A resource kete for meaningful ākonga engagement

By Judy Bruce

The Change Kete for School Transformation 2023 is a curated resource of recent research and practice aimed at providing support for navigating transformational change around the design of learning spaces. Nine principles related to kura and school change are included – each with a range of practical, evidence based resources to provide ideas and support. In this article we share some of the resources related to meaningful ākonga engagement.

When ākonga have opportunities to meaningfully engage in all areas of school life they are able to develop future focused skills. 

We know that one of the most powerful ways to invite engagement in learning experiences is to involve ākonga in learning and curriculum design. 

To keep ākonga at the centre it makes sense for leaders to consider: 

To what extent do, or might, the perspectives of your ākonga inform the design of your local curriculum and school planning and policy?

Selected Resources | He Pounamu

1. Students’ views of teaching and learning in ILE spaces (Tarai Kura, 2022). In this article ākonga from a large urban ILE high school share their views about learning in ILEs.

2. A Day in the Life at OJC. (Ormiston Junior College, 2020). This blog post outlines how learner agency is factored into the daily timetable ‘The TARDIS’ and the video explains how digital badging enables ākonga agency at this junior high school and video

3. Leading change: Learner agency to activate change (Leaders’ Connect, 2020). This video shares how ākonga at Riccarton High School lead their own learning for change using design thinking. Lisa Heald shares the process.

4. Pūtātara – website (MOE, 2019). This resource supports schools and teachers to develop learning opportunities that are place-based, inquiry-led, and focused on participation for change incorporating sustainability and global citizenship across the curriculum. 

5.Amplify: Empowering students through voice, agency and leadership (State of Victoria, 2019). This is a practice guide for schools to grow student voice, agency and leadership. 

6. Learner agency: Final research report (CORE, 2017). This resource is the result of both a literature scan and a series of conversations with ākonga and teachers from three New Zealand ILE schools. It provides teachers or learning teams, school leaders, educators and learning communities with a shared understanding of learner agency and provides practical tools for tackling and/or embedding the concept of learner agency within education systems. 

7. Student Agency for 2030: OECD Futures Framework (OECD, 2020). This resource articulates the aspirations for learner agency as a conceptual learning framework. 

Image by: OECD

8. 10 Ways to Teach Me (Brigham Riwai-Couch, 2019). Brigham shares his perspective of the top 10 things that make a difference for him as a learner. This video focuses on Māori achieving educational success as Māori, drawing on student voice.

9. Home/school/ākonga partnerships in learning and wellbeing: Various learning management systems provide innovative methods for tracking the progress and wellbeing of targeted and all learners. Consider:

a) eTAP’s Spotlight On Learning© is now available to schools. It’s the answer to improving teacher collaboration, increasing student agency, live reporting to caregivers/parents, and collaborative planning​.

b) Hero is a powerful and secure online sharing platform customisable to reflect the curriculum, vision and values of your school.

c) School Talk is a cutting-edge cloud platform, which helps schools implement student agency and creates efficiency for teachers, learners and parents. 

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You can access the entire Change Kete 2023 here. 

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