traditional ways we have done things. We now have to put the students at the centre and really cater to their needs and listen to their voice."

Brad Milne, Curriculum innovation and leadership development
Leadership of change
"It's thinking more intelligently about what it is that we want to move towards and more intelligently about what is it that the kids need. So looking at innovation through that lens and developing those leaders."

Brad Milne, Curriculum innovation and leadership development
Leadership of change: Supporting teachers
"I guess that's a real danger in teaching where we just assume we've always done it, it's right. That fear of getting student voice might challenge what we believe in. We really want to be able to break that down and get staff to be able to see student voice as a positive. Both in terms of what they are doing well but also what they need to change in their practice to get the most out of their students."

Hamish Barclay, Head of middle school
Collaborative approach to teaching and learning
"You're no longer in the environment where you're the expert of your chosen area. You're working across different curriculum areas. It's about trying to work within that collaboration but also trying to foster that idea that you're working with others that are experts in different areas and trying to combine those skills"

Dean Smith, Learning support leader

Reflect

What ways do you gather evidence of impact in your school?

How do you currently collaborate to improve outcomes for your learners?

How could a learning sprint approach support teaching as inquiry in your context? What possibilities can you see?

Find out more

Teaching sprints - Empowering evidence-informed practice

Supporting education transformation and innovation through Agile
Instigating sprints to support transformational change and innovative in schools
Learning sprints - How to help overloaded educators continuously enhance their expertise

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
St Thomas of Canterbury - Improving teacher practice through sprints

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Over the past two years, St Thomas of Canterbury College has been implementing an AGILE learning sprint approach to improve teacher practice. Teachers engage in short, focused cycles of inquiry with the aim of improving outcomes for learners. Working collaboratively, they notice what's going on for learners, then plan and implement initiatives.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Guest Post: Ross Hall - The Weaving Lab

This article is a summary of reflections from Ross Hall following the WISE Summit in Doha in December. I have published this with permission and look forward to the many conversations that will be generated following the Roundglass Learning Summit this week. Thanks Ross, Roundglass and the global weavers who are exploring holistic ways of learning and wellbeing.

I've just returned home after an exhausting and equally energising week at WISE ( the World Innovation Summit for Education) in Doha. Under the title UnLearn, ReLearn: What it Means to be Human, over 3,000 educators and influencers busied themselves with plenary talks, debates, workshops, networking, and deep conversation.

At such a large scale, it's impossible to experience everything WISE has to offer, and of course my perspectives of the event were skewed by my own limited experience, which involved: Dipping into plenary discussions; Holding intense 1-on-1 discussions and interviews; Co-leading the WISE Emerging Leaders' Program (with a focus on personal wellbeing and collaborative leadership); Co-hosting a Weaving Lab learning journey (including an experimental online learning experience with 30 weavers in Doha and 60 dialled in from around the world); And co-facilitating a workshop entitled 'Learning to Live for Universal Wellbeing'.

Another important caveat to bear in mind is that the following reflections are undoubtedly coloured by my own confirmation bias, which I suspect is strong at the moment, so although I've tried to be as objective as possible, do please take everything below with a pinch of salt.

1. Holding Dualities

It is increasingly apparent to me that to effect systemic change in education, it is important to get better at living with dualities. The complex nature of changing education systems requires collaborative approaches and both complexity and collaboration inevitably bring seemingly opposing realities. I was conscious of many dualities in Doha, but here are five that stand out:

Certainty and doubt - I felt a strong sense of clarity through many conversations in Doha. But the deepest conversations were those in which both parties remained open to being wrong.

Urgency and patience - Throughout the conference, there was a palpable sense of urgency to transform education and to address the many crises we are facing as a species and planet. But I was struck by the idea that the most impactful work is often deeply reflective and inevitably slow.

Optimism and anxiety - If we want to change the world, it's important to face up to the terrible realities we're now facing. But there are huge numbers of inspiring people doing inspiring work everywhere and it's important that we take the time to celebrate and build hope.

Chaos and order - We have a tendency to expect only projects that are planned, linear and measurable to succeed. While this can be helpful, it seems equally true that change is often unplannable, messy and immeasurable.

International and local - Many of us are drawn to create change at global or national scales and while this seems valid and desirable, change must, inevitably, be grounded in the everyday, local lives of real human beings. International initiatives must connect with local projects.

Weaving collaborative change therefore requires an ability to hold tensions between apparent opposites.

2. Innovation and System Change

Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of conversation about the need for new innovations and the need to get better at spreading existing innovations (including what might also be called 'wise practices'). The following challenges to the spread of innovation & wise practices came through strongly in Doha:

Scaling is complex, messy and needs localisation. Early adapters should perhaps be called early adapters.

Codification of innovations & wise practices is poor which can make it difficult for early adapters to adapt.

Stories of innovations & wise practices spreading successfully are scarce which hinders the early majority from becoming early adapters.

Evidence that supports the effectiveness of innovations & wise practices is often missing, which hinders uptake.

Innovations and wise practices are not always designed for scale.

Innovations and wise practices are too rarely focused on deep, enduring, systemic change.

Many scaling projects are too focused on scaling the organisation, rather than scaling the idea.

Innovators and early adapters need to learn how to scale, but usually invest too little in their own learning.

The task of scaling is too often taken on by lone heroes, whereas effective scaling usually requires teams who are collaborating and supporting each other.

Scaling projects are often isolated from people and processes that have a critical impact on the adoption and implementation of an innovation or wise practice. Many actors who create the necessary conditions for scaling/spreading innovation and wise practice are often left out of the process.

These last two points, in particular, point to the importance of weaving in the spread of innovation and wise practice.

3. Universal Wellbeing

There was a strong wellbeing theme throughout the conference this year, which, as someone who struggles with anxiety and who is surrounded by people burning out from trying to change the world, was refreshing in itself.

More satisfying was the ease by which the term Universal Wellbeing was used to describe the wellbeing of self, society and nature as an interdependent whole. And even more exciting was how the term resonated so strongly as a guiding North Star for everyone's work that is directed at the SDGs and beyond.

From the perspective of weaving, I feel strongly that we need to point our weaving efforts in the direction of Universal Wellbeing. It's quite possible to weave a beautiful and powerful network that works against our wellbeing. The practice of weaving in itself is neutral. But by sharing Universal Wellbeing as our North Star, we can weave together many, many networks into an increasingly powerful, positive organism.

4. Learning Ecosystems and Place-Making

Encouragingly, the idea of learning ecosystems was very present in conversations throughout Doha, driven in part by the WISE/Innovation Unit's report, Local Learning Ecosystems: Emerging Models https://www.wise-qatar.org/2019-wise-research-learning-ecosystems-innovation-unit/ and helped also by the release of Pavel Luksha's and Jessica Spencer-Keyes' new report, Learning Ecosystems: An Emerging Practice for the Future of Education.

In part, the idea of learning ecosystems is being used helpfully to denote a new kind of learning system (holistic, emergent, collaborative, adaptive, organic) from the now defunct model of an education system (narrow, linear, fragmented, inert, mechanistic). However, the idea of a learning ecosystem is not limited to a new form of education system per se and can be used to describe any neighbourhood, city, organisation or network in which everyone is learning to live for universal wellbeing.

Another critical aspect here came through some beautiful conversations I had in Doha about how, when we weave learning ecosystems, we must pay attention to the 'eco' and ensure that nature is always present. Learning in, with and for nature is essential to a learning ecosystem and to universal wellbeing.

Equally encouraging was the emergence of Place-Making as a term that means the weaving of geographically-centred learning ecosystems (the intentional creation of whole neighbourhoods, villages, towns or cities in which everyone is learning to thrive together (learning to live for universal wellbeing - learning to care for themselves, each other, and nature).

5. Weaving

Tying all this together is the idea of weaving, which might well have been the word of the conference. It seemed to be present in every conversation, with a very strong sense that the spread of innovation and wise practice - and change in education systems - is moving too slowly, to a large extent because there is insufficient alignment, collaboration and systemic action.
Weaving is, by definition, the ongoing and nuanced process of:

Aligning your community

Aligning your community to a shared purpose, values and history.

Growing a diverse community

Nurturing dynamic, trusted relationships.

Collaborating

Creating the conditions for collective action

Co-creating teams of teams

Maintaining direction & momentum of teams & projects

Fostering innovation & communication across teams

Acting systemically

Understanding systems and systems change

Reading & sensing your learning ecosystem

Creating impact in your learning ecosystem

Measuring progress & financing your ecosystem

Being your new ecosystem

Being self-aware, empathic, present & open

Being purposeful & proactive

Being reflective, possibility-minded, thoughtful & wise

Being resourceful, creative & playful

Being authentic, vulnerable, courageous & resilient

Learning together

Being adaptable, growth-minded & curious

Identify community learning objectives & methods

Facilitating flows of learning throughout your community

Monitor, evaluate & apply learnings to evolve community purpose & practice

While being conscious of the caveats I mentioned above, I firmly believe that building our capacity to weave learning ecosystems for universal wellbeing is a prerequisite to transforming education systems and to thriving together.

Thank you to WISE for your foresight and invaluable contribution.

And thanks Ross for sharing your post with us! For more information about Ross Hall and The Weaving Lab visit https://weavinglab.org/

Learning ecosystems are a critical part of our conversations. That is something we are committed to at Ako Ōtautahi, Learning City Christchurch. Check out our emerging thinking at https://learningcitychristchurch.nz/

You might also explore some previous Think Beyond posts that connect with this post:
Uniquely Human is a strength The X-shaped Learner

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Weaving Learning Ecosystems for Universal Wellbeing - Think Beyond

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This article is a summary of reflections from Ross Hall following the WISE Summit in Doha in December. I have published this with permission and look forward to the many conversations that will be generated following the Roundglass Learning Summit this week. Thanks Ross, Roundglass and the global weavers who are exploring holistic ways of learning and wellbeing.

