During the second week of the Term 3 holidays Mrs Pamaka invited the English Department, Literacy Strategy team, Learning Support team and the Tereora Academy to a hui focused on Literacy and the proposed changes to the curriculum (re: literacy and numeracy) for 2023. From this (as mentioned in my previous post) we formed a Literacy group that would help drive and support staff with the changes in the curriculum. We are currently working with Julie Luxton, an education consultant from Evaluation Associates.
Currently we are in the beginning phase of our journey where we are solely focusing on self-review and next steps. Specifically the self-review process is centered around reviewing where we are at in terms of our literacy program and teaching, where do we want to go and what do we need. The next steps phase is all about the co-construction of an action plan for the literacy changes (2023) that is tailored to our needs. To date we have had our first meeting to start the self-review, the review itself is guided through the Ministry of Education's 'Core conditions for Success' rubric. Julie Luxton recorded our meeting and summarized our conversation in writing. Here is my take on our self-review.
SELF-REVIEW:
systematically observe, analyze and value your own professional action and its results in order to stabilize or improve it.
What is our understanding of the changes to NCEA (2023?)
There is a general understanding of the changes happening to NCEA in 2023. The recent TOD that happened in August (pre-lockdown) was very informative and it was a great opportunity for all departments to unpack the changes and it how it impacts their subject learning area. For the English Department, we enjoyed reviewing the new program and the overall consensus is that we are happy with the changes. There is still some unclarity as to what assessments we may have to merge together, but I believe that as we continue to talk and collaborate, our understanding of the new changes will improve. With the nature of Term 3 and Term 4 in lockdown, we have not had time to regroup and go further with the discussion, our time has been focused on online learning and our senior students. Personally I like that the new changes to NCEA encourages teachers to focus on skill-based learning and deters away from assessment driven programs (which is what we are currently doing with our students). My understanding of the changes is that the shift is highlighting a teaching to learning rather teaching to assessment.
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| Click on the image to read about the changes to NCEA 2023 |
What is the attitude towards literacy from staff?
Mrs Pamaka shared that the 'mind shift' is needed within the academic teaching staff, in that we are all responsible for literacy and it is not just an English Department issue. We currently have some staff who specialize in literacy strategies and work across the curriculum with different departments. Whilst this is
What is our current practice with data use and management?
Mrs Pamaka explained that the current structure of literacy delivery at Tamaki College is as follows:
- Learning Support Department (Cheryl, Mary-Anne and 7-8 teacher aides)
- Literacy Facilitator (Marc)
- Jannie – Foundation class, science program etc.
In terms of data use and management, we do a number of practices that help us engage with data for literacy. Our junior school program prioritize PAT reading and E Asttle writing for both Year 9 and Year 10 students. The data from both tests highlight the students who are well above the national mean, students who meet the national mean and those who are well below the national average score. What is concerning for us is that there is an increase in students who are below the national mean and the demand to support them is high. Dr Jannie Van Hees and the learning support team have done a great job in assisting these students but again, the demand can be overwhelming.
Kaiako pedagogy - what is it?
There is a need for all teachers to prioritize literacy in their pedagogy, in their actual practice. The gaps in our student achievement and learning is largely a result of the high literacy needs that they bring to college in Year 9. There is a sense of a real desire to want to push better literacy focused learning and strategies and it is something that we are aware of, the question is how do we prioritize this in a system that limits the depth in which we can go with literacy? Again, the new changes are encouraging but the need to make a positive impact with literacy is now.
Where to from here?
We were not able to explore options or land on a definite action plan. There was talk of creating a literacy department (solely focused on literacy) and creating space in the timetable where all teachers (school wide) and Year 9 students have a space in their timetable dedicated to literacy related topics and texts. Similar to the work that Dr Jannie and I did with 9KLe with the Words Association program from Term 3 (see my previous posts from early Term 3).
Our next step is to meet as a group to discuss the rubric, where we think we stand on it and what our next steps should be. This first meeting scratched the surface, so the purpose of the second meeting is to meet in person, unpack it more and then collaborate on some next steps we want to take. This will coincide with our 2nd meeting with Julie Luxton. I look forward to reflecting on the next step of the process.
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