The New Zealand Curriculum
for English-medium teaching and learning in
years 1 – 13
Setting the direction for teaching &
learning
Supporting flexibility – in school
curriculum, in teaching & learning
In partnership with
Te Marautanga o Aotearoa
for Māori-medium
Nelson May08
Mā te whakaaro nui e hanga te whare;
Mā tō mātauranga e whakaū.
Big ideas create the house;
knowledge maintains it.
Nelson May08
Government priorities
Goals
Actions
Literacy & numeracy
Worthwhile qualifications
Actions
ECE
Clear standards
Assessment to drive improvements
Supporting parents
Priorities
Strong learning foundations
Participation, Engagement, Achievement
Māori language education
Contribute to economic performance
Focus on a small number of goals, communicate them widely & pursue them relentlessly
Nelson May08
NZC & Government directions for education
Principles:
High Expectations:
‘for all’
Treaty of Waitangi: ‘bicultural foundations…All
have the opportunity to acquire knowledge of te
reo Māori me ona tikanga.’
Community engagement: ‘engages the support of
families, whānau…’
Coherence: ‘links…transitions…pathways’
Literacy & numeracy (incl Nat Stds & assessment)
accessing the learning areas & wider outcomes of
the NZC
School curriculum development:
‘to best address the particular needs, interests, &
circumstances of the school’s students & communities
Nelson May08
Curriculum…
Who decides?
What is knowledge? What knowledge is
needed?
What is learning? What helps learning?
What is teaching?
Nelson May08
The New Zealand Curriculum overview
E4tF – globalisation, exponential change, environment,
technology, knowledge economy, workplace demands,
lifelong learning, teaching as enquiry, ALL NEED TO
SUCCEED & CONTRIBUTE…
High expectations
Treaty of Waitangi
Cultural diversity
Inclusion
Learning to learn
Community engagement
Coherence
Future focus
Nelson May08
The New Zealand Curriculum overview
E4tF – globalisation, exponential change, environment,
technology, knowledge economy, workplace demands,
lifelong learning, teaching as enquiry, ALL NEED TO
SUCCEED & CONTRIBUTE…
High expectations
Treaty of Waitangi
Cultural diversity
Inclusion
Learning to learn
Community engagement
Coherence
Future focus
Nelson May08
The New Zealand Curriculum
Vision
Values
Key
Competencies
Principles Learning
areas
Nelson May08
English medium
Confident,
connected,
actively
involved,
life long
learners
feedback: research, monitoring & evaluation
deep changes needed: purposes, own approaches,
shared school vision in daily school life
engaging teachers (learning communities):
coordinating learning from different
learning areas; more varied assesment
engaging students
real life problems, self selected topics, self
asssessment
engaging communities
important but challenging
Nelson May08
feedback ERO ‘readiness review’ 1
‘most schools’ have begun or are well underway
• Have reviewed vision & values
• Are integrating key competencies
• Are aligning school curriculum statements &
practice with the learning areas & principles of the
NZC
• Visible leadership
• Shared understanding
• Planned approach
• Using pd & materials
Nelson May08
feedback ERO ‘readiness review’ 2?
What are you seeing of ‘curriculum in action’?
How are teaching & learning practices changing?
What do you see of ‘teachers inquiring into the
impact of their teaching’ - ‘teaching as enquiry’?
(NZC pp 34, 35)
Nelson May08
Key Messages
Curriculum design & review is an ongoing, continuous,
process.
Nelson May08
Key Messages
Curriculum design & review is an ongoing, continuous,
process.
Schools, with their communities, make decisions about
how to give effect to the national curriculum to best
address the particular needs, interests, &
circumstances of the school’s students & community.
Nelson May08
Key Messages
Curriculum design & review is an ongoing, continuous,
process.
Schools, with their communities, make decisions about
how to give effect to the national curriculum to best
address the particular needs, interests, &
circumstances of the school’s students & community.
A school curriculum clarifies priorities for student learning,
the ways in which those priorities will be addressed, &
how student progress & the quality of teaching &
learning will be assessed.
Nelson May08
Key Messages
Curriculum design & review is an ongoing, continuous,
process.
Schools, with their communities, make decisions about
how to give effect to the national curriculum to best
address the particular needs, interests, &
circumstances of the school’s students & community.
A school curriculum clarifies priorities for student learning,
the ways in which those priorities will be addressed, &
how student progress & the quality of teaching &
learning will be assessed.
**At the heart of a school curriculum is teachers making &
acting on decisions, based on evidence about what to
teach & how to teach it.
Nelson May08
Vision: what we want for our young people
‘confident, connected, actively involved
life-long learners’
‘Kia tū tangata te ākonga
- students achieving their full
potential’
Nelson May08