# data[].attributes.headline
Albany Senior High School new hybrid curriculum

# data[].attributes.subject
Albany Senior High School new hybrid curriculum

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ASHS instructional design - planning learning.pdf

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There is a lot to be learned from our 7 weeks of 'learning from home', and the ether is alive with speculation on what education might look like as we come out of our home learning time. There are lots of ideas and opinions out there, but the trend I think I see (one which fits with my own thinking about 'undergraduate and postgraduate' models) is that our desirable next state might be a blended environment in which students mix face to face/synchronous/relational time with online/distance/asynchronous time.

Of course what perhaps matters more than anything right now to to gather the voices of the key stakeholders or participants in this whole education thing. In common with (probably) every other kura in th country e are planning on gathering that voice, to hear what our whānau, our students, and our teachers all think. I think tis will be a largely qualitative data gathering exercise, one in hich we need to be quite deliberate and intentional in our work.

It was fantastic to receive, entirely unsolicited, this email from a Mum of one of our junior boys. It is copied here with permission, with anonymity preserved.

I am writing in regard to my concerns of XXXX returning to school.
While being home & doing the online work, I have been able to see firsthand how he works & I must say I was & wasn't shocked.
XXXX as we know is not a fan of school (never has been) due to struggling, being overwhelmed by the work and he just doesn't enjoy it. Hands on work however is a difference matter entirely as we know!
I noticed with the online work he was more engaged and interested in the work. He also got the work done. Not completely (math's) but he did it.
I asked XXXX how he enjoyed this work. He replied with its more interesting for me and I also don't have the feeling of having to get it all done in one period.
With this is mind I was wondering if there was a way that we could incorporate something similar for XXXX while at school. Meaning he doesn't feel the overwhelming feeling. When he gets that he shuts down, becomes uninterested and the work & lesson is wasted on him.
..... as you know he has been like this all the way thru school and we only want him to do his best.
I will be the first to admit he could try harder at school & we have told him that.
We are concerned considering he only has a few years left at school before he can leave & it terrifies us that he will leave with not education or qualifications.
I would love to be able to discuss this with you asap as XXXX is really not interested in returning on Monday (which he will be) and already that is a wall going up.

Now, don't get me wrong. At the moment I don't think there is one single answer to how we might want our kura to evolve, but I do think there is a pretty strong mandate for some of our students at least to have greater agency in their learning. This Mum's email brought me straight back to the writing of Young Zhao, an educator of whom I hold the highest opinion, a theorist and a pragmatist (I don't think that's a contradiction in terms?), a voice of moral and educational commonsense.

In a great lecture/slide show titled " Redefining Excellence" he described our current system in this way:

He then went on to say that especially now in the 21st century we need to do the opposite, that we need to do this:

Huh? That is, we need to stop constricting students' thinking and creativity, we need to celebrate and support growing divergence. We don't need more people who think the same, we need more people who think differently. This doesn't happen when we push students into boxes, it doesn't happen when we try to force students into the SAME box. It happens when we allow students to be themselves - culturally, intellectually, emotionally.

Our job is to allow students to be themselves more than ever before. The question in most peoples' minds I suspect is not should we, but HOW do we? What does this look like on the ground within our kura on a daily basis? I think it will look different from kura to kura, but what do we think will be the general trends? Here's my speculation:

1. More flexibility in time, with kura timetabled in a different way to what we have been used to

2. A blend of face to face and online learning, requiring a redefinition from the Ministry on what constitutes attendance

3. More time spent allowing students to pursue their passions, meaning that at senior level in particular our key task is to attach assessment to work and learning, not the other way around

4. Less didactic 'lecturing from the front', but acknowledging that the power of direct teaching, of deliberate acts of teaching, should never be lost

5. An imperative for schools to ensure that they have a clear pedagogy around how we cause learning, both face to face and distance. My suspicion is that when you ask educators what their underlying pedagogy is, they will give you a blank stare. Last year I challenged a class of teaching grads with that very question, and saw far too many of those blank stares for my own liking. In this regard our work with Manaiakalani leaves us well placed with our 'Learn Create Share' pedagogy, leveraging the affordances of digital technology. The underlying factors of distance learning have been through our work with Manaiakalani

If we accept Yong Zhao's view (clearly I do), then the need to promote a focus on creativity is vital. Our Hornby High School vision 'A centre of creative excellence' captures the essence of Yong Zhao's philosophy of developing human diversity, not constraining it. It is more important, and more urgent, than ever that we drive ahead with this work.
I want to hear at least some of the many voices on this. What is your view? To our community, to our students, to our staff, what do you think? Does this truly sound like, look like, feel like, the sort of educational future that you want for your tamariki, for your whānau, for our communities, for our nation of Aotearoa New Zealand? And are you with me on this?

Robin Sutton
Tumuaki

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The answer lies in pushing diversity and creativity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There is a lot to be learned from our 7 weeks of 'learning from home', and the ether is alive with speculation on what education might look like as we come out of our home learning time.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The 3 Baskets of Knowledge Legend

(Source- link)

When Tāne decided to climb up to the heavens to seek the baskets of knowledge for mankind, his brother Whiro was angry. Whiro thought he had more right to the baskets than Tāne, because he was the elder brother.
The two brothers struggled for power, but it was Tāne who was favoured by Io, the supreme power, so Tāne was allowed to ascend the twelve heavens. His task was made more difficult by Whiro who sent plagues of insects, reptiles and carrion-eating birds to attack Tāne. But Tāne, with the aid of the winds, was able to proceed until he reached the summit of all the heavens.
Here, at Toi-ō-ngā-rangi, he was welcomed by Io and received the three baskets of knowledge and the two sacred stones.
The baskets, or kete were -
The kete-aronui which held all the knowledge that could help mankind
The kete-tuauri which held the knowledge of ritual, memory and prayer
and the kete-tuatea which contained knowledge of evil or makutu, which was harmful to mankind.
The stones, or whatukura held the power of knowledge and added mana to the teaching of knowledge.
On his return journey, Tāne was again attacked by Whiro and his allies, the birds and insects. Tāne would have been defeated if the winds had not once more, come to his rescue. The winds blew the birds and insects back down to earth where they remain today.
When Tāne finally reached earth again he placed the baskets and stones in a special house of knowledge - whare kura, which he had built before his journey to the heavens.
Whiro was back on earth too, and he demanded that he should be the one to take care of the treasures.
But Tāne and his supporters refused Whiro's demands and Whiro was eventually banished to the underworld where he still lives, and continually tries to cause trouble for gods and mankind.
Tane-te-wānanga-ā-rangi (Tāne, bringer of knowledge from the sky) was left to maintain order on earth.

_____________________________________________________________________

Nothing has disrupted schools and upturned our lives like having to activate emergency remote learning during the Covid19 lockdown in a hurry. Our country, our team of five million, has faced itself like never before. But on a micro-level, so have schools and so have teachers. The cracks have become so very obvious.

Most of us were not ready for this disruption, and to be fair, we can never be ready for the unknown. Uncertainty is so difficult to deal with because our brains are hard-wired to read the here and now and uncertainty is too much unknown information.

What this disruption has made very obvious in NZ education is the huge, glaring types of inequity that persist despite digital technology capability having been a focus for a good decade now.

1. The inequity of access to resources (digital tech and more). Schools that had the digital resources to support their communities have fared better. Digital tech will never be the great equaliser unless a series of other factors are added to the mix.

2. The inequity of quality technological pedagogical content knowledge- TPACK. Students of teachers who had the knowledge and experience of how to integrate content with digital tools have fared better.

3. The inequity of connection between whānau and schools. This disruption has brought our teaching practice into homes and tested the relationships we've built (or not). Schools that have built strong connections with their whānau have fared better.

Education is situational. We could spend a good deal of time examining how these inequities have come about, but the reality is that even if we find general patterns, there will the school, the teacher or the community that will be the exception to the rule.

Each school or teacher can reflect and decide where the gaps are and how they came about. Some schools struggle to feed their whānau and resourcing of digital tools was a very distant priority. Some teachers will have pressures that meant that upskilling digitally was a distant priority.

But examining the gate after the horse has bolted only helps if we go on to build a better gate. To my mind, it doesn't really serve any purpose if we don't use the information that we have right now to move forward and begin to remedy these inequities within our learning communities. What works for my school community may not work for your school community.

So here is what I wish would go into our Kete of Knowledge as we travel on this journey.

Te Kete Aronui

That we connect as a teaching community to support each other and narrow the inequity of TPACK.
Offer help, ask for help. There is a collective spirit in Aotearoa that is untapped. Reach out. Aroha is more than caring, it's what uplifts us as a people.

Mobilise the amazing knowledge that we have in Aotearoa and share it without asking schools who don't have the budget to have to attend a digital conference costing thousands. Like the Volunteer Student Army did after the Christchurch earthquake. If you have the know-how, help to create an ethos of mentorship and pay it forward. What's the point of being Whiro and arguing about 'I told you so'? Help to create micro changes- they can have wide-ranging effects and improvements.

Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi

With your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive

Te Kete Tuauri

That we connect to our whānau in more meaningful ways. They have had a window into the life of their tamariki as learners and our teaching. Let's not be afraid to expose our practice and share it authentically. We make mistakes as teachers because we are human. We don't always get it right but we want to try. Support our whānau to be part of the learning journey more. This is best practice and part of our PTCs. Not all will want to be included on all levels but that is not an excuse for us to not try. What have we tried that worked? What else could we try?

He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata! He tangata! He tangata!

What is the most important thing in the world? It is people! It is people! It is people!

Te Kete Tuatea

That we face the impact of privilege in education. The intergenerational pain of inequity that exists in our society is the elephant in the room of NZ education. The solution has to be collective and driven by those who don't have to carry this burden on a daily basis.

We cannot expect schools who are already struggling for resources or existing in areas of high poverty to also have to advocate for equity on their own. We have areas of serious deprivation in our country and the kura who are there have enough on their plate and they need all of us to stand with them to create change.

Those in positions of privilege and leadership need to step up and become allies and advocates for those busy having to support their communities. There needs to be less finger-pointing and more of hand - offering. It needs to be our collective responsibility - as an educational community- to advocate for all schools to be given access to digital capability for their schools even after this crisis is over, and not tolerate inequity of access to continue.

Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa

Let us keep close together, not wide apart

We have the knowledge to move forward. I really believe that. We also need to remember that our amazing capability to turn a blind eye to what's uncomfortable is part of the reason why we are at this junction.

