Curriculum Voices Group - Re-establishment, moving forward, achieving the purpose of the curriculum.

 

The Curriculum Voices Group was established by the Ministry of Education Curriculum team in 2020 to garner feedback on the NZ Curriculum Refresh.  I was fortunate to go on the group as a representative of the New Zealand Pacifica Principals' Association and my role is to offer a Pacifica lens to the decision makers, giving feedback on drafts as they are presented, give input to discussion on what the curriculum needs in order for every New Zelander to see themselves in it.  The group consisted of representatives from a very broad range of stakeholders in education from across New Zealand.  In addition to all this, school principals in this group, also provide information and suggestions on how the new document might best be implemented across Aotearoa.

The group had been meeting 3-4 times per year up until mid 2023 when elections were about to happen.  When the new government came into power, the group was shut down with a great deal of review and restructuring taking place at the Ministry of Education.  The new Minister, Erica Stanford, established a Ministry Advisory Group to review where the review was 'at' and advise her on where to next to meet the expectations of the new government in terms of content and delivery.  What has come out of this group's recommendations with the support of the Minister has been shared in draft with the public in the last month - with the draft Maths curriculum Years 0-8 and the draft English curriculum Years 0-6 (still can't understand why this curriculum hasn't been delivered 0-8?).

With the documents in draft form and with still more to do, the CVG has been re-established to once again provide a broad stakeholder lens over the changes and Tuesday 11 September was our first meeting back.

The meeting started with setting the scene, where we started in 2020 to where we got to in 2023 and the intentions of the group moving forward.  We are not there to bring down the process, rather collaborate and lift it, to provide feedback and an outside voice to writers and decision makers on content, efficiency, practicality, design, implementation and achieving the purpose lifting the success for all ākonga.

The curriculum team shared what's changed and what hasn't so far in the development of the document since the new government has been in:  

What's changed -

• A new set of design criteria
• The inclusion of the "Science of Learning" (knowledge of learning) with an emphasis on content not context.
• Year by Year detail focused on 'what to teach'.
• A bigger document that involves 'teaching methods' (putting the 'common practice model' within the document instead of sitting outside of it).
• Online access - it will not be distributed in hard copy because there is so much more detail in it.

What's the same:

• The Te Mātaiaho framework is still in place 
• Understand, Know, Do is still the working model for delivery with a greater emphasis on the 'know'.
• There is still 8 learning areas.
• Gazetting to 2027 is still in place with an interim process for review throughout the timeframe - tweaking as we go to ensure it works.
• Phases remain in place with year to year detail sitting within them.

The Literacy writing team shared an outline of the draft so far.  In the draft there is a clear explanation of the 'Science of Learning' which comes under Teaching Guidance.  There is also the inclusion of teaching sequence and methods and a new area in Oral Language (which I'm pleased about).  Much of the writing is critiqued by ERO who have identified 5 key areas of practice and supports.  There was a whole lot more presented and discussed which I didn't quite capture here but I did raise the question along with representatives of students with special needs - who was at the table from foundation of writing this curriculum, with a Pacifica/Māori lens? What about the special needs lens? In my view there is still a glaring hole in the document lacking reference to ESOL students.  There is much work to be done in this space so I'm hoping that the writers listen to feedback from consultation and that teachers/educators take the time to give strong feedback in these areas.  There is over 100 pages in the document.  It's cumbersome to manage in terms of being user friendly for teachers in their planning.  Hopefully the website will have links (without it being a rabbit hole) to make it accessible and streamlined.

Following the literacy team, we then were informed about implementation from the Ministry team.  The plan over time, the expectations and the intent behind managing change.  There was much discussion around the room about the realities of managing change within the ever fluid school environment.  Concerns were expressed for the rate of change, the narrowing of the curriculum, the decisions being made without in-depth consultation and collaboration with the sector.  There is still parts of the system that haven't been considered in implementation, notably special needs schools/students, small schools, rural schools and representation of Pacific/Māori communities. How is the government going to support these areas to successfully navigate change and implementation?

All in all the day was enlightening and draining.  There's a lot to think about.  The table of people I sat with discussed in depth the changes taking place in the system at the moment.  All agreed it is overwhelming and too fast.  Theres too much to do, too much to cover and too much to take in.  

