School-wide the Ka Hikitia Review was updated recently and includes a number of positive happenings (listed below) as well as areas to develop. In summary:
Inclusiveness of Te Reo Māori, waiata and karakia, into practice;
Building reciprocal relationships and partnerships;
Authentic localised curriculum;
Student agency; and
Being ‘purposefully responsive’ with regards to assessment and feedback.
Over the past three years, the school has worked hard at developing genuine relationships with students and whānau through the school’s vision, values and transparent communication. I feel we are heading in the right direction with building relationships, what is challenging is the hurdles along the way and how to sustain momentum when others may not be on the same journey. There are parallels between cultural responsiveness and social justice pedagogy, with regards to knowing the learner and their whānau. Challenging the ‘white spaces’ (Milne, 2013) or ‘white supremacy’ (Innovating Pedagogy, 2020), also need to continue.
A number of authors and MOE documents (MOE, 2020; Boyd, 2012) suggest there has been a movement towards cultural inclusiveness; supporting the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, valuing partnerships with whānau and building relationships. At the core of developing cultural inclusiveness is establishing and maintaining relationships. In the classroom, a culture of caring for the learner and providing opportunities for students to learn collaboratively, positively impacts on student learning, achievement, engagement and attendance. This according to Russell Bishop has long-term effects on future outcomes i.e. job opportunities for Māori. It is difficult to comprehend, the shocking statistics around Māori suicide and incarceration rates, and poverty. Why wouldn’t we want to improve equity and social justice in education and hence, better long-term outcomes for Māori? Through research, it has become apparent that teaching in a colonised way is not meeting the needs of our learners. We need to change it up and create educational spaces reflective of student needs; let’s create a culture of learning where students want to attend school, engage in learning, create prosocial relationships and students have ‘voice and choice’ in their learning.
From an international perspective, achievement in reading, mathematics and science has been steadily declining over the past 18 years (in reading) in New Zealand and the low-achieving students have increased in reading and science (OECD, 2019). This is reflective of our current education system. Maybe policy creators should consider what is working best in the schools that are maintaining or improving their ranking. I think a reconsideration of our education system is needed; years 0-3 focus could be on a social and emotional development model (collaborative and communication skills). This may include more flexibility around the ways students start school; inclusion of whānau or flexible attendance. For Years 4-8, students would start to gain confidence and interest in a variety of curriculum areas, not just the core curricula. For example, using art as a mindfulness tool to promote well-being and mental health, encouraging cultural exchanges as well as digital storytelling.
Perspectives on Digital Citizenship
Within the local school community, it is timely for us to reassess our expectations of students and staff in regards to using digital technology responsively. The school’s policy and procedures around Cyber Safety are outdated, however, it does highlight the importance of developing staff PD, student awareness and learning around cyber safety and disciplinary action if breached. Along with inclusion in the strategic and annual plans including appropriate resourcing. Students want to use digital devices for learning. Encouraging this in the classroom can increase student engagement and communication with whānau i.e. through Dojo.
Nationally, the MOE has produced a comprehensive support document that addresses the need to keep abreast of the ever-changing digital climate. This document discusses the positive and negative effects of social media, potentially on the school climate and how communication is changing (MOE, 2020b). Including the use of digital technology and how it impacts student and staff wellbeing in the Wellbing@School survey might be beneficial. The need to identify the effects of using digital devices as another means of communication may produce results for leaders to implement in the development of the school-wide Technology Curriculum and supporting policies and procedures. The revised Technology Curriculum states that students should be aware of their ethical responsibility when considering the end-users; Progress Outcome 2 for Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes (DDDO) states, students start to become aware of the impact on society and humans when using digital devices, which is ever-changing (MOE, 2017).
The double-edged sword of digital technology can be viewed as, on one side using technology encourages engagement, communication and learning, however on the other side learners need to use this knowledge ethically, responsibility and to better human-kind. The spin-off can produce negative effects for learner well-being and mental health, or apps like Mentemia could support student mental well-being. The Future of the Classroom Emerging Trends K-12: Global Edition report states that “...54% of Kiwi parents would like teachers to do more to help keep their child safe online” (Google, 2019). Educating learners should be around building a “healthy relationship with technology” (Google for Education, n.d.b). When developing the school-wide technology curriculum how can we encourage prosocial and positive connections with others?
References
Boyd, S. (2012). Wellbeing@ School: Building a safe and caring school climate that deters bullying Overview paper. New Zealand Council for Educational Research, Wellington. Retrieved from https://wellbeingatschool.org.nz/sites/default/files/Wellbeing-at-School-overview-paper.pdf
Ferguson, R., Coughlan, T., Egelandsdal, K., Gaved, M., Herodotou, C., Hillaire, G., ... & Misiejuk, K. (2019). Innovating pedagogy 2019: Open University innovation report 7. Retrieved from https://iet.open.ac.uk/file/innovating-pedagogy-2019.pdf
Google for Education (n.d.b). Future of the Classroom: Emerging Trends in K-12 Education NZ Edition. Retrieved from http://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/new_zealand_future_of_the_classroom_country_report.pdf?utm_source=web&utm_medium=campaign&utm_campaign=FY19-Q2-global-demand gen-website-other-future the classroom
Google. (2019). Future of the Classroom: Emerging trends in K-12 Education: Global Edition. http://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/future_of_the_classroom_emerging_trends_in_k12_education.pdf
Kukulska-Hulme, A., Beirne, E., Conole, G., Costello, E., Coughlan, T., Ferguson, R., ... & Mac Lochlainn, C. (2020). Innovating Pedagogy 2020: Open University Innovation Report 8. Retrieved from http://oro.open.ac.uk/69467/1/InnovatingPedagogy_2020.pdf
Milne, B. A. (2013). Colouring in the white spaces: Reclaiming cultural identity in whitestream schools (Doctoral dissertation, University of Waikato). Retrieved from https://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/handle/10289/7868
Ministry of Education (2020b). Leading local curriculum design in the revised technology learning areas: equipping your students for tomorrow’s world. Retrieved from https://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Strengthening-local-curriculum/Leading-local-curriculum-guide-series/Revised-technology-learning-area
Ministry of Education. (2017). Technology in the New Zealand Curriculum. Retrieved from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/content/download/167461/1235900/file/Technology%20in%20the%20New%20Zealand%20Curriculum%202017
OECD (2019). PISA 2018 Results (Volume II): Where All Students Can Succeed. Retrieved from https://read.oecd.org/10.1787/b5fd1b8f-en?format=pdf
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