What will be telling in the months to come is how we come together to create the change we need.

I'm reminded of Kitsukuroi. Our system is somewhat broken; this moment is our opportunity to mend it with gold.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Repairing the cracks of disruption with the gifts of knowledge

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The 3 Baskets of Knowledge Legend (Source- link) When Tāne decided to climb up to the heavens to seek the baskets of knowledge for mankind, his brother Whiro was angry. Whiro thought he had more right to the baskets than Tāne, because he was the elder brother.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The last few days (and weeks) has had me reflecting on many things: what did it expose in terms of social and digital divides; what did it expose in terms of school systems and leaders and their agility and agency; what have we learned from teaching and learning over lockdown, and what do we need to change moving forward so as to harness the opportunities and how do we ensure change we introduce is effective?

Time and time again I found myself wondering what our recent experiences would have been like had the government of the day taken up the recommendations of Nikki Kaye's 21st Century Learning Reference Group? This was a group I was lucky to be part of back in 2013-2014 and as a group we came up with the report Future-Focused Learning Connected Communities which recommended the following:

1. Commit to meeting the needs of 21st century learners

2. Achieve equitable access to digital devices for every learner

3. Invest in people and innovation

4. Create future-focused learning environments

5. Invest in high-quality digital content and systems to make content easily accessible

6. Build regional capability through collaboration

7. Build a robust evidence base

8. Implement a coordinated, system-wide effort to align curriculum, digital technologies, property, infrastructure, funding and legislation

9. Design a coherent, flexible and robust funding structure to support 21st century learning

10. Implement a comprehensive five-year plan from 2014

What would the last seven weeks have look like had we acted on the recommendations and we hadn't find ourselves scrabbling to get devices into the hands of learners? I guess as Cheryl Doig highlighted in her recent post Digital Learning 2025, we can now only hope we now get in the near future and that devices will find their way into the hands of learners and will stay there!

The recent weeks has also had me reflecting on those schools and leaders who made the best of it and adapted and those who did not. I absolutely get the frustrations and concerns of leaders who were desperately trying to close the digital divide and were rightly concerned about the situations some students may have found themselves in what has been incredibily difficult times. The latter (i.e. the home situation) is not something we can directly control in education and I get that caring school leaders desperately wanted students back in school so they could look after there young people. I did however wonder about the schools where the leaders have been in place for a long time and have not looked at creative ways to close the digital divide before now? Manaiakalani has proven time and time again that decile need not be determinant of digital access and literacy. Whilst the ideal situation would be MoE (as they are attempting to do now) resource and provide for this access, it's important to note that technological tools without digital literacy and learned learner agency are of little use. If closing the digital divide is so important why has it not addresed before now? Of course in many schools this has been adressed and I don't deny that perceptions around lack of resourcing (and an absence of creative problem solving) will have put this in the too hard basket for others. And as for certain very well resourced schools and school leaders who bleated about not getting an LMS and device overnight from the LMS...shame on you, where the heck is your sense of personal resonsibility, agency and vision?

But back to the positve! These last seven weeks have provided "once in a pandemic" opportunity to look, listen and notice what the wins have been in going remote and connecting with our communities. It has been heartening to see school leaders and educators from around the country sharing what the have noticed and learned along the way. Conducting a number of The DisruptED Interviews was an absolute gift in that it gave me and others the opportunity to listen and learn from a number of folk whom I respect deeply - teachers and leaders who were listening, learning and sharing, highlighting the importance of wellbeing, connection, and what really matters for our young people in times of crisis. The lockdown has also been the spark for teachers to reimagine teaching and learning and has forced them to reflect, refine and think of ways they can work smarter and more sustainably. The Great NZ NCEA Hackathon and DisruptED Facebook Groups continue to blow me away with the educators they attract and the collaboration, sharing and learning they have provided. There are so many fabulously generous, creative and agentic educators out there that have provided some very real highlights in what could have been a dark period for teachers and learners.

And finally I come to what is it we have and learned and what will it take to actually harness these opportunities? At Albany Senior High School one thing we learned is that many of our students really enjoyed their new found sense of learner agency, others struggled due to a very lack of learner agency, so really we would have been daft to not create oppotunities for learners to both develop and experience agency by introducing more carefully designed opprtunities for self-rection. You can read about our plan here. But in reading some of the public responses and some of the nervousness about these changes I realised there really are a number of factors that need to eb in place if you are to leverage your noticings and implement effective change and in our case level up learner agency.

An this is how PPSTACK came to be, my brain trying to make sense of what we need in place in order to succeed and goodness knows education always needs another acronym and venn diagram! 😂

PPSTACK came about as I thought about the models I already really like in education.

TPACK stands for Technological pedagogical content knowledge and is a framework to understand and describe the kinds of knowledge needed by a teacher for effective pedagogical practice in a technology-enhanced learning environment. Mishra and Koehler added technology as a modeling element to Lee Shulman's pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) construct. They proposed that addressing content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and technology knowledge concurrently provides a framework for technology integration in the curriculum. Source: Wikipedia

Ikigai Ikigai (生き甲斐, pronounced [ikiɡai]) is a Japanese concept that means "a reason for being". The word refers to having a direction or purpose in life, that which makes one's life worthwhile, and towards which an individual takes spontaneous and willing actions giving them satisfaction and a sense of meaning to life. Source: Wikipedia

Well I would like to add one to the venn diagram mix. It's what I refer to as PPSTACK which stands for passion plus, surplus-theoriser, technological amplifier and content knowledge. These combined are the factors that I think need to be in place if we are to learning from our noticings, implement change and enable learner agency.

My feeling is, if any one of these things are absent we are less capable of effective teaching and learning, implementing change and enabling learned learner agency. Basically this is this my current distillation of what we need in educators and educational leaders if we are going to address inequities and develop the skills and competencies needed to survive and thrive in an complex and uncertain world. Okay, that's a bold claim, but hear me out.

Passion Plus: Think about the teacher you loved, undoubtedly one of the reasons you loved them is that they had a passion for what they were teaching or even better, a passion for what they are teacheing and the act of teaching itself. Passion matters and passion continues to provide that teacher x-factor and passion continues to be infectious.

Surplus Theoriser - Okay, so think I might have this term up, but you proably get what I mean. We need teachers who are the opposite of deficit-theorisers, who genuinely believe ALL students can succeed. They do not have fixed definitions of success, they are responsive to where their students are at and really really believe every learner, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, decile, and learning diversities can succeed. It's like Henry Ford said "If you think you can or think you can't you're proably right." If a teacher does not believe a student can or will succeed they probably won't and if you do (but here's the clincher) and also have the other factors from this model in place, you most definitely will see greater levels of success.

Technological Amplifier - This is not about technology and devices for technology's sake, this is recognising that every teacher and every learner has a device, a reliable internet connection and a level of digital lietracy means the are in a position to amplify their learning exponentially through access to the technology. This is using technology to enable universal design for learning and assessment, this is using technology to ramp up creativity and collaboration. This is using technology to more agentically engage in complex problem solving. Technology used effectively can both democratise education and amplify learning. But again this is all the more powerful when combined with the other factors.

Content Knowledge - All the passion, positivity and technology in the world will have limited impact and benefits if not combined with a teachers deep knowledge of content and skills of the curriculum they are trying to deliver. I am a massive believer that teachers have a moral responsibility to know and understand the New Zealand Curriculum, and that means the front end and back end and everything in between. It is deep knowledge of what it is you are actually trying to teach and have your young people actually learn that frees you up to be creative. I have seen wheels fall off time and time again when folk don't know the curriculum and then try and get all creative with it. If you are not crystal clear about learning outcomes, threshold concepts and skills, how do you expect your learner to be? Too often we see educators jumping to ready made unit plans, assessments and NCEA as a proxy for the NZC. It's not a proxy, it's a surface proximation at best - you've got to know the curriculum before you can have fun mashing up and breaking the curriculum. This is particularly true for anyone interested in integrated learning design! As Picasso stated "It took me four years to paint like Raphael," he famously explained, "but a lifetime to paint like a child." Don't understimate the effort it takes to be powerfully and effectively creative.

I wonder if we all embraced PPSTACK as a gold standard, where might we in another seven years?

Personally, as a longtime and unapologetic surplus-theoriser, I think we could just be the best bloomin' education system in the whole wide world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Introducing PPSTACK and what I believe it takes to implement effective change and enable learner agency!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The last few days (and weeks) has had me reflecting on many things: what did it expose in terms of social and digital divides; what did it expose in terms of school systems and leaders and their agility and agency; what have we learned from teaching and learning over lockdown, and what do we need to change moving forward so as to harness the opportunities and how do we ensure change we introduce is effective?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Information Sheets - Positively Psychology

# data[].attributes.headline
Secondary Schools in a brave new world - Maria Mckenzie

# data[].attributes.subject
Secondary Schools in a brave new world - Maria Mckenzie

# data[].attributes.body
Secondary Schools in a brave new world

How will they measure up?

When secondary schools finally reopen their doors for face to face learning again, the test of success will NOT be whether young people have kept up with their academic learning, nor will it be measured by the school’s league table of NCEA endorsements, community decile ratings or the certificates and trophies presented at prize giving at the end of the year.

The measure of success of a school will be whether the institution and its teachers have prepared, and can keep up with, a new age of student who have had a taste of independence, self-directed learning and agency from the comfort of their bedrooms.

Covid is forcing secondary schools to drop the last remnants of the factory model. They will no longer be able to rely on conformity, tradition and enforcement of rules to manage and measure a student’s success.

Young people are discovering what power over their learning really means and this will be a challenge for those adults who are used to controlling their every move, judging their success by the correctness of their uniform, their ability to put their hand up, stay quiet and still in their seat and conform to an antiquated set of rules.

Our young people have discovered they can choose when, where and how they receive their learning. If that means they will not begin until after mid-day and work from their beds how will they react to being told to sit down in a grey desk in small chair in a closed room for an hour and then repeat this 6 times a day?

They no longer have to sit in a classroom and accept that a lesson is an hour of copying notes off a whiteboard.

