Regeneration NZATE16: Keynote 2 Rose Hipkins - Capabilities: an idea to regenerate interest in the NZC

Rose posed a number of thought provoking and highly academic questions:

Why did we out key competencies into the curriculum back in 2007? 

The background for them came from the OECD. 

The minor path is to see them as ideas that ask the 'so what' - using them to actually drive what the teaching and learning actually looks like. 

The 4 words that drive the key competencies - capabilities for living and lifelong learning 

What does that actually mean for whatever do? 

What are people actually capable of and how do you frame that capability? What happens in society where there is no social justice? 

What are all students actually capable of?

Are they then having the opportunities to develop these capabilities? 

What do students actual need in order to be capable of living a decent life? 

Our system gives us the freedom to do a whole lot around these capabilities? But few of us actually do! 

Rose referenced - 'The party in the car' resource - LTSA. The capability that they are tapping into 'thinking'. What is it about this verbal and visual text that enables it to get under the skin of the reader. 

Knowledge of text features - personal experiences and values. In using this text students have to use all the key competencies in a meaningful way. 

Another example was a systems thinking model - consider an issue and fully resists the urge to come to a quick conclusion. 

The English rich task would be to reframe the model from formal language to a more accessible language. 

A text to  review - Triple Focus - Daniel Goldman and Peter Senge.

Any school curriculum should focus on - systems thinking, managing self and the ability to work collaboratively. 

I see 

I think 

I wonder 

What is the difference between inference in English and Science? 

Science searches for evidence in the world. English searches for evidence in the world of experience. 

We need to put meaning making on the outside - so that students can create meaning across the curriculum areas. 

If we hold social justice and equity dear - them we have to have a close look at the lack of equity in NCEA external preparation. Low SES classes not likely to be exposed to the contexts needed in order to do well in for example 'Unfamiliar Text'. 

Questions to take away - 

- how do we prioritise and manage complexity 

- what basic capabilities across the curriculum should exist? 

- can we define expectation? 

Critical Thinking - not just cognitive - dispositional/emotional as well as empathy 

Persepective- taking 

Disciplinary (meaning making) 

If the task is rich and interesting these things will be there.