In addition to curriculum change there is also changes to the education act section 127 which puts added pressure onto boards and reduce aspects of the human rights and Te Tiriti in the act.  

Our table agreed to this one thing in particular - "If there is a 'crisis' in education...then provide "crisis" level interventions such as shutting schools for a half day every week for 'X' number of terms to ensure that implementation of these key documents and programmes of work are done properly, thoroughly and with fidelity."  Of course the government wouldn't see this as necessary because of the cost to voters who would have to arrange child care during those hours.  I often reflect on how seriously 'short term' foresight into implementation hampers the system hugely.  Lay people can think 'how hard can it be?'.  I understand that many people are in occupations that are stressful and all consuming.   Those in the stressful occupations should walk in teachers shoes for a week to get a real picture of what the role entails.  Teachers are a special breed.  They wear more than one hat, they wear many. Time is precious and of the essence.  It is NOT a 40 hour week, their job doesn't stop when they go home at night, they are not just educators, our content and environment is forever changing and evolving.  We just need time to make sure we are keeping up and doing it right.

NZPF Keynote: Dr Hana O'Regan

The opening keynote speaker for the NZPF conference was Dr Hana O'Regan.  Hana's address was incredibly provocative and confronting.  I learned a new word today - coloniality - "the set of attitudes, values, ways of knowing, and power structures upheld as normative by Western colonising societies and serving to rationalise and perpetuate Western dominance".

Hana spoke of the coloniality of power (hierarchical classification of diverse groups by race to justify their exploitation), coloniality of knowledge (legitimation of Eurocentric knowledge as the only valid one and the negation of other knowledge systems), and coloniality of being (Inferiorisation of oppressed groups, prejudices, discrimination and violence because of ethnic or gender, or other origins). She put the idea of coloniality not just within an Aotearoa perspective but made references to other Indigenous cultures that have been impacted by colonisation including those in Western countries and the destruction of other Indigenous languages in Wales, Ireland, America, and Canada.

During this keynote, we were taken on a journey of colonialism in education that I just hadn't fully understood.  We looked at bias and stereotyping in education created long ago, drilling into the foundation of our education system, its intentions at the time, and whether equity was a consideration in its establishment.  We were then shown the systematic attempt to disestablish languages and cultures through legislation, rules, degradation, and humiliation.

This was a brilliant opening speaker for this conference because it was attended by Principals from both New Zealand and Australia, for which equity plays such an important role in our positions.  I hope that all participants were challenged by the messages in this session, and questioned their position and where they sit in understanding racism, colonisation, and generational trauma.  I left the room at the end feeling confronted, reflecting on how my schema has positioned me.  What have I done that supports coloniality?  How do we, as principals, reduce coloniality in our communities when the system we work in is grounded in colonialism?  

There is work to be done.

MPA Term 3 Meeting - TE KURO O NGĀ TAPUWAE

 On Thursday 29 August the MPA had their term 3 meeting at Te Kura o Ngā Tapuwae.  This was quite an event for many of the Principals in attendance as it was their first time in the school.

Ngā Tapuwae has a very long history in Māngere.  The Principal, Airhia Stirling, has been Principal there for 28 years and the MPA had the privilege of hearing the stories of the school; where it comes from, how it got its name and what it means.  The Tainui iwi connection and the gifts bestowed in the names of education are strongly connected to Ngā Tapuwae and many others schools in the Mangere area.   The turmoil and adversity encountered through colonialism and racism, the stories over time that have led this amazing school to be a leading light in Māngere, achieving amongst the highest academic results in Aotearoa and consistently high attendance rates.  

The school's physical environment is stunning, with the new build completed in 2020, the school is made up of very modern learning spaces.  We had a tour of the school from top to bottom, each space being very deliberately planned and built with students and learning at the heart.  The environment is a true reflection of the community it serves and students were warm and welcoming and obviously proud of their school.  Our pohiri on to the Marae was beautiful and the association was strongly supported by our local iwi, Ngati Tahinga Wilson and Davika Wilson, of Te Ahirwaru.

I personally deeply appreciated the sharing from Arihia and left feeling a sense of triumph and hope for the students, staff and whanau - past, present and future.