They have discovered that the colour of their hair, how many earrings they have and whether they are even wearing shoes, has no impact on their ability to navigate their way through their study.

Some schools will need to re examine how they assess the young 15 year old boy who has spent the last four weeks on the farm helping his parents make sure the rest of us get the food we need. He will not have had time to answer the online survey asking about his well being. He has been too busy out in the sunshine, contributing to his family, developing resilience.

What about the boy who has designed and constructed a waterproof woodshed out of what is lying around in the backyard, too busy to come inside and complete a hastily written, scanned and emailed worksheet on algebra.

How will we judge the girl who will have almost completed her full year’s portfolio in Art by the time she goes back to school, creating beautiful out of boredom, painting hope out of isolation? Will she be rewarded with the requirement to do more?

How will these schools measure their own success at the end of all this?
More importantly how will the flexible, creative, responsive and resilient young people judge them?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Contributors

Charles Fadel is a global education thought leader and futurist, author and inventor, with several active affiliations; his work spans the continuum of Schools, Higher Education, and Workforce Development/Lifelong Learning:

Through his 25-year high-tech career, he has witnessed firsthand the disruptive effects of exponential change, which gives him a unique perspective he brings to the world of Education. Among his past affiliations:

Global Education Lead at Cisco Systems for almost thirteen years.

Product marketing and management roles in semiconductors for broadband and wireless applications at Analog Devices and M/A-COM.

Founder of Neurodyne, an ahead-of-its-time startup focused on Neural Networks/Artificial Intelligence.

Visiting practitioner at Harvard's Graduate School of Education in the Mind, Brain and Education program, exploring curriculum redesign issues in an age of artificial intelligence, and teaching the first-ever class on "Human Learning + Machine Learning" (HT510a).

Visiting lecturer at MIT's ESG with an innovative "special topics in mathematics" seminar named "Polymathy: The World in 10 Curves" ES.S20, which he has then taught at Harvard's Graduate School of Education six years in a row, to student acclaim.

Visiting lecturer at Wharton/University of Pennsylvania in the Chief Learning Officer Program.

Senior fellow at the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

Appointee to the Massachusetts gubernatorial "Commission to Develop an Index of Creative and Innovative Education in Public Schools", and has served on the Massachusetts Governor's Readiness Project as well as its 21st Century Skills task force.

Former angel investor with Beacon Angels in Boston

Charles is a highly sought-after keynoter/presenter at private, national and international events for organizations as varied as the World Economic Forum, UNESCO, World Bank, OECD, Google TechTalk, Gates Foundation, National Science Foundation, World Future Society, NY Times Schools of Tomorrow, International Baccalaureate, ERB, SSATB, ACT, Learning & the Brain, British Council, CEA-ACE (Canada), etc.

He has contributed to and has been featured by media such as National Public Radio (NPR), the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the Huffington Post, eSchool News, Education Week, University Business, Technology & Learning, and many others.

His most recent, ground-breaking book " Artificial Intelligence in Education" has just been published. His former, highly influential book " Four-Dimensional Education" has been translated in ten languages (framework in 20 languages) including Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, German, mandarin Chinese, Japanese and Korean. He is also the co-author of best-selling book " 21st Century Skills " (Wiley) which has become a worldwide moniker, and has been translated in mandarin Chinese (simplified, and traditional), Korean and Russian.

Charles consults selectively with high-potential jurisdictions, schools, universities, corporations and foundations around the globe. He has contributed to education projects in more than thirty countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, and the United States, to name a few.

Charles has been awarded seven patents on: video (3), social networking (2), web content (1), and communication (1) technologies. He holds a bachelor of science in electronics with course concentration in quantum/solid-state physics, and a master of business administration in international marketing. He also attended courses in electrical engineering at the master level, with electives in neuroscience and statistics. An avid reader, he has autodidactically learned emerging disciplines such as evolutionary psychology. He also enjoys the lessons of classical history.

Maya Bialik:
is a writer, editor, and research manager at CCR, who is passionate about appropriate interpretation and the application of science at the personal and the policy levels. She has worked at CCR since 2012, during which time she's written numerous papers and co-authored the recent book, Four-Dimensional Education: The Competencies Learners Need to Succeed. She is also co-founder and co-director of The People's Science, a non-profit that improves the relationship between science and society. Maya is also the founder of ImprovWise, through which she leads workshops on science communication, improvisation, and interdisciplinarity. Maya holds a Master's degree in Mind, Brain & Education from Harvard, and her background includes research and writing in complex systems, education, environmental science, psychology, neuroscience, and linguistics, as well as Improv Comedy. Follow her on twitter @mayabialik.

Kirsten Lee Hill, Ph.D.:
Kirsten is a researcher, educator, and entrepreneur who is passionate about making data more accessible and relevant to practitioners; and also bringing more yoga, mindfulness, and self-care into schools. She earned her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Pennsylvania where she studied school turnarounds and led the development of citywide surveys to measure alternative indicators of success in schools. Kirsten is an expert in mixed methods research and researcher-practitioner partnerships. During her studies over the past ten years, she has remained rooted in the realities of the U.S. public school system, spending over 1000 hours working with students and teachers in some of the nation's lowest-performing schools. Currently she partners with innovative organizations and universities to co-create solutions to problems in education and serves as Director of Development for Project Peaceful Warriors, a New Orleans-based non-profit dedicated to bringing yoga and mindfulness tools to local schools and communities.

Dr Wayne Holmes:
Dr Wayne Holmes is an Assistant Professor in Learning Sciences and Innovation, at the Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University (UK). He is also a Visiting Associate Professor at both the Universidade de São Paulo and the Universidade Federal de Alagoas (Brazil), a Visiting Research Fellow at the Advanced Innovation Center for Future Education, Beijing Normal University (China), and a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Artificial Intelligence (UK). He holds a PhD in Learning and Technology, from the University of Oxford, an MSc in Education ( Oxford), and an MA in Philosophy. He is also the co-author of two reports about Artificial Intelligence in Education ( Intelligence Unleashed: An Argument for Artificial Intelligence in Education and Technology-enhanced Personalised Learning: Untangling the Evidence), and he led the first-ever AIED ethics workshop, Ethics in AIED: Who Cares?, at the international AIED conference 2018.

Throughout her career, Katherine has advocated for students to receive the highest-quality of education regardless of their zip code or family circumstances. She has championed the strengthening of the teaching profession and the inclusion of educator voices in every aspect of education policy formation and implementation. With these broad goals in mind, she has served as President and CEO of the National Network of State Teachers of the Year, Director of Policy and Partnerships for the Center for Educator Effectiveness at Pearson, and as Director of Educational Relations, Educational Testing Service (ETS).

Among Katherine's many career accomplishments she co-developed: (1) the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certificates for Library Media and Literacy; (2) the Take One! program booklet (which led to the development of performance-based assessments across the continuum of professional educator practice in several states); (3) the Teacher Leader Model Standards; (4) the Model Code of Educator Ethics; and (5) Teacher Leadership Initiative competencies and Capstone project for the NEA, NBPTS, and CTQ.

Before joining the assessment community, Katherine spent 26 years in the classroom as a middle school librarian and served as New Jersey's 2000 State Teacher of the Year.

Dr Sue is the author of an influential assessment system for teachers which is widespread across schools in England. She has also led the development, regulation and quality assurance of national examinations.

She has been principal adviser on major strategic programmes to reform curriculum and assessment in Oman and Rwanda and has contributed to other international initiatives.

She is recognised as an international expert on reading and its assessment. Her PhD explored language and pedagogy in the classroom. Long involvement in the teaching and learning of literacy and English has led to Dr Sue's roles in a number of international projects on reading and writing, including the Reading Expert group for PIRLS.

Dr Sue is chair of the Royal Society of Arts Academies Trust, a group of schools in the West Midlands which are seeking to develop distinctive ways of teaching and learning. She is on the Board of Governors of Coventry University.

Dr Sue was awarded the MBE by the Queen of England for her work on children and literature. She is on the Board of several charities which aim to bring the joy of reading, writing and literature to young people.

Prior to joining the OECD, she worked as a project manager with a team of educators to establish the LEAF Academy in Bratislava, Slovakia aimed at developing future leaders of the Central European region and co-designed the curriculum aimed at developing students' knowledge, skills and attitudes, preparing them for work and life beyond. While working on the Khan Academy project for the Lemann Foundation in Brazil, she gained experience with educational technology and the importance of its effective implementation.

As a researcher and curriculum expert at CCR, she contributed to the recent book, Four Dimensional Education: The Competencies Learners need to succeed and co-authored paper, Character Education for the 21st Century: What Should Student Learn? She is passionate about 21st century competencies, its integration into the curriculum design and the way curriculum reform and education policy can support this change.

She holds Ed.M in International Educational Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Master of Science in Global Human Resources Management from Pace University and Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Florida Tech.

Tania holds a B.S. in Biology/Genetics from Cornell University and completed all coursework toward a Ph.D. in Biology at MIT.

Dr. John MacCormick:
John MacCormick is a computer science educator, writer, and researcher. He is the author of three books, including Nine Algorithms That Changed the Future: The Ingenious Ideas That Drive Today's Computers and What Can Be Computed?: A Practical Guide to the Theory of Computation. Dr. MacCormick has filed over a dozen US patents on novel computer technologies and is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles; his Nine Algorithms book has been translated into eight languages. Dr. MacCormick's work spans several sub-fields of computer science, including computer vision, large-scale distributed systems, computer science education, and the public understanding of computer science. He has degrees in mathematics from the University of Cambridge and the University of Auckland, and a doctorate in computer vision from the University of Oxford. Dr MacCormick was a research fellow at Linacre College, Oxford from 1999-2000, a research scientist at HP Labs from 2000-2003, and a computer scientist with Microsoft Research from 2003-2007. Since 2007, Dr. MacCormick has been a professor of computer science at Dickinson College.

