New Zealand Curriculum Blogs

The New Zealand Curriculum - The journey so far

2011-10-03T03:34:37+00:00

This powerpoint was created by Sonia Glogowski, Acting Project Manager, NZ Curriculum Project, Ministry of Education. It outlines the journey so far for the implementation of the New Zealand Curriculum.

The New Zealand Curriculum - The journey so far (PowerPoint, 11 MB)

Read and achieve with the All Blacks

2011-09-29T00:38:50+00:00

David Riley from Tangaroa College has put together this resource to help his students with their reading. It focuses on reading comprehension skills using researched articles about All Blacks players as the context.

Reading with the All Blacks (Word, 3 MB)

Conservation week - 11th to 18th September 2011

2011-08-30T01:05:50+00:00

Conservation week takes place between 11th to 18th September, and is an opportunity to celebrate New Zealand's unique wildlife, and incredible environment. This post lists sites with information, activities and ways to get involved.

Please add any resources you find valuable in the comments to share with others.

Wikieducator - Albany High School Curriculum Plans

2010-11-24T22:01:13+00:00

'WikiEducator believes learning materials should be free for all learners of the world. WE invests in educators to share knowledge freely.'

WikiEducator is an Open Education Resources (OER) sharing platform where educators and schools can share with each other. Albany Senior High School have used this platform to share their Curriculum Plans and English Department Guidelines.

Ensuring that eLearning is embedded throughout your school curriculum

2010-11-23T19:27:28+00:00

These 10 questions are designed to help schools ensure that e-learning is embedded in their curriculum.

Embedding elearning (Word, 35 KB)

Learning spaces and effective pedagogy: What does our space 'say'?

2010-11-23T19:16:45+00:00

This document supports school leaders facilitate dialogue on the design of their schools’ learning space, both physical and virtual.
Through engagement in this process, groups reflect on effective pedagogy: How does ‘our space’ support teacher actions that promote student learning?

Learning spaces and effective pedagogy (Word, 60 KB)

Framework for implementing NZC

2010-07-28T23:18:43+00:00

This framework may be helpful to schools reviewing where they are at and where they need to go. It gives suggestions for discussions and documentation to support development of a school-based curriculum.

Designing a school curriculum for cyclical review

2010-07-20T02:39:10+00:00

This diagram can be used by school leaders to clarify an overview of the nature of a school curriculum that is both 'designed and reviewed'. See page 37 NZC.

The diagram suggests a way of thinking about the school curriculum to ensure that it is not just aspirational words about WHAT the school curriculum entails - a vision, values etc (as is the case for some charters). The emphasis is on continuously reviewing the PRACTICE espoused by the school curriculum - the curriculum in action, HOW we make it real.

Discussion starters

Is there a risk that a developed school curriculum languishes as a 'done' document, instead of living as a constant touchstone for practice?
If yes, does this diagram and approach address this issue, or how could it be amended to achieve this?
Who might use this diagram with whom, and why? (For example, the principal with other school leaders? The principal with the Board of Trustees? Senior staff with whole staff as part of annual planning?)

Designing a school curriculum for cyclical review diagram (PDF, 86 KB)

Aotearoa Youth Voices Toolkit and Keepin It Real

2010-06-24T00:56:15+00:00

The Aotearoa Youth Voices toolkit is a practical guide filled with tools and ideas on how young people can participate in decision-making, influence decision-makers and work with the media. It can help young people:

get youth voices to decision-makers
work with others
get youth opinions out there
organise a group
understand how Parliament and the Government works.

Keepin It Real is a guide to developing youth participation in policy development, services and programmes. It describes how adults can contribute to the positive development of young people by creating opportunities for them to influence, inform, shape, design and contribute to an activity or project.

These publications are available free from the Ministry of Youth Development.

The Ministry of Youth Development website and Aotearoa Youth Voices Network give young people opportunities to be involved in participation and community decision making.

Geography unit planning framework

2010-06-17T11:04:46+00:00

The Geography networked learning community have designed this unit outline as a framework to develop units of work. Click through to find the units.

NZC principles in action

2010-04-20T21:58:03+00:00

These diagrams, provided by Lois Hawthorne, Advisor, UC Education Plus, show how the NZC principles can be used in a number of practical ways at all levels.

The New Zealand Curriculum - principles and possible indicators

2010-03-05T00:22:54+00:00

The New Zealand Curriculum (page 9) sets out eight key principles which describe the attributes that are important and some features which are desirable in every school curriculum. It states that ‘these principles should provide the foundation of all school curriculum decision making’, and curriculum practice ‘should be consistent with these eight statements’.

To help schools review how well their local curriculum in practice matches with the principles of the New Zealand Curriculum, this table (download) sets out some initial thinking about some possible indicators for the application of the eight principles.

The New Zealand Curriculum - principles and possible indicators (Word, 41 KB)

Opportunities and challenges

2009-08-25T00:37:20+00:00

It is clear that the New Zealand Curriculum is stimulating both hope and excitement as well a sense of challenge and concern. How can we navigate past and through the challenges and enable the spirit of the curriculum to live?

Flexibility in the new curriculum

2009-08-25T01:27:48+00:00

"The programmes we design need to have sufficient in-built flexibility that students can each bring their own personal response to the learning experience in a manner that is shared and out in the open. In that way, their personal experience and perspectives become a resource for the learning of all, and diversity is valued rather than suppressed or ignored." Graham Foster, teacher

Try this strategy, suggested by Rachel Bolstad:

Starting points for thinking about key competencies

2009-08-25T02:03:30+00:00

These strategies have been selected from a presentation by Mary Chamberlain at the Learning @ School Conference, February, 2008.

Possible futures

2009-08-25T00:34:18+00:00

Secondary Futures provides a toolbox of resources for thinking about the new curriculum. The toolbox comprises trend cards, scenarios, wildcards and storycards. There is also a virtual tutorial to show you how they can be used. This site states it will help people "work out what their preferences for education in the future might be.