Following our pohiri and school tour, we shared kai and settled in for our termly meeting.  To kick off our meeting, we were joined by our MOE Director Deidre Alderson.  Deidre led us through some of the initiatives the government were implementing and unpacked the expectations of these.  She listened to our concerns regarding the rapidity of change and the lack of collaboration between the sector in informing the new curriculum being introduced.  There were also concerns expressed regarding the lack of resourcing and support for students with high needs in schools.  This is ongoing and exacerbated by the push for more change over a short period of time.  We are worried about burnout.

After Deidre and her team left, we had a brief discussion on the MPAs position in regards to the government changes and vision for education moving forward.  Principals expressed their concerns on more specific areas and it was agreed that a media statement was to be formed, agreed upon and sent out by the president on behalf of the association.

Next to present at our meeting was Mary Aue who is leading the MPA 'Back to School' campaign.  Mary is developing a multi-media, multi-generational campaign, reaching out to our community, growing relationships and pushing our back to school messaging in multiple languages.  MPA are really looking forward to seeing this campaign take off.

Lastly our local manuhiri and iwi representatives Stephanie Tawha and Davika Wilson from Te Ahiwaru shared their current data and the programme of work they are carrying out with whanau in our community.  There is much to be done in terms of helping whanau during tough times and Te Ahiwaru are doing amazing mahi in this space.

HEALTH & SAFETY - EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP

Health and Safety with in a school is a priority for any principal and their board.  It should be a focal point at every board meeting and point of discussion regularly at staff level and community level.  

At Nga Iwi School we have a health and safety officer, a staff member who acts as an overseer/monitor of H&S practices across the school.  Twice a term, the board H&S committee meet to review systems, policies and procedures.  During these meetings, we reflect on the 'Health and Safety at Work Act 2015' document.  This document is a great guide for boards and a great way to inform best practice in school.  The checklists, questions and recommended actions were helpful in guiding our committee to implementing strong H&S  policies and procedures.  

The recent Ministry of Education 'Emergency Management Workshop' which was facilitated by Harrison Tew was a great workshop for consolidating our current policies and procedures.  Harrison Tew is an Emergency Planning company that supports schools in developing emergency plans for a variety of situations - lockdown, fire, flood, weather event, earthquake and many more.  We have them facilitate at our school biannually to check our systems and procedures, facilitate a lockdown and give us training on our lockdown procedures while in action.  We also do our own lockdowns without facilitation to practice any given lockdown situation at any given time.

The main takeaways I received from this workshop were more big picture understanding.  These notes I have taken back to our H&S team for discussion and action:

1. The board are the PCBU (Persons conducting the business undertaking) and are responsible for the H&S of ALL persons on site at all times.
2. The MoE have an EMOG team (Emergency Management Operations Group who are available to offer support should a lockdown occur at our schools.
3. The police will not take over the management of a school lockdown.  This is the responsibility of the school, the police will support where they can (dependent on the issue/situation causing the lockdown).
4. The MoE have a trauma team to assist with media coverage should media approach the school for comment.

In terms of advice moving forward, there are a host of things H&S committees need to be monitoring and maintaining throughout the year:

1. Communication with whanau (families) - notify and share emergency response plans with whanau and students at least twice a year.
2. Create a 'risk awareness' profile for your school.
3. Check emergencies policies for frequency of drills.
4. Check school media and social media policies.
5. Keep a list of websites that can help keep you informed during, particularly, a weather event i.e Auckland council emergency management page - hazard viewer, google maps, Metservice, etc.

Whakawhanaungatanga - Getting our community involved.

At Nga Iwi School we initiated a new whānau engagement programme to reengage parents with the school following the COVID pandemic. From 2020 our attendance and enrolments dropped and face to face engagement with whānau became nonexistent due to covid restrictions. Once these were lifted our focus was turned on engagement with both students and whānau.

In 2021 we introduced Tāma Toa and Wāhine Toa breakfasts where whānau shared breakfast with their eldest or only child in the school. We started with our mums/grandmas/aunties (wāhine), followed by our fathers/grandads/uncles (tāma toa). The breakfasts were a hit and we have held these events now in term 2 for the last 3 years.

