Tārai Kura | August 2022 | Pānui 10
By Diana Wilkes •
Tēnā koe and welcome to the 10th pānui issue for Tārai Kura.
In our work supporting schools to review their use of space and develop an education brief for future design we observe first hand the power of student voice to inform meaningful change. In our lead article Student views of teaching and learning in a ILE space we gain an insight into what a group of high school students really think about learning in their ILE spaces and their recommendations for the next stages of development.
Viv Mallabar from Ormiston Junior College (OJC) delves into one perspective often ignored or used sparingly – student voice. She describes the ways that OJC harnesses student involvement to inform ākonga learning choices, as well as to influence school development and ongoing improvement. Through the explicit teaching of learning habits and dispositions ākonga develop the necessary skills to become agentic – driving their own learning and assessment. The systematic and planned collection of student voice at regular stages of the learning cycle ensures teaching and learning programmes are relevant and responsive.
At our recent Community of Practice (COP) hui held at Stonefields School, the power of student involvement was exemplified by the articulate Y8 ākonga who acted as our tour guides. We welcome your expressions of interest in learning more about joining a COP in 2023, where you can learn with and from other schools on a similar journey. See our COP update for more information.
To support your work in this area of meaningful student involvement and authentic curriculum, we also share a link to a set of curated resources in our Change kete.
Finally, in this pānui we talk with Riki Teteina, tumuaki of Newton Central School. He stresses the importance of moving forward through any change process by utilising and seeking perspectives from within our diverse school communities. His message is very clear: Seek wānanga. The aspirations of our community is integral to our vision and practice.
Thank you to all our contributors to this month’s pānui. We appreciate your generosity in sharing your journey and learning in support of your colleagues.