Amoura Amine:
Amoura Amine is a teacher, a trainer and an entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Wise Institute for Human Development and Mastery of Technology, a K-12 school where they use a unique turnaround model and implement different pedagogical approaches that are not used in Algeria. In 2016 he was selected by Legacy International as a fellow of the International Professional fellowship Program in Washington DC where he designed a workshop training program working at the nexus of education, innovation and technology. He delivered training and participated in an international leadership conference.
He works on empowering youth and civil society through his involvement in educational quality and organizational management. Mr. Amoura is now a researcher in cognitive sciences - very especially Knowledge Management - logic and concept. His work focus on the creation/delivery of interdisciplinary lessons as well the use of arts (cinema and literature) in classroom. He aims to redesign a new curriculum for a new generation of primary students. Mr. Amoura holds a Masters degree in Networking and Telecomunication from the University of Ibn Khaldoun, Tiaret, Algeria.

Catherine Fukushima:
Catherine Fukushima is a consultant in the areas of art, culture and philanthropy. She works with foundations, museums, arts and education organizations to develop and implement strategies to increase access the arts and culture. Recent projects include managing grant programs, building a donor collaborative, writing strategic program plans, managing a learning community, and conducting program evaluations. Prior to consulting, she was a senior program officer for the New York-based Wallace Foundation, where she was responsible advancing two initiatives of national scope: the Wallace Excellence Awards and Arts for Young People. A leader in the field of museum education, Catherine held positions at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of American Folk Art. A frequent speaker on non-profit management, Catherine is an adjunct professor with the George E. Heyman for Philanthropy and Fundraising at New York University. She taught previously in Seton Hall University's Museum Professions Graduate Program.

As Founder at Jackrabbit Learning Experience ( jackrabbitlx.com) Jason is focused on partnering with any organization (EdTech startup, K-12, higher ed, corporate, etc) who is starting the process of creating a new and extraordinary educational product or program. Jackrabbit LX's services include strategy consulting, prototyping, testing, advising for sustainably assembling internal teams and external partners, and helping prepare to take a prototype design to scale.

Jason has an MEd in Instructional Design from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Formerly he was VP of Learning Experience for EqualEd, and VP of Learning Experience Design Services at a Boston-based education design firm. He serves on the advisory board for Brandeis University's graduate program in Instructional Design and Technology, and as a mentor for startups at the LearnLaunch Accelerator.

Brendan Griffen:
Data driven explorer (MIT post-doc). Astrophysicist by training, repurposed for biotechnology. At CCR, Brendan helped build better, data-driven education foundations for students into the 21st century. Activities included:
► natural language processing (e.g. GenSim, nltk, scikit-learn, PATTERN)
► data processing using deep neural networks (e.g. RNNs, LSTMs, manifold learning)
► connecting semantic data and creating ontology networks
► developed tools for designing optimal learning pathways
► web-based tools to navigate large semantic datasets

Noha Mahdi Hayder:
Noha is an education consultant and program developer based in Dubai. With experience in North America and the Middle East, Noha has spent the past two years designing and managing a wide range of learning experiences, including teacher trainings, technology integration programs, STEM camps and adult learning. Noha has a background in Biochemistry and a Master's degree in Mind, Brain and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and her interests lie in cultivating experiential, interdisciplinary and holistic learning experiences that not only develop cognitive but also social and emotional depth and resilience.
Noha is also the founder of The Mawada Project, an educational social enterprise in the UAE aimed at developing character, compassion, empathy and social responsibility in children and adults through community-service and volunteer work.

Jessica Lin:
Jessica has spent the past two years in the innovation, design and engineering space at Harvard, where she most recently developed and led the Idea Translation Lab in Cape Town , an experiential education and aspirational design fellowship for Harvard students in South Africa. She also serves as a GED instructor with X-Cel Adult Education in Dorchester, Boston. Jessica previously managed the South Africa Fast Growth, a ranking of fast growth companies in South Africa, a part of AllWorld Network, chaired by Professor Michael Porter and was a fellow at The Laboratory at Harvard , a platform for idea experimentation and exhibition in the arts and sciences. Jessica is also a co-founder of sOccket, a soccer ball that harnesses the energy during game play for later use as a source of electricity, and a Popular Mechanics 2010 Next Generation Breakthrough Award winner. Jessica graduated from Harvard University, where she studied Government, African Studies, and Swahili.

Jonathan Martin:
After 15 years as a school-leader for three schools in California and Arizona, Jonathan Martin became a full-time consultant and writer on 21st century learning and assessment in 2012. In the past five years he has consulted to more than thirty schools and more than twenty educational organizations, including Secondary School Admission Test Board (SSATB), Index (owner of the Mission Skills Assessment), National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), ProExam, Educational Collaborators, the Rhode Island Department of Education, EdLeader21, Blackbaud, and Think Through Math. He is the author of many reports and white papers on the future of assessment and on the effective implementation of innovative assessments for continuous improvement, including user's guides to the OECD Test for School (based on PISA), the Mission Skills Assessment, and the High School Survey of Student Engagement. He is the Vice Chair of the Board for Arizona's City Center for Collaborative Learning. Jonathan holds a BA from Harvard and an MA from the University of San Francisco School of Education; in 2008 he was a Visiting Fellow at Columbia University Teachers College.

Jim Wynn:
Jim Wynn is CEO of Imagine Education and has worked in education since 1976. Jim taught mathematics and computing and was Principal of two secondary schools in England before moving into industry working for Microsoft, Cisco and others in education advisory roles. Working at Government level Jim is proud to augment policy work with real classroom practice and is currently working with the Government of Egypt to roll out a nation-wide scheme to help teachers develop the habits and behaviours of world class teachers. Jim is pationate about the wrk of CCR which is a key force in bringing the school curriculum out of the 19th Century into what is needed for today and is also focussed on developing different strategies to encourage and recognise the development of behaviours in all workers using apps that can capture credits at the point they are demonstrated. Jim holds a first class honours degree in mathematics from the University of Hertfordshire and helps keep honey bees with his wife Mary.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Contributors Charles Fadel is a global education thought leader and futurist, author and inventor, with several active affiliations; his work spans the continuum of Schools, Higher Education, and Workforce Development/Lifelong Learning: Through his 25-year high-tech career, he has witnessed firsthand the disruptive effects of exponential change, which gives him a unique perspective he brings to the world of Education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Framework of Competencies/Subcompetencies | Center for Curriculum Redesign

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
© Center for Curriculum Redesign - All Rights Reserved

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Now is a time to capture the essence of how the educational sector in New Zealand could work together in the future. The current response planning to the global Pandemic gives us glimmers of hope into possible new ways of working.

Leadership representatives in education from NZEI, the Ministry of Education, NZPF, and Principals across the country have collaborated like never before and reset our way of working, providing an example to the world. If we can capture the kaupapa for this way of working during the pandemic, we will be on track to collectively define a world class education system.

Like all school communities across the country, our needs at Oropi School during the pandemic, immediately after, and into the future, will be unique, requiring a localised response under the umbrella and direction of national priorities and direction.

To give context, I represent educational leadership as a school principal of a semi-rural state full primary school on the outskirts of Tauranga, with 350 students, including some international enrolments. Our school is situated in a district of lifestyle blocks, horticultural and primary industry, and small business sector workers.

During the response, we have all come together to share ideas, listen to one another, be driven by outcomes focused on the collective good and well-being of all stakeholders, and have had more alignment than ever. There has been a common goal, a problem to solve, and a need for one another as we navigate new territory. We can be proud to have witnessed examples of working collaboratively in the rollout of guidelines and procedures to manage our localised response. On the whole, we have felt confident in messaging to our communities, with a feeling of the Ministry of Education 'having our back'.

This gives us a clear opportunity for the future. It shows us new possibilities for ways of working focused on a common strategic vision, where all representatives can come together, be heard, and make collective decisions based on consensus and listening. We have an example of where political agenda and neoliberal ideologies have been put to the side. Personal bias and ego has had minimal influence. There has been a strong need to be unanimous, decisive, and succinct. Supporting one another has been paramount because it is a totally new situation for all of us. Competing and trying to outdo one another has no place. Imagine a future education system that captures all of this.

Throughout the response process, systemic needs and issues have come to light to consider for the future of education in Aotearoa. Some of these are new ones we have just realised or noticed, and others are existential, brought to the fore even more. It could be very tempting to approach these in a cynical way or we could be brave, and do so optimistically with pragmatism.

We have come to a realisation that our world up to this point was becoming more and more wasteful with drastic climatic consequences on the horizon. The divide between rich and poor was becoming more paramount. We have had a society where everything was quick, families and friends were not really talking face-to-face much, and loneliness was oozing into many parts of society. In the varying forms of lockdown, we have remembered how to smile, be grateful, phone people close to us, reignite connections, make time for hobbies, had time for acts of kindness, and allowed nature to clean itself.

What an opportunity for education! Collectively we can be addressing these issues and re-prioritising what is important.

It is time to really address systemic, cultural, and financial inequities. The pandemic has highlighted existing inequities between the 'haves' and 'have nots' of digital devices in the home for example. New financial pressures are emerging due to job losses in communities. This is redefining the landscape of socio-economic need and we will need to come up with new ways to respond. Current tools, such as the Decile too, are too blunt and fast becoming irrelevant.

Localised curriculum initiatives that focus on well-being, cultural responsiveness, The Arts, sports, and environmental sustainability will need to be our priority. Being culturally responsive goes hand-in-hand with addressing matters of well-being. We need our kids to know what it means to seek pleasure from being kind to others, through acts of humanitarian response. This has the opportunity to naturally bring cultures together. If we are to bring The Arts, sports, and environmental sustainability to the fore, we are fostering opportunities for children to find ways to connect, develop real hobbies, and to ensure nature continues its path of recovery. Quite simple really, with wellness being a consequential side-effect.

If we can respond to these issues, needs, and priorities, as taught through this global health crises, we could bring life to our education system like never before. We need to capture the essence of how we have worked together, to make this sustainable and achievable. Then, like our pandemic response has been led, we could create something else that is world renowned.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Principal Speaks: The Covid-19 opportunity for re-visioning in education | SchoolNews - New Zealand

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Now is a time to capture the essence of how the educational sector in New Zealand could work together in the future. The current response planning to the global Pandemic gives us glimmers of hope into possible new ways of working.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In an era of technology and easily accessible information, our schools still expect us to know everything from the books without considering whether this is going to be what we will actually need in our professional development.
How often have you wondered if you were going to need subjects you were made to learn because the curriculum said so? Finland has decided to change this in their educational system and introduce something suitable for the 21st century.
Instead of classes in physics, math, literature, history, or geography, Finland has introduced a different approach to life through education. Welcome to phenomenon-based learning!