At each event, we share kai (breakfast) with staff sitting with whanau growing relationships, getting to know each other. In terms of relationship-based learning, this adds to positive outcomes for our children. After we have finished eating, we invite the children to head out to the playground to play, opening our whānau to consultation. 

In our first year, we focused on the foundations for our student graduate profile. We received great feedback and excellent data to inform our profile which is now a living document and revisited and updated as our community grows and changes. 

Last year we sought feedback and input into the new strategic direction for our 2023-2025 strategic cycle. This data was invaluable in establishing the plan. The consultation was received with great appreciation from whānau who genuinely felt that they were contributing to our school's direction and were not shy in letting us know that they were pleased to be involved and felt heard. 

That process led us to this year's focus which was reporting back. Our most recent breakfast event has been an opportunity to give whānau the overview of what our school direction will look like for the next 3 years.  We covered vision, goals, initiatives and outcomes.  We invited a few guest speakers in our community to give information to whānau about programmes and initiatives that available to our school and then we finished with further consultation.  This consultation included our PE/Health biannual survey and feedback relating to our strategic plan for 2023.

The implementation of our whānau breakfasts has been a game changer in terms of establishing a stronger community through whakawhanaungatanga.  We constantly refer to our community as whānau and through a Pacific lens it takes a village to raise a child.  I encourage all who participate to get to know those who are at their table, look around because 'these are whanau of children that your tamariki count as their friends'.

One of the pillars of our strategic plan is 'whānau' and the goal is that Whānau will be connected and actively engaged in the learning of their tamariki.  The outcome will be whānau who have an interdependent learning relationship with tamariki and our kura.

Becoming part of a school community takes time, has to be planned and incorporated into the strategic direction of the school.  It's important to have the school board on board, attending school events, promoting them and connecting with whānau/parents across the school.

Nga Iwi School 50th Jubliee

 On Friday November 18, Nga Iwi School celebrated its 50th Jubilee.  We had a day of celebrations starting with a very moving powhiri, supported by our local iwi and proudly carried out by our students who were in fine voice.  There were a number of past students, teachers and principals who attended the event, as well as the Honorable Aupito William Su'a, Minister of Pacific People and associate Minister of Foreign Affairs.   

Speakers for the celebration were many and varied.  We started with my Principals welcome...welcoming the community and special guest to such an important occasion.  Followed by our Iwi representative, Matua Ngaati-Tahinga Wilson who gave our community the history and whakapapa of our school and the whenua we stand on.  The honorable  Minister Aupito William Su'a spoke of how well our school is going, the initiatives that are running and the aspirations he and the government have for our community.  Deanna Johnson spoke as the past Principal who introduced Kaiwhare as our new school logo.  Mrs Jocelyn Trembath is a teacher who has served the school for more than 40 years.  She spoke of the 'old days' and how much the school has changed over the years.  Mrs Lily Taplin was the final speaker.  Lily was a foundation student 50 years ago and is a current teacher at our school, she spoke of her love for the school and the community. 

In between all of the speeches were performances.  We had performances from our Samoan Group, Tongan Group, Niuean Group, Hiphop group and our KapaHaka Group.  And intermittently between speeches and performances, Mrs Taplin led singing...the whole school were in fine voice all morning.  At the conclusion of the assembly, guests were welcome to stay for shared kai, browse the photos which lined the hall walls and take a stroll around the school to see how it looks now.   

At 6pm, guests started to arrive for the evening programme of dinner and a DJ.  There were approximately 100 people in attendance including past students and teachers, present whanau, local iwi and staff.  Staff meals were fully subsidised by the board for the amazing work they did in the lead up to and on the day of the Jubilee.  Throughout the night people shared stories and reminisced about the time and their connection to Nga Iwi School.  There was an amazing atmosphere of whanau - once a Nga Iwi kid always a Nga Iwi kid!  Lots of laughter and photo taking, cheers to memories and a bit of dancing at the end of the night.  We had people as far afield as the Far North, the South Island and Australia come to the event.     In summary, the 50th Jubilee celebrations were a huge success. 

We learnt a lot about our schools past and gained a new appreciation for our uniqueness.  We have planned a 50th Jubilee whole school photo in the near future that will be mounted with the foundation school photo.  This will be a symbol of how far we've come and the shoulders on which we stand.

