NZ Curriculum Principles

What do we understand by the following principles. High Expectations and how are these enacted in our curriculum design, implementation and review? Treaty of Waitangi?

High expectations

The curriculum supports and empowers all students to learn and achieve personal excellence, regardless of their individual circumstances

• This is reflected in the different levels through planning -
• Giving individuals different support depending on learning needs
• Celebrate individual and team excellence
• Giving prestige and mana to certain roles and responsiblities.
• There is no ‘one-size’ fits all
• Goal setting is used to set learning targets for individual students
• Reflection encouraged - thinking about learning and challenges and what has supported or helped the learning to occur
• Learning conversations, both informal and formal
• General conversations with students
• Is consistent across people and across learning opportunities (not just based in the classroom)
• external competitions, awards, as checkpoints
• Systems and structures (yellow book, team meetings, assemblies etc)
• Reinforcing the positives - being noticed, being recognised, being a role model is celebrated.
• Consistency and follow through on examples of excellence.

Treaty of Waitangi

The curriculum acknowledges the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, and the bicultural foundations of Aotearoa New Zealand. All students have the opportunity to acquire knowledge of te reo Māori me ōna tikanga.

• Professional development of staff. Tatiako- retreat
• Status of Kapahaka etc within the school - passionate
• Tuakana-teina relationships within the school
• Celebrating Maori in a context of learning e.g. Matariki, Te Marae in Term 1
  • Making connections with whanau - Te Roopu Whanau
  • Linking with all things in the school in an authentic way.
  • School values.
  • Planning - incorporated into all units and the focus of at least one terms learning.
  • Visible within the school
  • Harakeke development
  • Korero Mai RSS Style
  • Pou
  
  
  Typically, where the principles are fully enacted, teachers: (from ERO Report)
  • sought to know students well (for example through the analysis and interpretation of assessment information) so that they could tailor the teaching programme to suit them;
  • aligned planning to assessment information
  • focused on lifting students’ achievement and accelerating their progress;
  • sought to eliminate any barriers to the successful involvement of students in programmes;
  • gave students information about their achievement and progress;
  • encouraged students to set high personal and academic goals;
  • gave students exemplars and rubrics to guide their future learning and
  • self assessment;
  • thought about ways to engage students in their learning;
  • valued, promoted and celebrated the cultural heritage, strengths and abilities of students.
  
  
  Using the ERO bullet points above, what would visitors explicitly notice? (What evidence would there be that these things are in action?)
  • School Website
  • TV displaying current learning in action
  • Student voice - students involved and have a strong voice in the school
  • Team planning - review using student voice, this forms the basis of future planning
  • Purpose for learning is clear
  • Learning intentions and success criteria are used well - co-construction is evident
  • Parental involvement and expectation of this is actively encouraged
  • Sharing of information through blogs, class blogs, assemblies, school events, student led conferences
    Kids speak the language of learning