As Phenomenal Education states on their website, "In Phenomenon Based Learning (PhenoBL) and teaching, holistic, real-world phenomena provide the starting point for learning. The phenomena are studied as complete entities, in their real context, and the information and skills related to them are studied by crossing the boundaries between subjects."

This means that instead of learning physics (or any other subject) for the sake of learning it, the students are given the opportunity to choose from phenomena from their real surroundings and the world, such as Media and Technology or the European Union.

These phenomena are studied through an interdisciplinary approach, which means that only those subjects (and only parts of them) that contribute to excelling in the topic are included.

For example, a student who wants to study a vocational course can take "cafeteria services," and the phenomenon will be studied through elements of maths, languages, writing, and communication skills. Another example is the European Union, which includes economics, languages, geography, and the history of the countries involved. studycrumb.com

Now take your profession as an example and think of all the information you need to know connected to it - you are now thinking the PhenoBL way!

This kind of learning includes both face-to-face and online sessions, with a strong emphasis on the beneficial use of technology and the Internet through the process of eLearning. You can read more about it here.

In the learning process, the students can collaborate with their peers and teachers through sharing information and collectively exploring and implementing new information as a building tool.

The teaching style has changed too!

Instead of the traditional teacher-centered learning style, with students sitting behind their desks and recording every instruction given by the teacher, the approach has been changed to a holistic level. This means that every phenomenon is approached most suitably and naturally possible.

However, as Phenomenal Learning states, "The starting point of phenomenal-based teaching is constructivism, in which learners are seen as active knowledge builders and information is seen as being constructed as a result of problem-solving, constructed out of 'little pieces' into a whole that suits the situation in which it is used at the time."

This education system tends to include learning in a collaborative setting (e.g., teamwork), where they like to see information being formed in a social context instead of it being seen only as an internal element of an individual.

This approach supports inquiry-based learning, problem-solution, and project and portfolio learning. The last step is practical implementation, being seen as the outcome of the whole process.

This reform requires a lot of cooperation between teachers of different subjects.

Co-teaching is at the base of the curriculum creation, with input from more than one subject specialist, and teachers who embrace this new teaching style receive a slight increase in their salary as a sign of recognition.

From a teaching perspective, this style is very rewarding and worthwhile for the teachers too. However, some teachers, who have already implemented this style in their work, say that they cannot go back to the old style.

This is not surprising, as the interaction in this teaching style is something every teacher has always dreamed of.

A similar approach called the Playful Learning Centre was used in the preschool sector, and it served as a starting point for phenomenal-based learning.

What Education System Does Finland Use?

In Finland, the education policy is formulated by the Ministry of Education and Culture, whereas the Finnish National Agency for Education is responsible for implementing the policy.

The Finnish education system consists of early childhood education, basic education, upper secondary education, and higher education. In addition, it offers adult education.

Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)

The objective of ECEC is to support the well-being, development as well as learning of children aged 0-5. ECEC also emphasizes the importance of outdoor activities positively affecting children's well-being.

Before a child starts their primary education, they receive pre-primary education, which is free and lasts for one year, when they turn 6. In this level of education, children engage in outdoor activities and learn basic skills, such as reading.

This level of education is where compulsory education starts for children aged 7-16. The objective of basic education is to help the student become an ethically responsible person and provide them with the important skills and knowledge they need in life.

Upper Secondary Education

Once students have completed the primary education stage, they can opt for receiving vocational or general education. The difference between these two is that Vocational Education provides students with the basic skills needed in the field they've chosen by assigning them to workplaces via a training or apprenticeship agreement.

At this level of education, the academic institutions are divided into Universities of Applied Sciences and regular universities. In regular universities, the bachelor's degree can be completed in three years, whereas the master's program in two years. The degrees can be completed in 3.5 -4.5 years in the Universities of Applied Sciences.

This stage of education is included to provide adult learners with an education that leads to apprenticeship training, qualification, studies in various crafts, and degree studies.

Finland Education System Facts

· The Finnish school system is completely funded by the state.

· Teachers in Finland spend approximately 4 hours a day teaching students in the classroom. They spend 2 hours every week working on their professional development.

· Every Finnish teacher holds a master's degree.

· Teachers, lawyers, and doctors have an equal status in Finland.

· The Finnish grading system is designed by the teachers themselves. Students' learning and performance are assessed individually without using standardized tests and exams.

· The only compulsory test students in Finland give is when they turn 16.

· Students spend just 20 hours a week at school in Finland.

· Finnish students have the opportunity to learn different new things in schools, such as poetry, music, art, industrial works, and baking.

· Finnish students are required to do less homework.

· Finish students can speak two to three languages.

· Students in Finland are offered special services in accordance with their requirements and needs.

· In Finland, when a student spends 45 minutes learning in school, they are allowed to spend 15 minutes engaging in leisure activities or playing.

· The Finnish schools encourage and nurture the teacher-student relationship.

· The starting salary of teachers is around $29,000.

Why Is Finland's Education System Considered The Best?

Finland's education system is considered the best in the world due to the repeated success of the students of this country in national education rankings. For instance, in 2o15, they won 4th place in reading, 12th place in mathematics, and 5th place in science.

Finland has the best education system because it offers a unique education model. Unlike most classrooms in countries around the world, classrooms in Finland are learner-centered, where students have the opportunity to assess their abilities by themselves. Finish students also work in teams on projects and actively participate in creating their own learning activities.

Another reason why Finland's education system is unique is that all students in all schools are offered free welfare services, complimentary lunches as well as support. In addition, the Finnish schools provide students with psychological counseling, health services, healthy, free meals as well as student guidance.

Moreover, Finland has a unique education policy that prioritizes raising participation and quality and creating equal opportunities within every level of education. As a result, every citizen is provided with an equal opportunity for high-quality training and education.

Internationalization, quality, equity, and efficiency are four principles that characterize the Finnish education policy.

In addition to offering equal opportunities to every citizen for education, the objective of Finnish education policies is to increase student achievement. To help students fulfill the goals of schooling, schools have designed instructional content, established effective teaching methods, created optimal learning environments, and individualized teaching. All this has led to equitable and high-quality student learning.

What's also characteristic of the Finnish education system is that more emphasis is placed on learning than on testing. Teachers assess students' learning and performance on the basis of the objectives which the curriculum includes. Students participate in a national examination only at the end of upper secondary education.

Another thing that makes Finland's education system stand out from the rest is the fact that most education is funded publically. Tuition fees are excluded from every education level. In addition, students don't need to pay for school meals, school materials, and commuting in basic education. It's in upper secondary education that students need to pay for commuting and books. Moreover, the education system offers study loans and grants.

To sum up, Finland's education system is considered the best in the world due to the following 10 reasons:

1. It implements holistic learning and teaching environment.

2. Finnish citizens have free access to education.

3. Instead of using standardized tests, teachers assess students' learning and performance individually by using a grading system that they design themselves.

4. Only teachers who hold a master's degree are eligible for teaching positions.

5. Children in Finland start their schooling at the age of 7.

6. There are more professional options for those students who plan for a college education.

7. Instead of competing against each other, academic institutions cooperate.

8. Cooperation is fostered over the competition in schools too.

9. Finnish students are given the scope and time to create the basics and best foundation.

10. Finland's education system includes only nine years of compulsory education.

Is Schooling Free In Finland?

In addition to offering high-quality education, this country offers free education for students coming from the European Union and European Economic Area (EEA). Students that come from Switzerland and EU/EEA countries and are enrolled at universities for applied sciences and regular universities don't need to pay tuition fees. Students that don't come from EU/EEA countries are required to pay the tuition fees. They are required to pay around EUR 6,000 to EUR 18,000 a year. However, international students in Finland don't need to pay for programs taught in Swedish or Finnish.

Finland's Education System Ranking

Here's why this country offers the best opportunities for studying:

· Finland is in the third position in the world as the most educated country.

· Finland is ranked the highest in High School Completion Rate.

· In 2021, Finland was ranked third in education by Countries.

· Finland's education system is ranked as being the most developed in the world by the World Economic Forum's Global Competitive study.

Sources And References
Please Share

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Finland's Education System Is Considered The Best In The World - Here's Why!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In an era of technology and easily accessible information, our schools still expect us to know everything from the books without considering whether this is going to be what we will actually need in our professional development. How often have you wondered if you were going to need subjects you were made to learn because the curriculum said so?

# data[].attributes.headline
Pasi Sahlberg - 5 things not to do when we return to school

# data[].attributes.subject
Pasi Sahlberg - 5 things not to do when we return to school

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This post is part of our series entitled Teaching and Learning During a Pandemic, in which we invite guest authors to reflect on the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic for teaching and learning. Our guest today is Pasi Sahlberg, Professor of Education Policy at the Gonski Institute at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Other posts in the series are compiled here.
So much has been said already about teaching and learning during the Covid-19 pandemic that it is hard to say something new. More focus on social and emotional learning, student and teacher wellbeing, authentic assessments, distance learning with technology, relationships in schools and recess during school days. Fewer high-stakes standardized tests, less unproductive consequential accountability, more direct instruction in school, and less rote textbook learning. All these ideas were presented already before this crisis, but people see that the time is right to transform schools after the pandemic is gone.

Rather than add more to the already exhaustive list of ideas for schools post-pandemic, I want to suggest five things that we should not do when schools re-open. These five things are collected from my numerous conversations and debates during the past few months about the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic for schools, teachers, students and parents. My basic assumption is that schools change slowly, even when pressured by external shocks like the pandemic. I think that the underlying emotion in this devastating turmoil, which by now has affected healthcare, education, economic systems, and the daily lives of billions of people, is fear.

