RHS on tour #2015

10 of us set off for Auckland at the crack of dawn, well we were meant too, but the flight was cancelled  - so it was slightly later than the crack of dawn! 

The plan was to visit 3 schools to look at curriculum design, pastoral approaches and collaboration. 

First stop was Alfriston College - unfortunately this was a shortened visit due to our flight cancellation. Nevertheless we did see their innovative authentic learning classes in action. 

The Yr 9 learners are grouped in Whanau (houses) and have 800 minutes of authentic learning in their Whanau groups. 4 teachers are tagged to each Whanau (20 in total) and they plan the learning around termly connections. There are always at least 3 teachers in the Whanau class working with the learners 

The programme is in it's first year and each term has seen an adaptation to the programme. Learners track their own learning through daily reflections that are available to the parents, as is teacher feedback. 

Not all specialist subjects are covered in the teacher groupings. So collaborative planning and coaching of the teachers a key part of the journey. 

Next stop Hobsonville Point where our Commissioner joined the tour - the target here was not to be 'wowed' by the amazing building but to focus on what curriculum and learning look like. 

We were able to see the 'small learning modules' in action. These are the connected units of learning  that the students opt into. What was especially impressive was the ways in which the students were able to talk about their learning with us. The connections with the community around the learning was unbelievable. A group of students shared their work around a coastal walkways project ( English and Technology). The technology was the design of structures to populate the walkways and the English component was around the legends and Storting of the designs. It was like listening to a Yr 13 discuss their work. High level thinking and deep thinking. 

The work will occupy the coastal walkway on the map below - seats, lookout architecture etc. The school really has an amazing community connection. 

Another module was based around English and Science - the science component they were looking at was magnetism And the students were writing sonnets. The study of sonnets was focussed on the elements of love and death. One student was discussing with Ros his teacher, the aspect of attraction in love ( the link to the Science). Different forms of poetic writing were linked to different scientific aspects. The students were also creating a timeline of scientists and writers who had been innovative. It was an interesting combination to see in action. 

Leaving HPSS we experienced the worst of the Auckland traffic and motorway system - rain, nose to tail  traffic and excruciatingly slow trips down the motorway. 

Day 2 began at Mission Heights Junior High, a 7-year-old Yr 7-10 school. The students were grouped in whanau/houses with learning coaches, and A LOT of time was dedicated to planning - every Thursday afternoon (3-4.30) Learning Teams focussed on the needs of the learners. Tuesdays alternated between collaborative planning and professional development, again from 3-4.30.

The school vision and values were evident everywhere - Principal and DP greet students at the gate most mornings. The vision of 'growing greatness through innovation' constantly evolving personalised learning was 'lived' in the school. Kids confidently talked to us about their learning - the level they were at and what they needed to do to move on. Constant reflection around - are we living the vision? and can we see the vision? are a key to improvement. 

Simple acronyms expand this vision 

G ood citizens

R esilient

E nterprising

A spirational 

T hinkers

What struck a chord with many of us was the DEEP learning sessions - an hour at the end of each day. The premise is that all staff have a passion and they put it forward and offer a class. These can be small or large scale. Some of the community are also paid to run programmes.

D iscover 

E nrichment 

E ssential

P assion

Not having teachers spending valuable amounts of time on pastoral admin was a winner for us - a pastoral admin officer was attached to each house - and made perfect sense.

Collaborative planning across thematic units was a real focus - there was however flexibility for year groups or  house areas to approach the term's unit in an individual way.

From MHJC, we returned to Hobsonville Point to spend some time looking at their learning hub and learning coach model. Small groups of students with a learning adviser who monitors curriculum coverage and module selection. Here we actually had time to sit down and reflect on a couple of days of visits. This really assisted us in firming up our thoughts and suggestions for ways to move forward with curriculum design. 

Many thanks to DI and Maurie for hosting us so generously and providing a space for us to work in. 

Common themes across the schools included- 

- a common language across all faculties
- connected curriculum

- learning coach model - 1 teacher 15 students

- student choice / input into the learning contexts 

- follow your passion

- community engagement 

- articulate learners who could explain what was happening around their learning 

On a final note we experienced some of the best and worse of what Auckpand has to offer -  from amazing blue sky as we crossed the Harbour Bridge on Wednesday to the miserable grey drizzle that almost gridlocked the motorway on Tuesday meaning we spent 40 mins to travel the 6 or so kms from Manukau to Sylvia Park.

Authentic and Courageous

Both of these words are in my thoughts after reflecting on some of the schools I visited in Australia. However these two words are as, if not more, relevant, in two NZ schools that I have a keen interest in - Alfriston College and Hobsonville Point Secondary School.

Hobsonville Point is in its' second year of 'life' and the staff are planning for what the curriculum might look like for their students in 2016 - with their first Year 11 cohort. I follow both the blogs of Principal - Maurie Abraham and DP Learning Technologies - Claire Amos. Recent dicsussions have been around the value of the Level 1 NCEA qualification - and if and how it fits the school's and community's vision and its' aspirational learner profile. Courageous conversations are taking place - 

'Last week Claire and I hosted the 13 Year 11 students and their parents and laid out our plans on how they would be prepared to achieve NCEA L2, as a minimum qualification, without devoting their Year 11 Year to the pointless pursuit of dozens of credits which only serves to take their focus off deep learning and understanding.' Maurie

All Level six, seven and eight modules will be designed with opportunities for students to be assessed against Level One, Two or Three Achievement Standards which are clearly signalled alongside learning outcomes and rubrics. Where appropriate, modules will assess learners at Level One and Two or Level Two and Three so that learners can be assessed at the level appropriate for them. Modules offered will be a mixture of single or integrated learning (when integration will facilitate deeper more connected learning). Modules in the latter part of the year will be designed to ensure learners are being prepared for required external standards to provide opportunities for gaining Merit and Excellent endorsement.
Claire

I will follow the continuing journey with interest.

Alfriston College is at the opposite geographical extreme of the Auckland isthmus to HPPS. It is also 10 years older. AC's vision for 'independent learners' has always been embedded in the schools 10 'Independent Learning Qualities' (ILQs). But this year AP Karyn White and a team of 20 staff (T20) have taken a courageous leap into a fully authentic and integrated approach to their Yr 9 Foundation curriculum. 

Yr 9 students are combined in their whanau (house groups) where pastoral amd curriculum are closely linked. No streaming or 'banding'. 900 minutes of a 1500 minute week are in these groups. 4 teachers are timetabled for these sessions. That is the end of the formal plan in the timetable - the rest follows below -

• Is an integrated curriculum delivering the core learning areas (English, Maths, Science, Social Studies, andHealth and PE) with emphasis on the development of a core set of learning dispositions and skills ultimately transferable to learning in the senior school and beyond.
• Is based around a learner's place in and connection to their world view which will include their own whakapapa and heritage, Alfriston College, Manurewa, Auckland, New Zealand, Earth, the Universe and the future.
• Is delivered by a small, consistent, connected team of learning leaders - the Authentic Learning Team.
• Is a time and place where and individual's learning goals and learning pathways are co-constructed, recorded and used to track and review progress. These are available 24/7 and accessible to parents and whanau via the internet.
• Is a programme of learning that builds on learners' capacities to be connected, confident, competent learners of good character with a zest for learning.  AC Website

Following the T20 2015 learning journey on Twitter will be inspring I'm sure. Hopefully I will get to take a group of teachers to see this Foundation Programme in action.

Kia kaha