Element 6 The New Zealand Curriculum Values and Key Competencies.

A wiki page where New Zealand teachers describe their experiences when using the NZC values and key competencies with SOLO Taxonomy coded self assessment rubrics.

By - Carol Rowe-Mitchell Totara Team and students from Vauxhall School Devonport, Lucy Naylor and Jenny Armitage (Belmont Intermediate School, Devonoport), Catherine Kelsey (Stanley Bay School Devonport), St Leos School, Balmoral School, Nadine McLaughlin (Otonga School Rotorua).

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Nadine McLaughlin from Otonga School in Rotorua, describes how her Y3/4 students are building friendships using SOLO Taxonomy and self-assessment rubrics. Nadine uses SOLO Taxonomy to help students better understand friendship and how to be a friend, meeting expectations in the New Zealand Curriculum Value “Respect” and Key Competency “Relating to others”.

Using SOLO Taxonomy to help students understand the NZC Key Competencies. Poster on the door of the new entrant classroom at St Leos School in Devonport Auckland.

Using SOLO Taxonomy to create self assessment rubrics against the CORE MERCY VALUES

The Dimensions of Justice Rubricshttp://hooked-on-thinking.wikispaces.com/Values#toc14

Co-constructed self assessment rubrics for three dimensions of the Key Competency Managing Self - Vauxhall School Devonport

Reporting on the Key Competency Managing Self - Vauxhall School, Devonport.

As part of the Devonport EHSAS cluster, Belmont Intermediate started to look at strategic change in 2008 the same year as the Revised New Zealand Curriculum arrived in schools. The catalyst for change was the schools participation in an EHSAS contract comprised of six local primary schools an intermediate and one high school. The EHSAS contract was facilitated by Pam Hook and Julie Mills from ‘Hooked on Thinking’, their facilitation was fundamental in the creation of a cluster wide professional learning community.

The cluster came together to map the development of a shared language of learning that would enhance learning from primary through intermediate and on to high school. SOLO taxonomy was the focus for the assessment of learning. Throughout 2008 and 2009 the lead teachers met regularly to critically discuss the implementation of the shared language and to identify next steps for individual school and the cluster as a whole. This process included a release days for teachers to observe and have reflective conversation within and between schools.

At Belmont Intermediate, as well as the philosophical and pedagogical changes that needed to take place, it was crucial that the systems and organsation of the school supported the inquiry learning initiative. Without the support of the school leaders, teachers and systems of the school, the changes would not have been sustainable or meaningful.

Curriculum teams were re-organised. Each teaching and learning team selected a member to the inquiry team. The inquiry team was a critical component in the sustainability of inquiry and in their role of as a conduit in passing on pedagogical understandings of SOLO taxonomy and the process of inquiry to the teaching and learning teams. The inquiry team was empowered to present staff meetings and motivate and encourage teachers to reflect on the inquiry process.

In collaboration with local schools, lead teachers guided the staff at Belmont Intermediate through the pedagogical and philosophical shift that was necessary to implement the revised curriculum. The role of the lead teachers was to introduce and develop inquiry learning, and to support teaching and learning teams through these. Alongside this, the teachers adopted a facilitatory role, one where they acted as guides to point the students towards the signposts that marked their journey, rather than the more traditional teacher-designed model, to acknowledge the understanding that students are learners, who are actively involved in planning, organising and reflecting on their development. Following this co-constructivist approach allowed for shared development of rubrics to support both student and teacher understandings of next steps for learning.

The Belmont Intermediate Lead Teachers chose to develop a Belmont model of inquiry. They incorporated the specific needs of both the emerging adolescent and the school community. It also needed to engage the students in relevant and authentic contexts, while reflecting the core values and competencies which are embedded in the Belmont Learning Community. Throughout this collaborative process, existing programmes and teacher beliefs were reflected upon. Teachers were involved in reviewing the ‘cramped timetable’ and ‘overcrowded curriculum’, making decisions about school activities that no longer had a place, or could be relocated on the timetable to enhance the inquiry rather than being another ‘add on’. This was about working smarter not harder.

Staff worked extensively on refining the Belmont model of inquiry, which would support the revised curriculum, and on the seamless incorporation of SOLO taxonomy as an assessment tool. The language of SOLO is the mode for communication of next learning steps and achievements between teachers and students. The school had its own set of competencies in place, which closely align with the key competencies. The core competencies were already embedded in the culture of the school, well supported by staff and seen as a strength of the school.

Using the core competencies to drive the Belmont Intermediate curriculum, meant that these shared beliefs are present throughout the learning community, including homeroom, specialist classes and extra-curriculum programmes, as well as in other, less formal learning opportunities such as assemblies. It allows teachers to have the flexibility to plan authentic learning experiences that are relevant for their specific students, without compromising the creativity and passions of teachers. Planning for learning in this way also enables teachers to utlise their specific skills to their full potential, thus creating powerful shared learning experiences. The specialist teams became an integral part of the process and because of the shared competencies and deep understandings, were able to participate fully in the development of inquiry learning skills, thus ensuring that the language of learning is shared throughout all curriculum areas.

The core competencies were ‘deconstructed’, and staff identified what enduring understandings they wanted students to gain from each particular competency. In this fashion, deep understandings for each core competency were developed. Following the steps of the Belmont Model, a planning format was developed, which ensured that teachers could meet the needs of their students underneath the broad umbrella of the core competency concept. This allows for context and achievement objectives having the potential of being different for each team, but ensures that the deep understandings and core competency focus is a constant.

As with all teaching and learning at Belmont Intermediate, inquiry learning is shared on the school’s intranet, where it is planned that teams will share models of planning, professional readings, resources and other items of interest and relevance. This shared space is constantly evolving and being developed to reflect the pedagogical and skill changes in the learning community.

With the model established and accepted, the Lead Teachers turned their attention turned to sustainability. A particular focus of this was to ensure that new staff could easily establish an inquiry learning environment and have a understanding of the SOLO taxonomy and the expectations for inquiry learning. The aims were also to ensure that teachers would be challenged in their thinking and practice, and to create a learning environment that was focused on enhancing best practice. Two rubrics were collaboratively developed, one for Systems and Leadership and the second for use by the teachers. The latter is used by individuals and teaching and learning teams to identify goals and next steps for their own learning. Through reflective practice, it enables teachers to plan their own professional development.

For example:

In conjunction with the opportunities for sharing offered through professional conversations and the intranet, teachers are also provided with the opportunity to observe inquiry learning in a range of settings throughout the school. Teachers are open to teams walking in unannounced to classrooms to observe and are happy to discuss any issues that stimulate critical discussion.

Lucy Naylor lnaylor@belmontint.school.nz Jenny Armitage jarmitage@belmontint.school.nz

Catherine Kelsey (Stanley Bay School) shares a student's reflection on school camp. The HOT Visual Cause and Consequence Map was used by Stanley Bay School students to scaffold their thinking. Student reflection indicates that camp provided this student opportunities to identify, develop and value the NZC Key Competency “Relating to Others” and “Managing Self”.