Kia Ora New Zealand Contemporary Learning Tour
Lutheran Education Leaders highly modelled the elements of rich collegiality and collaboration to enable all to thrive during the Contemporary Learning Tour. All attendees made reference to the richness the group brought to their learnings as well as the incredible gaining of knowledge and insights shared with us from each of the 7 schools.
Check out some of the testimonials at the end of this article.
Some Learning Highlights:
School 1 - Green School NZ - New Plymouth
An incredible day exploring and learning at this Years 0 – 13 (P-12) with the staff and students. Many aspects were explored including:
- rich experiential, student agentic learning
- connection to place and the environment
- First Nations priorities
School 2 - Freeman’s Bay Gov. School.
Collaborative teaching was a huge focus at Freeman’s Bay School on the NZ Contemporary Learning Tour - A deep exploration into:
- Whakawhanaungatanga - establishing good relations
- AKo - to teach and learn together in a reciprocal relationship
- Tuakana-Tiena- A model for buddy systems and agreements
The complimentary award winning innovative learning environments were also a highlight to be explored.
School 3- The Age School
Enabling creative minds to go out and make the world a better place - the students’ painting in the first pic sums it up in not accepting the status quo, go out and change, innovate, serve and colour the world.
A full morning exploring and learning at this Years 0 – 13 (P-12) with the staff and students. Many aspects were explored including:
- A disruptive contemporary model of private schooling which is allowing students to leverage authentic connections and pathways to enable rich learning
- Students who will serve and connect with community and who are not afraid to challenge the status quo.
School 4 – Hobsonville Point Secondary Gov School
A full half a day exploring and learning at this Years 0 – 13 (P-12) with the staff and students. Many aspects were explored including:
- A highly recognised contemporary learning model which is driven by recognising traditional aspects of education which need to stop and contemporary practice and growth mindsets need to be front and centre.
- Diverse teacher teams and flat structures
- Student/staff cultures supporting social equity, wellness and inclusion.
- Dynamic flexible learning hubs - not a classroom in site
School 5- Teoamarama Private Partnerships Gov. School
A half day exploring and learning at this Years 0-6 (P-6) school with the staff and students. Many aspects were explored including:
- Strong First Nations emphasis for ways of learning, doing and being
- How “Teachers First” strategy helps build a rich culture for the school
- Further dive into the autonomous nature of curriculum and the richness of learning that evolves from creative leaders
- How a private partnerships model enables greater capacity
School 6 – Albany Senior School
A half day exploring and learning at this Years 7-13 (grades 7-12) school with the staff and students. Many aspects were explored including:
- The dynamic simplification of timetable
- Student independence in learning
- A major focus on senior authentic passion projects
- Innovative learning environments
- Café Culture
- School Contemporary Culture
School 7 - Stonefields School
Derek Bartels
More photos at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1180285658689912/permalink/6585715618146862/
Information on upcoming tours can be found here.
Some Testimonials so far!
"An incredibly thought provoking and challenging tour of contemporary NZ schools that are taking contemporary and innovative approaches towards student education whilst showing deep reverence to their indigenous culture."
"You will be challenged in a good way for your school. Be open to learn and you will pick up gems along the way during the tour to make your learning community richer."
"An incredible opportunity to see beyond the restraints of learning and education that we don't even know we've put in place in our minds."
"The NZ tour was an amazing, eye-opening experience. It is so wonderful to be able to communicate with other educators who are wanting to do more in education and step outside the traditional outdated ways of teaching. All of the schools are unique in their own way so there is something to take away from every location. Be ready to learn and be inspired!"
"The NZ study tour has been incredible to hear from such passionate educators who want the best for their child, staff and wider community. To hear how a school imagines and lives out their vision and values is something that has both challenged and inspired me for when I return to my school."
"Challenged my thinking in a way that it hasn't been challenged before. Forced me to push my thinking and delve deeply into why and how we do things. Amazing to see schools that are bravely redefining what education is and how it looks."
"Being a brand new teacher, coming straight out of high school, into a 4 year teaching degree through the tradition teaching styles and into a school beginning their journey on making a difference to the education system, none of this compared to the New Zealand Learning Tour. The NZLT opened my eyes to see how there is more than 1 or 2 ways to approach teaching and learning."
"The New Zealand Contemporary Learning Tour was insightful, and incredibly inspiring. It is a wonderful opportunity for any open minded educators curious and wanting to positively inform their practice, particularly in the areas of Wellbeing, cultural sustainability and empowering learning."
"Such a valuable experience meeting with other educators to share about different perspectives, innovations and the challenges of educating future citizens in an ever changing world. "
"Teaching the curriculum is not the be and end all of teaching and learning."
"This tour has given me amazing clarity and understanding of purpose in relation to my role within my school. Apart from learning and seeing a whole lot of new approaches to “doing” schooling, I’ve also been reminded of many fundamentals which are central to our Lutheran way of doing schooling - reverence to God; focus on restorative practice and wellbeing; quality teaching and learning that places the learner at the centre."
"Touring New Zealand schools was a humbling experience in respect, acknowledgment and immersion in First Nations culture as a given in schools. Visiting both mainstream and bespoke schools, we saw many examples of how to innovate structure, pedagogy and methods of engagement in order to transform education to better meet the needs of all learners."
"Eye opening and challenging the way I thought. Derik and Andrew were fantastic in showing us a NZ model that was so flexible and had significant outcomes for students. It has inspired me to challenge the VCE curriculum and standardised testing in general."
"Respect, values, culture, family and understanding are words that will resonate with me for a long time. These are see, heard and felt in every school we visited. The connection to who they are and their why, is so strong and real. I am in awe and challenged greatly by what I experienced in my time in New Zealand. This will be life changing for me personally in my journey as an educator in the future."
"The International flavour and benefits of the contemporary tour was next level, lifiting further my aspirations and actions to enable postiive and effective change back at my school"
"Collaborating with fellow professionals within the Lutheran system from schools I didn’t know existed was incredibly valuable. Together we are going to change the face of education to authentically enable our learners. The absolutely best prof learning ever!"