Many are afraid losing their health, the lives of loved ones, their jobs, their dreams, and their futures. What most parents probably expect from schools now is safety and stability, not revolution or change. I like many others think that now is the time to reimagine schools. But I am afraid that making these dreams come true at scale will be very difficult. But if real change is to have any chance, I offer these five suggestions of what not to do. I have long believed that in education policymaking what we stop doing is as important as what we should do. In this playful spirit I offer the following '5 Don'ts.
1. Don't think that kids only learn when they are taught
In the midst of the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic the international weekly newspaper the Economist published an article about how school closures might hurt economies around the world. The article noted: "If eight-year-olds' learning stops until September, they could lose nearly a year's maths attainment, according to first estimates." My immediate response: Don't think that students wouldn't learn were they not in school. At the moment it is too early to say how school closures have affected students' learning. Most researchers agree that learning from home has amplified already existing inequalities and, therefore, that those children who need school more than others have probably suffered the most. But children will keep on learning even if they are not taught. Most likely there will be more students than we think who have learned beyond expectations when they have had peace and quiet to do so in their own ways. As the curriculum expert Bill Pinar reminds us, "Not instruction, not learning, but study constitutes the process of education." Students learn knowledge and skills through the struggle of study in school and at home - everyone is capable but not always willing to do so.
2. Don't worry about kids' losses on school tests
Annual standardized tests were cancelled this year in the United States, England, Australia, and in many other countries. This has left some parents wondering whether their children have made adequate progress in school. In Australia, one study went as far as trying to calculate the amount of loss when children didn't go to school for seven weeks. In New South Wales, for example, disadvantaged students in ninth grade have lost 1.6 weeks in reading and 2.3 weeks in mathematics. Not so fast, mate. Professor David Berliner, who is one of the most prominent experts to comment on these concerns, wrote in a recent blog post that while school is important, non-academic skills such as work habits, sports related competences, social skills, leadership, and locus of control are more powerful than academic skills (e.g. literacy and numeracy) in life outcomes. In other words, children who love to read, design and build things with Legos, explore the internet to learn about insects and the nature, practice playing guitar or other instruments, or use their imaginations to play outdoors would not see any loss in their school test scores by learning and doing these things at home. Berliner comforts those worried parents and teachers by telling them: "If children are cared for emotionally, have interesting stuff to play with, and read stories that engage them, I predict no deficiencies in school learning will be detectable six to nine months down the road." Furthermore, as I and others have demonstrated using years of data from large-scale international student assessments, there is little or no relationship between the amount of instruction students receive and their test scores. We need to let go of the myth that seat time equals learning. So, no worries, let the children play.
3. Don't expect kids to be ready to continue where they left off
Never before in the history have the schools of 1.5 billion children been unexpectedly closed at the same time. As this happened in April, most children continued learning from home using digital platforms or hardcopies provided by teachers, or by relying on their parents or grandparents to be guides and coaches. We don't know yet how these children experienced this disruption, but we do know that it has not been easy for many of them. Physical separation from their teachers is one thing, but emotional distancing from friends and peers for weeks, and lockdown at home with parents, is quite another. Therefore, when children return to school, don't expect that they will be ready to continue learning where they left off when schools closed. While social distancing is the tool that helps 'flatten the curve,' moving forward students now need three new 'R's' at school: relationships, respect, and responsiveness. Only after that can a renewed 'learning curve' begin. We need to focus not on some generic 'post-pandemic student' but instead concern ourselves with the complexity and diversity of classrooms, while accepting that the pandemic hits the most vulnerable hardest. Since February Covid-19 has left over 40 million Americans jobless, more than 100,000 people dead, and millions of children hurt in a country where a quarter of children lived in poverty prior to the pandemic. These children will not be ready to learn and thrive unless they feel physically and emotionally safe and protected at school. I agree with colleagues who have called for giving top priority to child and teacher wellbeing in schools before expecting that they will be able to return to business-as-usual in school learning.
4. Don't consider recess as a low priority
Currently, only 12 U.S. states have passed requirements for daily recess in schools, requirements that typically amount to 20-30 minutes per day. Many American school districts have reversed recess policies to add more minutes to teach reading and mathematics. When schools re-open it would be easy for education authorities and school boards to consider recess as a low priority when they look for remedies to catch up on learning time missed due to the pandemic. That would, however, be short-sighted. Educators and medical experts have unanimously emphasised the importance of daily recess. One large survey found that more than nine of ten primary school teachers' in the U.S. believe that recess promotes students health, wellness, and social development. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that recess benefits students by increasing their level of physical activity, improving their memory, attention, and concentration, and reducing disruptive behaviour in the classroom. All things considered, don't view recess as a low priority. Quite the opposite, as we suggested elsewhere: make sure all children get more of it.
5. Don't expect there will be a 'new normal' anytime soon
There are high hopes now that when schools re-open they will, finally, really change. Linda Darling-Hammond, who called it 'A New Deal' for education wrote, that "This pandemic puts a stark light on an emerging truth-education as we know it is over, and we must think of 'school' in deeply different ways." I agree with her and others that simply picking up where we were when schools closed and continuing business as usual when they re-open as if nothing had happened would not be smart. But this is not the first time we have hoped schools would really change. Such change hasn't happened before and it probably won't happen now unless we reimagine the change itself. I have three reasons to doubt that there will be a 'the new normal' that is significantly different from what we had before. First, schooling will not change without bold and brave shifts in mindsets as to how that change happens. Most of what we have heard by now is about ' what should change,' not ' why' or ' how ' it should change. Second, the role of policy in transforming schools after the pandemic is probably much less effective than we think. If we really want to transform our schools, we should expect less from policy-driven reforms and more from the visionary leadership of principals, professional wisdom of the teachers, and passionate engagement of students as change-makers. Finally, after the pandemic, most governments will be under massive pressure to rebuild their economies and cut public spending. This will put schools between a rock and a hard place. But I have been wrong before and would celebrate being so again if the 'new normal' would come to describe entire school systems, not just some schools.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Five Things Not To Do When Schools Re-open

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This post is part of our series entitled Teaching and Learning During a Pandemic, in which we invite guest authors to reflect on the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic for teaching and learning. Our guest today is Pasi Sahlberg, Professor of Education Policy at the Gonski Institute at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

# data[].attributes.headline
Education Hub webinar with Claire Amos and Louise Addison

# data[].attributes.subject
Education Hub webinar with Claire Amos and Louise Addison

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Schools webinar: Lessons from lockdown – rethinking business as usual at secondary school

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Education Hub - WELCOME 2023 - THE EDUCATION HUB

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Education Hub's mission is to bridge the gap between research and practice in education. We want to empower educators to find, use and share research to improve their teaching practice, and then share their innovations. We are building the online and offline infrastructure to support this to improve opportunities and outcomes for students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Continuum of Voice: What it Means for the Learner

An adaptation of the Continuum of Voice chart. The chart describes the three stages of personalised learning environments: Teacher- Centred Environments, Learner-Centred Environments, and Learner-Driven Environments.

Strategies to develop student agency

This resource is the result of a literature scan and a series of conversations with students and teachers from three New Zealand schools. The schools involved in this resource feature innovative learning environments (ILE). Students and teachers were asked similar questions about agency, and reviewed one another's responses. Our approach identified ten conditions that foster agentic learners to support teachers, leaders, and learning communities to shift the ownership of learning.

We hope you will use these conditions to:

- explore new ideas, communicate challenges, and prompt learner focused discussions

- use the 'shifting the ownership of learning review tool' to "take the temperature" of learner agency within your school or community

- identify priorities and implement practices or systems that enable learner agency.

Shifting the ownership of learning

This resource is a practical tool for teachers or learning teams, leaders, educators, and learning communities to support the process of change and shift the ownership of teaching and learning, placing it firmly in the hands of the learners themselves.

CORE professional learning solutions: Primary

At CORE we understand the richness of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and The New Zealand Curriculum. We design products and services that support teaching and learning for year 1-8 learners in both Māori medium and English medium settings.

CORE professional learning solutions: Secondary

At CORE we understand the richness of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and The New Zealand Curriculum, the intent of NCEA, and vocational pathways. We design products and services that support teaching and learning for year 9-15 learners in both Māori medium and English medium settings.

CORE professional learning solutions: Curriculum

Designing a curriculum that is adaptive to local contexts and learners' strengths and needs is complex. We work with you, aligning your curriculum and student learning experiences with your vision for student success.

CORE professional learning solutions: Assessment

The foundation for learner agency is teaching and learning, which is grounded in assessment for learning practices. We help you strengthen assessment for learning practices, so learners are active in all learning decisions.

Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning

Choice Words shows how teachers accomplish this using their most powerful teaching tool: language. Throughout, Peter Johnston provides examples of apparently ordinary words, phrases, and uses of language that are pivotal in the orchestration of the classroom.

Strategies to develop student agency

This resource is the result of a literature scan and a series of conversations with students and teachers from three New Zealand schools. The schools involved in this resource feature innovative learning environments (ILE). Students and teachers were asked similar questions about agency, and reviewed one another's responses. Our approach identified ten conditions that foster agentic learners to support teachers, leaders, and learning communities to shift the ownership of learning.

We hope you will use these conditions to:

- explore new ideas, communicate challenges, and prompt learner focused discussions

- use the 'shifting the ownership of learning review tool' to "take the temperature" of learner agency within your school or community

- identify priorities and implement practices or systems that enable learner agency.

Shifting the ownership of learning

This resource is a practical tool for teachers or learning teams, leaders, educators, and learning communities to support the process of change and shift the ownership of teaching and learning, placing it firmly in the hands of the learners themselves.

CORE professional learning solutions: Primary

At CORE we understand the richness of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and The New Zealand Curriculum. We design products and services that support teaching and learning for year 1-8 learners in both Māori medium and English medium settings.

CORE professional learning solutions: Secondary

At CORE we understand the richness of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and The New Zealand Curriculum, the intent of NCEA, and vocational pathways. We design products and services that support teaching and learning for year 9-15 learners in both Māori medium and English medium settings.

CORE professional learning solutions: Curriculum

Designing a curriculum that is adaptive to local contexts and learners' strengths and needs is complex. We work with you, aligning your curriculum and student learning experiences with your vision for student success.

