I have long been inspired by the work of Julia Atkin. It was her call to make explicit what we stand for and for that to give direction to our actions that shaped the work we did as we laid the foundations for the innovative school that Hobsonville Point Secondary School was.
She challenged us to always have as our points of reference:
What do we value?
What are the beliefs about learning which underpin the practices we were planning? Are they reasonable beliefs based on current research on how we learn?
How will a suggested new, or different, practice improve our ability to achieve what we value and believe?
How Might We Develop An Appropriate Pedagogical Model For Our School
I am currently working in 3 different schools where we are challenging ourselves to ponder, “How might we develop a pedagogical model appropriate to our school context that promotes learning that will allow our young people thrive in school and in their future?”
Using Julia’s Circle Framework (see below) each school (who are at different stages of pondering the HMW question above) have all thought deeply about what their values and core beliefs about learning are. They have all followed (or are following) a process of hearing from their students and co-constructing the definitions and belief statements with their staff as they build buy-in at every step.
School A ended up with the 5 beliefs in the table below and settled on the definitions and belief statements after consultation with students and staff.
Value/Belief About Learning | Definition | Why? (Belief Statements) |
Deep Learning | By “deep learning” we mean learning that builds on knowledge and deliberately fosters critical thinking, complex problem solving, creativity and curiosity to prepare students for their future. | We value deep learning because we believe it engages students and helps them make sense of the world. Students actively participate in understanding complex concepts, fostering critical thinking and personal growth.
|
Warm and Demanding Relationships | By “warm and demanding relationships” we mean having high expectations of learning and a strong sense of care for each person as a learner. | We value warm and demanding relationships because we believe that when students experience high expectations and know they are cared for, they flourish. |
Collaboration | By “collaboration” we mean working together to achieve shared goals
| We value collaboration because we believe when everyone contributes their unique set of skills, knowledge and perspectives, learning is deeper and prepares learners to thrive. |
Inclusiveness | By “inclusiveness” we mean all students see themselves as valued and empowered to be themselves
| We value inclusiveness because we believe all learners should feel seen and have equitable access so they can thrive. |
Character Development | By “Character Development” we mean the development of personal qualities and ways of being that enhance learning and contribute to their life long success.
| We value Character Development because we believe learners should develop habits of thinking that will influence their actions so they can thrive. |
They then workshopped with their staff what Principles or Guidelines for Action would direct them as they explored what would be the most appropriate pedagogical practices for them to adopt across the school, within all classrooms.
Value/Belief About Learning | Principles/Guidelines for Action |
Deep Learning | We/I will design real world learning experiences that support complex problem solving and curiosity We/I will design deliberate acts of teaching that support deep learning and are adaptive to the learning environment We/I will acknowledge, identify and use the prior knowledge of the learner in the design of my learning We/I will ensure that learning provides opportunities for analysis, critique and synthesis. |
Warm and Demanding Relationships | We/I will ensure our learners will know that we know them as learners We/I will provide opportunities for students to have agency over their own learning We/I will show care for our learners through high expectations We/I will be an advocate for each aakonga’s learning |
Collaboration | We/I will incorporate collaborative activities in our learning design. We/I will scaffold practices on how to be collaborative. We/I will make our learning environments safe places to collaborate. |
Inclusiveness | We/I will respect diversity We/I will differentiate learning We/I will intentionally plan and respond to students with individual needs We/I will acknowledge and protect identity and culture |
Character Development | We/I will have a common language of self efficacy within the culture of our school We/I will provide opportunities for students to develop their dispositions We/I will use collective teacher agency to create the environment for students to flourish with these dispositions |
The next piece of work for them is to determine what teaching practices will emerge from this. They may also discover teaching practices they are already using that do not align with this work. This will require them to question the suitability of such practices.
They have decided to focus on practices that promote learner agency as it soon became obvious that their beliefs about learning were pointing to the need to have learners at the centre when thinking about learning design and teaching.
They are of the view that their commitment to Tino Rangatiratanga can be brought to life if they are driven by the above beliefs that place the learner firmly at the centre.
School B has been on a similar journey, but has not yet completed the full rounds of co-construction with staff and students. Their draft summary is in the tables below.
Value/Belief About Learning | Definition | Why? (Belief Statements) |
Growth Mindset | By ‘Growth MIndset’ we mean challenging ourselves and our learners to advance our skills, knowledge and mindset. | We value growth mindset because we believe it develops a strong sense of self efficacy, willingness to embrace challenges, boost resilience, determination and curiosity which allows learners to flourish. |
Authenticity | By ‘Authenticity’ we mean learning is relevant, engaging and meaningful. It involves learning that is connected to real life contexts and challenges and encourages us to apply our knowledge and skills to practical hands-on ways. | We value authenticity because we believe that when learning is relevant to students, it fosters a vibrant and engaging environment that empowers them to navigate the complexities of the world. |
Connectedness | By ‘Connectedness’ we mean that through the concept of Ako, teachers build meaningful relationships with students and create an environment where students can form links between themselves, others and the world around them. | We value connectedness because we believe when students feel as though they belong, see the links between what they are learning and are connected to the world around them, they thrive. |
Warm and Demanding Relationships | By 'Warm and Demanding,' we mean that teachers believe in their students and are dedicated to helping them succeed. They enable caring and respectful relationships, while upholding high expectations for the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom. | We value being ‘warm & demanding’ because we believe it creates a supportive, yet challenging environment. Warmth fosters trust and motivation, while high expectations push us all to reach our full potential. |
Curiosity | By ‘Curiosity’ we mean learners asking their own questions, exploring ideas and incorporating the outcomes into their skills and knowledge.
