In conversation with 

Melinda Stevenson
Jim Bell
John Creighton

Transcript below:

I think that teachers will notice a reduction in their workload. I believe that it will give them a lot more flexibility for programme planning, because assessment won't be driving what they're doing anymore. There'll be a lot more freedom to teach the significant learning.

I think the teachers will have a much greater focus on the fun things, the teaching and the learning, rather than the assessing. The stuff that they want to do in the classroom will come to the front.

We're not changing the curriculum, all the ideas that are in there are still there. They're still up for teaching, that's the fun stuff you were talking about. But the way that it's assessed is not going to be so fine-grained and focused on lots of little topics.

I think it'll help students to see it as the big picture and some major topics, rather than lots of small things. I also think teachers will see a strong link between the learning matrix and the significant learning and the progress outcomes.

They were kind of part of the foundation, weren't they. So there's no surprises there, it's not new, it's just how we're approaching it has changed a little.

We've worked really hard to ensure that we are capturing te ao Māori and Māori knowledge. Making sure that our Māori and our Pasifika students can see themselves in the assessment work and the programmes of learning that are being put together. I think it's a really valuable angle to be coming from. Because designing digital technologies is basically manākitanga. You're designing something to help people to raise their mana, not destroy it. Coming from that focus has really been positive for everyone.

The key thing is we want learners to see themselves, to have a vision for how this could be something that they do. To have it as part of their world is a really important aspect. And having those principles, interwoven from the ground up, means that they're not bolted on, they're not optional, they're explicit but they're accessible, so everyone can access them.

Everyone should be able to start seeing how they can change their programmes.

We also talked about linking more, or strengthening our links to parents, whānau, and community, didn't we? Accessing their knowledge as well. That's also been integrated into our work.

I've enjoyed working with a like-minded professional group of teachers where we can talk about the tough stuff, the mana ōrite mātauranga Māori. We really need to debate how that would work in digital technologies.

I've really enjoyed those robust discussions. Putting the students at the centre, that's been really good too, remembering what our core business is and that's to engage our students, and to help them on their educational journey. That's been great. There's an acknowledgment that the education system is very constrained. There's limited budgets, there's limited time, limited resources. Students themselves have limited time, there's so many things we'd love to do. So yeah, trying to put that jigsaw together with all of those constraints and develop something that will still achieve the goals is a fun challenge.

It is.

Coming to the table and seeing so many different perspectives, and trying to understand other people's perspectives in the area that they're coming from and representing.

Knowing everyone's trying to do the best for the people that they care about. Having that around the table has been a good growing experience for me.

My advice would be to be proactive. To look at the learning matrix, familiarise yourself with that. Be brave. Rely on your colleagues and your subject associations.

I think the subject associations are going to play a big role in this transition into the new Standards.

There are lots of other teachers in the same boat all experiencing change. It's learning and working together collectively to build your knowledge and your understanding.

I think realising that change is happening, and that everyone is going to be experiencing that change so that people aren't going to be alone on that journey.

Echoing what you said. There is a survey coming out on the proposed new level 2 and 3 subjects, for people to engage with that, and to respond to the survey. Because their voice is important. We want to hear what they think about that list.

One of the key things is to be aware that there are going to be resources, that there's going to be support. But to look for that support, and to engage with it.

Be aware that this has been designed for the benefit of students. Keep the students at the centre of your teaching and planning.