Assessment for Learning - Professional Development Teacher Only Day

 Working with Lizzie Bayliss - Education Group

What is Assessment for Learning:

Latin verb - 'assidere' meaning 'to sit with'.  Implies assessment is done with and for students, not done 'to' them.  Below is an assignment I wrote giving an explanation for what Assessmet

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Assessment for Learning (AfL) is not an entirely new concept, in fact formative assessment is the precursor to the ideology that is now referred to as AfL (Wiliam, D. 2011). AfL is student driven and involves a collaborative approach to learning, allowing for a more fluid differentiated teaching and learning approach. Assessment for learning has been defined as a process where teachers and students work beside each other to ‘seek, reflect and respond to information gathered through dialogue, demonstration and observation’ to strengthen the learning process (Klenowski. p.264. 2009). AfL tends to learning as it is happening, in teachable moments not only between teacher and student but student to student. It allows teachers and learners to identify misconceptions and adjust and modify learning as it happens, melding learning, teaching and assessment as an ‘integrated entity’. It transforms classroom learning from traditional (teacher directed), to an open learning space that is student centered.

The purpose behind AfL is to develop autonomous, self regulated learners through enhanced student engagement, resulting in increased student achievement. Autonomy in learning develops ‘expertise’ for students to synthesise, adapt and use across the curriculum (Willis. p.2. 2011). AfL promotes a social, collaborative learning platform, where participants (students and teachers) learn ‘beside’ each other, developing communication and metacognitive skills while gaining a collective knowledge as a community of learners. It is reciprocal, student focused and facilitative in construct. Cowie & Bell (1999) termed assessment in an AfL classroom as ‘interactive’, it often doesn’t involve an assessment task, but real time learning situations.

In assessment for learning, students and teachers ‘seek’ aspects of learning requiring further exploration during learning. Teacher and student (or student and peer) ‘reflect’ on the significance of the requisite learning and together share feedback/feedforward regarding next steps. Students then ‘respond’ to the feedback, making adjustments and actioning new learning into the task. The focus is on the learning as opposed to performance (James et.al. 2011) - the process is task oriented and focuses on task proficiency and understanding.

The ‘seek’ element is neither formal, nor necessarily recorded. Information can be gained through discourse, observation or practical endeavour. It is not necessarily restricted to a single student, but can range across a group in how they are working together, whether discussion is on point and understanding of the concept or task is shared across the group. Upon noticing misconceptions, teachers and students set about ‘reflecting’ on what and how they can address it. Teachers rely on their pedagogical content knowledge to facilitate the learning, to guide students through new learning that can be embedded and synthesised as the learning progresses. Noticing and recognising misconceptions requires teachers to use their prior knowledge of students and their knowledge of the context they are teaching in, to ensure clarity in delivery and understanding. Explicit work expectations and feedback are most important in assisting students to set and evaluate goals during learning. The most effective feedback is cognitive, as opposed to outcome based, as it ‘provides students with information that links cues and achievement’ (Butler & Winne. p.251. 1995). It is an ongoing process which promotes motivation and purpose in the learning.

Students ‘respond’ to the information and feedback received, modifying their application, actioning advice and guidance given by the teacher or peer. Klenowski (2009) notes what works best in advice and guidance is not to provide complete solutions, but to give an indication of how to improve - thus encouraging students in mindful problem solving.

The process of AfL requires scaffolding by teachers and is best carried out through modelling ‘seeking, reflecting and responding’ in everyday practice, embedding it into the classroom culture.

Butler, D. L., & Winne, P. H. (1995). Feedback and self-regulated learning: A theoretical synthesis. Review of educational research, 65(3), 245-281.

Cowie, B., & Bell, B. (1999). A model of formative assessment in science education. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 6(1), 101-116.

James, M., McCormick, R., Black, P., Carmichael, P., Drummond, M. J., Fox, A., ... & Swaffield, S. (2007). Improving learning how to learn: Classrooms, schools and networks. Routledge.

Klenowski, V. (2009). Assessment for learning revisited: An Asia-Pacific perspective.

Wiliam, D. (2011). What is assessment for learning?. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 37(1), 3-14. University of London. England

Willis, J. (2010). Assessment for learning as a participative pedagogy.

Assessment Matters 2, 65-84.