He Kanoi Matara

Blogpost 1 for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori

It's an ongoing challenge recognising and valuing the past but envisioning the future and continually reaching for new ways to do things to engage our learners and prepare them for the future.  
To capitalise on innovation and simultaneously embed cultural imperatives into our learning programme is no easy feat. 

What are the ways we are trying to do this at the moment? 

Innovate by teaching multiple years together- our senior learning community has 90 learners from Years 6-13 learning with 6 different kaiako in one connected series of seven learning spaces. Embed cultural imperatives be embracing the notion of tuakana-teina. The learning community is really like one large whānau all learning together.


Innovate by collaboratively teaching and learning. Embed cultural imperatives by recognising the value of one village working together to raise a child. WE do not have individual responsibility for a learners achievement and progress- academically or "whole-life." We embrace collective respsonsiblity for all learners within our learning community and across the school.

Innovate by devolving some of the hierarchical structures of leadership traditionally present in a school. Embed cultural imperatives by taking different roles on different days, by being aware of each other and when others need support (whānaungatanga.)  We do not have official leaders of learning communities but expect them to operate as a team. Our leaders lead schoolwide teams where they are responsible for developing an aspect of our school curriculum further across the school. They are given whole day release times to meet each term and further this work. If we want them to have value we have to give them the time.

Innovate by thinking what it is we really want our learners to leave us with after 13 eyes and making this come alive. Embed cultural imperatives by placing the concept of hauora firmly in the centre of our graduate profile, and ensuring that both we and our students are constantly reflecting and assessing our students in all four aspects of the Tapa wha model.