http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBwT_09boxE

The New Zealand Curriculum – The Journey So FarSonia GlogowskiActing Project Manager, NZ Curriculum Ministry of Education

What do we need to develop in our young people?

Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions to be flexible and adaptable for a

rapidly changing 21st Century societal and work environment

What is a curriculum for?

What is ‘deemed’ important in terms of knowledge, skills (and attitudes) and the organisation

and delivery of these for teaching and learning purposes at a point

in time.

Why did New Zealand design a new curriculum?

•wider consultation with Māori about their aspirations for learning

•research linking particular pedagogies to improved student outcomes

•continued diversification of NZ society

•developments in digital media & interconnectivity

•increased globalisation (impacts on social connectedness & value of diversity, indigeneity)

•desire to balance academic & social outcomes (eg citizenship, values education)

•disparity in education outcomes

Curriculum Stocktake Report 2002

Significant themes for the 21st Century

How does the National Curriculum support this thinking?

New Zealand Curriculum

•Learning area statements and achievement objectives

•The school curriculum

•Vision, values, the principles and the key competencies

Te Marautanga o Aotearoa Graduate Profile

Whakawhanaungatana; Rangitiratanga; Manaakitanga; Tātaritanga; Whaiwāhitanga

What does The New Zealand Curriculum look like in practice?

http://keycompetencies.tki.org.nz/What-are-KCs

How does the National Curriculum support this thinking?

New Zealand Curriculum

•Learning area statements and achievement objectives that emphasise the ‘big ideas’ or concepts

•The school curriculum – local, relevant contexts

•Vision, values, the principles and the key competencies integrated throughout the learning areas

Te Marautanga o Aotearoa Graduate Profile

Whakawhanaungatana; Rangitiratanga; Manaakitanga; Tātaritanga; Whaiwāhitanga

NZC Overview scan

The School Curriculum: Design and Review

Principles (1)

Students will be encouraged to value:

•Excellence (aiming high, perseverance, resilience)

•Innovation, inquiry and curiosity (thinking critically, creatively, and reflectively)

•Diversity (as found in (our) different cultures*, languages and heritages)

•Equity (through fairness and social justice)

•Community and participation (for the common good)

•Ecological sustainability (includes care for the environment)

•Integrity (involves being honest, responsible, accountable and acting ethically)

•Respect (for themselves, others, and human rights)

Values to be encouraged, modelled and explored

Learning about the espoused school values

Appl

ying

thes

e va

lues

acr

oss

scho

ol

cont

exts

and

set

tings

Learning to understand and negotiate a

‘3 rd’ space with different value sets

Why the key competencies?

Economic

• Job profiles -Adaptable, flexible, collective problem solving and solution design

• Global mobility/multi-national teams – written and oral communication becomes more, not less important

Social -Justice and Participation

• Citizenship- empowerment, influence, ethics;

• Ways of communicating ideas; thoughts; feelings incl. technology

Personal

• Motivated

• Engaged

• Reflective

Why the NZC key competencies?

to live, learn, work and contribute as active members of their communities

knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, disposition…

being ready – being willing – being able

to undertake ACTION in relation to a task

Job Outlook 2002National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)

Global Context

Knowing how to ask the right questions and how to bring diverse expertise to the table

towards the construction of new knowledge

Interact in heterogeneous

groups

Act autonomously

Physical as well as socio-cultural tools such as the use of language In an increasingly

interdependent world, individuals need to engage with diverse others

Individuals need to take responsibility for managing their own lives, situate their lives in the broader social context and act autonomously

Use tools interactively

(e.g. language, technology)*

Think and act

reflectively

OECD: Definition and Selection of the Key Competenciesand the NZ Curriculum Key Competencies

Using language,

symbols and texts

Relating to others

Thinking

Managing self

Participating and

Contributing

Documentation for monitoring key competencies is not about recording indicators, criteria, marks, grades, or rubrics.