CORE professional learning solutions: Assessment

The foundation for learner agency is teaching and learning, which is grounded in assessment for learning practices. We help you strengthen assessment for learning practices, so learners are active in all learning decisions.

Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning

Choice Words shows how teachers accomplish this using their most powerful teaching tool: language. Throughout, Peter Johnston provides examples of apparently ordinary words, phrases, and uses of language that are pivotal in the orchestration of the classroom.

Strategies to develop student agency

This resource is the result of a literature scan and a series of conversations with students and teachers from three New Zealand schools. The schools involved in this resource feature innovative learning environments (ILE). Students and teachers were asked similar questions about agency, and reviewed one another's responses. Our approach identified ten conditions that foster agentic learners to support teachers, leaders, and learning communities to shift the ownership of learning.

We hope you will use these conditions to:

- explore new ideas, communicate challenges, and prompt learner focused discussions

- use the 'shifting the ownership of learning review tool' to "take the temperature" of learner agency within your school or community

- identify priorities and implement practices or systems that enable learner agency.

Shifting the ownership of learning

This resource is a practical tool for teachers or learning teams, leaders, educators, and learning communities to support the process of change and shift the ownership of teaching and learning, placing it firmly in the hands of the learners themselves.

CORE professional learning solutions: Primary

At CORE we understand the richness of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and The New Zealand Curriculum. We design products and services that support teaching and learning for year 1-8 learners in both Māori medium and English medium settings.

CORE professional learning solutions: Secondary

At CORE we understand the richness of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and The New Zealand Curriculum, the intent of NCEA, and vocational pathways. We design products and services that support teaching and learning for year 9-15 learners in both Māori medium and English medium settings.

CORE professional learning solutions: Curriculum

Designing a curriculum that is adaptive to local contexts and learners' strengths and needs is complex. We work with you, aligning your curriculum and student learning experiences with your vision for student success.

CORE professional learning solutions: Assessment

The foundation for learner agency is teaching and learning, which is grounded in assessment for learning practices. We help you strengthen assessment for learning practices, so learners are active in all learning decisions.

Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning

Choice Words shows how teachers accomplish this using their most powerful teaching tool: language. Throughout, Peter Johnston provides examples of apparently ordinary words, phrases, and uses of language that are pivotal in the orchestration of the classroom.

Shifting the ownership of learning

This resource is a practical tool for teachers or learning teams, leaders, educators, and learning communities to support the process of change and shift the ownership of teaching and learning, placing it firmly in the hands of the learners themselves.

CORE professional learning solutions: Primary

At CORE we understand the richness of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and The New Zealand Curriculum. We design products and services that support teaching and learning for year 1-8 learners in both Māori medium and English medium settings.

CORE professional learning solutions: Secondary

At CORE we understand the richness of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and The New Zealand Curriculum, the intent of NCEA, and vocational pathways. We design products and services that support teaching and learning for year 9-15 learners in both Māori medium and English medium settings.

CORE professional learning solutions: Curriculum

Designing a curriculum that is adaptive to local contexts and learners' strengths and needs is complex. We work with you, aligning your curriculum and student learning experiences with your vision for student success.

CORE professional learning solutions: Assessment

The foundation for learner agency is teaching and learning, which is grounded in assessment for learning practices. We help you strengthen assessment for learning practices, so learners are active in all learning decisions.

Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning

Choice Words shows how teachers accomplish this using their most powerful teaching tool: language. Throughout, Peter Johnston provides examples of apparently ordinary words, phrases, and uses of language that are pivotal in the orchestration of the classroom.

CORE professional learning solutions: Primary

At CORE we understand the richness of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and The New Zealand Curriculum. We design products and services that support teaching and learning for year 1-8 learners in both Māori medium and English medium settings.

CORE professional learning solutions: Secondary

At CORE we understand the richness of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and The New Zealand Curriculum, the intent of NCEA, and vocational pathways. We design products and services that support teaching and learning for year 9-15 learners in both Māori medium and English medium settings.

CORE professional learning solutions: Curriculum

Designing a curriculum that is adaptive to local contexts and learners' strengths and needs is complex. We work with you, aligning your curriculum and student learning experiences with your vision for student success.

CORE professional learning solutions: Assessment

The foundation for learner agency is teaching and learning, which is grounded in assessment for learning practices. We help you strengthen assessment for learning practices, so learners are active in all learning decisions.

Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning

Choice Words shows how teachers accomplish this using their most powerful teaching tool: language. Throughout, Peter Johnston provides examples of apparently ordinary words, phrases, and uses of language that are pivotal in the orchestration of the classroom.

CORE professional learning solutions: Secondary

At CORE we understand the richness of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and The New Zealand Curriculum, the intent of NCEA, and vocational pathways. We design products and services that support teaching and learning for year 9-15 learners in both Māori medium and English medium settings.

CORE professional learning solutions: Curriculum

Designing a curriculum that is adaptive to local contexts and learners' strengths and needs is complex. We work with you, aligning your curriculum and student learning experiences with your vision for student success.

CORE professional learning solutions: Assessment

The foundation for learner agency is teaching and learning, which is grounded in assessment for learning practices. We help you strengthen assessment for learning practices, so learners are active in all learning decisions.

Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning

Choice Words shows how teachers accomplish this using their most powerful teaching tool: language. Throughout, Peter Johnston provides examples of apparently ordinary words, phrases, and uses of language that are pivotal in the orchestration of the classroom.

CORE professional learning solutions: Curriculum

Designing a curriculum that is adaptive to local contexts and learners' strengths and needs is complex. We work with you, aligning your curriculum and student learning experiences with your vision for student success.

CORE professional learning solutions: Assessment

The foundation for learner agency is teaching and learning, which is grounded in assessment for learning practices. We help you strengthen assessment for learning practices, so learners are active in all learning decisions.

Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning

Choice Words shows how teachers accomplish this using their most powerful teaching tool: language. Throughout, Peter Johnston provides examples of apparently ordinary words, phrases, and uses of language that are pivotal in the orchestration of the classroom.

CORE professional learning solutions: Assessment

The foundation for learner agency is teaching and learning, which is grounded in assessment for learning practices. We help you strengthen assessment for learning practices, so learners are active in all learning decisions.

Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning

Choice Words shows how teachers accomplish this using their most powerful teaching tool: language. Throughout, Peter Johnston provides examples of apparently ordinary words, phrases, and uses of language that are pivotal in the orchestration of the classroom.

CORE professional learning solutions: Assessment

The foundation for learner agency is teaching and learning, which is grounded in assessment for learning practices. We help you strengthen assessment for learning practices, so learners are active in all learning decisions.

Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning

Choice Words shows how teachers accomplish this using their most powerful teaching tool: language. Throughout, Peter Johnston provides examples of apparently ordinary words, phrases, and uses of language that are pivotal in the orchestration of the classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Continuum of Voice: What it Means for the Learner An adaptation of the Continuum of Voice chart. The chart describes the three stages of personalised learning environments: Teacher- Centred Environments, Learner-Centred Environments, and Learner-Driven Environments. Strategies to develop student agency This resource is the result of a literature scan and a series of conversations with students and teachers from three New Zealand schools.

# data[].attributes.body
Learner Agency - am easy to read research report

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Coherent Pathways Guidance

The Coherent Pathways Tool helps you think strategically about coherent pathways, capabilities, and transitions for your ākonga. Use this to identify capabilities and learning focuses that are too important to leave to chance. Specify what these should look like at critical transition points.

Four main steps to create a coherent pathway

All four steps are important. Complete steps 1 through 3 before starting to enter a coherent pathway into the tool. This ensures that a coherent pathway is confirmed, with a plan of action supported by leadership and teachers.

The four steps are:

1. Understand what is meant by a coherent pathway.

2. Answer key questions and set up your project.

3. Review coherent pathway examples.

4. Enter the capabilities into the Coherent Pathways tool.

This page gives an overview of these steps. For detailed guidance download this document:

Guidance on Coherent Pathways. [PDF, 845 KB]

Understand what is meant by a coherent pathway

A coherent pathway's elements are capabilities and transition statements. Learn about pathway elements in these sections of the PDF:

Why capture your vision for ākonga at key transitions?

What are capabilities?

How many transition statements should you develop?

What do 'good' transition statements look like?

Answer key questions and set up your project

Your leadership team should consider key questions about a coherent pathway before undertaking this work. Ensure that you are well resourced.

To guide this discussion, work through the Wānanga section of the PDF.

Discuss resourcing, leadership, and how teachers will work. Confirm how the team will communicate about and review coherent pathways. Establish your evidence standards.

This section also shares what a transition pathways team discusses at a meeting about strategy and vision statements.

Review coherent pathway examples

The Guidance includes an example plan for developing a coherent pathway. Review this in the PDF here:

Example plan: Developing transition statements for the end of year 8

This plan is a framework for developing a coherent pathway to support ākonga. It is an index of activities, materials, and handouts. It also has key questions to ask at meetings discussing your vision for ākonga.

The Guidance has detailed examples of capabilities and transition statements. You can edit and adapt these as overarching capabilities for your own pathways. Review this in the PDF here:

Transition vision statements you can edit examples

For big-picture support, also read the following Appendices in the PDF:

Appendix: Weaving the coherent curriculum: how the idea of 'capabilities' can help

Appendix: Aspects of critical inquiry summarised from a range of frameworks

Enter the pathway into the Coherent Pathways tool

When you are ready to share a Coherent Pathway, add it to the tool. Your learning community can contribute to the transitions they support.

Assemble your part of the coherent pathway's information, including:

Strategy

Transition statements for the stage and capabilities

With this, enter your part of the coherent pathway into the Coherent Pathways tool.

When you choose an overarching capability, the tool will enter a default capability. You can edit this. You can also select and add learning area capabilities in support.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
and entering coherent pathways into the tool

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Coherent pathways guidance - Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Coherent Pathways Tool helps you think strategically about coherent pathways, capabilities, and transitions for your ākonga. Use this to identify capabilities and learning focuses that are too important to leave to chance. Specify what these should look like at critical transition points. Four main steps to create a coherent pathway All four steps are important.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about the LPFs Understanding the reading framework Understanding the writing framework Understanding the mathematics framework