Activity 3-Week 27

Contemporary Issues or Trends in New Zealand

One contemporary issue that is relevant to my position is the "child-centred approach to learning". This captivates my attention in that my school tries to do this all of the time. We talk about doing things that the students want in each subject and relate it to more practical aspects so that the students can be engaged, but because time is against us and the students need "x" amount of credits to gain their NCEA qualification, then we start to revert back to the norm. I find that we don't base the curriculum on the interests of the students because there is no time to cater the standards for everyones needs, especially when a student is interested in fencing and another fashion design, but we are learning maths. 

 The Education Review (2012) mentions students have simply been forgotten amongst the daily business of “delivering” education, including meeting the requirements of NCEA. 

A curriculum that does not take account of students‟ prior learning places them at even greater risk of failure and disengagement from school. 

The issue for me and how I teach is that if I had more knowledge of how to tailor the assessment standards to the needs of the students, then I would. I am not sure if I do modify one, then I wont be covering all of the aspects of what is expected. I am sure if I took the time to modify all of the ten standards that I teach and made approximately twelve different versions of each standard, then this would be great. The reality however is time and the lack of it, what I try to do is do little activities around the standard that have some relevance and hopefully the students have learned and enjoyed the topic. 

The National Intelligence Council states that “Individual empowerment will accelerate owing to poverty reduction, growth of the global middle class, greater educational attainment, widespread use of new communications and manufacturing technologies, and health-care advances” (NIC, 2012, p.ii)

That means that if we give students more opportunity to learn about what they are interested in, then this will give them the more ownership and students would be more engaged in the lessons. It would also mean that we empower individuals who have an understanding of when they participate or not, then this impacts both themselves, and the people and environments that they are interacting with.

I think as teachers we need to manipulate and take the time to develop achievement standards that are tailored to the students needs and interests. The education system, and our classrooms, need to prepare learners for all of the possibilities for their future, as we move forward in the 21st century. The question is how do we do this?

References

Education Review Office. (2012). Evaluation at a Glance: Priority Learners in New Zealand Schools. Retrieved 18 May 2016, from http://www.ero.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Evaluation-at-a-Glance-Priority-Learners-in-New-Zealand-Schools-August-2012.pdf

National Intelligence Council. (2012). Global trends: Alternative Worlds. National Intelligence Council: US. Retrieved from https://globaltrends2030.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/global-trends-2030-november2012.pdf

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