Documentation for monitoring key competencies is more about rich descriptions, examples, accounts, and narratives.

http://keycompetencies.tki.org.nz/Monitoring

What do the key competencies look like in learning area contexts?

In classroom social contexts?

In school social contexts?

How are they modelled by adults in the school environment?

How are they shared and supported by the parent/whānau community?

What do the key competencies look like in learning area contexts?

In classroom social contexts?

In school social contexts?

How are they modelled by adults in the school environment?

How are they shared and supported by the parent/whānau community?

Implications for Developing and Monitoring the Key Competencies

Critical Inquiry

How are we constructing our descriptors of the key competencies (socio-cultural bias)?

What will the evidence look like to support our judgements?

How were the judgements made – reliability / validity? Singular or multiple contexts?

What were the learning opportunities provided to enable students to demonstrate the desired traits?

How were the students made aware of what was being sought?

How involved were they in the assessment/reflection process?

Kennedy (1999) maintains that teachers’ personal

classroom experiences are more influential and powerful

than the information gained through teacher preparation

courses and field experiences. The knowledge that you

internalise during your process of schooling often

influences what you believe about teaching and learning.

This knowledge shapes what you think the subject matter

should be like, how students are supposed to behave, and

how they are expected to function in schools.

‘Most teachers teach the way they were taught’

‘The NZC has the potential to really challenge what teachers’ beliefs are about teaching and learning and become critically reflective about what knowledge and

behaviours are valued’

Expanding our notions of the NZC and the learning areas

The New Zealand Curriculum provides students,

parents, whānau and teachers with a clear framework

for assessment, planning and monitoring students’

progress.

This particular project demonstrates the

New Zealand Curriculum in practice for students

with the highest learning support needs. A number of

resources have been developed to assist students to

learn and their teams – at home, at school and in the

wider community – to support them.

This website includes guidance on using narrative

assessment for students who are expected to learn

long-term within Level One of the New Zealand

Curriculum and showcases examples of that

assessment approach in practice.

http://www.inclusive.org.nz/throughdifferenteyes/how_to_read_an_exemplar/navigation_the_exemplar_wheel

What are the significant shifts in NZ’s 2007 Curriculum?

•Learner-centered relevant; applied; connected; holistic; meta-learning

•Empowering co constructed; student voice; active; ako;

•Professional pedagogical shift; teaching as inquiry; responsive

•Decentralised school curriculum

•Responsive 21st Century – rapid changes; diversity; learning languages

•Coherent vision; values; principles; key competencies;

•Connected literacy and numeracy across the curriculum; learning areas

Te Whariki; Tertiary

•Collaborative schools; students; parents, communities

http://keycompetencies.tki.org.nz/What-are-KCs

The NZC National Standards and the Key Competencies

Key competencies focus Learning areas: Social studies/ArtsCurriculum level: 3

ThinkingCreative thinking is about challenging and redefining ‘conventional’ thought and expression of ideas and concepts. We demonstrate this by playing and experimenting with original texts and symbols through metaphors and analogies, as well as through structure, design, and approaches.

Relating to othersWhen we read about or interact with other people’s ideas or experiences, they may be different to our own. Reflecting on similarities and differences are important routes to understanding and utilising the strengths of others. They may be distant in time and place.

Big social studies ideas•'Identity and culture' (refer 'Building conceptual understandings' in the social sciences series). •'Conceptual understandings':- Celebrations are cultural practices that reflect peoples' customs, traditions, and values.- Celebratory symbols represent significant aspects of culture.- Celebrations can have similar purposes, while being expressed in a variety of ways. A.O – Students will gain knowledge, skills and experiences to:•understand how cultural practices vary but reflect similar purposes.

Big arts idea: DramaTo explore how understandings around cultural events and practices can be conveyed through drama and mime.A.O – Students will:•investigate the functions and purposes of drama in cultural and historical contexts •present and respond to drama, identifying ways in which elements, techniques, conventions, and technologies combine to create meaning in their own and others’ work.