| We value curiosity because we believe it drives the desire to learn more, which leads to critical thinking, deeper understanding and encourages life-long learning. |
They then workshopped with their staff what Principles or Guidelines for Action would direct them as they explored what would be the most appropriate pedagogical practices for them to adopt across the school, within all classrooms. At the time of writing this post, the team had not yet incorporated the feedback into the Guidelines for Action.
Value/Belief About Learning | Principles/Guidelines for Action (Still to be finalised via co-construction) |
Growth Mindset | We/I will look for ways to provide challenges so students view challenges as opportunities to grow through effort and persistence. We/I will look for opportunities to provide appropriate feedback on all learning. We/I will have a common language of self efficacy within the culture of our school to actively teach and model Growth Mindset. We/I will provide opportunities for students to fail in a safe space. |
Authenticity | We/I will look for ways that recognise and celebrate the unique identities, backgrounds, and perspectives of each student. We/I will look for ways to connect learning to real-world and local contexts and experiences, relevant to the student. We/I will look for ways to actively promote the construction of knowledge |
Connectedness | We/I will look for ways to build connections with students We/I will look for ways to connect learning between subjects We/I will look for ways to connect learners with new opportunities We/I will look for ways to connect learners to the relevance of their learning |
Warm and Demanding Relationships | We/I will look for ways to build positive relationships We/I will look for ways to show care through having high expectations of our learners We/I will look for ways to listen |
Curiosity | We/I will look for ways to encourage learners to ask relevant questions. We/I will look for ways to develop habits of curiosity We/I will look for ways to follow paths of curiosity We/I will look to have student inquiry a key element of our pedagogical approach
|
As with School A the next piece of work for them is to determine what teaching practices will emerge from this. They may also discover teaching practices they are already using that do not align with this work. This will require them to question the suitability of such practices.
They, too, are thinking that they will focus on practices that promote learner agency as it soon became obvious that their beliefs about learning were pointing to the need to have learners at the centre when thinking about learning design and teaching.
School C has just started on their journey. A working group has settled on their 5 beliefs about learning and accompanying definitions and belief statements but have not yet tested them with students and staff.
Value/Belief About Learning | Definition (Draft) | Why? (Belief Statements) (Draft) |
Authentic Learning | By authentic learning we mean learning that is relevant, has purpose, is experiential and includes real life experiences.
| I/We value authentic learning because we believe this will help ākonga and kaimahi to be engaged in learning and the world and to connect to potential futures. |
Whanaungatanga | By whanaungatanga we mean creating an environment that nurtures a sense of belonging through positive, healthy relationships within our kura whānau including our extended whānau, hapū, iwi and mana whenua. | We value whanaungatanga because we believe all mokopuna, whānau and kaiako bring with them rich whakapapa, a wealth of experiences that can enrich their learning. Mokopuna learn best when they are grounded in knowing who they are, where they are from, which in turn strengthens a sense of belonging in our learning community. |
Manaakitanga | By manaakitanga we mean fostering a culture where people show care and respect for each other, creating safe, supportive environments that meet the diverse needs of individuals. | We value manaakitanga because we believe fostering relationships based on trust, empathy and growth enhances self-efficacy, purpose, pride and belonging. |
High Expectations | By high expectations I/we we mean that teachers believe in their students and are dedicated to helping them unlock their potential. They enable caring and respectful relationships, while upholding high expectations for the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom. | I/we value high expectations because we believe that students need to believe that we believe in their potential for their potential to be met. |
Āhuatanga | By Āhuatanga we mean the actions, dispositions and qualities of students that enable them to successfully navigate themselves through a changing world.
| We value Āhuatanga because we live in a rapidly evolving world with unpredictable and novel demands. By developing their capabilities, ākonga increase their capacity to respond effectively to these challenges. |
School C has not yet got to the stage of developing Principles/Guidelines for Action.
Each school has been working through the same process being guided by the same framework, but by involving students and staff they are each settling on their own “die-in-the-ditch” beliefs about learning, their own guidelines for action and, ultimately, their own practices.
Each will then develop a professional learning plan to support the development of the agreed practices. They will involve students in assessing the effectiveness of the practices and will look to develop observational tools to monitor how all teachers are bringing life to their school’s pedagogical model - a model that they helped develop.
Taking the time to build buy-in with staff through a co-construction process will lessen the roadblocks that often appear when schools look to bring about some change. And keeping student voice as the main tool for checking progress and effectiveness means that all schools will be keeping the learners at the centre.
“Set goals based on what you value,” (Julia Atkin)