Links to Reading standardsThe texts that students use to meet the reading demands at this level will often include:•abstract ideas, in greater numbers than in texts at earlier levels, accompanied by concrete examples in the text that help support the students understanding •figurative and/or ambiguous language that the context helps students to understand. Such texts will include both fiction and non-fiction in electronic and print media.Reading taskRead a range of fiction and non-fiction texts that describe an important ceremony or celebration.•Compare features of the texts and how the information and emotions are relayed to the reader. •Reflect on similarities and differences between different groups researched, and consider the implications for diverse communities.

What are successful schools doing?

•integrating key competencies

•being guided by the curriculum principles

•reviewing frameworks & practices in learning areas

•aligning school-wide systems (incl. assessment)

ERO April 2010

‘School culture is…the invisible but powerful mindsets that shape the learning environment as much or more than do the four walls of the

classroom.’Wagner, et al 2006

What does The New Zealand Curriculum look like in practice?

Teaching as Inquiry•teachers using a range of teaching approaches to meet different purposes & needs

•teachers seeking feedback from students & colleagues on what works and why (professional learning community inquiry)

•teachers using a range of assessment information on student learning to inform next teaching steps

•teachers making & acting on decisions, based on evidence about what to teach & how to teach it

What does The New Zealand Curriculum look like in practice?

Community Engagement•schools & their community collaborate on the school curriculum, especially agreeing on vision & values statements.

•many are now working on greater consultation & collaboration on other areas of the curriculum e.g. the key competencies

•schools are recognising the significant expertise that exists in the community & are seeking to integrate that into school and classroom programmes e.g. Te Mana

Deciding what to assess...

looking back at what students were expected to have learned

…or…

looking ahead to how well they can extrapolate from what they have learned and apply their knowledge and skills in

novel settings.‘Assessment is a treasure hunt, not a witch hunt’.

Douglas Reeves (2008)

E:\Kcs and the STDs at the end of Year 1.doc

E:\Kcs and the STDs at the end of Year 8.doc

http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/National-Standards/Key-information/Fact-sheets/Special-education-needs

Learning Journey: Arahunga School, Whanganui

Key Learnings:

•It is about writing students into the NZC rather than writing students out

•Narrative Assessment steps line up with the Teaching as Inquiry Cycle

•Cycle of achievement is important – both the formative nature of the IEP and the summative nature of the National Standards INFORM

•Good goal setting is about good assessment practices; the SMART acronym is a useful guide but not for goals that are couched in global terms and not linked to NZC.

•The national standards have helped improve the teaching of reading, writing and maths through having to focus specifically on what the child can do and what the next learning steps are.

What does The New Zealand Curriculum look like in practice?

Student Agency•students setting, managing, & reflecting on learning goals and processes (metacognition) through online learning journals

•students leading discussions with parents & teachers over reporting progress (3 way conferencing)

•students being responsible for cross-curricular homework tasks (e.g. Windsor School Pride Challenges)

students contributing to school & classroom decision-making e.g. contexts for learning

Many educators have suggested that better learning will not come from finding better ways for the teacher to instruct, but from giving the learner better opportunities to construct.

Sawyer, 1996; 326

‘Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand’.

The New Zealand Curriculum is relevant to all students in all schools. Students in this project were predominantly working within curriculum level 1. However, while a student’s learning in a particular learning area may fall within level 1, in another area their learning could be identified as at level 2 or beyond.

‘With the support of curriculum advisers, the teachers began to see more

evidence of their students achieving within level 1 of the learning areas. The

teachers note that, when they first started writing up a learning story, they were

able to observe evidence of all of the competencies within the context of a

particular learning area. It reminded them of what they really valued in teaching

and learning. It gave them permission to recognise and celebrate the learning.’

Through Different Eyes: Seeing the Learning

Vision

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn,

unlearn, and relearn." --Alvin Toffler, American futurist

Knowing what to look for and where to find it!